Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium went into lockdown yesterday, just 24 hours after it was criticised by the city's fire chief for not meeting safety standards.
All unauthorised personnel were being ushered away by security guards, who were under orders not to allow any media to come within 75 metres of the stadium, which will host the World Cup final on April 2.
"We are under so much tension, every day something or other is happening," a uniformed guard told Reuters as he escorted journalists out of the stadium complex.
"Please go away. Our jobs are on the line. If any officer sees you, we will be in trouble."
A large digital clock in front of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) headquarters, which is housed in the same compound as the Wankhede, was counting down the minutes to India's opening World Cup match against Bangladesh in Dhaka yesterday.
There was no disguising the fact that time was fast running short too for Mumbai's cricket authorities to get their problems sorted before the venue hosts the first of its three World Cup matches on March 13.
Safety inspectors were unhappy that mandatory fire equipment, including water hydrants, no-smoking indicators, fire alarms and extinguishers were still not in place.
"They should have sorted this beforehand as you never want to leave these things so late," a Mumbai fire officer, who declined to reveal his name, told Reuters.
"It's never good to hear negative things about your city ... and we are still waiting for them to let us know when we can come back," he added.
All the negative publicity surrounding the imposing 33,000-seat concrete and steel structure, which rises out from the middle of one of Mumbai's most affluent areas, has not gone down well in the neighbourhood.
"After what happened here [when more than 150 people were killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks], the authorities cannot allow any kind of safety or security lapses. It's really shameful," resident Mita Mithani said.
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Based: Abu Dhabi, with an office in Montreal
Founded: 2018
Sector: Virtual Reality
Investment raised: $1.2 million, and nearing close of $5 million new funding round
Number of employees: 12
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The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
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Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
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First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
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Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
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Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
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One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
