Kolkata sings for Messi as World Cup fever takes hold
Fans in Kolkata wearing the number 10 jersey of Argentina’s Lionel Messi together with graffiti on the wall celebrate their idol and the World Cup, June 18, 2026 [Bikas Das/AP] Fans in Kolkata wearing the number 10 jersey of Argentina’s Lionel Messi together with graffiti on the wall celebrate their idol and the World Cup, June 18, 2026 [Bikas Das/AP] Published On 18 Jul 2026 At 5.45am on Saturday, July 4, about 300 football fans gathered under a drab grey sky in Amartya Sen Udyan, a small park in Kolkata, West Bengal. They craned their necks towards a big screen showing the World Cup match between the defending champions, Argentina, and plucky underdogs, Cape Verde. Giant loudspeakers gave the scene the feel of a political rally or rock concert. The walls and railings of the enclosure were decked out with blue-and-white flags, plastic footballs and life-size cutouts of the Argentina players. For every cutout of Mac Allister, Martinez or Romero, there was a Messi. This unofficial home of the Kolkata Argentina Football Fan Club, the largest of the many fan clubs in the city devoted to Argentina, reaches a peak of passion for the South Americans — as does the entire city for football — once every four years during the World Cup. Rain had been falling all night, leaving the ground a sodden mess. But the dawn light brought into stark relief the crowd of blue and white believers, gathered not for mass but for Messi. They’d been there since 3:30am, when the match began. Now the game had gone into extra time – something few had expected. It felt like a moment to reflect, not so much on football, as on fans. There was a sense of jeopardy in the air, but also the thrill of an exciting spectacle being prolonged, of solidarity in anxiety and hope. Suddenly, the ball broke to Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez, who lashed a left-footed shot into the roof of the net. The local fans erupted — even as they filmed themselves punching the air, screaming and high-fiving. That self-consciousness, folded into spontaneity, distinguishes the millennial football fan in Kolkata: immersed in reels, podcasts and vlogs, unlike the older generation of scrapbooks, posters and dog-eared sports magazines. Slowly, the one-word chant began to circulate and rise to a crescendo. It was a name echoing everywhere around the world that night. The Bengalis pronounced it in their own way, elongating the first syllable: “MAY-SI! MAY-SI! MAY-SI!” Lionel Messi leaves a trail of defeated Austrian players after scoring a goal [Courtesy of Debjoy Biswas for Al Jazeera] Lionel Messi leaves a trail of defeated Austrian players after scoring a goal [Courtesy of Debjoy Biswas for Al Jazeera] The footballing saint MAY-SI. Messi, who recently turned 39, was playing in a tournament with other great players of a similar age: the Croatian midfield master Luka Modric and the German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, both 40, and most prominently, Messi’s great rival, the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who for most of his career had matched Messi feat for feat. There were other major talents at the World Cup in the prime of their careers: French forward Kylian Mbappé, Norway’s Erling Haaland and England’s Harry Kane. Also magnificent emerging talents: Spain’s Lamine Yamal, France’s Michael Olise and Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi. But to the footballing hive mind of Kolkata, Messi in 2026 is in a league of his own. At an age when most greats have gone off the boil, he is, for them, better than ever: a Zen master of footballing space and time. Strangely, despite being a candidate for the greatest player of all time, Messi can feel like an underdog against great teams such as France and Spain. Argentina’s team has plenty of stars. But it was Messi who scored all six goals that took them through the group stage. And when his team ran into rough weather – that night against Cape Verde, again the following week in the Round of 16 game against Egypt, against Switzerland in the quarterfinal, and again against England in the semifinal – for those praying he would find a way through – he did. Argentina’s rousing comeback against Egypt was darkened by the perceived injustice of a few borderline calls going against the plucky Egyptians, which has taken some of the sheen off Messi in the Arabic-speaking world. But at the home of the Argentina Football Fan Club, Messi’s magnificent equaliser in the 83rd minute of that match was celebrated wildly. His spontaneous, contagious tears were even more moving. Kolkata fans wanted to savour him until the end of the tournament — especially as it is likely to be Messi’s last World Cup. “It’s one thing to watch Messi play on TV and another to see him from 10 metres away,” said Kolkata native and lifelong Argentina fan Debjoy Biswas. The sports photographer had just returned from Argentina’s group stage matches in North America. “On TV, you see his on-the-ball movement and his goal celebrations, but live, you get to see what he does off the ball too: his anticipation, his awareness of space. It’s the closest I’ve come to footballing heaven.” Biswas shared his favourite Messi picture he took in the United States. It caught him with his back to the camera as he wheeled away towards the delirious crowd after scoring a goal, leaving a trail of defeated Austrian players and splayed limbs in his wake – a beautiful juxtaposition of football and fandom. “At first, my husband saw himself as a great fan of Messi,” said Sapna Patra, wife of tea-shop owner and Kolkata Argentina football buff Shib Sankar Patra. “But since being chosen by the state government to meet Messi when he visited Kolkata last year, he thinks of him as his own brother.” A glazed expression came over her husband’s eyes as she spoke, as he replayed the moment when he — himself a club footballer in his youth — met the messiah. “Messi put
Palestine football fans honour Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan
NewsFeed During a match, fans of Palestinian club Shabab Al-Khaleel raised a banner thanking Egypt coach Hossam Hassan for his support for the Palestinian cause. Hassan raised the Palestinian flag after Egypt’s national team defeated Australia in the World Cup round of 16. Published On 18 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
World Cup final weekend: France vs England prediction, schedule, news
Only two games remain at the FIFA World Cup, with France and England battling for third place before Sunday’s final. France and England meet in the third-place playoff, while attention is also turning to Argentina against Spain, where Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set for a generational showdown. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4Messi reflects on pressure and competition ahead of World Cup final list 2 of 4World Cup: Deschamps set for bittersweet end to France job as Zidane waits list 3 of 4From Messi vs Yamal to half-time show: All to know before final list 4 of 4World Cup game for the heartbroken: France, England in third-place playoff end of list Here is what to know: What’s the schedule for the third-place game? France vs England, on Saturday, July 17 (21:00 GMT), Miami Stadium, Miami, Florida. What are the predictions? France and England have met three times at the FIFA World Cup. England won the first two encounters, beating France 2-0 in the 1966 group stage and 3-1 in the 1982 first group phase. France claimed the most recent meeting, defeating England 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to the Opta supercomputer, France are favourites to win the third-place playoff. After running 25,000 pre-match simulations, the model gave Les Bleus a 50.7 percent chance of winning in 90 minutes. England were assigned a 25.6 percent chance of victory, while 23.7 percent of the simulations ended in a draw after regulation. What do we know about the final? Spain and Argentina will face off in the final on Sunday, July 19, at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 GMT. Spain are chasing a second World Cup crown, while defending champions Argentina are looking to secure a fourth title. Their most recent meeting came in a 2018 international friendly in Madrid, where Spain recorded a 6-1 victory. US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the final and present the World Cup trophy to the winners. The winners will also receive something new alongside the trophy and gold medals. For the first time, FIFA will award championship rings, a tradition borrowed from North American sports. Thirty rings will be produced for the winning squad, while another 1,996 collector’s editions will be sold to fans. The rings will then be customised to reflect the identity of the winning team and individually fitted before being presented at a later date. One side will feature the World Cup trophy, while the other will carry details specific to the champions. Organisers are also monitoring air quality after smoke from Canadian wildfires triggered health advisories across parts of the New York metropolitan area. So far, there is no indication Sunday’s final will be affected. What other things are happening? Tuchel’s tactics trigger backlash England’s World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina has triggered fierce criticism of Thomas Tuchel, with many accusing the German coach of repeating the mistakes that have haunted England for decades. After England squandered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1, British media questioned Tuchel’s tactical decisions, particularly his defensive substitutions. Headlines described it as the “same old story”, while critics argued the coach “just shrank” in the biggest moment. Former England captain Gary Lineker also questioned whether Tuchel is the right man to lead the team, saying he was hired specifically to deliver a major trophy after years of near misses under Gareth Southgate. Like his predecessor, Tuchel has been accused of becoming too cautious after taking the lead, with many arguing his changes invited pressure and ultimately cost England a place in the World Cup final. From bathtub to World Cup final Nearly two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort thought little of a charity photo shoot showing a 20-year-old Lionel Messi bathing a baby in a plastic tub. Years later, that baby was revealed to be Lamine Yamal, creating one of football’s most remarkable coincidences. The images, taken in 2007 for a charity calendar produced by Sport newspaper and UNICEF, have resurfaced ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, where Messi’s Argentina will face Yamal’s Spain. In the photos, Messi gently washes the infant, whose family had been randomly selected through a raffle in the Catalan city of Mataro. Monfort, who captured the pictures while working on assignment, said the coincidence still amazes him. “I never believed things were destined to happen, but I’m starting to have my doubts,” he told The Associated Press. The story has become even more extraordinary given what followed. Messi went on to establish himself as one of the greatest players in football history before leaving Barcelona in 2021, while Yamal emerged as the club’s next superstar just two years later. Now, the pair meet on opposite sides in the World Cup final, completing a journey that began with a chance photo shoot nearly 20 years ago. Wildfire smoke disrupts World Cup final preparations Spain’s preparations for the World Cup final have been affected by hazardous air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, with players training outdoors in northern New Jersey on Thursday under hazy skies. Media were only allowed to watch the opening 15 minutes of the hour-long session, making it unclear how intense the workout was. Meanwhile, Argentina remained at its training base near Atlanta after Wednesday’s semifinal win over England, avoiding the worst of the smoke because of its more southerly location. The smoke, driven south from wildfires in northern Ontario, has prompted air quality warnings across parts of the US Midwest and Northeast. Health officials urged people to stay indoors or wear masks outdoors as pollution levels reached unhealthy to hazardous levels. Medical experts questioned the decision to hold outdoor training in such conditions. Dr Courtney Howard, an emergency physician and Global Climate and Health Alliance official, said elite athletes should avoid exercising outside when wildfire smoke reaches hazardous levels, recommending indoor, air-conditioned facilities instead. Adblock test (Why?)
All-time West Indies cricket great Garfield Sobers dies aged 89
Garfield Sobers, the graceful West Indian cricketer whose world-record Test innings of 365 not out as a 21-year-old set him on the path to becoming arguably the sport’s greatest allrounder, has died. He was 89. West Indies Cricket announced his death on Friday without providing a cause. “In the story of cricket, there are great players. There are champions. Then, there are those rare individuals who redefine the very meaning of greatness,” said Kishore Shallow, president of Cricket West Indies. “Sir Garfield Sobers was the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen. His mastery of batting, bowling and fielding was unparalleled, but his true significance reached far beyond the boundary ropes.” Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, with an extra finger on each hand, Sobers hit 26 Test centuries and had a Test average of 57.78 from batting that was both elegant and powerful. He was also a versatile bowler, dangerous with both wrist-spin and fast-medium deliveries. Sobers held a slew of records. His unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958 — remarkably his first Test century — was the record score for 36 years, before countryman Brian Lara bettered it. He also was the first player to reach 8,000 runs in test cricket and to hit six sixes in one over in a first-class game, for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in English county cricket in 1968. He achieved all this while maintaining a party lifestyle. “Well, it’s an exaggeration to say I was partying every night. Just every other,” Sobers told The Guardian newspaper in 2002. Advertisement “The night before a Test match, I’d always be out and about all night. Sometimes, I didn’t sleep at all before a big game.” A statue of Sir Garfield Sobers outside the Kensington Oval cricket ground in Barbados [Jason O’Brien/Reuters] ‘Greatest of all time’ Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies from 1954-74, making his debut at age 17 and retiring at 38 with 8,032 runs, 235 wickets and 109 catches. He captained his country a then-record 39 times. He was the best fielder of his generation, alert at slip with his quick hands. Wisden rated him as one of the five best cricketers of the 20th century alongside Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs, Viv Richards and Shane Warne. For Bradman — widely recognised as the best cricketer of all time — Sobers was cricket’s greatest allrounder. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1975 for services to cricket. Bradman had an extraordinary 100 votes and yet before his own death in 2001, “the Don” paid the ultimate tribute to Sobers. “He is, in my opinion, the greatest cricketer of all time,” said Bradman. Born July 28, 1936, Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was raised in a poor family which lived in a one-story wooden house. One of seven children, he was age five when his father, a merchant seaman, died at sea. Sobers played golf, football and basketball for Barbados, but devoted himself to cricket, learning the game on the beach with bats made of palm leaves and balls of rolled-up tar. Within a year of making his first-class debut at 16 and without ever being properly coached, Sobers was playing international cricket — initially as a left-arm slow bowler. He soon became known for his timing as a batter, the variety of his strokes and his ability to excel in all departments of the game. “He could do anything,” former Australia captain and legendary commentator Richie Benaud said. It took him 29 Test innings to reach three figures, against Pakistan in Kingston in February 1958. It was in that innings that he went on to become the youngest triple-centurion and then break Len Hutton’s world-record mark of 364, which had stood for nearly 20 years. Sobers was present when Lara broke his record against England in Antigua in April 1994, eventually getting out for 375. “There was a lot of pressure on him, people telling him not to break the record, to preserve it for the legend,” Sobers recalled. “So I spoke to him in the dressing room during his innings and said, ‘Go out and do it, man.’” Sobers is arguably most famous for smashing six sixes in one over, off of spinner Malcolm Nash in a match at Swansea as Sobers pushed Nottinghamshire towards a declaration. He was caught on the fifth delivery, but the fielder fell back over the boundary. Advertisement “Wherever I go [in] any part of the world, everybody mentions the six sixes,” Sobers told the BBC. “You know, it seems as though it’s the only thing I’ve ever done in cricket.” It made Nash a household name for the wrong reasons. “I reckon I get asked about it if not once a week then at least once a month,” he said. Sobers played for South Australia from 1961-64 and for Nottinghamshire from 1968-74. One of his best innings was a 254 for a Rest of the World team against Australia in 1972. He played only one one-day international, and was dismissed for 0. Sobers was one of the initial inductees in the ICC’s Hall of Fame in 2009. Shallow said Sobers “became more than a sporting icon”. “He became a symbol of Caribbean excellence, resilience, and possibility,” he said. “His achievements brought pride to Barbados, inspiration to the West Indies and admiration from every corner of the cricketing world. Sobers, Shallow added, “has completed his final innings, but his legacy will forever endure in the hearts of our region, and the story of the cricketing world.” Barbados’ singer Rihanna and former cricketer Garfield Sobers hug during the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados, Bridgetown, Barbados, November 30, 2021 [File: Toby Melville/Reuters] Cricket world mourns England Cricket Board also paid tribute on social media, calling Sobers “one of the greatest to ever play the game”. “Forever in our hearts, Sir Garfield Sobers,” they added. Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott praised Sobers, who he said “was like a panther with a purposeful, loping and
At least three killed and hundreds displaced by heavy rain in Chile
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast says that he is travelling to the Biobio region to survey damage from floods. Published On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026 Torrential rain and fierce winds have lashed central and southern Chile, leaving at least three people dead and displacing hundreds more. President Jose Antonio Kast announced on Friday that he was travelling to the Biobio region, one of the most impacted, to survey the damage and the response from authorities. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “A lot of rain on the road, but it’s passable,” Kast wrote in a social media post, showing himself en route. “Take care.” Further heavy rainfall is expected on Friday in the country’s central zone. SENAPRED, the country’s disaster relief agency, has reported that 466 people remain in shelters, some of whom were evacuated as a preventative measure. Another 158 residents have been isolated by the rising water levels, mostly in the Coquimbo region. Alicia Cebrian, the head of the agency, said that seven people have been injured. SENAPRED announced evacuation orders for the Campamento Ribera del Rio area, near the commune of Talagante, citing rising river levels. The floods have disrupted life across Chile, with schools in some parts of the country suspending classes on Friday. The state-owned mining giant Codelco reported that it had stopped surface operations at the Andina mine due to storms. About 257,000 people remain without power, mostly in the south. Among those killed in the storms was a labourer clearing a road in the southern town of Negrete. Another person fell while cleaning a roof in Temuco, and a third victim suffered a fatal electric shock in the capital Santiago. Advertisement Kast, who campaigned in the 2025 election on a hardline, anti-crime platform, has pledged institutional support for those affected by the flooding. He was inaugurated as president in March, and the floods come less than six months into his term. Adblock test (Why?)
Will the Canadian wildfire smoke affect Spain vs Argentina World Cup final?
The World Cup final in New Jersey-New York hangs under a cloud of uncertainty as dense wildfire smoke billowing down from Canada has triggered unhealthy air quality alerts across the United States. Winds drifting south meant the capital, Washington DC, was also hard-hit on Friday, coming in at the second-highest “very unhealthy” ranking on the index, when authorities urge all people to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list In New York and neighbouring New Jersey, where the final will be played on Sunday in an open stadium, the metro area was experiencing air that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups, an improvement after smog on Thursday made the Manhattan skyline barely visible. Detroit and Chicago posted air quality index readings in the “hazardous” range, with tracker IQAir stating they were the most polluted cities in the world. Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned the smoke may thicken overnight into Saturday morning. Roughly 80,000 fans are expected at the final, which takes place in the large, open-air stadium in the Meadowlands that is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. What’s the latest update from FIFA? FIFA confirmed on Friday that negative air quality from the wildfires did not currently represent a threat to the World Cup final. Earlier in the day, tournament organisers said they were “monitoring the situation closely”. “There’s been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we’re monitoring closely,” White House World Cup task force Executive Director Andrew Giuliani told a briefing. Advertisement President Donald Trump is set to meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino later on Friday. What are experts saying about the smoke? Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist for NWS, told the AFP news agency that winds over the Great Lakes could push more smoke into the northeastern US, which could keep skies hazy. But he said forecasts for that region are expecting some improvement. “I don’t believe that this should be as impactful as if you might be playing a game today,” Mullinax said. The issue for the final, said Joel Dreessen – an air quality forecaster for the state of Maryland, is whether more smoke spills south after weekend storm systems. “Some of the models are starting to indicate that we’ll start to pull down some smoke,” he said. Were any other matches affected by the weather? Yes, but not because of wildfire smoke. Mexico’s knockout match against England was rumoured to be rescheduled due to inclement weather before organisers quietened the uproar and confirmed kickoff would be as scheduled. Prior to that, Mexico’s round-of-32 match against Ecuador was delayed for an hour due to stormy weather. Concerns about extreme heat in July prompted forecasters to warn about potential heat safety issues for some of the World Cup knockout matches. A powerful “heat dome” settled over large parts of the US and Canada, bringing with it furnace-like conditions and temperatures expected to exceed 43 degrees Celsius (110F) in several host cities. Is the Canadian wildfire connected to climate change? In cities across the US Midwest and Northeast, people wore masks outdoors to filter out the dangerous air. In New York, libraries and train stations were handing them out for free. The upper Midwest, which is closer to the fires, was especially affected, with parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin all recording air quality readings deep into the “hazardous” range for days. The NWS extended its air quality alert in Chicago through Friday, adding “wildfire smoke may return tomorrow evening and continue into Sunday.” Advocates have stressed the connection between repeated episodes of wildfire smoke and climate change. “Increasingly smoky skies underscore the importance of a rapid transition to clean energy rather than building more polluting fossil fuel infrastructure that further contributes to climate change,” said Paul Mathewson, the science programme director at the organisation Clean Wisconsin, among the states that have seen a sharp uptick in smoky days in recent years. Mark Parrington, a scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, told AFP that climate change was providing conditions for a longer fire season, with higher surface air temperatures and lower soil moisture. Advertisement So, he explained, “when there’s an ignition we see these really large-scale, persistent burning where these fires can burn for weeks and weeks at a time through summer.” Has the Canadian wildfire been controlled? The blazes were worsening on Friday in Canada, where more than 200 fires were burning out of control, especially in Ontario, according to authorities there. The damage remains far off the pace of 2023, Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, when nearly 18 million hectares (44 million acres) burned in the country. But the intensity has rapidly escalated over the past week, with nearly 2.8 million hectares (7 million acres) burned since the start of the year, per the latest government figures. As of last Friday, that figure had stood at nearly 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres). Fires in Ontario have not caused any casualties, and several remote communities have been evacuated. Adblock test (Why?)
John Esposito transformed how the West understood Islam
John L Esposito, a prominent scholar of religion and international affairs at Georgetown University, passed away on July 15, 2026, due to complications from heart surgery. He was a towering intellectual who published more than 55 books, mainly with Oxford University Press, which have been translated into dozens of languages. He uniquely shaped the modern study of Islam and Muslim societies during the late 20th and early 21st century, particularly in the area of Islam-West relations during key moments of friction following the 1979 Iranian revolution and 9/11. John was born into a working-class Italian-American family in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. His worldview was shaped by his devout Catholic mother and his father’s commitment to social justice. He aspired to become a Catholic priest and, at a young age, joined the strict Capuchin Franciscan Order. John left the seminary before ordination and opted for graduate school instead. He earned a doctorate in religious studies at Temple University under the supervision of Ismail al-Faruqi, the late Palestinian-American scholar of religion. John’s family and friends questioned his career choice because they feared for his employability. When he entered the job market in 1974, there was only one advertised position in Islamic studies. The study of religion, particularly Islam, was absent in many institutions of higher learning, and international relations programmes at universities ignored the role of religion in global affairs. Telling stories was one of Professor Esposito’s many passions. Reflecting on his career, he frequently joked that he owed his livelihood to two famous “radical” Muslims, one Shia and the other Sunni: Ayatollah Khomeini and Osama bin Laden. Advertisement After the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, interest in the relationship between Islam and politics skyrocketed in the West. The same happened after 9/11. John’s expertise was suddenly in high demand. He responded by publishing several groundbreaking books on the relationship between Islam and politics, Islam’s normative ideals, Islam-West relations, and the diverse political and social structures of Muslim societies. He was frequently quoted in the media, and governments now sought his counsel. This story about John’s career, however, has a steep downside. The Western interest in Islam and Muslims emerged due to threats to United States national security. This meant the ability to understand this topic in a free, unbiased and independent way was absent for most Westerners. The enveloping context that shaped the policy and public debate on Islam and Muslims was themes of political revolution, mass violence and perceived threats to global order. John’s educational efforts were always an uphill battle. Establishment academics dominated the intellectual, policy and media debates. Bernard Lewis wrote about the alleged “Roots of Muslim Rage” at modernity that purportedly explained turmoil in the Middle East. Around the same time, Samuel Huntington advanced a popular thesis on the “Clash of Civilizations”. These views had a wide following, in part because they reinforced pre-existing Western biases about Islam and Muslims. They were further enhanced by US and Israeli national security narratives about an alleged Islamic threat in the aftermath of the Cold War. John was an early and courageous scholar who challenged Orientalist misrepresentations of Islam and Muslims in an era of deep polarisation. His scholarship created room for understanding in lieu of prejudice, and his intellectual insights allowed a younger generation of scholars to build on and expand upon his pioneering research. Professor Esposito advanced a new understanding of religion by criticising the dominant social science theories about political development. He astutely drew attention to a “secular bias” that informed mainstream intellectual debates in the West on the relationship between religion and politics. These modernisation theories purported to be universally applicable based on the assumption that religion was a relic of the past that no longer mattered in the modern world. In truth, these claims were ideologically biased, based on a set of specifically Western experiences. By contrast, John interpreted the politics of the Muslim world not from a Western normative framework but rather from the Muslim world’s own experience. In other words, not from the outside in, but rather from the bottom up, from the perspective of the masses, many of whom held onto a religious identity. In doing so, he advanced a historically grounded and sociologically compelling analysis of religious politics in the Islamic world. Critiques of the legacy of colonialism, authoritarianism and US foreign policy were central to his intellectual work. Advertisement Professor Esposito’s work on political Islam was pioneering. He wrote about the social conditions and collective aspirations that rendered political Islam appealing to diverse constituencies across the Middle East and the broader Muslim world. While most mainstream Western scholars and liberal intellectuals focused on the Islamist desire to implement “Sharia”, Esposito focused on the core aspirations that animated political Islam: dignity, justice, self-determination, and opposition to external domination. These same aspirations made political Islam a resilient and enduring force. In reflecting on John Esposito’s legacy, I’m reminded of an observation by Edmund Burke III. Commenting on the work of the late Marshall GS Hodgson, author of The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History of a World Civilization, Burke noted that Hodgson, like Esposito, refused to view Islam as the “other”. Instead, he understood the Islamic tradition as “a venture alongside others that marked human efforts to bring about a just and moral world”. We are unlikely to see a scholar in our lifetime again who can match John Esposito’s moral and intellectual caliber. His impact on our collective education and understanding of Islam-West relations is unique and immeasurable. Those who care about universal values rooted in international law, human rights, democracy, and cross-cultural understanding are deeply in his debt. John Esposito is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jean Esposito, his partner and primary supporter in all his endeavours, and the enduring love of John’s life. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy. Adblock test (Why?)
China’s Xi says AI ‘should not be a solo performance by a single country’
The Chinese leader called for more international cooperation in developing the technology at a conference in Shanghai. Published On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026 Artificial intelligence should not be dominated by one country, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said, urging international cooperation on development at a major conference in Shanghai. Xi also emphasised the importance of a “people-centred” approach to AI technology in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The conference showcases the cutting-edge technology Xi hopes will soon rival that of the United States. Chinese AI models are gaining ground on the most powerful offerings from the US, attracting global users with lower costs. But how to govern the booming sector has become a topic of debate amid concerns over the deployment of AI in military combat and its use by hackers or criminals. In his address, Xi spoke of China’s role in ensuring equitable access to AI capacity-building for developing countries to prevent the creation of “new historical injustices”. To that end, he announced China’s plans to cooperate with international bodies, including from Africa, Latin America, Asia and BRICS countries, to provide AI-related opportunities. “AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” Xi said. “We should jointly oppose overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI or placing one country’s security over that of others.” ‘Ensure AI is always under human control’ The US and European Union have imposed restrictions on Chinese tech imports, citing national security concerns, while recent tussles between Washington and American AI labs have raised questions about who controls access to top technology. Advertisement In May, the US Commerce Department issued a notice affirming its restrictions on shipments of semiconductors to subsidiaries of Chinese companies located outside China amid concerns about loopholes in Washington’s export control regime. The guidance said its licensing requirements for the export of advanced AI chips applied to all businesses with headquarters or a parent company in China. At Friday’s conference, Xi also stressed the need for a “people-centred” approach to AI with humans at the wheel. “We should put in place laws and regulations, technological monitoring, early warning, and emergency response systems, in order to … ensure AI is always under human control,” he said. AI has become a strategic pillar of China’s industrial policy, driven by state investment aimed at building a domestic ecosystem, from chip production to consumer use. Daily consumption in China of “tokens” – the industry unit of AI usage – has increased a thousandfold over the past two years, according to state media citing officials. As Al Jazeera reported earlier, China, while lagging behind the US in access to the most cutting-edge semiconductors, holds the edge in powering the huge data centres that run on AI chips. A typical data centre can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households, while next-generation “hyperscale” facilities can gobble up as much power as two million homes, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). China’s access to an abundant supply of cheap electricity places it in the ideal position to meet such colossal energy demands. It already generates more than twice as much electricity as the US, a lead that is expected to widen amid an aggressive state-led investment in the country’s energy grid. Adblock test (Why?)
Why is Pakistan’s Sindh province facing a major child HIV outbreak?
Islamabad, Pakistan – At least 130 people, most of them children, have tested HIV-positive in connection with an outbreak at a government-run hospital in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, with officials adding that the number has risen sharply in recent weeks. Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said earlier this week that more than 10,500 people were screened in and around Kulsum Bai Valika (KBV) Hospital, a Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) run facility, where 120 tested positive. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list A separate screening drive at another SESSI facility in Karachi’s Landhi area identified 10 additional cases. SESSI is an autonomous provincial organisation that provides healthcare, medical facilities and financial assistance to industrial and commercial workers and their dependants across Sindh. The crisis at KBV Hospital first came to public attention in November 2025, when residents of Karachi’s SITE Town noticed a cluster of infections among children treated there. Officials, however, trace the outbreak to October 2025, when the first six HIV-positive cases were reported to the provincial health department. So what happened, what caused the outbreak, and why does Sindh continue to witness such episodes? What has happened this month? Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was briefed on July 14 that two internal inquiries had found serious lapses, including poor adherence to infection prevention protocols, inadequate use of protective equipment and improper handling of single-use syringes. The first inquiry, submitted in November last year, identified 16 HIV-positive children, all linked to the KBV’s paediatrics department. Advertisement A second, more comprehensive inquiry, submitted to the provincial ombudsman on June 19, confirmed 78 infections and six deaths, holding named hospital staff responsible for administrative and supervisory failures. The number has since increased, with the latest infections confirmed at the SESSI facilities. Minister Ghani said all cases had been traced to exposure before October 2025 and that screening would continue “despite fears that additional cases may emerge”. Thirty-seven doctors and hospital staff were issued show-cause notices on July 3 and given 14 days to respond. Ghani said criminal cases and dismissals would follow for those found responsible. Asked about his own accountability, he said he had “accepted indirect responsibility” and would not object to resigning if it helped resolve the crisis. A HIV patient displays a new syringe and distilled water he received at Pakistan Society, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) Drop-In Centre in Karachi, on November 30, 2013 [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters] Is Sindh’s outbreak an isolated case? Responding to questions after a Sindh High Court petition alleged the outbreak stemmed from reused syringes, Ghani told reporters on July 4 that the infections were not caused by syringe reuse. He argued that KBV Hospital uses auto-disable syringes that cannot be reused. The official inquiries, however, pointed to a broader breakdown in infection prevention, citing failures that included poor adherence to safety protocols, inadequate use of protective equipment and improper handling of single-use syringes. The petition before the Sindh High Court alleges the number of infections is significantly higher than officially acknowledged. This is not the first large HIV outbreak reported in Sindh. Last December, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS identified the crisis in Pakistan as one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, comprising of 21 nations, with annual infections rising 200 percent over 15 years, from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024. In a joint World AIDS Day statement issued on December 1, the agencies estimated that about 350,000 people in Pakistan are living with HIV, with nearly 80 percent unaware of their status. The statement also noted that HIV infections among children aged 0 to 14 increased from 530 in 2010 to 1,800 in 2023. Only 38 percent of children living with HIV are receiving treatment, while just 14 percent of pregnant women requiring therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission receive it. Advertisement In June, physicians writing in British medical journal The Lancet HIV argued that Pakistan’s epidemic is now driven “in large part, by the health-care system itself”, pointing to repeated outbreaks linked to unsafe medical practices. That assessment, however, remains inconclusive. While repeated outbreaks have highlighted unsafe medical practices, researchers say Pakistan also lacks comprehensive surveillance to determine how many HIV infections nationwide originate in healthcare settings compared with sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission or intravenous drug use. Syed Faisal Mahmood, professor of infectious diseases at Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, urged caution. “At this point in time, it is impossible to say which of the two are the dominant drivers of infection,” he told Al Jazeera. For sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission and intravenous drug use, he said, “the numbers are somewhat more reliable, because a great deal of work has been done” through established surveillance. “There is no systematic surveillance looking at how many people have acquired HIV from visiting clinics, hospitals, or informal care providers,” he said. The pattern extends beyond KBV Hospital. Three other hospitals in Karachi have also reported increasing numbers of paediatric HIV patients, including one facility where admissions rose from 10 cases in 2024 to 70 in 2025. The Pakistan Medical Association warned in April that 329 of the 894 HIV cases recorded in Sindh during the first quarter of 2026 involved children, describing the figures as “merely the tip of the iceberg”. For Mahmood, these outbreaks point to a much broader problem. “For many of us working in this field, this is a systemic problem,” he said. “It is not linked to any one hospital or healthcare system. Poor injection safety protocols are pervasive throughout the entire country and across all levels of healthcare.” He added that children are not the only victims, pointing to outbreaks in dialysis centres linked to unsafe blood transfusions. Pakistan also has one of the world’s highest hepatitis C burdens, he said, “driven by the same mechanism and the same underlying reasons” as the HIV cases now emerging. What is being done? The Sindh High Court has given the provincial government until July 20 to respond to
UK urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over World Cup Falklands banner
The United Kingdom and Argentina fought a brief war over the British overseas territory in 1982. Published On 16 Jul 202616 Jul 2026 A British minister has called for FIFA to investigate after Argentina’s players at the World Cup held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”) after their 2-1 semifinal victory over England. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office backed the calls by Business Minister Peter Kyle on Thursday, a day after the semifinal. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Kyle called the flag waving an “egregious violation” of FIFA rules, which ban political symbols on the field of play. “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in the South Atlantic in 1982. But the United Kingdom regained the archipelago in a brief war after then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dispatched a naval force. Kyle urged football’s global governing body to “thoroughly” investigate the banner incident after Wednesday’s match in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia. “Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,” he told BBC television. “That is now a matter for FIFA. … We expect FIFA to undertake an investigation into this,” he added. FIFA has not yet commented on the incident. Britain occupied the Falklands in the 19th century, but Argentina claims the islands are part of its territory. Argentinian Vice President Victoria Villarruel upped the tensions before Wednesday’s kickoff by calling the English “usurping pirates”. Advertisement The 1982 conflict ended with the deaths of 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons. After their World Cup semifinal victory, Argentina’s foreign minister said Buenos Aires had filed a formal protest over a British warship near the Falkland Islands. Pablo Quirno posted on X to express “the strongest rejection” of the UK’s HMS Medway’s “unconsulted and illegal” passage through Argentinian territorial waters, alleging a lack of proper notification. Quirno said the Medway, which is based in the Falkland Islands, was accused of violating bilateral agreements in a diplomatic note of protest dated on Monday and submitted to the UK embassy in Buenos Aires. Adblock test (Why?)