The Champions Trophy match between Australia and South Africa in Rawalpindi was abandoned due to persistent rain. No play was possible, and the match was officially called off over five hours after its scheduled start. The rain left the outfield waterlogged, preventing any action. Both teams now have three points each, with South Africa leading Group B on net run rate. They had each won their opening matches. Group A has seen India and New Zealand secure their spots in the semi-finals.
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran made history on Wednesday by scoring the highest individual runs in an ICC Champions Trophy match. During their game against England in Lahore, Zadran scored 177 runs off 146 balls, including 12 fours and 6 sixes. This surpassed the previous record held by England’s Ben Duckett, who scored 165 runs against Australia. Additionally, this is the highest ODI score by an Afghan batter, beating Zadran’s own previous best of 162 against Sri Lanka. He also holds the record for the first Afghan century in an ICC tournament, having scored 129 against Australia in the 2023 ODI World…
Ricky Ponting, a renowned Australian cricketer, attributes Pakistan’s premature exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to strategic errors and the ineffective use of key players. Despite being the host nation and defending champions, Pakistan was eliminated early after losses to New Zealand and India. Ponting questioned the team’s strategy regarding Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, stating they didn’t maximize their potential. He also praised Virat Kohli’s performance in high-pressure matches, highlighting the importance of star players stepping up in crucial games. Pakistan’s elimination, alongside Bangladesh, was confirmed early in the tournament.
The UK has suspended some aid to Rwanda, citing Rwanda’s support for the M23 rebel group in eastern DR Congo. This decision, described by Rwanda as “punitive,” comes amid escalating conflict in the region, where thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. The UK’s move includes potential sanctions and a halt to defense training, demanding Rwanda withdraw its forces. Rwanda disputes the claims, arguing its actions are for its own security. The UK’s decision follows US sanctions on Rwandan officials and companies linked to M23 support. This marks a shift in UK-Rwanda relations, previously marked by a…
A massive power outage, affecting millions across Chile, plunged large portions of the country into darkness, including parts of the capital, Santiago. Reports indicate partial power restoration, but a state of emergency remains in effect. The blackout, attributed to a system failure, disrupted essential services, including transportation, and forced the cancellation of the Viña del Mar music festival. President Gabriel Boric condemned the outage, promising to hold responsible parties accountable. Emergency generators are supporting critical infrastructure like hospitals and prisons.
Apple faces pressure to adjust its diversity practices as legal challenges to DEI programs rise in the US. Despite a shareholder vote rejecting a proposal to end its DEI policies, Apple acknowledges potential changes may be needed to comply with evolving laws, while maintaining its core values of inclusion.
Despite a population of 1.4 billion, India’s consumer market is effectively limited to 130-140 million people, according to a Blume Ventures report. This “consuming class” mirrors the size of Mexico’s population. Another 300 million are “aspirant” consumers, but their spending remains cautious. India’s wealth is “deepening” rather than “widening,” meaning the rich are getting richer, but the number of wealthy individuals isn’t significantly increasing. This trend fuels “premiumisation,” where brands prioritize high-end products over mass-market offerings. Evidence includes booming sales of luxury housing and premium phones, while affordable housing’s market share has shrunk from 40% to 18% in five years.…
The UK has stopped some of its aid to Rwanda, calling it a “punitive” move. This action follows accusations that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group, which has seized areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). While Rwanda initially denied backing the M23, it now says its actions are to protect its own security due to fighting near the DRC border. The conflict has led to thousands of deaths and many people fleeing their homes. The UK says the DRC’s humanitarian situation is “critical.” The aid cut excludes support for the most vulnerable. The UK is also considering sanctions…
Apple addressed a technical glitch in its voice-to-text dictation system that was briefly substituting the word “Trump” for “racist.” iPhone users reported the error, where the system would initially type “Trump” when they spoke “racist,” before correcting itself. Apple acknowledged the bug, attributing it to an issue with its speech recognition model affecting words with “r” consonants, and released a fix. The company explained that occasional phonetic overlaps can cause such errors, but did not elaborate on why “Trump” was specifically suggested. This issue occurred after Apple announced a significant U.S. investment, which was followed by social media posts about…
BP has announced a significant strategic shift, drastically reducing its investment in renewable energy while increasing spending on oil and gas. The company will now allocate $10 billion annually to oil and gas, aiming to boost profits and shareholder returns. This move reverses previous commitments to reduce fossil fuel production and expand renewable energy investments. The oil giant has cut its planned annual investment in energy transition businesses by over $5 billion, now budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion per year. CEO Murray Auchincloss emphasized a “reset BP” focused on shareholder value, stating they will be “very selective” in…
