Pakistan, Egypt among countries who pay most in surcharges to IMF — report on April 26, 2024Countries, mostly middle and lower-income, have been burdened by surcharges on top of interest payments on their borrowings from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), widening global inequities, according to a report by US think tanks. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Indebted member countries paid about $6.4 billion in surcharges between 2020-2023, the report from Boston University’s Global […]
Britain, Australia call for WADA review amid China furore on April 26, 2024The anti-doping authorities of Britain and Australia have called for a review of WADA’s processes following the global body’s widely-criticised handling of failed drug tests in Chinese swimming. WADA has been under fire since confirming media reports that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Games. China’s anti-doping […]
Pakistan refiners warn $6bn upgrades at risk due to fuel price deregulation plan on April 24, 2024Pakistan’s plans to deregulate fuel prices could lead refiners to halt planned upgrades worth up to $6 billion and force some refineries to close, some of the country’s top refiners said in a letter to the country’s oil regulator. Looking to drive down prices for consumers, the South Asian nation’s Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority […]
Bowlers with ‘X-factor’ will hold key in T20 World Cup, says Sammy on April 23, 2024With T20 cricket becoming increasingly more batter-dominated, bowlers with the ‘X-factor’ could make all the difference in the World Cup in June, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy told Reuters. The batting bias of cricket’s shortest format is evident in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), where 200-plus scores have become a routine and 300 […]
Ohtani breaks record for most home runs by a Japanese player on April 23, 2024Shohei Ohtani surpassed Hideki Matsui to become the Japanese-born player who has hit the most home runs in Major League Baseball history after the Dodgers slugger launched to right field in the third inning on Sunday. Ohtani stood and watched as his 176th home run went deep into the stands and smiled as he crossed […]
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, SGA are NBA MVP finalists on April 23, 2024Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is among the three finalists for NBA MVP, the league announced Sunday night. Jokic is a two-time winner of the award. The other finalists are Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jokic, who guided the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title, averaged […]
Australian coach defends Chinese swimming amid doping furore on April 23, 2024Australian swimming coach Denis Cotterell has rejected allegations of orchestrated doping in Chinese swimming, saying the east Asian nation is adamant about clean sport. Cotterell is working with China’s top swimmers in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics and previously coached 1,500 metres freestyle world record holder Sun Yang, who is now suspended for a […]
Parisians protest against Islamophobia amid Gaza war tensions on April 22, 2024A crowd of around 2,000 people protested in Paris against racism, Islamophobia and violence against children on Sunday after a court allowed their demonstration to go ahead. Bans on protests have been more frequent in France in recent months amid tensions stirred by Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. In a country that is home […]
Garcia stuns Haney with majority decision win on April 22, 2024Ryan Garcia floored Devin Haney three times on the way to a majority decision victory in their 12-round super lightweight fight on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. WBC super-lightweight world champion Haney suffered the first loss of his career as he was knocked down in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds. […]
Rahul can play himself into World Cup spot with IPL heroics, says Uthappa on April 21, 2024Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul will be among the front-runners for the wicketkeeper-batsman role in India’s Twenty20 World Cup squad if he can maintain his recent Indian Premier League (IPL) form, former batsman Robin Uthappa said. Rahul followed up scores of 33, 39 and 39 with a blistering 53-ball 82 that included nine fours […]