Author: The Guardian

England suffered a heavy defeat in Rajkot while India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and won the third Test by a record margin of 434 runs.Chasing a world-record target of 557 after India declared 430 for four, the tourists lost both openers shortly before tea, ending a grim match at 18 for two. Ben Duckett ran out before Zak Crawley was thumped by Jasprit Bumrah but the on-field umpire decided to keep it because the ball Will bounce onto the stump of the leg.India welcomed back spinner Ravichandran Ashwin but Ravindra Jadeja ended the evening. He cut…

Like most five-year-olds, my son is engaged in a constant battle to say ‘why’ until my brain explodes. The Big Bang is a recurring endpoint to these queries, as he pins me under so many whys that we work our way back to the universe’s foundational moment. ‘Why does the moon exist?’ Big Bang. ‘Why is the sky blue?’ Big Bang.How or why it happened is a question so impossible to answer that it gestures towards religious mystery. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when he turned to me this week and said, ‘So, is God friends with the Big…

World leaders watched from the comfort of VIP rooms as former figure skating star Irina Rodnina lit the Olympic flame to kick off the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.The opening torch ceremony, with the theme of “peace and tolerance”, is intended to be the pinnacle of Russia’s renaissance, as Vladimir Putin turns to using soft power to impress the world.Ten years later, Rodnina was once again entrusted with hosting winter sports events. This time, she fired the starting gun, and hundreds of Russian skiers who had been banned from competing in Western competitions formed a team. Giant pro-war letter “Z” at…

What time are you up? I start spreading my toes at around 10am. That’s the time I should be in the gym and my brain is aware of it. ‘You should be in the gym,’ I think. I feel so much better leaving the gym than I do walking in.What’s for breakfast? I’m into toast lately. I’m digging sourdough with English or Irish salted butter. Sometimes I put a little honey on it, or avocado or blueberry jam. Depends on my mood.Bit of fresh air? I have two Vizslas, Jack and Jimmy. They’re Hungarian bird dogs that need to run…

key eventsShow only key eventsPlease enable JavaScript to use this featureMatch 60: India 228-2 (Gill 83, Kuldeep 17)Match 59: India 225-2 (Gill 82, Kuldeep 15) Kuldeep drives top edge off Anderson and lands safely. “He’d probably give up 100 Test wickets to bounce someone off again,” laughed Graeme Swann on commentary.Anderson wasn’t smiling when Gill ended the game with the sweetest push through extra cover for four. At his best, he played with a calmness and grace that was arguably unparalleled in world cricket.Match 58: India 219-2 (Gill 77, Kuldeep 14) Another short ball from Hartley, who looked mentally exhausted,…

On a rainy night in London, a young woman walks towards the entrance of a sidestreet, smiling to herself as she recalls the evening spent with the friend she just farewelled at the train station. She’s about to walk down the poorly-lit shortcut that will take her back to her accommodation, when she stops.Something in her body tells her not to go down that street. She pauses, then turns back towards the busy, well lit but longer route home.“Where are you going?” She hadn’t heard the footsteps of the man who had been walking behind her. He seems thrown by…

A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck near a small Texas city early Saturday morning, one of several in the area in recent days that was felt dozens of miles away, including in San Antonio.The quake struck at 12:32 a.m. and was centered about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southeast of Falls City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of major damage or casualties. Falls City is located approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio and has a population of approximately 500 people.The U.S. Geological Survey said a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck the area about 10 minutes ago.About 30…

Egypt is preparing safe areas for Gaza refugees, Cairo has said, as the key Qatar negotiator in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas admitted they have made no progress in recent days.Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, said at a security conference in Munich on Saturday that while his country would deal with civilians humanely, the displacement of Palestinians remained unacceptable.“It is not our intention to provide any safe areas or facilities, but if this is necessary we will deal with the humanity that is necessary,” he told the annual gathering. Egypt is caught between making contingency plans and not…

CHulsey was once a trendsetter, someone with a redefined role. Following Didier Drogba’s arrival in west London, many Premier League sides have clamored for a player who can enjoy the same success in the lone striker position. The Ivorian has redefined what a lonely frontman can do.Twenty years later, Manchester City midfielder Rodri is someone the club wants to replicate as he was integral to their European and Premier League title success. Chelsea have spent around £250m on Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the past 12 months in the hope they can find someone who can form…

Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a desperate plea for fresh arms on Saturday as his army commanders announced that Ukrainian troops were pulling out of the key eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow its first major military victory since last May, just days before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.Ukraine’s leader told the Munich Security Conference that the slowing of weapons supplies was having a direct impact on the frontline and was forcing Ukraine to cede territory.“Keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of…