India great Virat Kohli retires from test cricket

Virat Kohli gestures as he warms up before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, on April 27, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 12 May 2025
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India great Virat Kohli retires from test cricket

  • Kohli, 36, announces retirement only days after Rohit Sharma stepped down from test cricket as well
  • He scored 9,230 runs including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries at a test batting average of 46.85

NEW DELHI, India: India great Virat Kohli retired from test cricket Monday after playing 123 matches in his glorious 14-year red-ball career.

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.”

The 36-year-old Kohli’s retirement comes only days after Rohit Sharma stepped down from test cricket, taking two senior batters out of selection contention for India’s tour to England.

Kohli scored 9,230 runs including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries at a test batting average of 46.85. He also led India in 68 test matches and was India’s most successful captain with 40 test wins.

Kohli said the traditions and ebbs and flows of the five-day format were special to him, including “the quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”

“I am walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” he wrote. “I will always look back at my test career with a smile. #269, signing off.”


Fourth Palestine Action activist ends hunger strike in UK prison

Protesters take part in a demonstration in support of "Defend Our Juries" and their campaign against the ban on Palestine Action
Updated 24 December 2025
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Fourth Palestine Action activist ends hunger strike in UK prison

  • Amy Gardiner-Gibson began eating again after 49 days of protest
  • Govt rejects claims it ignored prison safety protocols

LONDON: A fourth Palestine Action activist imprisoned in the UK has ended her hunger strike.

Amy Gardiner-Gibson, who also uses the name Amu Gib, began eating again after 49 days of fasting, the campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said.

Qesser Zuhrah, another activist, ended her hunger strike last week after 48 days but said she might resume it next year, Sky News reported.

Four Palestine Action activists have now ended their hunger strikes while in prison, while four others are continuing to fast.

All of them are in prison on remand, awaiting trial for a series of high-profile alleged break-ins and criminal damage.

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization and banned earlier this year.

On Tuesday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London at a rally in support of the hunger strikers.

The protesters are demanding that weapons factories in Britain with ties to Israel be shut down, as well as the removal of Palestine Action’s proscription.

They are also calling for immediate bail to be given to imprisoned pro-Palestine activists and an end to the alleged mistreatment of prisoners in custody.

Seven imprisoned members of Palestine Action have been transferred to hospital over the course of the hunger strike campaign. Doctors have highlighted concerns about the long-term impact of fasting on the activists.

Lawyers representing the group on Monday initiated legal action against the government over its alleged failure to follow prison safety regulations.

The government, however, has rejected this accusation, Sky News reported.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Ministers do not intervene in individual cases. Where individuals are on remand, doing so would risk prejudicing ongoing legal proceedings and undermine the independence of the justice system.

“Concerns about welfare and process can be raised through established legal and administrative channels, including prison governors and ultimately the prison and probation ombudsman.

“Healthcare decisions are taken independently by qualified NHS professionals and appropriate care and oversight frameworks remain in place.”

The activists still on hunger strike include Heba Muraisi and Teuta Hoxha. Hoxha has been on remand for 13 months and her family told Sky News they feared she would die in prison.

Another of the activists, Kamran Ahmad, is believed to have been on hunger strike for 45 days and hospitalized three times.

Lewie Chiaramello, who has Type 1 diabetes, is on day 31 of his strike and taking part by fasting every other day.