The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an investigation into the Canadian cricket team over allegations of match corruption and governance issues. These allegations include Canada's loss to New Zealand at the recent T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Law enforcement authorities in Uzbekistan have issued an international arrest warrant for 37-year-old Ravshan Muhitdinov through Interpol. His name has appeared on the "red notice" list on Interpol's website. Muhitdinov resides in Turkey and is engaged in business, also serving as the vice-president for financial affairs of the Dünya Engelliler Vakfı (DEV) foundation registered in Istanbul.
Melbourne, Australia – The Australian government is combating a fuel shortage caused by the war on Iran with a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign urging Australians to save fuel for "our truckies." Since early March, the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped during peacetime, has been effectively closed, with shipping traffic falling by 95 percent.
Founded in 1886 by German emigrants in Paraguay, the colony of Nueva Germania was envisioned as a "new home for the Aryan race." Led by German schoolteacher Bernhard Förster and his wife Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, the sister of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, this venture was rooted in antisemitic and racial purity ideologies. Förster, who faced trials in the German Empire for racist incitement and blamed Jews for the decline of German culture, saw no future in his homeland. He dreamed of establishing a "Jew-free" new Germania at the confluence of the Aguaray-mí and Aguaray-Guazú rivers in Paraguay.
Myanmar's new president, Min Aung Hlaing, on Friday approved the release of 4,335 prisoners from the country's jails. The group reportedly includes former President Win Myint and some 179 foreign nationals. Such mass amnesty schemes are typically carried out to mark the nation's Independence Day in January and its New Year in April.
Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has triumphed at the World Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, securing the right to challenge India's reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh for the title. The 20-year-old Sindarov clinched victory in the penultimate round with a draw against his closest rival, Anish Giri of the Netherlands. Reflecting on his breakthrough, Sindarov stated: "Every round was very, very tough, and the past week was the hardest of my life. I slept really badly and I'm glad it's over."
American rapper David Anthony Burke, known by his stage name d4vd, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in a car registered to him. Los Angeles police took the 21-year-old singer into custody on Thursday “for the murder of Celeste Rivas”, the city’s police department said in a statement. He is being held without bail.
Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations at a Standstill
Squeezed between Sudan and South Sudan, the self-governed Nuba Mountains are grappling with complex war dynamics while hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees they are scarcely able to support. Hassan Koko, a 50-year-old community health worker, survived a drone attack on November 29, 2024, which killed several of his colleagues and left a sharp metal object embedded in his left knee. He recounts: "The drone struck once, then came back again, hitting those who were already wounded." The incident has altered his life, confining him mostly to his home.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has edged ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc for a second time this week, according to a new poll. The survey published by broadcaster ZDF on Friday showed AfD steady at 26%, while the CDU/CSU alliance slipped one point to 25%, highlighting a significant shift in Germany's political landscape amid growing public discontent.
India's parliament is poised for a Friday vote on three crucial bills that could expand the legislative body and increase the representation of women lawmakers. The amendments proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government aim to fast-track the implementation of a 2023 law guaranteeing a 33% quota for women in the national Parliament and state assemblies, moving it forward from the 2029 general elections.
Myanmar's military government, led by new President Min Aung Hlaing, has granted amnesty or sentence reductions to 4,335 prisoners, marking one of his first official acts since being sworn in as president in Naypyidaw just a week ago. The move comes amid ongoing political turmoil following the 2021 coup, with the amnesty including the pardon of former President Win Myint and a reduction in the sentence of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi.