South Africa have included experienced fast bowler Shabnim Ismail in their 15-man squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, with the 37-year-old withdrawing her international retirement ahead of the major tournament in England and Wales.

Ismail, one of the most dangerous fast bowlers in women’s cricket, retired from international cricket in 2023 but Now he has declared himself available for the World Cup Proteas is trying to end years of failure on the global stage. South Africa have finished as runners-up in the last two editions of the tournament, including the 2023 final on home soil where they lost to Australia.

The experienced fast bowler remains South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in both ODIs and T20Is. She has taken 123 wickets in 113 T20Is and is expected to strengthen a pace attack that already includes Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka.

Laura Wolvaardt will captain the team for the second consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup. The opener, who is currently ranked third in the ICC Women’s T20I Batsmen Rankings, leads an established core that also includes Tazmin Britts, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon and former captain Dane van Niekerk.

Kapp has returned after recovering from illness, while Van Niekerk continues his comeback after reversing his retirement last year. Wicketkeeper-batsman Carabo Maceo has also been included after recovering from a wrist injury.

Head coach Mandla Mashimbi said Ismail’s return could prove decisive for South Africa’s campaign.

“Having someone like Shabnim back adds a lot to the value of the group,” Mashimbi said in a CSA release. “We had a good chat and you can see he’s still hungry to represent South Africa and help this team achieve something special. We’re also delighted to have players like Marizanne, Dan and Carabo available again.

“Every team goes with the intention of winning the World Cup, and we are no different, but for us it’s about staying in love with the process, focusing on one game at a time and continuing to improve as the tournament goes on.”

South Africa Women’s coordinator of selectors, Clinton du Preez, said that consistency and experience were the major factors behind the selection of the team.

“It was important for us to keep the core members of the group together as this is a squad that has built strong experience, cohesion and understanding over time,” Du Preez said.

“At the same time, we also looked at areas where we felt additional experience and impactful options could strengthen the team, especially in the high-pressure moments that often decide tournaments of this nature.”

The squad also includes rising all-rounder Kayla Reineke, who captained South Africa at Under-19 level and is set to feature in her first senior ICC event.

South Africa will begin their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against Australia on June 13 in Manchester.

South Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Britts, Nadine de Klerk, Annery Derksen, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Karabo Maso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reineke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk.

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In Denmark, archaeologists were really surprised when they found an extraordinary hoard of Viking Age gold in a forest in Himmerland. The treasure includes six solid gold arm rings weighing 762.5 grams; As reported, this is the third largest discovery of its kind of this era in Danish history North Jutland Museum. These treasures date back to the 10th century and were partially uncovered in the soil by a resident on a forest path rather than at the burial site. This could mean that it was deliberately placed there or hidden during political unification. Now declared state property, this ‘rolled treasure’ provides a rare, tangible link to the high-status craftsmanship and symbolic wealth of the Viking elite.

Unique Viking Age gold arm rings found in Denmark

In the forests of Himmerland, archaeologists found a hoard of six distinctive gold bracelets made entirely of solid gold, with a total weight of 762.5 grams. These treasures date back to the late 900s, possibly during the time of Harald Bluetooth. Torben Sarouw, cultural heritage manager and archaeologist at the Museum of North Jutland, explained how similar these rings are to each other. He notes that they would have been produced as a matching set, which would have served as a status symbol for wealthy Vikings. Such wealth has rarely been found in a single archaeological discovery.

Identified as Denmark’s third largest Viking gold treasure

According to a published report at the Museum of Northern Jutland, the find ranks as Denmark’s third-largest Viking Age gold treasure, largely due to its heavy weight and high purity. Such pure gold deposits are incredibly rare in Scandinavia, where silver is more commonly found. The sheer size of the find indicates ownership by someone very powerful or influential. As a result, archaeologists now have important new insights into how wealth was distributed in Northern Jutland in the late 10th century.

Why was gold buried alone

Museum archaeologists using a metal detector found the rings along a path in the Roald Skov forest. They were lying close to each other, it seemed as if someone had buried them together. Nearby, there were no burial mounds or signs of settlements, so experts believe the treasure may have been offered to the gods or hidden by an important person in a time of trouble.

How does Denmark protect its ancient stores?

After they found it, the discovery was immediately reported to the museum and classified as Denefo (treasure trove). This Danish law places important cultural objects in the hands of the public. The rings ended up in the National Museum of Denmark, where experts will carry out conservation and study their metallic properties. By doing so, they ensure that the 1,000-year-old gold is preserved under climate-controlled conditions. Experts also plan to examine how the rings were made to determine whether local artisans worked on them or whether the gold came from elsewhere.

New Delhi: Ahead of a crucial floor test for the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the post-poll numbers game is changing by the day.While the elections were fought on traditional alliance lines, the fractured mandate has forced parties to seek new political equations.The latest twist came when a faction of the AIADMK led by MLAs SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam announced support to the Vijay government.Desire split in AIADMK?After meeting with senior party leaders and MLAs, Shanmugam said he would meet Chief Minister Vijay and submit a letter of support to his government.Shanmugam said, “We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics has been focused on opposing the DMK. A proposal was made which suggested forming the AIADMK government with the support of the DMK. However, most of our members rejected it.”Velumani stressed that the move did not amount to partition.“This is not a breakup of AIADMK, but we will wait for the ‘right’ decision of the general secretary to take the party forward,” he said.He also alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was keen to form the government with the support of the DMK.“We opposed that decision because AIADMK was formed only to defeat DMK,” he said.The internal rift had come to the fore earlier too when a group of AIADMK MLAs led by Shanmugam submitted a letter to Protem Speaker MV Karuppaiah demanding the appointment of Velumani as the legislature party leader.Some MLAs had also reportedly demanded Palaniswami’s resignation following the party’s poor performance in the elections.AIADMK contested 167 out of 234 constituencies but won only 47 seats.After the results, Palaniswami held several meetings with party MLAs, but many senior leaders and former ministers, including Shanmugam and Velumani, stayed away.What’s next for Vijay?After Vijay took oath as Chief Minister, Governor RV Arlekar gave him three days to prove his majority in the House.In situations where no party has a clear majority and multiple claimants claim to form the government, the Governor may call a special session to test who has the confidence of the Assembly.If some MLAs abstain or remain absent, the majority mark is determined based on the number of MLAs present and voting.TVK currently has 107 MLAs after Vijay resigned from Tiruchirappalli East seat.The party already has the support of 13 MLAs from Congress, VCK, IUML and the Left parties.Many of these parties, including the VCK, IUML and the Left, are part of the DMK-led alliance, while the Congress, which has supported the TVK, was earlier in alliance with the DMK.A new era beginsEarlier on Monday, Vijay met DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin at his Alwarpet residence in Chennai in what was officially described as a “courtesy call”.He also met PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss as part of a high-profile outreach ahead of the floor test on May 13.How did Vijay get the marks?The path to victory till the majority figure of 118 has been absolutely easy.Congress was the first party to extend support, but its numbers alone were insufficient. The CPI, CPI(M), VCK and PMK made the TVK wait for several days before finally supporting the new government.Citing lack of clear numbers, Governor Arlekar was initially reluctant to invite Vijay to form the government. He had also asked for a list of supporting parties and MLAs from Vijay, which started being criticized across the political world.The breakthrough came when CPI and CPI(M), both parts of the DMK-led secular progressive alliance, agreed to support TVK from outside.The parties said the move was necessary “to stop Governor’s rule, prevent the BJP from entering the state and protect secularism”.The VCK and IUML later followed suit, though all said they were not breaking ties with the DMK.In a post-poll scenario where loyalties are fluid, the ultimate test of victory is yet to come.

New Delhi: Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath as Chief Minister on Tuesday. Chief Minister of Assam For the second consecutive term, the BJP-led NDA’s grip on the northeastern state has strengthened after its landslide victory in the assembly elections.At the age of 57, Sarma became the first non-Congress leader to return to Assam as chief minister for a second consecutive term. Laxman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and four other MLAs at a grand ceremony held at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara, Guwahati.

what does his cabinet look like

The four MLAs who took oath along with Himanta Biswa Sarma included BJP leaders Ajanta Neog and Rameshwar Teli along with Atul Boro of Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) and Charan Boro of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

Ajanta Niyog

Ajanta Neog retained the Golaghat assembly seat for the sixth consecutive time by defeating Congress candidate Bitupan Saikia by 43,759 votes. He got 1,02,212 votes against Saikia’s 58,453. Neog served as the first woman Finance Minister of Assam and the longest serving woman MLA in the state, representing Golaghat since 2001. Before joining the BJP in 2020, she was a minister in the Congress government of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi. She became the Finance Minister in Sarma’s cabinet in 2021.

Atul Bora

Atul Bora retained the Bokakhat constituency for the third consecutive time by defeating Raijor Dal candidate Hari Prasad Saikia by 60,537 votes. Bora got 80,987 votes, while Saikia got 20,450 votes. A former AASU leader during the anti-foreigners agitation, Bora had represented Golaghat from 1996 to 2016 before being shifted to Bokakhat. He has served as a minister in both

Charan Boro

Charan Boro, representing the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), won the Majbat constituency by a huge margin in the 2026 assembly elections. He secured 84,718 votes, defeating his nearest rival by more than 55,000 votes. His inclusion in the cabinet marks the formal return of the BPF to the NDA alliance, which Himanta Biswa Sarma described as a “milestone for peace” in the Bodoland region.

-Rameshwar Teli

Rameshwar Teli has returned to state politics after serving as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as Labor and Employment. A prominent leader of Assam’s tea tribe community, Teli was a two-time MP from Dibrugarh before returning to the Assam Legislative Assembly. His induction is expected to bring significant administrative experience from the Center to the state cabinet.

PM Modi, top NDA leaders attended the ceremony

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Guwahati on Monday night and attended the event along with several senior leaders of BJP and NDA. Sarma and other BJP leaders welcomed PM Modi at the popular Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP national president Nitin Nabin were among the senior leaders present.Many Union ministers including Sarbananda Sonowal, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chirag Paswan also attended the event.Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states, top industrialists, session officials and party workers were also present in the program. Officials said more than one lakh people attended the ceremony.The BJP-led NDA secured a massive mandate in the Assam Assembly elections by winning 102 seats in the 126-member House. The BJP alone won 82 seats, while alliance partners AGP and BPF won 10 seats each.This will be the third consecutive NDA government in Assam since the alliance first came to power under Sarbananda Sonowal in 2016.

Most people expect night to arrive at some point during the day. In a remote corner of Alaska, this stops happening for a few weeks. Residents of Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the United States, have now entered the annual ‘midnight sun’ season, a strange period when the sun is visible around the clock. The city will not experience another proper sunset until early August, leaving almost three months of continuous daylight. To outsiders, it seems almost surreal. Bright skies at midnight, children playing outside late into the evening, locals out for walks while the clock tells us it’s technically night time. Yet for people living above the Arctic Circle, this unusual cycle has become part of everyday life, even if it seems a little surreal when the darkness disappears again each year.

alaska midnight sun Returns to Utqiagvik for 84 consecutive days

As reported by an After briefly sinking below the horizon in the early morning hours, the sun has risen again and will now be visible until August 2.Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow, is located along the Arctic Ocean, about 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Due to its extreme northern location, the city experiences one of the most dramatic day-to-day changes anywhere in the US. During late spring and summer, the Earth’s tilt keeps the Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun, allowing locations above the Arctic Circle to remain illuminated for longer periods without interruption. Experts say this phenomenon, commonly called the midnight sun, occurs to varying degrees in all Arctic regions. In Utqiagvik it lasts for about 84 consecutive days.For many visitors, the first experience of seeing the midnight sun is reportedly disorienting. The sky is never really dark. Time seems strangely irrelevant.

Why doesn’t Alaska’s midnight sun bring real summer heat?

People often imagine the endless sunshine that comes with hot summer temperatures. In northern Alaska, this assumption quickly breaks down.Even during July, which is usually the hottest month in Utqiagvik, the average daytime temperature only reaches around 9 °C. Snowfall is also not particularly rare during the summer. Last year, snowfall was reportedly recorded on several days in June despite almost continuous daylight. This contradiction gives the city an unusual atmosphere. Bright sunlight reflects off the icy roads and cold Arctic waters, while residents still wear heavy jackets outside. It seems as if winter is trapped in a summer day.Hot periods occur occasionally. Temperatures sometimes reach 20 °C during rare heat surges, although locals regard those moments as brief occasions rather than typical summer weather. The Arctic climate still dominates daily life, no matter how long the sun remains overhead.

What it’s really like to live with 84 days of daylight

The midnight sun affects more than just the sky. It changes the way people live. Many residents reportedly shift outdoor activities to late evening hours because of the intense light that persists throughout the day and night. Children continue to play outside well past traditional bedtimes, while some locals go fishing, walking or cycling during hours that usually feel too late elsewhere.Sleeping can be difficult for newcomers. Human body clocks rely heavily on darkness, and without it, many people have difficulty recognizing when the day should actually end. For this reason blackout curtains are common in Utqiagvik homes.Even with preparation, constant flashes may still feel unusual. Some residents say the endless daylight creates extra energy and activity around the city. Others find that it becomes tiring after several weeks. It seems the experience affects everyone differently.

What happens after Alaska’s endless daylight finally disappears

As unusual as the midnight sun may seem, winter in Utqiagvik can feel even more extreme. At the end of the year, the city will enter the polar night, a period when the Sun does not rise above the horizon for approximately 64 consecutive days. Instead of endless daylight, residents face weeks of darkness and hazy skies.That dramatic seasonal change is one of the defining characteristics of life in the Arctic. People adjust to being surrounded by constant brightness part of the year and almost complete darkness the other part. Visitors often find it difficult to imagine living in both extreme conditions in one place. Yet the local people have adopted this rhythm from generation to generation. Schools, businesses and daily routines continue despite the unusual circumstances outside.

From Fairbanks to Anchorage: Alaska’s extended summer light

Utqiagvik is most noticeable during midnight sun season, although many other Alaskan communities also experience unusually long days during the summer. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks reportedly sees approximately 70 days of extended daylight. During the peak weeks of summer, Anchorage experiences between 16 and 19 hours of sunlight, with only brief periods of darkness at night.Across the state, people enjoy spending more time outdoors when daylight arrives. The parks remain busy until late in the evening, while restaurants and shops often stay active much later than expected. However, in Utqiagvik, the experience feels more intense than almost anywhere else in the country.For now, the city will continue to live under a sun that barely moves across the sky. No sunset, no true night. Just endless arctic daylight stretching across the horizon in late August.

Have you ever wondered what Americans do to stay fit? If you guessed Pilates, kickboxing, barre, yoga, or strength training, you’d be wrong. Americans have finally spoken, and their favorite leisure-time physical activity is surprisingly simple: walking!This low-effort habit is quietly becoming America’s favorite exerciseThis low-effort habit is quietly becoming America’s favorite exerciseA comprehensive new study shows Nearly half of American adults prefer walking From yoga to weight lifting and dancing – to every other recreational activity. However, there’s a twist: Not everyone who does this is actually getting the health benefits they think. The findings of the study have been published in the open-access journal PLOS One.

Walking tops list of leisure-time physical activities in America

The study found that walking was, by far, the most popular leisure-time physical activity among American adults. There was also a difference between rural and urban populations. Rural residents enjoyed gardening, hunting, and fishing, while urban residents were more interested in running, weightlifting, and dancing. However, urban residents are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than rural residents.The US Department of Health and Human Services has published guidelines on the recommended amount of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity for adults. Although the proportion of adults meeting these guidelines has increased in recent decades, the decline continues in some populations, including adults living in rural areas. Understanding differences in preferred recreational physical activities may help inform efforts to reduce such disparities.However, only a few studies have analyzed urban versus rural preferences for leisure-time physical activity and how they relate to meeting guidelines.

the study

Researchers wanted to address that gap, and they analyzed telephone survey data collected from a national sample of 396,261 US adults in 2019.Of the 75 surveyed options for leisure-time physical activity, walking proved to be the most popular among both urban and rural residents. A total of 44.1% people reported that the activity they spend the most time on is walking. These findings echo a similar study of US data collected in 2011. However, further analysis of 2019 data showed that even among walkers, only one in four (25%) met the combined guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity, while 22% did not meet any guidelines.The researchers also explored the popularity of other activities. In rural areas, most people were engaged in gardening, hunting, fishing and farm work, while urban residents were more involved in running, weightlifting, cycling and dancing. Despite this, rural residents were generally less active and less likely to meet aerobic or muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines.

a call for solution

These findings are important, as they call for tailored interventions to promote physical activity that are culturally and demographically appropriate.“We expected to see that walking would remain the most common physical activity. However, we were surprised to see that nearly one in four adults who walk as their main activity did not meet any physical activity guidelines. That is, they reported less than the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week and fewer than the recommended two days per week of muscle-strengthening activity, such as yoga or exercising with resistance bands,” said Kristian Abildsø, lead The researcher said.“What we’re seeing in these rural-urban differences in priorities is just a reflection of what people have access to or what is culturally supported. In our work, we see the need to continue to support our partners in small towns and rural locations by creating the physical, social and cultural conditions that support physical activity. This could mean building a wide shoulder on a country road for running and bicycling, helping a senior center with their chair exercise programming, creating park spaces or Making improvements could include expanding the national network of rail routes, renovating abandoned and dilapidated structures (brownfields), keeping school facilities open to the public, and many other strategies. “Everyone needs to ask, ‘How does what we are doing affect physical activity?’, to help people get active more often, in more places,” the researchers concluded.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and other central welfare schemes in West Bengal, days after the BJP formed the government for the first time in the state.In a post on X on Tuesday, PM Modi Said, “The welfare of my brothers and sisters in West Bengal is of paramount importance.”He said, “I am extremely happy that the people of the state will get access to Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest healthcare system, which ensures access to high quality and affordable healthcare. Also, the double engine government will ensure seamless implementation of important central projects.”The move comes after the first cabinet meeting of the new West Bengal government on Monday, where CM Suvendu Adhikari announced the launch of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima and PM Vishwakarma.Read this also What’s on Suvendu Adhikari government’s agenda today: Ayushman Bharat, border fencing and reforms in bureaucracyThe official said the schemes will be implemented without discontinuing existing state welfare programmes, including Lakshmir Bhandar and Swasthya Sathi.Ahead of the assembly elections, PM Modi had announced at a rally in Bengal that the BJP cabinet in the state will approve the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in its first meeting. The scheme provides annual health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh to eligible families.It is unclear how the state government plans to run both central and state welfare schemes in areas where beneficiaries may overlap, especially Ayushman Bharat and Swasthya Sathi.“To avail benefits under Ayushman Bharat, one has to fulfill certain conditions. Those who are not eligible for Ayushman Bharat will continue to get benefits under Swasthya Sathi. Those who cut it will get Ayushman benefits,” a source said.Adhikari was sworn in as the ninth chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday, becoming the first BJP leader to lead a state government after ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress.