Blog

  • Shorts folding, records tumbling, inflows mounting, bitcoin’s unstoppable ascent takes another leg up.

    Shorts folding, records tumbling, inflows mounting, bitcoin’s unstoppable ascent takes another leg up.

    By Jules Rimmer

    Bitcoin ETFs saw second-highest inflows on record Thursday

    Bitcoin recorded another all-time high and pierced $118,000 in Friday trading, boosting its return in 2025 so far to 26%, roughly matching the performance of gold.

    The latest inflection point upward started in earnest on Wednesday when it (BTCUSD) broke through the previous peak of $111,000 established in May, bringing on board another wave of momentum investors, those who typically back trends rather than fundamentals.

    Thursday occasioned the second-highest daily inflows into bitcoin exchange-traded funds with $1.18 billion drawn in by the chart breakout. Cumulative net inflows into bitcoin ETFs in 2025 are estimated at $51 billion. CoinDesk reported a huge short-squeeze contributing to the velocity of the spike in trading with $1.01 billion of short seller positions being liquidated within 24 hours across various crypto exchanges.

    Approximately 237,000 traders were caught on the wrong side of the sudden move higher, and one single short exposure on the HTX crypto trading platform took an $88 million hit in the process, CoinDesk said.

    While bitcoin has been in an uptrend since the start of 2023, the rally became turbocharged by President Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. He had made a manifesto promise on his campaign to establish a regulatory framework to encourage the adoption of digital assets and blockchain technology in general, and signed an executive order to that effect upon taking office in January this year.

    Furthermore, in June, the Senate passed the Genius Act, a bill to regulate some cryptocurrencies, which also provided crypto-trading sentiment with additional impetus. As well as the regulatory initiatives, Trump has proposed government creating a strategic reserve for cryptocurrencies, naming five – bitcoin, Ethereum UK:ETHP , solano ,SOLZ ripple TOSRF and cardano TWOCF – he would include.

    The growing acceptance of bitcoin’s strategic role in global finance has been vindicated by institutional take-up. In January 2024, under the previous administration, the SEC finally approved bitcoin ETFs with the first funds launched immediately thereafter. Funds like BlackRock and Fidelity have launched bitcoin ETFs CL:IBITCL FBTC, lending it credibility as an asset class.

    It’s not just institutional investors who have embraced bitcoin’s appeal; corporates globally have been buying it too, and recent data releases reveals about 130 listed companies own 3.2% of all bitcoins in issue.The most well-known is Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR), which holds almost 600,000 bitcoins with an average price of approximately $66,000.

    Wall Street analysts are now regularly including bitcoin in their strategy notes and portfolio recommendations. Citi’s macro strategy outlook for the second half of 2025 published Friday, for example, highlights bitcoin tailwinds while discussing its wider role in portfolios as part of a diversification blueprint. The team led by Dirk Willer emphasizes how bitcoin’s diversification properties differ from gold , belying its frequent label of “digital gold”.

    Citi points out that bitcoin has a different rate sensitivities and “trades more like a physical commodity in the sense that it has excelled during an overheating economy when yields are rising, but also can handle higher term premium environments”.

    Read: This big-name adviser says avoiding crypto is now a more speculative investment move than buying it

    -Jules Rimmer

    This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. 

    
  (END) Dow Jones Newswires
    

    
  07-11-25 0606ET
    

    Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

    Continue Reading

  • Yeray Alvarez: Athletic Bilbao defender provisionally suspended for use of banned substance to treat alopecia

    Yeray Alvarez: Athletic Bilbao defender provisionally suspended for use of banned substance to treat alopecia

    Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Alvarez says he has been provisionally suspended for “unintentional” use of a banned substance used to treat alopecia.

    The 30-year-old Spaniard failed a doping test after Bilbao’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals on 1 May.

    He said he had been taking the medicine as part of his treatment for hair loss after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016.

    Alvarez, who has made 257 appearances for the La Liga club, said he “couldn’t believe it” when he was informed of the test, adding it was a “very hard blow” to take.

    “After studying the case, we have established that I tested positive because I unintentionally took a hair loss prevention medicine containing a banned substance,” Alvarez said in a social media post.

    “The disciplinary procedure is currently under investigation and subject to confidentiality so I am provisionally suspended and am not authorised to make any further public statements.

    “I very much regret this situation but, with the support of the club, I am working on my defence in the belief that I will be able to return to the field of play as soon as possible.”

    Uefa has told BBC Sport it will not comment on the case until a final disciplinary decision has been made.

    An Athletic Bilbao statement said: “Athletic Club wishes to express its full support for Yeray Alvarez at this time and its complete confidence in the bodies charged with resolving the case.

    “Once the proceedings are concluded, Yeray Alvarez and Athletic Club will offer all the pertinent and necessary explanations.”

    Continue Reading

  • Trump to visit Texas flood site amid questions about disaster response – Reuters

    1. Trump to visit Texas flood site amid questions about disaster response  Reuters
    2. Police officer who joined his hometown department is among those killed in Texas floods  AP News
    3. Kerr County has an emergency alert system. Some residents didn’t get a text for hours  Texas Public Radio | TPR
    4. Fears grow that death toll from floods in US state of Texas could surge beyond 110  Dawn
    5. How to Help Texas Flood Victims and Survivors  Team Rubicon

    Continue Reading

  • I want to change the narrative of women weightlifting in Africa

    I want to change the narrative of women weightlifting in Africa

    Courting fame as an arm wrestler and weightlifter

    The more she lifted, the more effortless the weights felt. Her form improved tremendously, which led her to her involvement in an additional captivating sport, arm wrestling.

    A sport that has been practiced by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans since ancient times; she was excited to test and show off her amazing arm strength in the arm wrestling arena.

    The gripping sport has been gaining popularity in West Africa, and she saw it as a chance to strengthen her arms and upper body. It’s considered a game of endurance and technique. Competitors grapple locked hands with all their might, engaging their grip powers, core control and muscles.

    When she competed for the first time in 2023 in Ghana, she used her strong upper body muscles well and won both the right and left arm wrestling titles for her weight class.

    “I believe I was one of a very few athletes that didn’t lose any fights in both left and right arm in the arm wrestling event. I won all my fights,” noted Matthew.

    “Some people kind of lose at one point and recover back at the finals or something…but I didn’t lose any of my fights.”

    After competing in and winning an arm wrestling match, she felt confident and ready to find her footing on the weightlifting platform. She achieved success in the weightroom despite being at the infant stage of Olympic lifting.

    In 2024, at the age of 18, she was chosen to compete in her first major international competition, the World Championships in Manama. Matthew’s lifts of 110kg in the snatch, and 135kg in clean and jerk earned her the bronze medal in the women’s 76kg, won by Song Kuk Hyang of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    “It was a very big stage,” she recalled. “It was a lot of pressure. Nobody put pressure on me to win medals. They just wanted me to go out there and show myself that I have something to offer, but I wanted to win. It was a big deal for me, getting to my first World Championships, competing against these athletes that I used to see online and admired…In a way I was shocked with the bronze and it got a lot of people talking about how strong I was.”

    Continue Reading

  • Antarctic summer sea ice at record lows

    Antarctic summer sea ice at record lows

    On her first dedicated scientific voyage to Antarctica in March, the Australian icebreaker RSV Nuyina found the area sea-ice free. Scientists were able to reach places never sampled before.

    Over the past four summers, Antarctic sea ice extent has hit new lows.

    I’m part of a large group of scientists who set out to explore the consequences of summer sea ice loss after the record lows of 2022 and 2023. Together we rounded up the latest publications, then gathered new evidence using satellites, computer modelling, and robotic ocean sampling devices. Today we can finally reveal what we found.

    It’s bad news on many levels, because Antarctic sea ice is vital for the world’s climate and ecosystems. But we need to get a grip on what’s happening – and use this concerning data to prompt faster action on climate change.

    What we did, what we found

    Our team used a huge range of approaches to study the consequences of sea ice loss. We used satellites to understand sea ice loss over summer, measuring everything from ice thickness and extent to the length of time each year when sea ice is absent.

    Satellite data was also used to calculate how much of the Antarctic coast was exposed to open ocean waves. We were then able to quantify the relationship between sea ice loss and iceberg calving. Data from free-drifting ocean robots was used to understand how sea ice loss affects the tiny plants that support the marine food web.

    Voyage reports from international colleagues came in handy when studying how sea ice loss affected Antarctic resupply missions. We also used computer models to simulate the impact of dramatic summer sea ice loss on the ocean.

    In summary, our extensive research reveals four key consequences of summer sea ice loss in Antarctica.

    1. Ocean warming is compounding: Bright white sea ice reflects about 90% of the incoming energy from sunlight, while the darker ocean absorbs about 90%. So if there’s less summer sea ice, the ocean absorbs much more heat.

    This means the ocean surface warms more in an extreme low sea ice year, such as 2016 – when everything changed.

    Until recently, the Southern Ocean would reset over winter. If there was a summer with low sea ice cover, the ocean would warm a bit. But over winter, the extra heat would shift into the atmosphere.

    That’s not working anymore. We know this from measuring sea surface temperatures, but we have also confirmed this relationship using computer models.

    What’s happening instead is when summer sea ice is very low, as in 2016, it triggers ocean warming that persists. It takes about three years for the system to fully recover. But recovery is becoming less and less likely, given warming is building from year to year.

    2. More icebergs are forming: Sea ice protects Antarctica’s coast from ocean waves.

    On average, about a third of the continent’s coastline is exposed over summer. But this is changing. In 2022 and 2023, more than half of the Antarctic coast was exposed.

    Our research shows more icebergs break away from Antarctic ice sheets in years with less sea ice. During an average summer, about 100 icebergs break away. Summers with low sea ice produce about twice as many icebergs.

    3. Wildlife squeezed off the ice: Many species of seals and penguins rely on sea ice, especially for breeding and moulting.

    Entire colonies of emperor penguins experienced “catastrophic breeding failure” in 2022, when sea ice melted before chicks were ready to go to sea.

    After giving birth, crabeater seals need large, stable sea ice platforms for 2–3 weeks until their pups are weaned. The ice provides shelter and protection from predators. Less summer sea-ice cover makes large platforms harder to find.

    Many seal and penguin species also take refuge on the sea ice when moulting. These species must avoid the icy water while their new feathers or fur grows, or risk dying of hypothermia.

    Adelie penguins undergo a yearly moult in which all of their feathers are replaced. These three penguins are nearly finished moulting and will soon be able to leave this ice flow that has sheltered them. David Green

    4. Logistical challenges at the end of the world: Low summer sea ice makes it harder for people working in Antarctica. Shrinking summer sea ice will narrow the time window during which Antarctic bases can be resupplied over the ice. These bases may soon need to be resupplied from different locations, or using more difficult methods such as small boats.

    No longer safe

    Anarctic sea ice began to change rapidly in 2015 and 2016. Since then it has remained well below the long-term average.

    The dataset we use relies on measurements from US Department of Defence satellites. Late last month, the department announced it would no longer provide this data to the scientific community. While this has since been delayed to July 31, significant uncertainty remains.

    One of the biggest challenges in climate science is gathering and maintaining consistent long-term datasets. Without these, we don’t accurately know how much our climate is changing. Observing the entire earth is hard enough when we all work together. It’s going to be almost impossible if we don’t share our data.

    Recent low sea-ice summers present a scientific challenge. The system is currently changing faster than our scientific community can study it.

    But vanishing sea ice also presents a challenge to society. The only way to prevent even more drastic changes in the future is to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels and reach net zero emissions.

    Edward Doddridge is senior research associate in physical oceanography, University of Tasmania. This article is republished from The Conversation.

    The Conversation

    Published – July 11, 2025 03:33 pm IST

    Continue Reading

  • IHC warns federal govt over delay in Dr Aafia Siddiqui case report

    IHC warns federal govt over delay in Dr Aafia Siddiqui case report

    Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday expressed strong displeasure over the federal government’s continued failure to submit a report regarding the release, health, and repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

    During the hearing of a petition filed by Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, the court questioned why the government had not complied with earlier directives to explain its inaction in the case. Justice Khan warned that if the report is not submitted, the court could initiate contempt proceedings against the entire federal cabinet, including the Prime Minister.

    “This court can take action not just against the cabinet, but also against the Prime Minister,” the judge remarked sternly, questioning whether the government was deliberately ignoring the court’s instructions.

    Dr Aafia’s legal counsel, Imran Shafiq, appeared on behalf of the petitioner, while Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez represented the federal government.

    The judge noted that the report had been requested back in June but had still not been filed. Although Justice Khan initially gave a three-day deadline, he later granted five working days after the Additional Attorney General’s request, noting that his own leave would begin next week.

    The court adjourned the hearing until July 21, making it clear that no further delays would be tolerated.

    During the proceedings, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui’s lawyer also mentioned a separate application seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister and cabinet. In response, Justice Khan questioned the utility of such a meeting, saying, “Is the Prime Minister not already aware of Aafia Siddiqui’s case?”

    The court emphasized that the federal government must submit the required report by the next hearing or face possible legal consequences.


    Continue Reading

  • Nontargeted Emergency Department HCV Screening Could Aid Infection Identification

    Nontargeted Emergency Department HCV Screening Could Aid Infection Identification

    Jason Haukoos, MD, MSc

    Credit: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    A nontargeted hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening approach may be preferable to targeted screening for identifying new HCV infections in emergency departments (EDs), according to findings from the DETECT Hep C Trial.1

    Coined as the largest pragmatic clinical trial of HCV screening in EDs to date, the trial was conducted in 3 high-volume EDs at Denver Health Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center and found nontargeted HCV screening identified significantly more new diagnoses of HCV infection than targeted screening. Of note, clinician referral from the ED resulted in relatively small proportions of patients who were successfully linked to care, initiated treatment, completed treatment, or attained sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12).1

    “To our knowledge, this trial represents the largest and most comprehensive evaluation of HCV screening strategies in EDs to date and underscores the importance of understanding real-world comparative effectiveness of nontargeted to targeted opt-out HCV screening when integrated into emergency care,” Jason Haukoos, MD, MSc, a professor of emergency medicine and Director of Emergency Medicine Research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and colleagues wrote.1

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, an estimated 50 million people have chronic HCV infection, with about 1 million new infections occurring per year. With the availability of short-course oral, curative pangenotypic HCV direct acting antiviral treatment regimens, the WHO recommends that testing, care and treatment for persons with chronic hepatitis C infection can be provided by trained non-specialist doctors and nurses, using simplified service delivery that includes decentralization, integration, and task shifting, which can be done in primary care, harm reduction services, and prisons. Recently, EDs have become a focus of screening efforts because they serve large numbers of at-risk patients who commonly do not access health care elsewhere.1,2

    To compare the effectiveness of targeted and nontargeted HCV screening in EDs, investigators conducted a multicenter, prospective, pragmatic, 2–parallel group randomized clinical trial enrolling patients ≥ 18 years of age who provided consent, did not have critical illness, and had not been previously diagnosed with HCV. Participants were randomly assigned to undergo nontargeted screening, in which HCV testing was offered regardless of risk, or targeted screening, in which testing was offered based on risk assessment using the following criteria: born between 1945 and 1965, IDU, intranasal drug use, tattoo or piercing in an unregulated setting, or blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992.1

    Randomization occurred from November 2019, through August 2022 and was integrated into the electronic health record (EHR) system at each institution using a computer-generated random number algorithm developed and validated at each site prior to beginning enrollment.1

    The primary outcome was newly diagnosed HCV infection. Secondary outcomes included repeat HCV diagnoses; HCV test offer, acceptance, and completion; HCV genotype and fibrosis staging; components of the HCV care continuum; and all-cause mortality through 18 months of follow-up.1

    A total of 147,498 patient visits were randomized. Among the cohort, the median age was 41 (interquartile range [IQR], 29-57) years, 51.5% of patients were male, and 42.3% were Black.1

    Of these, 73,847 patients underwent nontargeted screening, resulting in 9867 (13.4%) tested for HCV and 154 new HCV diagnoses, whereas 73,651 patients underwent targeted screening and 23,400 (31.8%) were identified as having risk factors for HCV infection, resulting in 4640 (6.3%) patients tested for HCV and 115 (2.5%) new HCV diagnoses.1

    The prevalence of new HCV diagnoses in the nontargeted and targeted screening groups were 0.21% and 0.16% (difference, 0.05%; 95% CI, 0.01%-0.1%), respectively. Upon analysis, nontargeted screening was associated with a significantly greater number of new HCV diagnoses (relative risk, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05-1.70; P = .02).1

    Despite nontargeted screening identifying more HCV infections, investigators noted small proportions of patients from both the nontargeted and targeted screening groups were linked to follow-up care (19.5% vs 24.3%, respectively), initiated direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment (15.6% vs 17.4%), completed DAA treatment (12.3% vs 12.2%), and attained SVR12 (9.1% vs 9.6%).1

    “This multicenter randomized clinical trial determined a nontargeted screening approach was superior to targeted screening for identifying new HCV infections among patients seen in 3 urban EDs,” investigators concluded.1 “The substantial decrease in patients who went from diagnosis to SVR12 highlights an urgent need for innovative models of HCV treatment.”

    References
    1. Haukoos J, Rothman RE, Galbraith JW, et al. Hepatitis C Screening in Emergency Departments: The DETECT Hep C Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.10563
    2. World Health Organization. Hepatitis C. Newsroom. April 9, 2024. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c

    Continue Reading

  • Spreadsheets and day trips to Egypt: how gen Z is ‘soft saving’ for the future | Travel

    Spreadsheets and day trips to Egypt: how gen Z is ‘soft saving’ for the future | Travel

    As holiday season kicks into gear, a casual glance at gen Z social media might suggest this generation is adopting an expensive lifestyle filled with fine dining and travel. But behind those Phuket photos lies a meticulous spreadsheet.

    ​​Rather than aggressively stockpiling for retirement, gen Z is embracing a “soft saving” approach, according to research: prioritizing memorable experiences now while saving extra cash for the future.

    A significant number of gen Zers are frequent travelers, averaging three leisure trips a year, according to Morning Consult, despite 60% earning less than $50,000 annually.

    How are they fitting travel into their budget? The answer appears to be an unusually focused attitude to how they spend money.

    “I don’t want to miss out on opportunities when I am young, but I also don’t want to go into debt,” said Sofia Qistina, 22, who stressed that she prefers to spend more on experience than material items. “Being financially aware is the best thing possible, because then you’re able to see where you can stretch your budget and where you can’t.”

    Sofia Qistina in Bali. Photograph: Qistina Photos

    More than other generations, a majority of gen Z splurges intentionally, according to a recent McKinsey report. Many young consumers open dedicated travel or experience funds alongside their retirement savings, and use on loyalty programs such as credit card points to lower trip expenses.

    “When I was 20 and younger, I would spend exorbitantly on many luxury things just ’cause I thought they were cool and I was always on a high. But I lost a lot of opportunities and comfort,” said Qistina, who is now studying abroad and working as a freelance social media marketer in Sydney, Australia. “I realized that way of living was toxic and not sustainable. So now, everything is overly calculated and I am very intentional with how I spend my money.”

    Andy Reed, a financial behavior expert at Vanguard, said when people spend on experiences, they typically derive more pleasure than when they spend on things. “But it’s also true that gen Zers are also saving more than their predecessors,” he added, noting that “baggage” including a higher cost of living, the Covid-19 recession and student debt has helped shape their financial habits and anxieties.

    Sofia Qistina in St Moritz, Switzerland, this past January. Photograph: Qistina Photos

    Qistina, for example, attends parties, eats her way through Sydney, and travels with friends to cities such as Dubai and Paris. She splits her income between a high-yield savings account and a “wants” fund for traveling and social engagements.

    Booking her travel is no mean feat: before buying tickets, she said she compares thousands of flights, airlines, locations and dates to ensure she is getting the best value for money.

    A new generation of tourists is now prioritizing the value of a trip ahead of its financial cost, according to Heather Leisman, president of EF Ultimate Break, a travel agency for 18-to-35-year-olds. “Gen Z looks at value,” she said. “For them it’s not a price tag.

    “Affordability is a concern of theirs, but it’s also how they budget. We are seeing people booking shorter trips than before and they’re deal-seeking, meaning they are traveling in off-peak seasons or to more affordable places like Thailand or Portugal.”

    Qistina said: “We don’t realize that the day-to-day things that we do – like always eating out or that coffee from an overpriced cafe – adds up, and that’s why we think we’re not able to do all those big things like traveling.”

    Kevin Droniak, 28, does not eat at Michelin-starred restaurants or grab a $7 matcha. He lives in a cramped New York apartment, fitted with just the essentials. He saves both for retirement, and has been doing do since he was 20, but also a day trip to Egypt.

    “It’s very fulfilling to land somewhere and experience it, get a taste of it, and then go back home immediately,” he said after a one-night visit to Colombia. “It’s ticking off bucket list items, and it’s a memory I’ll have forever.”

    Some of Droniak’s day-trip locations include Iceland, Italy, France and the UK. The trips can range from about $200 to nearly $1,000. He began this “addiction” to balance his responsibilities, such as helping his 95-year-old grandmother, while seeing the world.

    “Everyone works so hard and you don’t get that much time off, which can prevent you from being able to travel. But you really don’t need a week off to experience something new,” he said.

    Droniak budgets these trips to be less than $1,000, meaning flights should be about $500 and the location should have cheap transport options, like subways or inexpensive taxis. He eats at a “basic local restaurant” to keep the food bill in check.

    Kevin Droniak. Photograph: Lauren Nieves

    “I fly back-of-the-plane economy and when I am there I always look for free activities, like going to the beach or hiking,” Droniak said. “It’s good to be financially aware and at the same time I also want to live life while I am young, which means spending money for these trips.”

    He deems travel to be a need, rather than a want. “Traveling is my therapy, and I see it as an investment on my mental health,” he said. “These trips get me out of routines that can put me down in the dumps and being in somewhere new gives my brain a ​​serotonin boost.”

    But many gen Zers are balancing this serotonin boost with a secure future, too. They are making “some very good financial choices”, said Reed.

    Droniak saves at least $20,000 a year for retirement, and Qistina makes sure to put away a significant sum every quarter. Both opened retirement accounts due to financial anxieties and pressure from older family members, who advise them to prepare for the future.

    “Gen Zers, in particular, plan to spend rather than spontaneous spending,” Reed said. “As long as you cover the bases like rent and food, you can splurge, which can lead to a lot of experiences with emotional value.”

    Qistina sees financial success as financial freedom: the luxury of not living paycheck to paycheck, and having the means to fulfill her whims on a dime. “If I’m able to say, I’m going to Paris in three days because I kind of want a croissant, not comparing flights, and just having that flexibility – that is financial success,” she said. “I truly believe I will get there, too, because I’m pacing myself.”

    Continue Reading

  • Shubman Gill has done a great job in putting things together as Indian captain: Sachin Tendulkar

    Shubman Gill has done a great job in putting things together as Indian captain: Sachin Tendulkar

    Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said that Shubman Gill has done a good job in putting things together for a young Test side as the series remains levelled 1-1 after the first two games of the series against England.

    Gill has scored 585 runs in the four innings he has batted in thus far, including a double ton and two centuries.

    “It’s good for world cricket when a young team which is trying to organise themselves as a strong unit, they’re coming together, making sure who plays what role in the team,” Tendulkar told a gathering at Lord’s during the unveiling of his portrait at the MCC Museum.
    “I think Shubman has done a good job in putting things together and staying calm. You look at him, you always feel that he’s not panicking. He is calm.”

    “I remember (in) one of the interviews — (the) post-match interviews — they said that he’s calm, his heartbeat is always low, it doesn’t matter what the situation of the game is, and that is, I think, (the) foundation to whatever you construct from that,” Tendulkar added.

    Tendulkar admitted that the talent depth in Indian cricket is incredible and that the promising batch of players at present are keen to learn from his massive experience too.

    “Well, it’s (Indian cricket) in a great space. We’ve got a lot of talented players sitting on the bench and that’s a good sign. It’s a good headache to have; who do you leave out? All players are talented, they are hungry,” he said during a chat with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Mark Nicholas.

    “I bumped with them (over) last couple of days. I’ve been sharing a few phone calls with them and generally interacting with them. The hunger is very much there, the desire is there, they know that people are expecting something from them.”

    “It’s something that India is looking forward to. (They made) a great comeback in the second Test match. (The) first Test match, it was close. I remember my coach telling me, catches win matches, so we dropped a lot of catches.” He continued, “At one stage I thought it was a hot potato (which) nobody wanted to catch, but we overcame that in the second game.”

    First Published: Jul 11, 2025 3:31 PM IST

    Continue Reading

  • Nick Fradiani channels Neil Diamond in ‘A Beautiful Noise’

    Nick Fradiani channels Neil Diamond in ‘A Beautiful Noise’

    “A Beautiful Noise” is a jukebox musical that understands the assignment.

    The show, which opened Wednesday at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on the Broadway musical’s North American tour, exists to celebrate the rough magic of Neil Diamond’s catalog. If glorious singing of American pop gold is what you’re looking for, “A Beautiful Noise” delivers.

    Diamond’s fans will no doubt feel remunerated by the thrilling vocal performance of Nick Fradiani, the 2015 winner of “American Idol,” who plays the young iteration of the double-cast Neil, the Brooklyn-born pop sensation who went on a rocket ship to fame and fortune that gave him everything in the world but the peace that had always eluded him. Fradiani vocally captures not just the driving excitement of Diamond’s singing but the note of masculine melancholy that gives the songs their grainy, ruminative subtext.

    Hannah Jewel Kohn and Nick Fradiani play Marcia Murphey and the young version of the double-cast Neil Diamond, respectively.

    (Jeremy Daniel)

    Jukebox musicals, inspired perhaps by the commercial success of “Mamma Mia!,” tend to muscle an artist’s hits into flagrantly incongruous dramatic contexts. Anthony McCarten, the book writer of “A Beautiful Noise,” avoids this trap by setting up a framework that deepens our appreciation of Diamond’s music by shining a biographical light on how the songs came into existence.

    The older version of , now the grizzled Diamond burnt out by tour life and desperate not to duplicate the mistakes he made in his first two marriages, is played by Robert Westenberg. He’s been sent by his third wife to a psychotherapist to work on himself. As he shares with the doctor (Lisa Reneé Pitts), he’s been told that he’s hard to live with — an accusation that his long, stubborn silences in the session make instantly credible.

    Introspection is as unnatural to Neil as it was for Tony Soprano, but the doctor gently guides Neil past his resistance. Intrigued by his remark that he put everything he had to say into his music, she presents him with a volume of his collected lyrics and asks him to talk her through one of his songs.

    A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

    Nick Fradiani, from left, Robert Westenberg and Lisa Reneé Pitts as both iterations of Neil and his doctor during an onstage therapy session.

    (Jeremy Daniel)

    “I Am … I Said,” which makes reference to a frog that dreamed of being a king before becoming one, cuts too close to the bone. That single will have to wait for a breakthrough in therapy, but he is lured back into his past when the Jewish boy from Flatbush talked his way into a meeting with Ellie Greenwich (Kate A. Mulligan), the famed songwriter and producer, who convinced him not to change his name and gave him the chance that set him down the road to stardom.

    The production, directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Steven Hoggett, marks this therapy milestone by having backup singers and chorus members emerge from behind Neil’s chair. Out of darkness, musical euphoria shines through.

    The show’s approach is largely chronological. “I’m A Believer,” which became a runaway hit for the Monkees, catapults Diamond into the big leagues. Once he starts singing his own material, he becomes a bona fide rock star — a moody Elvis who straddles rock, country, folk and pop with a hangdog bravura.

    Neil’s first marriage to Jaye Posner (a touching Tiffany Tatreau) is an early casualty after he falls in love with Marcia Murphey (Hannah Jewel Kohn, spinning a seductive spell musically and dramatically). It’s Marcia who coaches him into playing the part of front man. The hits come fast and furious after that, but the frenzy of tour life exacts a severe toll.

    A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

    Tiffany Tatreau as Diamond’s first wife Jaye Posner, from center left, Nick Fradiani and Kate A. Mulligan as singer-producer Ellie Greenwich in “A Beautiful Noise.”

    (Jeremy Daniel)

    Of course, everyone at the Pantages is waiting impatiently for “Sweet Caroline,” the anthem that never fails to transform into a sing-along after the first “bum-bum-bum.” The performance of this ecstatic number is powerfully mood-elevating.

    Fradiani’s character work is most impressive in his singing. That’s when the inner trouble Neil has been evading since his Brooklyn childhood hauntingly resounds.

    “America,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Love on the Rocks” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” songs heard countless times, take on more weight as the circumstances of their creation are revealed. The therapy gets a little heavy-handed in the protracted final stretch. But Westenberg, who’s a touch too emphatic early on, lends poignancy to the cathartic release that ushers Neil into a new place of self-understanding.

    By keeping the focus where it should be — on the music — “A Beautiful Noise” thrives where more ambitious jukebox musicals stumble. This is a show for fans. But as the son of one who remembers the songs from family road trips, even though I have none of them in my music library, I was grooving to the sound of a bygone America, high on its own unlimited possibilities.

    At the curtain call at Wednesday’s opening, Katie Diamond came on stage and video-called her husband as the Pantages audience collectively joined in an encore of “Sweet Caroline.” It wasn’t easy to hear Diamond sing, but it hardly mattered. Fradiani had supplied that dopamine rush for more than two hours with his virtuoso musical portrayal.

    ‘The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise’

    Where: Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.

    When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends July 27.

    Tickets: Start at $57. (Subject to change.)

    Contact: BroadwayInHollywood.com or Ticketmaster.com

    Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

    At Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa July 29 – August 10, 2025. For information, visit www.SCFTA.org

    Continue Reading