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India’s KL Rahul hit an unbeaten 57 to steer Delhi Capitals to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants and get his side back to winning ways in the IPL on Tuesday.Chasing a modest 160 for victory, Delhi rode on Rahul’s 42-ball knock and a second-wicket partnership with Abishek Porel, who hit 51, to achieve their target with 13 balls to spare at Lucknow’s home ground.Delhi, with six wins in eight matches, bounced back from their previous defeat to table-toppers Gujarat Titans and are second in the 10-team table.Seam bowler Mukesh Kumar set up victory with his four wickets as he helped pull Lucknow back from 87-0 to 110-4 and then a below-par total of 159-6.”Once we picked up two quick wickets, we got the momentum and all the bowlers did well to restrict them under 160,” Delhi skipper Axar Patel said.In reply, Delhi lost Karun Nair for 15 bowled by Aiden Markram, a part-time off spinner, but Porel and Rahul combined to get the chase on track in their stand of 69.Markram struck again to get the left-handed Porel out after his 36-ball knock, which was laced with five fours and one six.Rahul stood firm and along with Axar, who made 34, put on an unbeaten stand of 56 to steer the team home with a winning six from Rahul.Rahul hit his third fifty of the season to go past 5,000 runs in the IPL — making him the quickest player to achieve the feat in the T20 tournament.- Lucknow ’20 short’ -Earlier, openers Markram (52) and Mitchell Marsh (45) combined the right dose of caution and aggression to steer Lucknow to 87 inside 10 overs.South African batter Markram raised his fifty and alongside Australia’s Marsh forced Delhi to rotate their bowling options.Sri Lanka pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera struck first to send back Markram caught out, and the wicket triggered a mini collapse.Australia’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc got the big wicket of West indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran, bowled for nine.Mukesh then got two wickets in one over, including Marsh, and Lucknow wobbled.Lucknow subbed out Marsh and got Ayush Badoni as the impact player, and the 25-year-old repaid the decision by regularly finding the boundary.Badoni made the most of a dropped catch by Tristan Stubbs on three to smash 36 off 21 deliveries.Badoni hammered Mukesh for three successive boundaries in the 20th over but the bowler bowled him on the fourth ball.Skipper Rishabh Pant dropped himself down to number seven but faced just two balls before being bowled by Mukesh on the final delivery of the innings.”We knew we were 20 runs short,” said Pant. “In Lucknow, the toss plays a big part. Whoever is bowling first, they get a lot of help from the wicket. We just had to stay back, we just couldn’t get it away.”Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who went to Lucknow for a record bid of $3.21 million in the November auction, has scored 106 runs in eight innings with a highest score of 63.

As Catholics filed into Myanmar’s grandest cathedral to mourn Pope Francis on Tuesday, a wartime power cut plunged the worship hall into a murky gloom.But at the front of the pews a portrait of the pontiff remained illuminated by an unseen source — a backup bulb or an open window keeping the image of his face vivid and bright.It was a fitting tribute for a faith leader Myanmar Catholics hailed for shining a light on their country in its recent dark and wartorn times.”Among popes he was the most outspoken on Myanmar,” said 44-year-old nun Sister Lucy, one of hundreds packed into Yangon’s St Mary’s Cathedral as night fell.”Myanmar Catholics will miss him as the pope who always remembered Myanmar,” she told AFP.- ‘People in the peripheries’ -Pope Francis — who died Monday aged 88 — was the only Catholic church chief to visit Myanmar, arriving in 2017 as the country was in the midst of a brief democratic experiment.Since the military snatched back power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a many-sided civil war which has killed thousands, displaced millions and seen half the population gripped by poverty.The conflict often fails to register on the international stage. But for Pope Francis it was a regular refrain as he called the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to pray.”Let us not fail to assist the people of Myanmar,” Francis urged in his final sermon on Easter Sunday, recalling both the civil war and last month’s magnitude-7.7 earthquake which has killed more than 3,700.The speech was delivered by an associate because of Francis’ faltering health after he was hospitalised for five weeks with double pneumonia.”He’s a man who really cared for those people in the peripheries,” Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, told AFP after leading prayers and hymns. “He would always listen.”The special service on Tuesday night was held as Myanmar’s military said it would extend a ceasefire declared to ease earthquake relief efforts by one more week.Monitors say fighting has continued despite the truce, with little evidence Pope Francis’s calls for harmony have been answered.”The message that he left and the homework that he left for the Church is to build peace and reconciliation in the country,” Cardinal Bo said. “He would say, ‘Let’s open our hearts to everyone’.”Cardinal Bo, a Myanmar native, has been named among the potential successors to Pope Francis, with the new pontiff due to be picked by a secrecy-shrouded conclave of cardinals in the coming weeks.”We hope that the one that will be succeeding him will have the same sympathy, care and concern for the people of Myanmar,” said Cardinal Bo.- ‘Practiced what he preached’ -Inside the sweltering brickwork of St Mary’s a number of worshippers wore souvenir t-shirts from Francis’s 2017 visit and one nun used a novelty fan celebrating his trip to dull the heat.Just inside its doors, floral tributes were presented before preserved items Francis used on his four-day venture in the Southeast Asian country — a set of vestments, a raised chair, two pillows and a towel.There are only approximately 700,000 Catholics in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which has a population of over 50 million.But Francis “asked the other bishops to get out of their comfort zones”, according to 50-year-old nun Sister Margarita, in the rush of the last worshippers arriving for the service heralded by clanging church bells.”No other pope has come to Myanmar but he came,” she said. “He practiced what he preached.”

At least 24 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists on Tuesday, a senior police officer told AFP, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.A tour guide told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback.”I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed, who gave only one name.The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.The senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 24 people had been killed.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.The killings come a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India with his wife Usha and children.Vance offered his and Usha’s condolences to the “victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam”.”Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack,” he wrote on X.- ‘Abomination’ -Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll “still being ascertained”.”This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”An AFP reporter at Pahalgam spoke to another witness of the shooting who asked not to be identified.”The militants, I can’t say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” said the witness, who cares for the horses that are popular with tourists in the area. “They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets, it was like a storm.” The witness said dozens of people fled as the gunmen opened fire. “They all started running around in panic”, he added. “We tried to comfort them but they were just screaming… we helped carry some injured out of there on ponies.”India’s interior minister Amit Shah flew to Kashmir and vowed those responsible would be caught.”Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a post on X, said he was “deeply saddened by the heinous terror attack on tourists”, adding that his nation “stands united with India”.- Popular tourist destination – Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including at least two with gunshot wounds, one with a bullet injury to the neck.Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, called the killings “heartbreaking”.India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.”Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement following the attack.In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.pzb-bb-sai-ash-pjm/sco

US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that “good progress” had been made towards a trade deal with India after meeting with “tough negotiator” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.Washington and New Delhi are negotiating the first tranche of a trade deal, which India hopes will allow it to secure relief within the 90-day pause on steep tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump this month. “Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator, he drives a hard bargain,” Vance said in a speech in the city of Jaipur, where he is visiting as part of a four-day tour of India. “It’s one of the reasons why we respect him.”Vance, who met with Modi on Monday evening, sketched out a win-win partnership saying the two nations had “much to offer one another”, urging New Delhi to buy more US military equipment and boost energy ties.”We don’t blame Prime Minister Modi for fighting for India’s industry, but we do blame American leaders of the past for failing to do the same for our workers”, Vance added.”We believe that we can fix that to the mutual benefit of both the United States and India.”Trump wants “America to grow” and “he wants India to grow”, Vance said. “Both of our governments are hard at work on a trade agreement built on shared priorities by creating new jobs, building durable supply chains and achieving prosperity for our workers,” he said. “In our meeting yesterday Prime Minister Modi and I made very good progress on all those points.”- Vance defends Trump’s tariffs -However, Vance also pointed out that India could go a “long way” in enhancing energy ties between the two countries. “One suggestion I have, is maybe consider dropping some of the non-tariff barriers for American access to the Indian market,” Vance added, without giving further details.”Critics have attacked my president, President Trump, for starting a trade war in an effort to bring back the jobs of the past, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Vance added.”He seeks to rebalance global trade so that America, with friends like India, can build a future worth having for all of our people together.”Vance, who is accompanied by his family including his wife Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, is due to visit the Taj Mahal at Agra on Wednesday.Vance said that if India, the world’s most populous nation, and the United States work together successfully, “we’re going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful”.But he also warned that, if “we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity”.

India paceman Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the Leading Men’s Cricketer in the World in the 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, with compatriot Smriti Mandhana picking up the women’s award.Bumrah was given the honour by the sport’s “bible” after a stunning 2024 in which he excelled in red-ball and white-ball cricket.The 31-year-old picked up 71 Test wickets at an average of less than 15 and was named player of the tournament as India won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.Wisden editor Lawrence Booth described Bumrah as “quite simply the star of the year”.Reflecting on Bumrah’s astonishing efforts during India’s Test series in Australia, Booth wrote: “He was so lethal, so uniquely challenging — a staccato of limbs somehow forming a symphony — that runs scored off him should have counted double.”And while taking 32 Australian wickets at 13 each, he laid a claim to be considered the greatest of all time, becoming the first with 200 Test wickets at an average below 20.” Despite Bumrah’s heroics, Australia won the five-Test series, which finished in early January, 3-1.Mandhana, 28, made it an Indian double by being named as the Leading Women’s Cricketer in the World. The batter scored 1,659 runs across all formats in 2024 — the most by a woman in a calendar year of international cricket.West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran was named as the game’s leading T20 cricketer.In the almanack, which is published on Thursday, Booth is scathing about Jay Shah’s smooth transition from the most powerful figure in Indian cricket to chairman of the International Cricket Council.”(It is) a sorry truth: 2024 was the year cricket gave up any claim to being properly administered, with checks, balances, and governance for the many, not the few,” Booth writes.He adds: “Cricket has handed over the only key not already in India’s possession. All hail the Big One.”The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack has been published continually on an annual basis since its first edition in 1864.Wisden also names five Cricketers of the Year — an award that can only be won once in a career — and is generally based on performances in the previous English season.England trio Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Sophie Ecclestone have been named among the five in the 2025 edition.Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson, who has also played for England, and Surrey paceman Dan Worrall complete the line-up.

Pushed out of Pakistan where she was born, Nazmine Khan’s first experience of her country, Afghanistan, was in a sweltering tent at a border camp.”We never thought we would return to Afghanistan,” said the 15-year-old girl, who has little idea of what will become of her or her family, only that she is likely to have fewer freedoms.”When our parents told us we had to leave, we cried,” added Khan.Having nowhere to go in Afghanistan, she and six other family members shared a stifling tent in the Omari camp near the Torkham border pointIslamabad, accusing Afghans of links to narcotics and “supporting terrorism”, announced a new campaign in March to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghans, with or without documents. Many Afghans had lived in Pakistan for decades after fleeing successive wars and crises.But seeing their removal as inevitable, many did not wait to be arrested by Pakistani forces before leaving.Since April 1, more than 100,000 Afghans have been sent back to their country of origin, according to Islamabad, out of the around three million the United Nations says are living in Pakistan.Khan’s family fled Afghanistan in the 1960s. Her four brothers and sister were also born in Pakistan.”In a few days we’ll look for a place to rent” in the border province of Nangarhar where the family has roots, she told AFP, speaking in Pakistan’s commonly spoken tongue of Urdu, not knowing any Afghan languages.In the family’s tent there is little more than a cloth to lie on and a few cushions, but no mattress or blanket. Flies buzz under the tarpaulin as countless children in ragged clothes come and go.- ‘Already suffering’ -When it comes to her own future, Khan feels “completely lost”, she said.Having dropped out of school in Pakistan, the Taliban authorities’ ban on girls studying beyond primary school will hardly change the course of her life.But from what little she heard about her country while living in eastern Pakistan’s Punjab, she knows that “here there are not the same freedoms”.Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban authorities have imposed restrictions on women characterised by the UN as “gender apartheid”.Women have been banned from universities, parks, gyms and beauty salons, and squeezed from many jobs.”It is now a new life… for them, and they are starting this with very little utilities, belongings, cash, support,” said Ibrahim Humadi, programme lead for non-governmental group Islamic Relief, which has set up about 200 tents for returnees in the Omari camp.Some stay longer than the three days offered on arrival, not knowing where to go with their meager savings, he said.”They also know that even in their area of return, the community will be welcoming them, will be supporting them… but they know also the community are already suffering from the situation in Afghanistan,” he added.Around 85 percent of the Afghan population lives on less than one dollar a day, according to the UN Development Programme.”We had never seen (Afghanistan) in our lives. We do not know if we can find work, so we are worried,” said Jalil Khan Mohamedin, 28, as he piled belongings — quilts, bed frames and fans — into a truck that will take the 16 members of his family to the capital Kabul, though nothing awaits them there.- ‘Still don’t understand’ -The Taliban authorities have said they are preparing towns specifically for returnees. But at one site near Torkham, there is nothing more than cleared roads on a rocky plain. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says “greater clarity” is needed to ensure that the sites intended for returnees are “viable” in terms of basic infrastructure and services such as health and education.It’s important that “returnees are making informed decisions and that their relocation to the townships is voluntary”, communications officer Avand Azeez Agha told AFP.Looking dazed, Khan’s brother Dilawar still struggles to accept leaving Pakistan, where he was born 25 years ago. His Pakistani wife did not want to follow him and asked for a divorce. “When we crossed the border, we felt like going back, then after a day it felt fine,” said the former truck driver.”We still don’t understand. We were only working.”

In March 2001, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two decades later, they are back in power and claim to be making strides to preserve Afghanistan’s millennia-old heritage, including pre-Islamic relics.Even months before their takeover in 2021 the Taliban called for the protection of ancient artefacts in the country, sparking scepticism among observers.”All have an obligation to robustly protect, monitor and preserve these artefacts” and sites in Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities declared in February that year. They are “part of our country’s history, identity and rich culture”.Since their return to power and decades of war ended, archaeological finds — particularly related to Buddhism — have proliferated, with discoveries publicised by the authorities.In eastern Laghman province, niches carved into rocks in Gowarjan village are believed to have been storerooms dating back to the Kushan empire, which 2,000 years ago stretched from the Gobi desert to the river Ganges.Also in Laghman, carved Brahmi inscriptions have been found, along with a hollowed out stone slab used for pounding grapes for wine.”It is said that Afghan history goes back 5,000 years — these ancient sites prove it; people lived here,” said Mohammed Yaqoub Ayoubi, head of the provincial culture and tourism department.”Whether they were Muslim or not, they had a kingdom here,” he told AFP, adding that the Taliban authorities afford “a great deal of attention” to the preservation of these sites.In nearby Ghazni province, the information and culture head Hamidullah Nisar echoed the sentiment.Recently uncovered Buddhist statuettes must be “protected and passed down to future generations because they are part of our history”, he said.- ‘They value them’ -These relics would have likely met a different fate during the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001.Days after Taliban founder Mullah Omar ordered the destruction of all Buddhist statues to prevent idol worship, the gigantic 1,500-year-old Buddhas of central Bamiyan province were pulverised — the Taliban having been unmoved by international outcry.”When they returned, people thought they would have no regard for historical sites,” said Mohammed Nadir Makhawar, director of heritage preservation in Laghman, a position he held under the ousted Republic. “But we see that they value them.”In December 2021, the Taliban reopened the Afghan National Museum, where they had once destroyed pre-Islamic artefacts.The following year, they reached out to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to help preserve the historic Buddhist site of Mes Aynak, where there is also a copper mine under a development contract with a Chinese consortium.”The request was unexpected,” said Ajmal Maiwandi, the head of AKTC in Afghanistan, who even noted an “enthusiasm” from the authorities to support the conservation work.”I think the Taliban have understood how much the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas damaged their reputation,” said Valery Freland, director of the ALIPH foundation, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage.”They seem concerned today with preserving material heritage in all its diversity,” he added. However, experts have highlighted that the Taliban authorities do not extend the same concern to intangible heritage: music, dance, folklore and anything involving women remain a red line in their severe interpretation of Islam.And while a historic synagogue in Herat city was preserved after the Taliban takeover, local authorities have recently resisted media attention on the site and the city’s former Jewish community.- ‘Cautiously optimistic’ -Afghanistan has signed several conventions on heritage since the Taliban’s first reign, with its destruction deemed a war crime in 2016.Beyond the risk of angering the international community — whose recognition the Taliban seek — Afghanistan’s heritage represents “a potential lever for the country’s tourism and economic development”, said an industry expert speaking on condition of anonymity.However, the authorities face two major challenges, the source said, pointing to a lack of financial resources and the departure — following their takeover — of “the archaeological and heritage elite”.Security could hamper tourism ambitions as well; a group visiting Bamiyan was targeted in a deadly militant attack last year.In the tiny Laghman museum, a plastic bag and newspaper serve as protection for the statuettes, one of which depicts the face of a Buddhist goddess.It was discovered last year in the courtyard of a farm, among milling cows and goats.Ayoubi says he needs help to properly conserve and study them to determine their precise age, a process hampered by four decades of war in Afghanistan.Looting has also proved an ongoing challenge, with no fewer than 30 sites still being “actively pillaged”, according to a 2023 study by University of Chicago researchers.Even if preservation projects have not been disrupted, Maiwandi remains “cautiously optimistic”.”The situation in Afghanistan can change quickly,” he said.

Church bells rang out across the Philippines early Monday evening as Asia’s bastion of Catholicism mourned the death of Pope Francis.Residents in the capital were still processing the news. Some rushed to cathedrals to pray while others who spoke to AFP were not yet aware of his passing.Outside the Baclaran Church in metro Manila, 23-year-old Jeslie Generan said the reality of the pope’s death was only just sinking in.”I was shocked because I had already read that he was OK, he was no longer sick, that his condition improved,” she told AFP.”When I opened Twitter and read it… I thought it was fake news.”Inside the soaring cathedral, a framed portrait of the pope affectionately known as “Lolo Kiko”, or “grandfather Francis”, sat next to a statue of Jesus, a candle to either side.A handful of parishioners filed down after the sermon, kneeling and praying for Pope Francis in front of his picture.”We feel the loss because he is the face of the Church,” parishioner Marlon Delgado told AFP.”I heard the news of his death on the television,” said the 40-year-old, who attends mass every week.”I was at first shocked and then a feeling of sadness overwhelmed me.”During an earlier visit to the capital’s Manila Cathedral, AFP reporters found the pews in the dimly lit sanctuary largely empty and the altar’s candles unlit shortly after news of the pontiff’s death emerged.But outside the massive structure, Jhayson Banquiles, 19, said the country’s 85 million Catholics had lost the “voice of God”. “The pope’s death is a big loss for Filipino Catholics. He is basically the voice of God here. Through him, we hear the word of God.”Vincent Abrena, 38, said he had learned of the death at his office.”That’s why after work I rushed to the cathedral … to pray for him.”Pope Francis, who appointed three of the 10 Filipino cardinals in Church history, visited the archipelago nation only once, when he led a mass for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan.He came just over a year after the most powerful storm in Philippine history devastated fishing and farming towns and left more than 6,000 people dead in November 2013.Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for his arrival, chanting “long live the pope” as he disembarked only to be pelted with rains and heavy winds.”When I saw in Rome that catastrophe (the typhoon), I felt I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I’m here to be with you,” he said as many in the crowd clutched crucifixes and wept.On Monday, a video about his visit had garnered more than five million views within two hours of its posting by a local news outlet.

US Vice President JD Vance met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a red carpet welcome in New Delhi on Monday, as India bids for an early trade deal to stave off punishing tariffs.Modi’s office said that there had been “significant progress in the negotiations” with the two countries negotiating the first tranche of a trade deal.New Delhi hopes to secure relief within the 90-day pause on steep tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump this month.Vance’s office similarly reported “significant progress” in the talks and said the two men had established a roadmap for how economic discussions would proceed.His four-day visit comes two months after Modi held talks at the White House with Trump, during which India pledged to buy more US oil and gas to offset its trade surplus with Washington.Yet that did not prevent India from being slapped with 26 percent tariffs by Trump, later lowered to 10 percent for the 90-day period.An honour guard and troupes of folk dancers greeted Vance after he stepped out into the sweltering sunshine of New Delhi on Monday morning, the start of a four-day tour that will include trips to the historic fort city of Jaipur and the Taj Mahal.”Ad-Vance-ing” US-India ties, broadcaster NDTV headlined its stories.Modi, who welcomed Vance to his residence on Monday evening with a bear hug, photographs released by the Indian government showed, later hosted the vice president and his family for dinner.The men discussed boosting “cooperation in energy, defence strategic technologies and other areas”, Modi’s office said, without giving further details.- ‘Boost’ -Vance’s visit comes during an escalating trade war between the United States and China. India’s neighbour and rival faces US levies of up to 145 percent on many products.Beijing has responded with duties of 125 percent on US goods. New Delhi has reacted cautiously so far.After Vance’s meetings Monday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he was “pleased to confirm” that Washington and India’s Ministry of Commerce “have finalized the Terms of Reference to lay down a roadmap for the negotiations on reciprocal trade”.Vance and Modi were also expected to discuss China, seen as a challenger in different domains by both governments. The two democracies are also a part of the “Quad” group with Australia and Japan. The US vice president is accompanied by his wife Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants.Together with their three children, who were dressed in traditional flowing Indian attire, they visited the Hindu Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.Modi said during his visit to Washington that the world’s largest and fifth-largest economies would work on a “mutually beneficial trade agreement”.The United States is a crucial market for India’s information technology and services sectors. Washington in turn has made billions of dollars in new military hardware sales to New Delhi in recent years.Modi said he “looks forward” to a visit by Trump to India later this year, New Delhi said in a statement, with a potential Quad summit slated.Vance, 40, a devout Catholic convert, arrived in New Delhi a day after meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican.The vice president said his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him”, after the Vatican announced the death of the pope on Monday.

Shubman Gill led from the front with his 55-ball 90 to help Gujarat Titans hammer holders Kolkata Knight Riders by 39 runs on Monday and consolidate their top spot in the IPL.Gujarat posted 198-3 after Sai Sudharsan, who hit 52, and Gill put on 114 runs for the first wicket to lay the foundations of the total at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.The bowlers then combined to restrict Kolkata to 159-8 with skipper Ajinkya Rahane playing a lone hand with 50 to register Gujarat’s sixth win in eight matches.Kolkata, who won their third title of the popular T20 tournament last year, slipped to their fifth defeat in eight matches.The batters set up victory for Gujarat with England’s Jos Buttler hitting an unbeaten 41 off 23 balls as he steered the team after the opening stand between the Sudharsan and Gill.Gill was watchful at the start but the left-handed Sudharsan hit a few boundaries to get Gujarat going after being invited to bat first.Gill took on Moeen Ali with a six and two fours in the second spell for the former England spinner and soon reached his third half-century of the season.The in-form Sudharsan raised his fifth 50-plus score in this edition as he went past 400 runs to nudge out Lucknow Super Giants batsman Nicholas Pooran (368) as the leading batsman.Buttler is third with 356 runs in his eight innings.Andre Russell handed Kolkata its first breakthrough as the pace bowler dismissed Sudharsan after his 36-ball knock but he came under attack from Buttler who hit him for three successive boundaries.Buttler and Gill kept up the attack before fast bowler Vaibhav Arora denied the Gujarat captain his hundred.Buttler lost another partner in Rahul Tewatia but Gujarat finished with a flourish in a 18-run 20th over from Arora.In reply, Kolkata lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over of the chase when Mohammed Siraj got the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman trapped lbw for one.Sunil Narine, a left-hand opener, and Rahane hit back with regular boundaries in a brisk partnership of 41 until Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan broke the stand.Rashid had Narine caught out for 17 before Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer put on another stand to keep Kolkata in the hunt.Sai Kishore removed Iyer on 14 and fellow spinner Washington Sundar sent back Rahane stumped out after his fifty to derail the chase.Russell added some spark with a 15-ball 21 as he hit three fours and one six but Rashid picked up his second wicket to remove him thanks to a Buttler stumping.Season’s leading bowler Prasidh Krishna then took two wickets in one over to take his count to 16.