Free, customizable "fan bands" have become the unexpected must-have souvenir at the 2026 World Cup, with over 700,000 distributed. Sponsored by Bank of America, these charm wristlets feature subtle branding and have gone viral, even appearing on resale platforms. This marketing strategy offers a counterpoint to the tournament's high ticket and merchandise prices, proving that unique, free items can create significant fan engagement and brand visibility.
A referendum 10 years ago on this day set the United Kingdom on a new path as a non-member of the European Union (EU) and the turmoil of that Brexit vote continues to play out as the country prepares for its seventh prime minister in a decade.
Which countries possess populations of people with the most self-love?
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
Iran is fighting a different war: Older, slower, and in some ways more dangerous. Iran doesn't need to shoot down an F/A-18. It only needs to make the Strait of Hormuz feel dangerous long enough for insurance markets, shipping companies, and oil futures traders to do the rest. Prem Panicker continues his must-read daily blog on the war in the Middle East.
From India's entry to the Oscars to the foodie flamboyance of Bollywood's first family to Srikant Tiwari's hope for a hat-trick and Korean entertainment in deeply dark mode, it's raining OTT goodies this week.
Taylor does not rule out playing in 2023 World Cup
rediffGURU Sushil Sukhwani offers guidance about the best courses and colleges for an international education.
Wimbledon is braced for its hottest ever start with London set to endure a searing heatwave that is forecast to peak as play begins at the All England Club on Monday.
Former skipper Mark Taylor has backed the appointment of Steve Smith as Australia's vice-captain more than three years after he was stripped of the captaincy for his involvement in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.
Kraven The Hunter feels like a missed opportunity, a film that could have offered a fresh take on a complex character but settles for mediocrity, observes Sonil Dedhia.
Asra Hussain Raza, a 26-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, was among the 67 people killed in a tragic midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner at Ronald Reagan National Airport in the US. The collision, the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001, happened when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with the Army helicopter as it approached the airport on Wednesday night. Raza, a consultant, graduated with honors from Indiana University and married her college sweetheart in August 2023.
Ross Taylor became New Zealand's highest scorer in One-Day Internationals on Wednesday as he helped his side secure an 88-run victory over Bangladesh in Dunedin in their final official ODI before the World Cup.
Billionaire Gautam Adani's younger son Jeet on Friday married fiance Diva Shah at a small and intimate, traditional ceremony with a close group of friends and family in attendance.
Taylor, who missed the third game in Wellington with a quadriceps injury, was limping badly after he appeared to suffer a similar strain but still combined with Tom Latham (71) for 187 runs as New Zealand scored 339 for five in 49.3 overs to chase down England's 335 for nine.
'Yes, the playing conditions still vary over time. But you're still in control of what sort of works for you on a pitch. So, you might play on a new hybrid pitch for one game.'
Captain Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum kept New Zealand's slim hopes of scoring 401 runs to beat South Africa in the first Test alive after they helped the hosts reach 137 for two at the close of the fourth day's play at University Oval in Dunedin on Saturday.
England batsman James Taylor has been forced to retire from all forms of cricket with immediate effect after it was discovered that he has a serious heart condition. Taylor had to withdraw from Nottinghamshire fixture against Cambridge University last week with what was believed to be a viral condition, but the club said on Tuesday that scans had revealed that the 26-year-old has ARVC (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy). "Safe to say this has been the toughest week of my life! My world is upside down. But I'm here to stay and I'm battling on! #lifestooshort," tweeted Taylor.
Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final witnessed cricket luminaries Kapil Dev, Shikhar Dhawan, Chris Gayle and Ross Taylor adding grandeur to the event.
Ross Taylor scored his 10th Test century and surpassed 4,000 career runs to anchor New Zealand's 307 for six at the close of play on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Basin Reserve on Wednesday.
Ross Taylor's first Test double century helped New Zealand to 609 for nine declared before his bowlers reduced West Indies to 67 for two as the hosts took firm control on day two of the first Test in Dunedin on Wednesday.
The picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium has become the first BCCI-accredited venue to install state-of-the-art 'hybrid pitch' to host two Indian Premier League matches this season.
Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce powered her way to 100 metres gold on Sunday to become the first person to win four gold medals over the distance at the athletics world championships.
Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor capped a dominant day's play for New Zealand with centuries as the hosts reached 367 for three at the close of the first day of the first Test against West Indies at University Oval in Dunedin on Tuesday.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination becoming the first Indian-American to win the nomination from a major political party, and chose Minnesota Gov Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.
The study by an international team led by scientists at the UK's Newcastle University is the first global assessment of areas at greatest risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF). Published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, it estimates that 15 million people around the world are at risk from flooding caused by glacial lakes.
New Zealand opened the ninth Women's World Cup with a shock win against former champions Norway on Thursday
Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, and now-retired four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, have been among those making political statements at races in recent seasons.
According to ESPN, she replaces Niele Ivey, another women's assistant coach who left for a head coaching position at the University of Notre Dame.
'Keeravaaniji doesn't work in isolation.' 'He responds to stories, situations and the emotional core of a film.' 'That's why his tunes are so different.' 'Unchiseled emotional masterpieces.'
Superheroes, serial killers, spies. Sukanya Verma asks you to brace yourself for tons of action on OTT this week.
The West Indies pulled off another upset as they beat England by seven runs to secure their first-ever ICC Women's World Cup victory over the defending champions.
'Being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience.' 'Getting back up, dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it? That's a gift.'
From Asgard's naughtiest imp to Arsene Lupin's biggest worshipper in Paris, Sukanya Verma notes OTT is full of curious options this week.
With his elevation as the CEO of Twitter, Parag Agrawal, in whom co-founder of the microblogging giant Jack Dorsey has "bone-deep" trust, joins the growing power club of Indian-origin executives helming US-based global multinationals. Twitter's outgoing CEO Dorsey announced on Monday that 37-year old Agrawal, an Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Stanford University alumnus, will be the company's new chief executive as he stepped down after 16 years at the company that he co-founded and helmed. A report in The New York Times said Agrawal will receive an annual salary of $1 million, in addition to bonuses, restricted stock units and performance-based stock units.
Though Nobel Prize nominations have been a secret for 50 years, speculation abounds over the contenders for this year's prize in economics.
Ten images that prove we live in a odd, odd world!
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla had given South Africa a slender lead over New Zealand at the end of the third day of the first Test on Friday, which was disrupted for 30 minutes by a fire alarm at University Oval.
The researchers were able to show that the student agent learned the games and, in fact, surpassed the teacher.
Ravi Pazhani and his wife Sabita sat silently as Steve Altman, their son Dharun Ravi's lawyer, and members of the Support Ravi initiative declared that Ravi was judged unfairly -- first by public opinion and then by the 'muddled' New Jersey hate laws in the case of camera spying on his Rutgers University roommate Taylor Clementi, who later committed suicide.
