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England captain Ben Stokes cuts a forlorn look at a press conference following one of the Ashes Tests against Australia in December 2025. (AFP) Geoffrey Boycott bemoaned a lack of accountability in English cricket after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to retain head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key following a review of the team’s humbling 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. The former England opener questioned ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould’s credentials and said the “incompetent” Key and McCullum had “sabotaged” England’s Ashes campaign. “Like me, cricket supporters will be asking how McCullum and Key could make so many bad decisions on the Australian tour and yet the chief executive of English cricket decides there is no need to make any changes. Where is the accountability?” Boycott wrote in the Telegraph. “I’m sure they promised him they would do better, but leopards don’t change their spots, so it looks like we will get the same type of Test cricket.” Boycott said he admired McCullum for getting the team to play aggressive and exciting cricket but felt the players had grown complacent under the former New Zealand captain. “In trying to create a free-spirited team, he has made them too comfortable and complacent. They know they will not get dropped, whatever their performances or conduct on or off the field. “It looks like a boys’ club where, once you are in the team, it is hard to get out… Competition for places is the lifeblood of sport. Complacency in a team does not breed a good appetite to excel.” Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Mike Atherton said Key and McCullum were lucky to retain their jobs. “There’s not many management groups that deliver something so poor away from home in an Ashes series and get the chance to carry on,” Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special. “They’ve had some exciting times, but they haven’t won enough. “What England fans are looking for now is, what change (will happen)?” Atherton said English supporters would find “the lack of accountability hard to stomach”. “In most walks of life, such a litany of mistakes would result in some significant change,” he wrote in the Times. “There will be limited patience if the general public do not sense a shift in attitude this summer from players who, they felt, were too slapdash during a 4-1 Ashes defeat.” Related…
Tugboats move a crude oil tanker to its berth at the oil terminal at the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province Monday. (AFP) China Monday urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflict, particularly the US and Israel, to cease military operations, warning of a “vicious cycle” in a war that analysts say if prolonged, could undermine global growth and weaken demand for Chinese exports.”The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it,” said Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun at a briefing after his shuttle-diplomacy trip that included stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.In a separate briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian cautioned that the use of force would only lead to a “vicious cycle” and that the war should not have been started.”Should the hostilities continue to spread and intensify, the entire region will be plunged into chaos,” he said.”The lessons of the past are not far behind us,” the Chinese foreign ministry said Monday in a reply to Reuters seeking comment on the Iraq War anniversary last week.”The war 23 years ago brought profound suffering to the Iraqi people and had a serious impact on the Middle East,” the statement said.Last Friday marked the 23rd anniversary of the Iraq War, in which US-led forces invaded the country to oust Saddam Hussein, partly on claims that his government possessed weapons of mass destruction. Though the regime fell quickly, Iraq sank into years of chaos and instability, in a war estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people, cost the US trillions of dollars and created a power vacuum that saw the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group.”The war 23 years later on Iran has caused severe losses to the Iranian people, and the spillover and spread of the conflict have also affected the entire region,” the ministry said.Trump on Saturday imposed a 48-hour deadline on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, threatening to destroy Iranian power plants otherwise.Iranian attacks have effectively closed the key waterway which carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, causing the worst oil crisis since the 1970s.While Beijing did not detail its concerns, a prolonged conflict could weigh on China’s export outlook.Emerging markets – key drivers of Chinese export growth – are particularly vulnerable due to limited oil reserves and sensitivity to rising energy costs.”Weakening growth in China’s emerging market trading partners will likely weigh on Chinese exports to these countries in the coming quarters,” Goldman Sachs’s Hui Shan said in a report about the near-term risks to China’s economy.China is relatively better positioned to absorb higher oil prices with coal accounting for about 60% of its energy mix, ample oil stockpiles and imports via the Strait of Hormuz, representing only around 5% of total energy consumption.Still, rising oil and gas prices could lift inflation and end producer price deflation, according to the chief China economist. The bank has cut its forecast for China’s second-quarter growth and raised its inflation outlook for 2026. Asked whether China had pressed Iran to ensure safe passage for Chinese vessels and oil shipments through the strait, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin said Beijing remains in communication with all parties and is committed to easing tensions. …
England opener Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) four days before the start of the tournament to focus on his international career, a decision that could leave him facing a two-season ban from the league. The 31-year-old, who scored 202 runs at an average of 20.20 during the Ashes, was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs20mn ($213,167) at the auction. Under IPL rules, any player who registers for the auction, is picked by a franchise and makes himself unavailable before the start of the season can be barred from participating in the tournament and the player auction for two seasons. “I have made the extremely difficult decision to withdraw from the IPL. I have given this a lot of thought and it has not been an easy choice,” Duckett wrote on Instagram. “Representing England is something I have dreamed of since I was a child, and I want to give everything I can to English cricket. To do that, I need to ensure I am in the best possible place physically and mentally ahead of the summer. “I would like to sincerely apologise to everyone at Delhi. I was genuinely very excited about the opportunity to represent the franchise, and I fully appreciate the time and planning that goes into building a squad. “I am sorry for any disruption my decision may cause. I would also like to apologise to all the fans, as I know how much the team means to everyone in Delhi.” The IPL runs from March 28 to May 31. Source link
Soaring black-market prices of cooking gas in India's capital are pushing poorer families back to wood and coal, raising health risks and worsening air quality in the highly polluted megacity.India is the world's second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East — and supplies have been strangled by the ongoing war.India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged states to curb black marketing and avoid panic, stressing that India's energy supplies remain stable.In the low-income Madanpur Khadar neighbourhood, 36-year-old domestic helper Sheela Kumari says she has been forced to abandon LPG cooking gas cylinders for cooking after prices more than doubled.’We used to buy cylinders for 1,800-2,000 rupees ($19-$21), but now on the black market it has gone up to 5,000 ($53),’ she told AFP, nearly as much as she entire monthly salary of 6,000 rupees.’It is unimaginable for us,’ she said. ‘The next best option for us was going back to wood and coal.’Kumari said a 14 kilogramme cylinder lasts only 15-20 days for her family of six, even when they stretch its use out.But she says a 10 kilogramme bundle of firewood, lasting several days, costs 30 rupees ($0.30).’There are health repercussions, and my children cough,’ she said. ‘But tell me a way out?’Her neighbour, 45-year-old Munni Bai, who has asthma, had switched to using an electric cooker as well as biogas from cow dung, to help her breathing.But now she said she was being forced to resume use of alternative fuels.’Gas is too expensive,’ she said. ‘We cannot depend on it — we moved from coal and wood, due to my health issue, but now it is difficult to sustain.’But activists say the problem is more about access.Many migrant workers lack documentation needed for subsidised LPG and rely on informal markets, where hoarding has pushed up prices.’There is no major shortage yet, but hoarding has increased,’ said Deepak, who uses only one name, from the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR).’Many migrants depend on black-market cylinders, and prices have gone up two to three times’.New Delhi, and its wider sprawling metropolitan region of 30mn residents, is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted capitals, due to a deadly mix of emissions from power plants, heavy traffic, as well as the burning of rubbish and crops.For the past decades, India's government has pushed its ‘Ujjwala’ or ‘light’ clean-energy scheme, to provide over 100mn LPG connections to poor households.Burning wood, coal and biomass indoors exposes families to high levels of smoke and toxic particles, increasing the risk of respiratory illnesses.Women and children, who spend more time near cooking areas, are especially vulnerable. Source link
Royal Challengers Bengaluru players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League title against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, India, on June 4, 2025. (Reuters)…
An entrance to the Chinese Embassy is seen in Tokyo on March 24, 2026, after a man was apprehended after he trespassed onto the embassy premises.…
At the centre of it lies the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints – which carries around a quarter of…
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer shakes hands with European Council President Antonio Costa at Downing Street, London. (Reuters/File Photo) EU Council President Antonio Costa said Tuesday he was confident Britain and the European Union would reach a deal on UK participation in the bloc’s multi-billion-euro SAFE defence fund, despite talks over the issue breaking down in November.A British plan to join the original 150 billion euro ($174 billion) SAFE fund fell through after the government of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to pay a financial contribution to join.However, Costa pointed to warmer ties between Britain and the EU, with Starmer consistently pushing for a post-Brexit “reset” with the bloc as grounds for hope of a deal.He also highlighted how Britain and France were jointly leading Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing” as a reason why he believed a deal would be reached.”The new Labour government has started the reset, and the reset is going well,” Costa said in a speech at Paris’ Sciences Po university.”It could take some weeks, months, but for sure, we will achieve an agreement with the UK on the SAFE issue,” he said.Last month, Starmer said his government would consider applying to join a second possible EU SAFE fund. Under the initiative, the EU jointly borrowed money on financial markets to lend to countries in the bloc for defence.Asked about Costa’s remarks, a British government source said the UK would only sign agreements that were in its national interest, and noted that British firms remained a vital part of defence supply chains across Europe.The source said the UK’s defence industry continued to have access to SAFE under standard third-country terms, which allow British companies to participate in SAFE-funded arrangements for up to 35% of a project’s value. Related Story Source link
The crowd gathered outside Sharpeville police station on 21 March 1960 “came armed not with weapons, but with conviction – not to divide society, but to claim their dignity within it,” General…
Ireland will cut excise duty on fuels until the end of May as part of a 250 million euro ($290 million) package to cushion the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.The surging price of crude oil has led to prices at some Irish service stations rising above 2 euros per litre of unleaded fuel, a level last reached in 2022 at the start of the Ukraine conflict.A cut to excise duty of 15 euro cents per litre on petrol and 20 cents on diesel will take effect from midnight Tuesday, the government said.Prime Minister Micheal Martin told a news conference Tuesday that the measures are ‘targeted and temporary’ and will be reviewed subject to market developments.The government will also pause the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) levy for two months, which will reduce the price of motoring fuel and home heating oil by an additional two cents per litre, but this will require the passing of additional legislation.The agency is responsible for the maintenance of Ireland's strategic supplies of oil and is funded though the levy.Heating payments to social welfare recipients will be extended for four weeks and there will be enhancements to a rebate programme for hauliers.Finance Minister Simon Harris on Sunday said the government would limit the initial package to leave room for further help if the energy shock persists.The European Commission suggested cuts to national taxes on fuel as one way member states could curb surging energy prices. Italy has also temporarily cut excise duties, while Spain on Friday proposed wider measures worth 5 billion euros, including reductions in fuel prices and electricity bills. Source link