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Kolkata Knight Riders remain in contention for the Indian Premier League end of season play-offs after beating Rajasthan Royals by just one run.

Chasing 207, Rajasthan required 22 runs from Vaibhav Arora’s final over, and Shubham Dubey smashed two sixes and a four to leave them needing three from the final ball.

Dubey struck the last delivery to long-off, and Rinku Singh’s throw beat Jofra Archer’s attempt to return to the non-striker’s end for a two and resulting tie and super over.

The defending champions would have hoped for a less nervy finish, having had their opponents 71-5 in the eighth over.

The 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed for a two-ball four before Moeen Ali removed Yashasvi Jaiswal (34) and then Kunal Rathore for a duck.

Rathore was the first of three batters to be dismissed without scoring, as Varun Chakravarthy bowled Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga within the space of three balls.

The visitors’ fortunes were turned by Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer, who put on a partnership of 92.

Parag struck eight sixes in his 45-ball innings, including six consecutive boundary clearances, the first five from Moeen’s 13th over.

The pairing was broken by Harshit Rana, who had Hetmyer top-edge to Sunil Narine for 29 then saw Parag hole out to Arora for a 45-ball 95.

Kolkata’s total of 206-4 was a team effort with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35), Ajinkya Rahane (30), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) all chipping in, before Andre Russell (57 off 25) and Singh (19 off 6) finished the innings strongly, setting a score that Rajasthan couldn’t quite chase down.

Kolkata move up one place to sixth, two points off Punjab Kings in the final play-off position but having played one game more.

Rajasthan remain in eighth with three wins and nine losses and are out of play-off contention. (BBC)

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole position at the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen headed Norris, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday, by 0.065 seconds.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, on pole for the sprint, grabbed third ahead of the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Mercedes’ George Russell was fifth ahead of the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, as Ferrari struggled, with Charles Leclerc eighth and Lewis Hamilton down in 12th.

Verstappen’s pole, in a car with an upgraded floor this weekend, was won with a blistering first sector of the lap.

The Red Bull’s speed in the fast sweepers there was too much for McLaren to claw back in the remainder of the lap.

“It’s been a great qualifying,” Verstappen said. “We improved the car a tiny amount, which helped me rotate it a bit better.

“Q1, Q2, Q3 improving every run. Trying to find the limit. I had a tiny moment into Turn One trying to find more time there but it’s very tricky here with the tyres. It’s qualifying, try to correct it and floor it out of the corner.”

It was a second piece of good news for the four-time champion this week, after the birth of his first child, a daughter called Lily.

Norris said: “Congrats to Max, especially being a dad now. I was hoping it would slow him down a bit but it clearly didn’t.

“Max did a Max lap again and I’m happy for him. The pace is there. I have been feeling good. It is what it is, I’m P2, Max on pole, ready to see what I can do into Turn One.”

Antonelli’s third place proved his pole in the sprint on Friday was not a flash in the pan, on a weekend where he is showing the spark of prodigious talent that convinced Mercedes to put the 18-year-old straight into their team in his debut season. He beat team-mate George Russell by 0.114secs.

It also made amends to some degree for a disappointing sprint result, where he lost the lead at the start and then was hit by Verstappen’s car in the pits and finished seventh. (BBC)

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Police in Regional Division Three made two narcotics-related arrests on Saturday, during separate operations along the East Bank of Essequibo, seizing a combined total of over 1.4 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis.

In the first incident, ranks conducting an operation at the Vergenoegen Access Road observed a 30-year-old man from Tuschen acting suspiciously. A search of his person revealed several Ziplock bags containing suspected cannabis, amounting to more than 38 grams.

The suspect was cautioned, arrested, and remains in custody as investigations continue.

Later in the day, at the Vreed-en-Hoop Junction, police intercepted a motorbus during a separate operation. A 31-year-old woman from the Vergenoegen Squatting Area was found with a gift bag and haversack in her possession.

Upon inspection, officers discovered three large Ziplock bags filled with leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, totalling approximately 1,360 grams. She too was cautioned and taken into custody.

Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.

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A dominant spin bowling performance and a composed run chase saw Guyana notch their second consecutive win in the Women’s T20 Blaze, as they defeated the Windward Islands by seven wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-shortened encounter at Arnos Vale on Saturday.

Reduced to 13 overs per side due to weather interruptions, the match proved another low-scoring affair. But Guyana’s spin trio—Nyia Latchman (4-8), Ashmini Munisar (2-10), and Sheneta Grimmond (2-16)—left the Windward Islands in tatters at 61-9, laying the foundation for a comfortable chase.

Sent in to bat, the Windward Islands never found their rhythm, as they were stifled by tight lines, and  only managed just two boundaries in the entire innings. Nerissa Crafton (14) and Japhina Joseph (17) struck one each, while captain Zaida James (13) was the only other player to reach double figures.

With no meaningful partnerships to anchor the innings, wickets fell at regular intervals, and the spin trio feasted on a lineup short on answers.

In reply, Guyana suffered an early hiccup when Munisar was run out for one with the score at eight, but Realeanna Grimmond, with a 29-ball 30, and Shabika Gajnabi’s unbeaten 26 off 31 balls, stitched together a crucial 54-run second-wicket stand that all but ended Windward Islands’ hopes of a comeback.

Grimmond, who cleared the ropes once during her knock, fell in the 12th over alongside captain Shemaine Campbelle (two), both victims of Niesha Cherry (2-14). But Gajnabi held her nerve to guide Guyana across the line.

With this result, Guyana continue to assert themselves in the tournament, while the Windward Islands are left searching for answers after another underwhelming batting display. (SportsMax) 

FULL SCORECARD: https://matchcentre.windiescricket.com/match/fccc4089-6fa3-486e-8ebe-192cc9b48c0e

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Lando Norris beat McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to win a chaotic wet-dry Miami Grand Prix sprint race with help from the safety car.

Piastri led from lap one after passing pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes at the first corner of the race but the safety car cost the Australian the race win.

The championship leader pitted one lap before Norris as the track dried out but the safety car was sent out while Norris was pitting for his slick tyres.

That slows the cars on track and gave Norris enough time to rejoin in the lead.

The safety car was caused by a crash between Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bull at Turn Two but that was not the only drama in the race.

Max Verstappen finished fourth on the road behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who benefited from an early pit stop for dry-weather slick tyres, but was penalised 10 seconds for an unsafe release from his pit stop, which caused him to collide with Antonelli.

Verstappen, whose front wing was damaged in the collision, was demoted to 17th and last by the penalty.

The incident was a major blow to Antonelli’s hopes of a good result. It prevented him making his pit stop and he had to rejoin the track and do another lap before pitting again. Antonelli ended up finishing out of the points in ninth.

The race started on a wet track, after a 28-minute delay because of the poor conditions. (BBC) 

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru went one step closer to securing a play-off spot with a nervy win over Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

Indian Premier League leaders Royal Challengers Bengaluru held their nerve to clinch a two-run win over the Chennai Super Kings.

It all came down to the last ball of the match, bottom-place CSK needing four from Yash Dayal’s final delivery, with the RCB man coming up trumps in the end, though there were plenty of hiccups along the way.

Sent in to bat by MS Dhoni, RCB got their innings off to a flier courtesy of Jacob Bethell (55 off 33) – playing just his second IPL game – and Virat Kohli (62 off 33), who together powered RCB to a 97-run first wicket stand.

The pair departed in quick succession, and a middle-order wobble followed as Devdutt Padikkal (17), Jitesh Sharma (seven), and Rajat Patidar (11) failed to capitalise. But Romario Shepherd came to the rescue in spectacular fashion.

Shepherd unleashed carnage in the final overs, smashing 33 off Khaleel Ahmed in the 19th and following that up with 21 off Matheesha Pathirana in the 20th. He finished on a jaw-dropping 53 off just 14 balls, powering RCB to a formidable 213.

CSK’s chase stuttered early with Shaik Rasheed (14) and Sam Curran (five) falling inside the powerplay. But 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre took charge, playing a sensational knock of 94 off 48 balls in only his debut season.

He and Ravindra Jadeja (77 off 45) put together a massive 114-run partnership that had CSK cruising toward the target, helped by some costly fielding errors from RCB — Patidar, Kohli, and Lungi Ngidi all spilling chances.

But Ngidi redeemed himself in the 16th over, dismissing Mhatre on the boundary and removing Dewald Brevis with the very next ball, turning the tide back in RCB’s favour.

With 15 needed off the final over and Jadeja and Dhoni at the crease, memories of last season’s clash hung in the air. Dayal struck early, trapping Dhoni lbw off his third ball, but drama returned instantly as a waist-high no-ball was dispatched for six by Shivam Dube.

Dayal held his nerve in the end, closing the game out with three well-executed slow wide yorkers, sealing a two-run win off the very last ball.

Data debrief: Mhatre announces himself on the big stage

Mhatre, at just 17 years and 291 days, became the third-youngest player to score a half-century in IPL history — behind only Riyan Parag (17y 175d) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (14y 32d).

He made an early statement, smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 26 runs in the fourth over, including five fours and a six.

Mhatre finished with a match-high nine boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 195.83 in an innings of real authority and promise.

It is only unfortunate that his brilliant knock went in vain, largely due to another impactful innings from Shepherd, who reached his fifty off just 14 deliveries – the fastest in this year’s IPL and joint-fourth fastest overall.

Shepherd struck four fours and six sixes at a mind-boggling strike rate of 378.57. (SportsMax)

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On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, President Dr. Irfaan Ali issued a call to action for journalists and media professionals to prioritise truth and responsibility over the mere pursuit of reach, especially in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking to media operatives and members of government and of the diplomatic community at State House, the President highlighted the critical role of journalism in democratic societies and warned against the dangers of sensationalism and misinformation.

“Even with AI, there is still a need for telling the truth and doing facts-driven news,” President Ali stated.

“Don’t sacrifice responsibility for reach.”

Dr. Ali acknowledged the rapidly evolving landscape of media, pointing out that AI now allows anyone with access to a digital platform to generate and disseminate information at unprecedented speed and scale. While this has democratised content creation, he cautioned that it has also blurred the lines of credibility and accountability.

“We are living in a reset world,” he said. “The traditional definitions of media no longer hold. Anyone can now report, comment, or influence public discourse—but with that comes the burden of responsibility.”

He described the current media environment as one where speed, influence, and reach often take precedence over ethics and accuracy. This, he warned, poses a serious threat not only to professional journalism but to the integrity of public information itself.

“The ethics of the question are put on the back burner,” he said. “Influence and speed have become the key metrics, and that is dangerous.”

Addressing the rise of AI tools in content production, the President noted that while such technology offers vast potential, it also introduces the risk of misinformation on a massive scale.

“AI doesn’t require professionalism to define the message. It can create influence without intellect. And when that happens, the truth becomes optional.”

To mitigate this, Dr. Ali called for urgent national and regional collaboration to craft policies and regulations around AI use in media, warning that the unchecked spread of AI-generated content could have destabilising effects.

“If we don’t ensure that AI is regulated—especially in the press and information dissemination space—it becomes a ticking time bomb,” he said. “Information can destabilise a society in seconds, leaving no time to respond.”

While reaffirming his government’s commitment to press freedom, the President stressed that this freedom must come with an equal measure of accountability—from both those who produce news and those who consume it.

“Freedom must walk with responsibility,” he affirmed. “It’s not only the media who must be fair and truthful, but also the public who must engage critically and responsibly with information.”

Dr. Ali also touched on the future of media associations, encouraging them to expand their remit to include newer, non-traditional voices in the information space—especially those active on social media—so that standards and accountability are upheld across the board.

“The definition of who constitutes the media is evolving,” he said. “Associations must be inclusive of all content creators, because everyone who shares information must be held to some standard.”

Reflecting on Guyana’s own constitutional guarantees, he pointed out that press freedom was enshrined in the Constitution before the advent of digital media and AI. This, he said, necessitates a modern review of legal and ethical frameworks.

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Police ranks from Regional Division #1 arrested a shop owner in Port Kaituma following the discovery of more than 25 grams of cannabis during a search of his business premises on Friday.

According to police reports, the shop owner voluntarily handed over two Ziplock bags containing what appeared to be cannabis when officers initiated the search.

A further inspection led to the discovery of a bulky plastic bag, which contained several additional Ziplock bags also suspected to contain the illicit substance.

Upon completion of the search, the total weight of the suspected narcotics amounted to approximately 25.3 grams.

The man was cautioned and taken into custody. He remains detained pending charges.

Investigations are ongoing.

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The family of Adriana Younge has issued a public statement strongly opposing any planned protests aimed at halting her upcoming burial in order to demand a second post-mortem examination.

Lewis Amika, a relative of Younge, expressed the family’s dismay in a statement released on Saturday, saying:

“It has been brought to our (the family’s) attention that persons are planning to protest and stop the burial of Adriana Younge until another post-mortem is done! We do not agree to or condone this action. We will bury Adriana in a peaceful manner on Monday.
Honour Adriana and the wishes of her family. NO PROTESTS!”

Younge’s funeral is tentatively scheduled for early next week, with Monday mentioned as the likely date.

Concerns had recently surfaced over calls for a second post-mortem examination (PME), with some individuals alleging that the push was politically motivated and did not reflect the true wishes of the immediate family.

The family’s statement appears to be a direct response to those claims, emphasising their desire for a respectful and undisturbed farewell.

Adriana Younge’s death has attracted public attention in recent weeks, with various groups questioning the circumstances surrounding it. Although the initial post-mortem was completed, factions within the community – some reportedly tied to political interests – have advocated for a second examination.

The family, however, is urging the public to respect their decision and allow them to grieve and proceed with burial arrangements without interference.

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On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Government of Guyana has reiterated its commitment to upholding press freedom, highlighting both the vital role of journalism in a democratic society and the emerging threats posed by the misuse of Artificial Intelligence.

In a message, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Information and Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, reflected on the indispensable nature of a free and ethical press in safeguarding democracy.

He underscored that the emergence of AI technologies presents a dual-edged sword for journalism—offering powerful tools for innovation, while simultaneously posing risks such as misinformation, deepfakes, and algorithmic bias.

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy (Photo: DPI/Tuesday, May 16, 2023)

“In Guyana, we have witnessed the disturbing rise of misinformation and disinformation, including from certain media quarters that have cast aside professional ethics in favour of blatant political bias,” Minister McCoy stated. “This erosion of standards marks a troubling departure from the sacred principles that have long guided the Fourth Estate.”

He called upon the media fraternity to recommit to the core values of objectivity, integrity, and ethical journalism, describing the press as more than a profession—it is, he said, a fundamental pillar of democratic society. “Its credibility must be protected not only by government or institutions but by those who serve within its ranks,” he added.

The Minister further emphasised that while oversight and accountability must not infringe upon press freedom, they are necessary to safeguard it, particularly in an era where technology amplifies both truth and falsehood.

Media workers at the World Press Freedom Day conference (Photo: News Room/May 3, 2022)

Highlighting the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government’s record, Minister McCoy stated that the administration has worked deliberately to create a media environment that is open, dynamic, and inclusive. “We encourage diverse voices and constructive public dialogue,” he noted.

As information becomes more easily manipulated, the message cautioned, the collective responsibility to preserve truth must grow stronger. The Minister called for the ethical use of AI in journalism, urging its deployment for public benefit rather than ideological disruption.

In a solemn moment of remembrance, the government also expressed profound sorrow for journalists who have lost their lives in war zones and under oppressive regimes worldwide. “Their courage and their unwavering pursuit of truth serve as a sobering reminder of the high price many pay for press freedom,” the statement read.

Minister McCoy also acknowledged the essential role played by UNESCO in defending press freedom globally. He praised the organisation’s efforts in championing journalistic rights and promoting independent media.

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