Category: 6. Sports

JEONJU: Pakistan defeated Maldives 60-35 on Friday to win the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 (Plate Division Cup) in an exciting final held in Jeonju, South Korea.

Pakistan has won seven straight games in the Plate Division Cup, including the final match at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium.

Pakistan showed excellent form right away, taking a commanding 17–5 lead in the first quarter. The national team continued to dominate the next quarters, increasing their lead to 45-23 at the end of the third quarter and 34-17 at halftime.

The fact that the Maldives were never able to take the lead during the game was evidence of Pakistan’s steady play.

Key players for Pakistan, including Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, Sumayya, Alina, Amani, Parisa and Farah Rasheed, delivered outstanding performances, contributing significantly to the team’s decisive victory.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassir Arian, along with President Sameen Malik and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz, extended their congratulations to the Pakistan team.

The Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025, organised under the auspices of the Asian Netball Federation, ran from June 27 to July 4.

Survivors of terror attacks and the families of those killed are among those calling on the media to adopt tighter guidelines on reporting the incidents, after some found out their loved ones had died from reporters on their doorstep.

A new reporting code backed by policing and media figures calls on outlets not to approach bereaved families within the first 48 hours after their loss and to instead make their inquiries via the police.

The guidelines, compiled by the Survivors Against Terror group, call on outlets to coordinate requests to victims and survivors and avoid congregating outside a victim’s home. Newsrooms are also asked to reduce their focus on the names, pictures and manifestos of terrorists, depriving them of the attention they crave.

The guidance is being published before the 20th anniversary of the 7 July terror attacks in London on Monday. Among those backing the guidelines is Ella Young, a survivor of the attack that day on a westbound Circle line train near Edgware Road.

“While I was waiting for an ambulance following the attack I was approached by a man offering to help me contact my husband,” she said. “I later found out he was a journalist. He made no effort to contact my husband but instead – in the days and weeks that followed – he pestered me for interviews and information.

“I was in no fit state to speak to anyone and told him I didn’t want to do any media. But he wouldn’t stop. In the end I had to change my phone number, social media details and emails to get peace. Survivors have been through so much – they shouldn’t have to endure this, too.”

Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena attack, said her young daughter found out about her brother’s death from a journalist who knocked on their door. “I can never take that back but I can encourage that we learn the lessons of previous attacks to protect others,” she said.

Also among those supporting the new rules is Darryn Frost, who fought a terrorist on London Bridge with a narwhal tusk. Eight people were killed when three terrorists led by Khuram Butt, 27, drove a van into pedestrians and then began stabbing people on 3 June 2017.

The current editors’ code of practice, overseen by the voluntary Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), only states that, in cases involving grief or shock, “enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion”. It also states they must not engage in intimidation, harassment or “persistent pursuit”.

Not all publishers are members of Ipso. Some, such as the Financial Times and the Guardian, have their own codes of practice.

Lloyd Embley, a former editor-in-chief of the Mirror titles, said that, while he backed journalistic freedom and public interest journalism, “I also know we can make mistakes – especially in the aftermath of major events like terror attacks”.

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“I think this guidance helps journalists in the heat of the moment think about how we do our jobs while respecting the pain of victims and not falling into the trap of promoting the fear and hatred terrorists seek to spread,” he said.

Neil Basu, a former head of counter-terrorism policing, said the reporting of terrorism was a “key public service”, but could intensify the pain for victims when done badly.

Survivors Against Terror said its recommendations had been tested extensively with regulators, journalists and media lawyers.

Brendan Cox, a co-founder of the group, said: “Media reporting of terror attacks is absolutely in the public interest – what isn’t is intrusion into the lives of victims and survivors. This guidance aims to help journalists strike the balance and we hope media organisations act on it.”

JEONJU: Pakistan on Friday emerged victorious in the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 (Plate Division Cup), defeating Maldives with a commanding 60-35 score in a thrilling final in Jeonju, South Korea.

Pakistan’s triumph in the final showdown at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium marks an undefeated run in the Plate Division Cup, securing seven consecutive wins throughout the tournament.

From the outset, Pakistan demonstrated superior form, establishing a significant lead in the first quarter with a score of 17-5.

The national team maintained their dominance through the subsequent quarters, extending their advantage to 34-17 by halftime and 45-23 by the end of the third quarter.

Maldives were unable to take the lead at any point during the match, a testament to Pakistan’s consistent performance.

Key players for Pakistan, including Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, Sumayya, Alina, Amani, Parisa and Farah Rasheed, delivered outstanding performances, contributing significantly to the team’s decisive victory.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassir Arian, along with President Sameen Malik and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz, extended their congratulations to the Pakistan team.

The Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025, organised under the auspices of the Asian Netball Federation, ran from June 27 to July 4.

DES MOINES, Iowa — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s thinking of staging a UFC match on the White House grounds with upward of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.

“We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, a UFC enthusiast who has attended several of its mixed martial arts matches in recent months and is close friends with Dana White, the league’s president.

Trump announced his plan in Iowa during the kickoff for a year’s worth of festivities to celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.

The Republican president also announced a culminating festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and a separate athletic competition featuring high school athletes from across the country.

“So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250. And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said.

″Think of this on the grounds of the White House,” he said, adding that it would be a “full fight” with 20,000 to 25,000 people.

A White House spokesperson said they had no details to share beyond the president’s announcement, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Trump was “dead serious” about those plans.

Trump has recently enjoyed standing ovations and cageside seats for several UFC fights, including an appearance immediately after his 2024 reelection and another just last month alongside White for two championship fights.

David Benavidez is set to make the first defense of his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde in November, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, said Thursday.

The date and location of the bout, which will mark Benavidez’s Riyadh Season debut, have not been determined.

Benavidez, 28, has wanted to fight undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. However, with Alvarez showing little interest, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) moved up to the light heavyweight division.

Benavidez earned a decision win in his debut in the weight class in June 2024 over Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title. Benavidez beat David Morrell for his first successful defense of the interim title in February.

Benavidez was elevated to full champion when the then-undisputed champion Dmitry Bivol fought Artur Beterbiev for a third time rather than fulfill the WBC’s request to defend the championship against the interim titleholder.

Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) will make his third attempt to win a world title. Fighting out of London, Yarde started his career 18-0 before suffering his first loss against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 when he challenged for the WBO light heavyweight title. Yarde fell short in his second attempt for championship gold when he was knocked out by Beterbiev in their January 2023 meeting for the WBC, IBF and WBO titles.

In his last outing, Yarde won a decision over Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn in April.

It was a day dominated by India and their captain Shubman Gill, who scored a majestic, record-breaking double century. The 25-year-old’s knock powered India to a massive first-innings total of 587 and cemented his place among the game’s greats.By stumps on Day 2 of the second Test, England found themselves staring at a mountain, reeling at 77 for 3, still trailing by 510 runs.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gill’s monumental 269 was not just a career-best – it was a statistical spectacle that obliterated long-standing Indian records in overseas Tests. In only his second Test as captain, Gill surpassed legends such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, compiling a catalogue of elite milestones in one extraordinary knock.“I worked on a few things before the series,” Gill said after the day’s play. “Looking at the results, they are working for me.”

Here are the major records smashed by captain Gill in Birmingham:* Highest by an Indian captain in TestsGill’s 269 now stands as the highest score by an Indian Test captain, overtaking Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in 2019. It is only the second double hundred by an Indian captain in an overseas Test, after Kohli’s 200 in Antigua in 2016.* Record in England and outside AsiaIn England, Gill’s effort is now the highest score by an Indian batter, bettering Gavaskar’s 221 at The Oval in 1979 and Dravid’s 217 in 2002. His 269 also tops Sachin Tendulkar’s 241* at Sydney in 2004 as the highest Test score by an Indian outside Asia.* Among India’s All-Time BestOverall, Gill’s 269 is the third-highest away Test score by an Indian, behind only Sehwag’s 309 (Multan, 2004) and Dravid’s 270 (Rawalpindi, 2004). It’s the seventh-highest Test score for India across all venues.He also became only the fifth batter ever, after Sehwag, Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle (the lone non-Indian), to notch up double hundreds in both Tests and ODIs.

* Rarified company at EdgbastonAt Edgbaston, only Graeme Smith (277, 2003) and Zaheer Abbas (274, 1971) had scored more as visiting batters. Gill’s 269 is now the third-highest score at the venue by a tourist, and the eighth-highest overall by a visiting batter in England.* Elite company in captaincy debut trailGill is now one of only seven players to hit centuries in each of their first two Tests as captain. Indians Vijay Hazare, Gavaskar and Kohli had achieved this before. At 25 years and 298 days, he is also the second-youngest Indian skipper to post a double ton, after MAK Pataudi.Only Graeme Smith scored a double century in England at a younger age among captains, doing so twice in 2003 at age 22.

Shubman Gill’s knock in context of India’s batting historyIndia’s 250-plus scores in away Tests:309 – Virender Sehwag vs PAK (Multan, 2004)270 – Rahul Dravid vs PAK (Rawalpindi, 2004)269 – Shubman Gill vs ENG (Edgbaston, 2025)254 – Sehwag vs PAK (Lahore, 2006)Youngest to score a Test double hundred as India captain23y 39d – MAK Pataudi vs ENG, Delhi, 196425y 298d – Shubman Gill vs ENG, Edgbaston, 202526y 189d – Sachin Tendulkar vs NZ, Ahmedabad, 199927y 260d – Virat Kohli vs WI, North Sound, 2016Among Indian captains, only Kohli (7 double tons) has more, but Gill’s has a unique prestige – it came outside the subcontinent, the first ever by an Indian skipper in SENA countries.

Safeguard Global ACT Brumbies fly half Jack Debreczeni and wing Ben O’Donnell will depart the club after next Wednesday’s game against the British & Irish Lions.

The pair are available for selection for the Lions and will receive a farewell in front of a packed house at GIO Stadium.

Head coach Stephen Larkham thanked the players for their efforts at the club during their stint in the nation’s capital.

“Everyone at the Brumbies wishes Ben and Jack the best for the future,” Larkham said.

“They’ve both made a massive contribution to the club on and off the field during their time here. I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to the chance of playing in front of our fans at GIO Stadium one last time next week, against a world-class team in the British & Irish Lions.”

Debreczeni and O’Donnell arrived at the club on the same day in 2023, from Canterbury Rugby Club and Connacht respectively.

Debreczeni, 32, joined the Brumbies after also having spells at Melbourne Rebels, Honda Heat and Hino Red Dolphins in Japan and the Chiefs.

He has gone on to receive 28 caps for the Brumbies, showcasing plenty of standout performances as a playmaker, including guiding us to a crucial 29-21 win against the Waratahs in torrential rain at Allianz Stadium in Sydney during Round 12 last year. The 32-year-old is currently considering whether he will continue his playing career.

O’Donnell, 29, also joined the club in 2023 after playing for Australia Sevens and Connacht, winning the prestigious Shawn Mackay award for Australia’s Sevens’ Player of the Year in 2018.

His time in Canberra has been impacted due to injury, playing nine times for the club in total, after being ruled out for this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign with a hamstring operation in February.  O’Donnell is set to join French side Aurillac on a two-year deal.

If you would like to see Debreczeni and O’Donnell feature for the Brumbies for the final time next Wednesday against the British & Irish Lions at GIO Stadium, buy tickets here.

Novak Djokovic crushed British wildcard Dan Evans in the Wimbledon second round as he stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title, while world number one Jannik Sinner cruised into round three on Thursday.

But there was heartbreak for home favourite Jack Draper as he crashed out to former finalist Marin Cilic.

Djokovic avoided becoming one of the host of big names eliminated in week one in south London as the Serb needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 victory on Centre Court.

“It means I’ve been playing quite a long time!” Djokovic said when told he had just secured his 99th Wimbledon match victory.

“I still enjoy it. This court has given me so much. Wimbledon has a special place in my heart. Any history made here is obviously extra special.”

Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in tennis history.

The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning his most recent major prize at the 2023 US Open.

Despite losing the last two Wimbledon finals to Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic believes the lawns of south-west London provide his best chance to win that elusive 25th major.

“I’m aware of the history on the line. I’m thinking about the big things I can do in this tournament,” he said.

Sinner is yet to reach a Wimbledon final, but the US and Australian Open champion has been ruthless in dropping just 12 games in his opening two matches.

The Italian thrashed Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 to set up a third round clash against Spaniard Pedro Martinez.

“We saw there have been so many upsets this tournament so we try to stay focused and raise our level,” said Sinner.

Draper’s dream of following in the footsteps of Andy Murray as a British champion were dashed as 36-year-old Cilic rolled back the years.

The Croatian, who is making his first Wimbledon appearance for four years after major knee surgery, blasted 53 winners in a 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 victory.

“The emotions I’m feeling are incredible,” said Cilic, who lost the final to Roger Federer at the All England Club in 2017.

“It’s been a long journey but I never lost any doubt. This was a huge challenge, to come back and play at this level against Jack, in front of this crowd.”

Krejcikova’s relief

Only one of the top five seeds in the women’s draw — world number one Aryna Sabalenka — is still standing.

But defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek avoided joining the big name casualties with hard-fought three-set wins.

Krejcikova has had a miserable time with injuries this year and arrived at Wimbledon with just six matches under her belt in 2025.

Despite not feeling 100 percent, she overcame American Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Emma Navarro.

“Definitely a huge relief,” said the Czech. “I wasn’t feeling that well but I was fighting for every ball. I’m really happy I won the third set.”

Swiatek has previously struggled on Wimbledon’s lush lawns despite being a former junior champion at the All England Club.

The former world number one dropped the first set to American Caty McNally before roaring back to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

“For sure second and third set I played how I wanted to play,” said Swiatek.

Elena Rybykina, Wimbledon winner in 2022, demolished Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1.

Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, aged 18, beat Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 7-6 (7/4).

Published – July 04, 2025 04:32 am IST

Australia won the first Test by 159 runs but were bowled out for 180 on day one and the top order struggled again in the second innings. They slipped to 65-4 before Travis Head, Webster and Carey bailed them out.

In Grenada teenage opener Sam Konstas and veteran partner Usman Khawaja put on 47 before both were dismissed without another run added.

Smith top-edged a pull shot to fine leg, trying to take the attack to fast bowler Joseph, as Australia lost three wickets for three runs.

Smith, who has replaced Josh Inglis, missed the first Test after dislocating his right little finger during defeat by South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last month.

Cameron Green fell to Jayden Seales off the final ball before lunch to leave the tourists in trouble at 93-4.

Following a brief delay for rain, Head was dismissed for 29, caught behind off Shamar Joseph, with the third umpire ruling wicketkeeper Shai Hope’s take low to his left was clean.

All-rounder Webster and wicketkeeper Carey responded brilliantly to steer Australia to 209-5 at tea.

Carey was more scratchy and was dropped on 46 by Hope but also hit 10 fours and one six in his 63 off 81 balls, before he tamely picked out mid-wicket off Justin Greaves.

Webster was firm in defence in making 60 off 115 but misjudged a risky second run to deep point and was run out by Keacy Carty as Australia’s lower order subsided.