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Australia's women's cricket team made history by posting a record women's one-day team total in the Caribbean, 341 from 49.5 overs, en route to a convincing 103-run victory over West Indies in the first of three one-day internationals.The tourists' opener, Phoebe Litchfield, top-scored with 77, while five other teammates reached the 40s. This significant total was achieved on Saturday in St Kitts.Following their sweep of the three-game T20 series, Australia continued their dominance by restricting West Indies to 238-8 from their 50 overs. West Indies' Stafanie Taylor scored a breakthrough one-day century, 105 not out from 129 balls, but her efforts were not enough to secure a win for her team. Taylor's knock featured 10 fours and a six.Australia's Georgia Wareham was named player of the match for her contributions with both bat and ball, scoring 42 from 21 balls and taking 1 for 39 from 10 overs. Additionally, Kim Garth took 3 for 37 from her 10 overs, removing the West Indies openers.The Australian team underwent significant changes from their previous XI, with Tahlia Wilson making her one-day debut as wicketkeeper in place of Beth Mooney, who withdrew due to quad tightness. Wilson impressed with her sharp stumping of Aaliyah Allene off Garth.

Nepal's new prime minister, Balen Shah, has taken office after a landslide win in the recent elections. Shah, a rapper-turned-politician, leads the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which is expected to have a two-thirds majority in parliament. This mandate comes with high expectations from young Nepalis who drove the 2025 Gen Z protests against corruption, poor governance, and lack of accountability.The RSP, barely four years old, and Shah, with no prior political experience except as mayor of Kathmandu, have a historic opportunity to deliver on the aspirations of young Nepalis. However, analysts and voters warn that with this opportunity comes significant risks. Political analyst Bishnu Sapkota notes that expectations are enormous, and it may be unrealistic for Shah to fully meet them.One of Shah's immediate challenges will be implementing the findings of the Karki Commission, which investigated the killings and property damage during the Gen Z movement. The commission's report, submitted on March 8, 2026, is expected to be made public and implemented quickly. This will require careful management of political reactions and potentially difficult decisions.Another challenge Shah faces is the relationship between him and Rabi Lamichhane, the founder of the RSP. Lamichhane faces allegations of fraud, organized crime, and money laundering, and has previously served jail sentences. Experts describe their alliance as a 'marriage of convenience' and note that differences could emerge later.Shah's popularity was the main factor behind the RSP's success, and analysts suggest that he may end up having a stronger grip on the party than its president. RSP leader Shishir Khanal emphasizes that Shah will lead the government, while Lamichhane will lead the party, and both will have to face challenges and manage expectations on their own respective fronts.In the first 100 days, the RSP plans to prioritize anti-corruption measures, including investigations into the wealth of senior officials and politicians since 1990. These steps respond directly to the demands of last year's Gen Z protests. Gen Z activist Yujan Rajbhandari notes that the new government must prioritize good governance and protect civic freedoms, or face pushback from the same movement that enabled its rise.Shah's critics have questioned his diplomatic skills, citing past social media posts attacking Nepal's neighbors, including India and China. However, analyst Sapkota argues that Shah's lack of political baggage could allow Nepal to pursue a more independent diplomacy. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already signaled a willingness to work with Nepal's new leadership, and Shah has emphasized the importance of maintaining close relations with India.

The Women's Super League and WSL2 are gearing up for an exciting derby weekend, with six local rivalries set to be reignited. This weekend's schedule has been criticized for potentially diluting the impact of these matches by staging too many high-profile games simultaneously.On Saturday, Everton host Liverpool, Manchester United welcome Manchester City, and Arsenal entertain Tottenham, all within a span of six hours. The attendances for these matches are expected to be high, with over 45,000 tickets sold for the north London showdown at the Emirates Stadium.While the initial numbers are encouraging, there is an argument that staggering these derbies across the season may draw greater cumulative focus. The buildup to the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park has felt low-profile this time, overshadowed by the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.The WSL's growth timeline and dependence on stadium availability and broadcast partners must be considered. The league's scheduling strategy, including timing the opening weekend to coincide with the September men's international window, is crucial for its development.This weekend's matches promise to be close-fought affairs, with the top two teams going head-to-head at Old Trafford. Arsenal's Kim Little has signed a new one-year contract, and Tottenham's Martin Ho has extended his stay with the club.

The reintroduction of beavers in Dorset has shown promising results, with the animals building a 35-metre dam and creating a deep, wildlife-rich pool. By coppicing trees, they have allowed more light in and improved habitats for plants, insects, amphibians, birds, and bats.Trail cameras have captured footage of an otter fishing in the pond, as well as a barn owl hunting there. Volunteers have spotted birds including redpolls and water rails. The cameras also captured footage of two of the beavers mating, indicating they have settled in their new home and that there could be kits this summer.Despite some hitches, including the death of a male beaver and the relocation of a female, the western pair of beavers has been busy doing their engineering work. The National Trust, which is in charge of the project, said it was thrilled with the progress, highlighting the astonishing effect on the ecosystem in a relatively short time.Gen Crisford, the National Trust's wetlands project officer, said setbacks were inevitable but expressed hope for a 'happy ever after moment' with the western pair. The project allows for the release of 10 to 25 adult beavers, with the next release expected to take place this autumn.

Asda's executive chair, Allan Leighton, has urged the UK government to take immediate action to support farmers and ease fuel costs, as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to drive up food prices. Leighton warned that food prices would inevitably rise as a result of the conflict, citing pressure on farmers from higher fertiliser, energy, and fuel costs.While Asda has so far received only a trickle of requests for cost price increases from suppliers, Leighton expects the pace of cost increases to be volatile and vary across different commodities. He also warned of temporary shortages at petrol stations as supplies are squeezed by the conflict, with the average price of unleaded petrol in the UK rising to 150p a litre.Leighton accused the government of benefiting from £3bn of income from fuel duties as prices rise and called on them to ease these duties or support farmers on energy or other costs. He suggested that tax from fuel duty should be redistributed to support farmers in some form.The Asda boss's comments come after Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next, suggested that clothing prices could rise by 4-10% if the conflict in the Middle East extends into the autumn and factories are hit by higher fuel and fabric costs. Daniel Ervér, CEO of H&M;, also warned that a prolonged conflict could have a significant impact on consumer spending and cause inflation.Asda's underlying profits dropped by a third to £764m last year, with non-fuel sales sliding 3.3% to £21bn. However, the company reported its first month of underlying sales growth in stores in almost two years in March, after resolving IT problems linked to a switch away from services provided by its former owner Walmart.

For the first time, scientists have documented whales assisting each other during birth, a behavior previously only observed in primates. A team from Project Ceti, an international effort to understand whale communication, captured the extraordinary footage off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean on July 8, 2023.The team observed a pod of 11 whales, including a 19-year-old female named Rounder, who was about to give birth to her second calf. Over nearly five and a half hours, the scientists documented the group's behavior, filming them with drones and recording sounds underwater. This exceptional rarity in the history of science was published in the journals Scientific Reports and Science.Out of 93 species of cetaceans, only nine have been observed giving birth in the wild. What's even rarer is that unrelated whales were helping the mother. The birth lasted 34 minutes, during which other adult females dived under Rounder's dorsal fin, often on their backs with their heads facing her genital slit.Immediately after birth, the pod's behavior changed rapidly, with all adults touching and squeezing the newborn's body with their heads, pushing it around underwater and on their bodies above the surface. This behavior is believed to help the newborn calf, which sinks after birth, prevent drowning and facilitate its first breaths.The scientists also recorded significant changes in vocalization during the birth, suggesting that the group was coordinating to support the birth or protect the newborn. Sperm whales have one of the longest pregnancies in the animal kingdom, with a gestation period of up to 16 months, and calves rely on their mother's milk for at least two years.The newborn was spotted again on July 25, 2024, with other young members of the pod, indicating that it had survived its first year, a good sign of reaching adulthood.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has come under fire for its new guidelines on transgender athletes, which have been criticized by over 100 human rights, sports, and scientific groups. The guidelines, announced on Friday, mandate genetic sex tests for all athletes competing in women's categories and impose blanket bans on people who identify as transgender, intersex, or with sex differences.The new policy has been deemed 'a blunt and discriminatory response that is not supported by science and violates international human rights law.' Professor Paula Gerber, an international human rights lawyer at Monash University, stated that 'mandatory genetic sex testing and rigid biological criteria as a condition for participation in the women's category violates fundamental and universal human rights … including the right to equality, non-discrimination, dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy.'The guidelines have also been criticized for their potential impact on intersex athletes and women of color, who may be disproportionately targeted due to their appearance. Dr. Ada Cheung, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Melbourne, noted that 'the best available data … shows that transgender women receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy are not meaningfully different from cisgender women in key performance-related measures.'The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has expressed support for the new guidelines, with president Ian Chesterman stating that they provide 'clarity for elite female athletes who compete at the highest level and demonstrates a commitment to fairness, safety and integrity in Olympic competition.' However, Nikki Dryden, a human rights lawyer and former Olympic swimmer, argued that the guidelines 'will be unlawful in Australia' and 'create a culture where someone like a coach, an official, or even another parent, feels entitled to question whether your daughter 'looks female enough' to belong.'

A devastating bus accident occurred in central Bangladesh on Wednesday, resulting in at least 24 fatalities. The bus, which was carrying 40 passengers, lost control while approaching a ferry at Daulatdia in Rajbari district, about 100km from Dhaka.The bus sank nearly 9 metres into the river, making rescue efforts challenging. Rescuers recovered 22 bodies from inside the submerged bus, including five children, 11 women, and six men. Two more women died later after being rescued.Search and rescue efforts were led by four fire service units and 10 divers, supported by the army, police, coastguard, and local authorities. Officials fear that more passengers may still be missing.The accident highlights the poor road safety record in Bangladesh, where hundreds of people die each year in road and ferry accidents. The World Health Organization estimates that over 31,500 traffic-related deaths occur annually, translating to more than 85 deaths per day in the country of 170 million people.Deadly crashes are relatively common in Bangladesh due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles, and reckless driving. The country's Road Safety Foundation reported over 200 deaths during the recent Eid holidays, including a train-bus collision that killed 12 people.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a new eligibility policy for female category events at the Olympics, excluding transgender women athletes from competing in women's sports. This decision aligns with US President Donald Trump's executive order on sports, which aims to keep biological males out of women's sports.The IOC's policy, set to take effect at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, requires a mandatory gene test once in an athlete's career to determine eligibility. The test screens for the SRY gene, typically found on the Y chromosome, which initiates male sex development.According to the IOC, biological males have a performance advantage of 10-12% in most running and swimming events, and at least 20% in most throwing and jumping events. This advantage can be greater than 100% in explosive power events, such as punching sports.The policy change has been met with criticism from human rights experts and activist groups, who argue that the mandatory gender screening is invasive and discriminatory. The IOC has stated that the policy aims to protect "fairness, safety, and integrity in the female category."Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion runner from South Africa, has been a prominent figure in the debate over female eligibility. The IOC's policy document details its research on the physical advantages retained by biological males, which it believes are retained even after transitioning.The US Olympic body has updated its guidance to national sports bodies, citing an obligation to comply with the White House's executive order. President Trump signed the order in February 2023, pledging to deny visas to athletes attempting to compete at the LA Olympics if they do not comply with the new rules.