As part of its efforts to bring down the cost of electricity supply and make electricity bills more affordable for Europeans, the Commission has today provided new guidance to EU countries. It will facilitate the uptake of innovative renewable energy sources and forms of deployment, accelerate the rollout of grids and storage infrastructure and design future-proof electricity network charges.
The recommendation and 3 guidance documents will support the implementation of the revised Renewable Energy Directive and Electricity Market Design, as well as the Action Plan for Affordable Energy set out earlier this year to lower energy costs by accelerating the clean energy transition.
EU countries and the national energy regulators are invited to consider these support documents when designing national frameworks on these matters. The Commission stands ready to assist them in their efforts.
Accelerated deployment of new types of renewable energy and forms of deployment
Innovative renewable energy technologies such as ocean energy and floating offshore wind, as well as innovative forms of deployment of renewable energy such as agrisolar, floating solar and vehicle-integrated PV, have important potential, which is currently not being sufficiently tapped into. To support their roll-out, EU countries should develop clear regulatory frameworks. This will help provide legal certainty and facilitate their uptake. EU countries should design a financial framework for the support of renewable energies which is adapted to the specific needs of these technologies and forms of deployment. If applied, this will reduce the gap between the costs of these new types of renewable energy and those of conventional forms of deployment, fostering their development. EU countries should also encourage continued research and innovation to explore their potential benefits and clarify their environmental impacts.
Faster procedures for grids and storage roll-out
The expected development of the electricity system in terms of growth in renewable energy generation, electricity demand and grid constraints requires the urgent expansion and reinforcement of the grids, combined with the accelerated deployment of storage solutions. EU countries are encouraged to facilitate this by means of designating areas for grid and storage infrastructure. Grids and storage projects located in these areas may then be exempted from certain types of environmental assessments.
Future-proof electricity network charges to reduce energy system costs
The necessary investments in renewable energy sources, grids and storage solutions require more flexibility and efficiency in the way the electricity grids are used and managed, to ensure their cost-effective operation. Energy regulators should design tariffs that reflect the needs of the electricity system and make the best use of the existing infrastructure by incentivising flexibility and encouraging consumers to use electricity when it is cheap to do so.
Background
Europe’s high energy costs are heavily influenced by its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Expanding the amount and range of renewable energy sources would help reduce the costs of energy supply and energy prices for industry and citizens. To make this a reality, it is necessary to significantly accelerate the roll out of renewable energy projects, including innovative forms of deployment and innovative renewable energy technologies. Moreover, there is an urgent need to develop energy infrastructure enabling the uptake of the renewables, security of supply and market integration.
Earlier this year, the Commission put forward an Action Plan for Affordable Energy to lower energy costs, complete the Energy Union, attract investments and be better prepared for potential energy crises. As a key component of the Clean Industrial Deal, this Plan will not only bring relief to households facing high energy bills, but also to industries that struggle with high production costs, with estimated overall savings of €45 billion in 2025, that will progressively increase until €130 billion in annual savings by 2030 and €260 billion by 2040.
Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, said:
‘The clean energy transition is not just a moral obligation towards our planet: it is a matter of security and independence for Europe. Lower energy prices and a secure energy system with a high share of renewables are the backbone of a sustainable and competitive economy. With this new guidance to our Member States, we are showing the way towards a cleaner, cheaper and more efficient energy system.’
ISLAMABAD, July 02 (APP): President Asif Ai Zardari on Wednesday strongly condemned a bomb blast in District Bajaur and expressed his grief over the death of an assistant commissioner Nawagai, tehsildar and other personnel.
The president expressed his condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families of Shuhada, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.
The president also prayed for the high ranks of the Shuhada and for their families to bear the losses with equanimity.
He said that terrorists were the enemies of humanity who targeted people and reiterated the resolve of taking all possible measures to complete eradication of the scourge of terrorism.
Entain, the global sports betting and gaming group, has successfully and fully deployed its proprietary Group BetStation (GBS) platform across all Ladbrokes and Coral shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
This marks a major milestone in Entain’s digital retail transformation concluding a journey that began with the launch of the first GBS terminal in Feltham in November 2020 and culminated with the final installation in Swansea. In total, over 2,400 shops were upgraded across the UK and Ireland.
GBS by numbers:
Over 2,400 shops upgraded across the UK and Ireland
12,000 betting terminals converted
Strong growth in ‘Other sports’ betting
Grand National bets placed via GBS up by more than half year-on-year
Football bet builder activity has doubled in the last six months.
GBS is a fully in-house developed, self-service betting solution that delivers a market-leading digital type experience to retail customers. Built entirely from the ground up, the project has converted 12,000 terminals and is now the primary sports betting channel across Entain’s retail estate. The deployment is the result of thousands of hours of development and testing, reflecting significant investment in technology and innovation.
Fiona Wallace, Head of Self-Service Betting Terminals at Entain says,
“Five years ago, Entain set out to deliver a best-in-class betting experience for our UK and Ireland retail customers, through our BetStation terminals. Our software, which tech teams have worked tirelessly on over that period, is market leading, offering customers far more than we did in the past.
This hard work has meant that all BetStation terminals across our retail estate have now been converted to Group BetStation, this is a transformational achievement. It has redefined the in-shop experience, driven engagement, and accelerated our journey toward retail digitalisation.”
Key to the platform’s success has been extensive collaboration across Entain’s Retail, Product & Technology, Commercial, and Operational teams globally — including colleagues from the UK, Austria, Gibraltar, India, and beyond. Feedback from over 14,000 UK retail employees has shaped product refinement, ensuring GBS delivers intuitive, responsive, and feature-rich functionality.
GBS is reshaping customer behaviour in retail, enabling a shift toward more complex and personalised bets, including accumulators and bet builders. As a result, GBS has become the home for innovative betting formats and is central to Entain’s broader multi-channel growth strategy.
Entain will continue to develop and evolve the GBS platform to enhance the customer experience further, differentiate Entain’s retail offering, and support the Group’s market share growth objectives.
About Entain plc
Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports brands include BetCity, bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds, Sportingbet, Sports Interaction, STS and SuperSport; Gaming brands include Foxy Bingo, Gala, GiocoDigitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, Partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group operates the TAB NZ brand as part of a long-term strategic partnership with TAB New Zealand. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations, provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.
The Group has a 50/50 joint venture, BetMGM, a leader in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology and capabilities which power BetMGM as well as exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK and is the only global operator to exclusively operate in domestically regulated or regulating markets operating in over 30 territories.
Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AAA rated by MSCI. For more information see the Group’s website: www.entaingroup.com
Reece Rogers: So the ruling was that they can train on the books they have to buy the books first.
Kylie Robison: Yes, and there’s a lot. Talk about nuance. There’s a lot of nuance here that’s a San Francisco judge for one trial for one company. The New York Times, as I mentioned, is suing OpenAI, and I think, as reporters, that’s a big one we’re looking at to see. You know New York Times is alleging that you can use ChatGPT to completely copy and spit out, and, like plagiarism, spit out what their reporters have worked on, and that is not free use. It has to be transformative. So how that shakes out is a big one that we’re looking at. But there’s no like sweeping regulation. We’re looking at free or fair use, which is a much different law, and we’ve evolved as a society, you know it’s it’s nuanced.
Reece Rogers: It’s nuanced and incredibly complicated. And I think something we’re going to keep an eye on for the next year. Two years. So it’s definitely an evolving situation that we are monitoring.
Kylie Robison: We are monitoring the situation. If you go to WIRED.com, you’ll find an incredible report from our colleague, Kate Nibs, who talked about Meta’s lawsuit for this exact problem.
Reece Rogers: Yeah, follow Kate Knibbs. Her reporting is incredible when it comes to AI and copyright. OK, let’s get to another question. These have been so. This has been really fun so far. Thank you, everyone, for all your thoughtful questions, Mary asked. I see your free Claude has access to the Internet. Mine does not seem to have that option, though it’s paid.
Kylie Robison: Oh, yes, I saw that. And then that’s why I logged in. So I was like, where is it in mine?
Reece Rogers: OK, well, let’s take a look, Mary. I’m sorry if I’m not able to help you with this one, you know. I go here. You know where it says, search and tools by the prompt bar, and then I see web search right here, or you can toggle, web, search on and off. Maybe also include in your prompt like, search the web for whatever you’re looking for, and that might trigger it.
Kylie Robison: I’m doing it right now on my end, because I actually don’t see like, choose web search, though I have a paid tier. So I asked, can you search the web. It said yes, and then I asked for updates on the mayoral race in New York, and it searched the web and found it so just prompt and ask like, Can you search the web for this information and that should work.
Reece Rogers: I think this is probably a point where I should bring up that when you’re comparing the web searching between. Maybe ChatGPT, and Claude is that they’re both gonna be fairly powerful, and they’re going to do a good job of looking through the web to find the information you need. ChatGBT specifically has been doing. Licensing deals with Condé Nast, the owner of WIRED, and other companies as well. That brings in even more of our reporting. So if you use ChatGBT, you might see some more WIRED articles than necessarily, if you’re searching the web with Claude. So that’s just like something to keep in mind. I feel like as a user. I wouldn’t really notice the difference.
Iran is also considering an entry ban on IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, after rejecting his request to visit nuclear sites.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has signed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amid growing tensions between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog over monitoring access and transparency, after United States and Israeli strikes on its most important nuclear facilities during a 12-day conflict last month.
“Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Iranian state TV reported on Wednesday.
The move comes a week after Iran’s parliament passed legislation to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, citing Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran and later strikes by the US on Iranian nuclear facilities.
According to the parliament resolution, IAEA inspectors will not be allowed to visit nuclear sites without approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Iran’s foreign minister earlier this week said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, whom Iranian officials have sharply criticised for failing to condemn Israeli and US strikes during the recent 12-day war, was no longer welcome in the country.
Officials have also criticised Grossi over a June 12 resolution passed by the IAEA board accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.
Iranian officials said the resolution was among the “excuses” for the Israeli attacks.
Iran has also rejected a request from IAEA chief Grossi to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war.
“Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X on Monday. “Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.”
Earlier this week, Pezeshkian decried Grossi’s “destructive” conduct, while France, Germany and the United Kingdom have condemned unspecified “threats” made against the IAEA chief.
Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.
Iran has insisted no threats were posed against Grossi or the agency’s inspectors.
The 12-day war began when Israel carried out a surprise bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites and assassinated several top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones at Israel.
On June 22, Israel’s ally, the US, launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold on June 24.
At least 935 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Iran, according to judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir, citing the latest forensic data. The deceased included 132 women and 38 children, Jahangir added.
Iran’s retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.
US President Donald Trump said the US attacks had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage was not clear.
Araghchi has admitted that “serious” damage has been inflicted on nuclear sites.
But in a recent interview with US media outlet CBS Evening News, he said: “One cannot obliterate the technology and science… through bombings.”
Israel and some Western countries say Iran has sought nuclear weapons – an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
Lunchtime email: “Do we just give up on complaining about the woeful over rate now, and just accept it?” wonders Adrian Riley. “I know all teams are bad, but England now seem the worst. They don’t even get near 90 overs these days, even with the extra half hour. I reckon they’ll do about 75 by 6pm.”
It’s quite hard to measure what’s acceptable when things happen in the game – this morning, for example, there was an open window, a moving steward and two attempts to change the ball which I think I neglected to mention. So it’s not simply a reflection of callous players, but it does feel annoying when the players disappear at 6.30 with the light still more than good enough.
Anyhow, I’m going to grab a break, and we’ll return in 30 or so to do some emails.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, though. What a player.
Lunchtime reading: 20 years ago, Edgbaston was full for the final day of the second Ashes Test – apart from one seat: mine. Here’s why.
25th over: India 98-2 (Jaiswal 62, Gill 1) Ahahaha, strike that – Ben Stokes, what a cliche. He brings on his spinner for one over before lunch, three singles eventuate, and that’s that for a terrific morning session.
24th over: India 93-2 (Jaiswal 60, Gill 0) Early days, but there’s a nice balance about this England attack – the bowlers are good but different and, in Stokes, they have a canny captain who feels the game.
WICKET! Nair c Brook b Carse 31 (India 93-2)
Carse has that little bit of extra gas, doesn’t he? He bangs one in, gets more lift than Nair – and anyone – anticipated, the ball gets big on him and, in a bit of a tangle, he lobs a catch to second slip.
Brydon Carse celebrates the wicket of India batsman Karun Nair. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
24th over: India 93-1 (Jaiswal 59, Nair 30) Carse returns to try and make something happen, as he did at Headingley – I’m surprised Stokes gave Tongue so many overs – and his first two deliveries go for singles.
“Botham and Flintoff have rightly been mentioned,” says Brian Rafferty, “but can I give a shout-out for Bob Willis. His 5th day 8-43 v Australia at Headingly in 1981 is one of the best performances I have ever seen. England, made to follow on, pulled off something magical in that test. Okay, it’s known as The Botham Test, but Willis won it on day five.”
Sure, and Bob was excellent – though before my time. But in talking about best, we can’t reference individual spells and matches because being good requires more than that.
23rd over: India 93-1 (Jaiswal 59, Nair 30) Eeesh, another short one – I wondered if England might try something different – and Jaiswal goes again, this time looking to haul around the corner only to top-edge a pull; it falls just short of Woakes at fine leg. They run one, another single follows, and India are in charge here … words we might have written as many, many points during the first Test.
22nd over: India 91-1 (Jaiswal 58, Nair 29) Tongue continues and Nair adds one, then drops shorter – even shorter – and Jaiswal rolls wrists over it, hooking to the fence. Then, offered width, he leaps to crack a vicious cut to the fence, immediately raising his bat like a statue to celebrate an initially dicey but latterly devastating fifty. This boy is a superstar, and to prove the point, when Tongue goes over the wicket but again offers width, he carves a third consecutive four through third man! He’s so lithe, so creative, so daring and so brilliant.
Yashasvi Jaiswal leaves the floor as he hits a boundary. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
21st over: India 77-1 (Jaiswal 45, Nair 28) Three dots, a no ball, then a gloved single to Nair. Time for a change for England? Stokes has now bowled four overs, Tongue five.
“Love a good all-rounder chat,” says Pete Salmon. “Had a long one recently about the fact that Australia rarely produces them, Keith Miller, Richie Benaud and Gary Gilmour excepted. Is lack of all rounders part of Australia’s strength? Does correlation imply causation? Ended with us all agreeing that Cam Green is no good, because Australia.”
Adam Gilchrist should really be added to that list, and it’s worth noting that Border and both Waughs could bowl well enough to a fair few Test wickets. Otherwise, I wonder if Aussie conditions – true pitches – create and reward specialists.
20th over: India 75-1 (Jaiswal 45, Nair 27) Jaiswal pulls Tongue for two, then adds a single, and this is excellent work from this pair; Nair adds one more, and England could do with something.
19th over: India 71-1 (Jaiswal 42, Nair 26) Nair takes a single then, offered one outside off but with bounce, Jaiswal refuses to miss out, playing the kind of smash you’d expect to see at Wimbledon not Edgbaston. for four through cover. What a player he is; what a character he is too.
18th over: India 65-1 (Jaiswal 37, Nair 25) Tongue’s had a difficult morning so far but this is a tighter over, yielding two singles. I wonder if we might see Bashir shortly.
17th over: India 63-1 (Jaiswal 36, Nair 24) Stokes goes wider on the crease, so Jaiswal waits until the ball is right upon him, then caresses an on-drive straight back down the pitch. He’s a beautiful batter, and you can almost taste his attitude; I think he and Stokes exchange sentiments, then again at the end of the over which yields six.
16th over: India 57-1 (Jaiswal 31, Nair 23) Runs are coming quickly now, Jaiswal stomping forward to clout Tongue’s first delivery through cover for four, then presenting the full face to the next, overpitched and sent to the long-off boundary. He then holds the pose for at least 13 minutes, sees off three dots, and retreats in the crease to glance a third four of the over past gully. The partnership is 42 off 30.
15th over: India 45-1 (Jaiswal 19, Nair 23) Stokes replaces Woakes and when he’s too full first up, Jaiswal bumps him for three through cover. Oooh, and when he does similarly next ball, Nair flicks for through midwicket, then is beaten by a straighter one which leaves him. That’s a much better line and length.
“Regarding Dean Kinsella salivating (perhaps) over the joys of watching peak Botham, Flintoff and Stokes in the same England side, my first thought was, ‘how many would complain about bits and pieces players?” emails John Burton.
“I doubt anyone would argue that Julian and Boyce were ‘greats’, but in 1973, they batted 8 and 9 for West Indies, with Sobers at 6, plus Holder 10 and Gibbs 11. They emphasised their all-round credentials by performing better at Test level than for their English counties.
I suspect it’s remembered as a quieter period between Hall, Griffith et al and then the all-time greats lead by Marshall, Ambrose, Garner, Holding with so many others in their train – but 1973 at Lords was, iirc, England’s heaviest defeat up to that time, although I’m sure there’s a stronger example somewhere else.”
Ronnie Irani, Dermot Reeve, David Capel and Mark Ealham would’ve slotted in seamlessly.
14th over: India 38-1 (Jaiswal 16, Nair 19) Jaiswal takes a single to square leg, then Tongue, going a little wider on the crease, persuades one to bounce a little more, passing Nair’s edge.
“Multiple all-rounders,” begins Jeremy Nash, which my childish brain parsed as something far less exciting. “South Africa must have played a few Tests with Kallis, Klusener and Pollock in their line up. They were all pretty useful with both bat and ball.”
And, for a brief shining period, England had Stokes and Jack Leach.
13th over: India 37-1 (Jaiswal 15, Nair 19) Jaiswal takes one, then Nair, again offered width and fullness, shoves four more through cover. Woakes, though, responds nicely, going fuller again – that’s the length – and Nair, who, notes Broad, almost triggers forward rather than back and across, edges into the pad. Stokes can’t believe England haven’t had an lb this morning, and Nair adds two more from the final ball of the over; he’s got a start, and at the end of an engrossing first hour, that’s drinks.
12th over: India 30-1 (Jaiswal 14, Nair 13) Tongue replaces Carse, Jaiswal takes his loosener for one, then Nair times a half-volley to the fence for four … and the next ball, the exact same happens. England won’t want to give a jump start to a batter under pressure, but here we are.
“Sad to hear of Ned’s passing recently,” writes Mark Lloyd. “My stand-our memory of him is the Kingston test in 1990 where we flippin’ murdered ‘em (sic). I went on a sponsored hitchhike to Paris that weekend so didn’t follow the game closely until I got back on the Sunday. My hitchhiking partner, who sadly passed away last year, and I cycled from Cambridge out to the M11 whereupon we were immediately picked up by a doctor from Bury St Edmunds who was driving to Paris to visit his daughter! He bought us lunch and ferry tickets, and when he dropped us under the Eiffel Tower we found out we’d arrived even before the organisers. Our return trip was less fortuitous and we had to sleep in the ferry terminal in Calais. Anyway, on arriving back in Cambridge Lamb had just hit one of his customary tons against the Windies. It was scarcely imaginable that we might go on to win, but win we did. Dev spectacularly castled Haynes and King Viv in the second innings of course, and I watched Ned hit the winning runs with the feeling that someone was cruelly pulling my leg. The wheels came off later in the series of course but for a few days life was glorious!”
Yup, I absolutely loved that tour – the first time England had competed against West Indies in my lifetime.
11th over: India 21-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 5) Ahahaha, as if he wasn’t displeased enough, as Woakes runs in, Nair pulls away! Biggup to the batter if he did that on purpose. In comms, Broad advises that he’d not have been happy to have those two appeals rejected, also noting the near-celebrappeal. I don’t know – on the one hand, he should know, on the other, it was 100% the real thing.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
Oh man, it’s umpire’s call on stumps – Hawkeye reckons it was only clipping the top of off. It’s a bit like seeing a Tellytubby with a flick knife, but Woakes is ticking now!
11th over: India 21-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 5) Carse nips off, perhaps to sort a problem with his boot, then Woakes, back of a length, raps the back thigh as Nair leaves on height; he gets away with it, just, then drives beautifully through cover for four. Ooh, but Woakes is properly into this, and when a fuller one dips in, again hitting the back pad with no shot offered, he introduces the now lesser-spotted celebrappeal, then gets as aggressive as a non-aggressive person will ever get to persuade Stokes to review. It looks good from here…
10th over: India 17-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 1) Four dots, then Jaiswal, tucked up, forces around the corner for one, and Nair, to his immense relief I’m sure, flicks to deep backward square. He’s off the mark.
9th over: India 15-1 (Jaiswal 12, Nair 0) Nair will feel under pressure, desperate to contribute after finally being offered a return to Test cricket. He looks nervous but sees out two dots, completing the wicket maiden.
WICKET! Rahul b Woakes 2 (India 15-1)
You can’t say it wasn’t coming. Woakes drops a little shorter, Rahul is late on his shot, and can only drag on.
KL Rahul looks to the stumps as he loses his wicket. Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images
9th over: India 15-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 2) Woakes nips one back and Rahul sort of lets it go then tries to get his hip in the way, feart it’s hitting the stumps. So he goes again, contacts the back pad … England like it … until Brook, at two, advises there was an edge.
8th over: India 15-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 2) Rahul nurdles to the side of mid-on and they take a single, the only run from the over.
7th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Woakes is bowling nicely now, shaping one away from Jaiswal who again manages not to impart an edge. Another maiden, and this is intensifying.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
There may have been two sounds, but it was definitely pad first; the ball pitched in line, but was only clipping the leg-stump bail, so it’s umpire’s call.
7th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Woakes moves one in and nails Jaiswal on the pad; the appeal is again rejected, and this time England review.
6th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Jaiswal clatters a cut and must assume he’s getting four, but Pope, at backward point, flings himself right to stop it; brilliant work. Jaiswal, though, is not for being denied, waiting to get right over Carse’s fourth delivery, before thrashing it through cover for four. And of course he goes again, this time missing with his drive; I’m not sure the manner in which he’s batting is sustainable because that is, I think, the third time he’s been beaten outside off, and if he keeps doing it he’ll eventually nick off.
5th over: India 9-0 (Jaiswal 8, Rahul 1) Woakes knows a thing or 105,986 about bowling at Edgbaston and he sends down a second maiden in two overs.
“Completely shocked but not surprised about India’s selection, says Anand Kumar. “Gambhir’s poor strategic and tactical abilities to the fore. You have five players scoring centuries and end up strengthening the batting. I think Kuldeep will be this management’s Ashwin. Being overlooked for a few runs from someone else. Sadly, don’t think there is any way Gambhir is leaving soon.
Since the loss to NZ in the first Test at home, they have been addressing the wrong problem (playing on spin-friendly pitches elevating NZ’s spinners). That led to the obsession with the long batting line up.
Maybe a 5-0 whitewash might see GG get sacked? Given his clout, it might be Gill who might get the axe!”
This team just doesn’t feel very … India.
4th over: India 9-0 (Jaiswal 8, Rahul 1) A massive yahoo from Jaiswal, who tries hitting Carse’s first ball all the way back to Uttar Pradesh, getting nowhere near it. So of course he goes again, this time taking care not to dislocate his shoulders and earning four through point. Three dots follow, then Carse drops shorter, the delivery describing an excitable parabola as it jags back in, and Jaiswal can’t get a bat on it.
3rd over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 1) In comes Woakes with a leg slip – the tactic must be to bowl straight at Rahul, who showed admirable patience at Headingley. His first delivery is full and a little bit floaty, moving it away from the batter who tries turning it to leg, misses, and wears it on the pad. Woakes likes it, but when the umpire does not, he and Stokes decide it was going down … which it was. Maiden.
“What a day!” begins Showbizguru. “Perfect timing. England and the Lions both playing as I look forward to the festivities of my 70th birthday today. Although as it’s also our 30th wedding anniversary the current Mrs Showbizguru is less than enamoured of my plans to watch the cricket all afternoon in a cider bar in Bath before falling into a restaurant for a celebratory meal. Grand weather for it!”
Mazal tov to both of you. May well all be similarly blessed.
2nd over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 1) Carse takes the new meteorite from the other end, and I wonder how Rahul feels this morning. His second-innings knock at Headingley is a footnote rather than a highlight only because of stuff others did subsequent to it – it was an absolute gem. Anyroad, he takes the fifth ball of the over for one into the on side, then Carse goes around to the left-handed Jaiswal, who blocks back to him.
“Since you’ve already put a link to the TMS overseas page in the OBO,” writes Guillaume Clement, “I thought I’d add that most overseas viewers can watch the entire test’s Sky Sports coverage on the official ICC website. All you need to do is create a free ICC TV account.”
KL Rahul opens for India. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
1st over: India 4-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 0) Woakes begins just back of a length, swinging away, and Jaiswal lets it go by. Three further dots follow, then one on the pads allows for a flick around the corner for four, before he misses with a loose cut.
“Good morning Daniel. And all,” begins Dean Kinsella, channelling Widecombe Fair. “‘Flintoff bowling at his peak’. What beautiful images to have in my mind as this game begins. I was thinking the other day that these all-rounder champions always seem to come one at a time for national teams. Imagine if you had a Botham, a Flintoff and a Stokes all at the same time! Maybe there has been a team with something equivalent?”
Daffy DeFreitas and Chris Lewis, obviously.
There’s a window reflecting some sun, so Stokes is gesticulating at whoever’s behind it to shut it. It’s done, Jaiswal will face, and here we go.
Woakes, perhaps even more uncannily handsome now he’s silvering, has the ball.
Righto, it’s time.
Our players are out, and proceedings will begin with a moment of siilence to remember Wayne Larkins; it turns into a moment of applause when Ben Stokes begins clapping. Well batted, Ned.
And there’s more! “The TMS overseas link is here,” says Andrew Benton. “To get there, go to the BBC cricket page, click the live coverage button and it’s linked in the left box on that page. Always, every day there’s a Test match, easy to find.”
As Milo Minderbender said, “Everyone has a share.”
The OBO cooperative bids you a good morning, courtesy of Andrew Goudie. “Would you like today’s TMS overseas link?” he asks.
Enjoy!
Email! “Best bowling from an Englishman,” begins Shaun. “May I respectfully add Stuart Broad’s 8-15 v Australia? Lots of great spells over the years but this one will always stand out for me. Couldn’t believe what I was watching at the time.”
It surely can’t be only me who, when asked the time when it’s 8.15, will say it’s Stuart Broad, where previously I’d answer “it’s 8.15 and that’s the time that it’s always been.” As it goes, though, I wasn’t talking about spells – Broad has always been the best at those – rather the highest level I’ve seen an English bowler hit was Flintoff at his peak.
Part of me wonders if India are trying to not lose this Test, opting for a long batting line-up while sneaking in a rest for Bumrah, in order to go hard at Lord’s. Other hand, it may be they’re simply trying to address their lack of lower-order runs, which makes sense, it’s not unclear how they plan to take 20 wickets while leaving enough time to score more than England.
Aha, the Champo blog is up and away. Join Tanya for even more love and joy.
What do we think about England’s attack, then? I’m cautiously optimistic in that I think they’re all good bowlers, but for the side to hit a level, at least one of them and ideally two will have to develop into a champion. The batting, on the other hand, looks like it might be there or close to it.
India would also have bowled, and make three changes: in come Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep; out go Sai Sudharson – harshly – Thardul Shakur – less so – and Jasprit Bumrah. They thought about playing Bumrah but feel there’ll be more for him in the pitch at Lord’s so leave out the world’s best bowler after a week off – I dunno, maybe it’s be, but are you serious? – and were tempted to pick Kuldeep, but in the end opted to strengthen the batting. Finally, he says “This year has been a year of chaos. A lot of teams who haven’t won a lot have won, so maybe that’ll change fortunes for us.”
Gosh, he doesn’t sound like he fancies his team all that much.
England did well in the last Test so, though you always consider everyone, they are unchanged. When “Bazball with brains” is put to Stokes as a way of describing, he laughs, saying him, Baz and brains are not three words you usually hear together.
England win the toss and bowl
Decent overhead conditions are cited as the reason.
It’s toss time…
I enjoyed reminiscing to myself when reading Ali’s piece, and agree Stokes has far exceeded Flintoff, partly because of his World Cup exploits but mainly because this thing of ours, nearly 150 years enriching humanity, is, on account of his contribution, changed for the better. And yet there’s a part of me saying but the best bowling I’ve ever seen from an Englishman? Flintoff’s.
Also going on:
Sky have Ian Ward interviewing Ben Duckett, who notes that with a newborn at home, you’re quickly back to reality after cricketing heroism. He also notes that at Headingley, the bat just felt great in his hands, and the team have changed as a group, setting a new way of making sure to win. We can see that in how they played Bumrah, and he notes his dismissal in the third Test in New Zealand, when he was out charging Tim Southeee as one of few regrets he has in cricket. Had England finished day four of the first match 10-2, they’d have had very little chance of a successful chase, but they were sensible, reaping their rewards later on.
India also have a choice to make with their bowlers. They’ll presumably leave out Shsrdul Thakur, but do they bolster the tail by replacing him with Washington Sundar, or attack with Kuldeep Yadav – goodness me, they’d have appreciated having him on day five at Headingley.
The sense from DK and SJ is that Jasprit Bumrah won’t be playing. Neither quite gets it – the teams have had a week off and India are trailing – and Broad doesn’t understand why they announced he’d play three of five, instead of taking each “week” as it comes. For my part, I thought they’d pick him here then leave him out at Lord’s, much as they’d want him there, then pick him for OT and see where the series is after four Tests. We shall see.
It looks a pretty pleasant day in Birmingham, which is a relief – I woke up, saw what London was doing, and feared for our plans. But here we are; this is going to be great.
Preamble
“It’s called a Test for a reason” is one of Test cricket’s most enduring cliches. Generally speaking, though, its deployment references the sporting aspect: what happens out there in the middle.
But the reality is somewhat different. Though the game remains testing, an extended examination of will and skill, for those with requisite ability and mentality the more significant test is abandoning friends, family and life for months at a time and year after year – while also being expected to perform.
As such, and though there were other operative factors, it is not entirely surprising that, on recent tours to India and Pakistan, England won the first Test of the series before losing the others. Similarly, in the most recent Ashes, Australia won the first two then lost the second two, and when South Africa last visited, they won the first before being clattered in the second and third.
Or, in other words, it’s hard not to fear for India. Of course there’s the playing aspect – a young team and a novice captain, coming to terms with the retirements of three champions, facing hosts who may just be maturing from something special into something serious. We know, though, that they can play – and they proved it at Headingley, a match it should have been impossible for them to lose. Yet lose it they did, meaning they arrive at Edgbaston trailing 1-0 with four matches still to go. It may not be a long way back, but it is a long way home.
Preventive treatment with the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor monoclonal antibody erenumab for 6 weeks was not associated with significant reductions in weekly headache attacks, pain severity, or attack duration in adults with chronic cluster headache (CCH), a new phase 2 placebo-controlled trial showed.
METHODOLOGY:
The CHERUB01 phase 2 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted at 11 sites in Germany between 2021 and 2023.
About 81 adults with CCH (mean age, 49 years; 74% men) who failed to respond to standard prophylactic therapies were randomly assigned to receive either subcutaneous erenumab (280 mg at baseline, followed by 140 mg at week 4) or a matching placebo.
The primary endpoint was change in the mean number of weekly CH attacks from baseline to weeks 5 and 6.
Secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients achieving a ≥ 50% reduction in attacks and the number of participants with Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scores of 1 or 2 at week 6. Exploratory endpoints included reduction in CH attack duration and change in mean pain severity on the numeric pain rating scale.
TAKEAWAY:
The primary endpoint was not met. Although there was a greater reduction in the mean number of weekly attacks for the erenumab group compared to the placebo group, the difference was not statistically significant (-7.3 vs -5.9 attacks per week; 95% credible interval, -5.7 to 2.8).
There was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of participants achieving a ≥ 50% reduction in weekly attacks, the number of patients with improved PGI-I scores, changes in attack duration, or change in pain severity.
Adverse events were more common in the erenumab group compared to the placebo group (66% vs 43%), with most considered to be mild or moderate.
IN PRACTICE:
“Erenumab failed to show a benefit over placebo in patients with CCH, indicating that blockade of peripheral CGRP receptors has no beneficial role in the prophylaxis of CCH,” the investigators wrote.
“To date, all double-blind controlled trials in CCH using an mAb affecting the CGRP pathway were negative, leading to the conclusion that future research should revisit the role of CGRP in CCH,” they added.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Jasper Mecklenburg, MD, Charité – UniversitätsmedizinBerlin, Berlin, Germany. It was published online on June 17 in JAMA Network Open.
LIMITATIONS:
Data on patients who progressed from episodic headache to CCH were missing. Additionally, the onset timing of current CCH episodes was unclear, with no detailed records of past steroid responses or reasons for prior treatment failures with verapamil or lithium, which relied on patient recall.
DISCLOSURES:
This trial was funded by a grant from Novartis Pharma GmbH to Charité – UniversitätsmedizininBerlin. Several investigators reported having financial ties with various sources including the funding company. Full details are listed in the original article.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
The Quad statement’s language closely followed the UN Security Council’s press statement, which had also avoided identifying the group responsible for the attack or making any direct reference to the Indian government. India’s own messaging on Pakistan had also been muddled.
New Delhi: The Quad group of countries on Tuesday (July 1) condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and called for its “perpetrators, organisers and financiers” to be “brought to justice”, but stopped short of naming Pakistan or explicitly calling for cooperation with the Indian government.
This was stated in a joint communiqué issued after the foreign ministers of the Quad – comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia – met in Washington for the second time this year. The language closely followed the template of the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s press statement issued in May, which had also avoided identifying the group responsible for the attack or making any direct reference to the Indian government.
The Quad joint statement said it “unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation”.
It went on to condemn “in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025”, offered “deepest condolences to the families of the victims” and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
“We call for the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” the statement said.
This sentence was nearly identical to the UNSC statement issued on May 25.
Diplomatic sources had said at the time that Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the Council and backed by China, had influenced the final language of the UNSC statement, which was originally drafted by the United States.
In a key shift from the UNSC’s 2019 statement after the Pulwama attack, the press statement on the Pahalgam terror attack omitted any mention of the Indian government, referring only to “relevant authorities” – an approach now mirrored by the Quad. The 2019 statement also mentioned the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed by name as being behind the Pulwama attack.
India has claimed that an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba was behind the Pahalgam attack.
Two weeks after the incident, India launched drone and missile strikes on four sites inside Pakistan, targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure. Pakistan retaliated, leading to four days of military exchanges that ended after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire.
While Trump claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire, India later stated there had been no formal agreement but only a temporary cessation of hostilities following a phone call between the Indian and Pakistani military leaderships. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s standing in Washington appeared to improve, with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir receiving an unprecedented lunch invitation from Trump.
The Narendra Modi government has since faced domestic criticism from opposition parties for failing to garner international support to name or isolate Pakistan. There was also concern in New Delhi that Trump’s public framing of the situation had ‘re-hyphenated’ India and Pakistan. In the days following the clashes, India dispatched multiple all-party delegations of MPs to foreign capitals to make the case for Pakistan’s alleged terror links.
‘India has every right…’: Jaishankar
Speaking just ahead of Tuesday’s Quad meeting, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said India expected its partners to recognise its right to defend itself against terrorism.
“A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience,” he said, referring to the Pahalgam attack. “The world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated.”
“India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” he added.
The latest July 1 Quad statement also does not include language that had previously figured in both the July 2024 foreign ministers’ joint statement issued in Tokyo and the September 2024 leaders’ joint statement from Wilmington. Those earlier declarations had explicitly named past terror attacks, such as 26/11 in Mumbai and the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and called for action against UN-listed terrorist groups, including the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
No ‘Pakistan-sponsored terrorism’
In a separate development, India’s own messaging on Pakistan had also been muddled.
The Ministry of Defence removed all references to “Pakistan-sponsored terrorism” from its official readout on defence minister Rajnath Singh’s call with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. The original version, which was also carried by state media Doordarshan, affirmed India’s right to launch strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir under “Operation Sindoor” and declared, “Pakistan’s long track record of cross-border terrorism is well known globally. It has become a safe haven for internationally banned terrorists who enjoy immunity there.”
However, after minutes of its release, the ministry issued a revised version that dropped all references to “Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.”
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US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory.
Nearly 21 months of relentless Israeli bombardment have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.
The civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people today.
Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington next week.
“Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalise the 60-day ceasefire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war,” Trump wrote.
He said representatives of Qatar and Egypt, mediators in the conflict, would deliver “this final proposal”.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not get better — it will only get worse,” he warned.
Without directly mentioning Trump’s remarks, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said later that “a large majority within the government and the population is in favour of the plan to free the hostages”.
“If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed!” Saar wrote on X.
Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian fighters during Hamas’s 2023 attack that triggered the offensive, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military says are dead.
Trump earlier on Tuesday said he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu when they meet on July 7.
The end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran — which followed a US bombing mission on Tehran’s nuclear sites — has provided a window of opportunity for a deal, with Trump keen to add another peace agreement to a series of recent deals he has brokered.
Trump has complained he had been overlooked by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for his mediating role in various conflicts, including the recent one between India and Pakistan.
Families lose multiple members as Israeli bombing continues
Trump campaigned for office as a “peacemaker” who would use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, although both conflicts are still raging five months into his presidency.
However, Israel’s bombing of Gaza continues to rage on.
AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tent structures blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage, trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.
One man held a pack of nappies, asking: “Is this a weapon?”
“They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed … What did they do?” said Maha Abu Rizq, whose uncle was killed in the strike.
AFP images from the nearby Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis city, showed medics treating young children covered in blood. Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes.
A girl talks to her mother as she receives treatment for her wounds, sustained in an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced Palestinians, at Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on July 2, 2025. — AFP
In southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike today that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area.
Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.
Further north, Bassal said that four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.
AFP photographers saw Israeli tanks deploying at the Gaza border in southern Israel and children picking through the rubble of a destroyed home in Gaza City.
Others photographed Palestinians mourning over the bodies of relatives in the city’s Al-Shifa hospital and the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it did not have enough information to comment on the specific reports, but insisted it was “operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in line with “international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.
In response to reports of deadly strikes in the north and south of the territory, the Israeli army told AFP it was “operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities”.
Separately, it said on Tuesday morning that in recent days it had “expanded its operations to additional areas within the Gaza Strip”, claiming to have eliminated fighters and dismantled what it called “terror infrastructure sites”.
Raafat Halles, aged 39, from the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, said “air strikes and shelling have intensified over the past week” and tanks have been advancing.
“I believe that every time negotiations or a potential ceasefire are mentioned, the army escalates crimes and massacres on the ground,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
The Israeli military onslaught in response to the Hamas-led Oct 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, has killed more than 56,600 people across Gaza.
The offensive has destroyed much of the housing and infrastructure in the enclave, including the hospital system. The death toll is feared to be much higher due to thousands missing under the rubble.
Netanyahu’s US visit
Netanyahu announced he would visit Trump and senior US security officials next week, amid mounting pressure to end the devastating fighting in Gaza and bring the remaining hostages home.
Trump, while visiting a migrant detention centre in Florida, said Netanyahu “wants to end it too”.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP the group is “ready to agree to any proposal if it will lead to an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces”.
