World

In the morning session’s other match, China’s Zhao Xintong took control of his quarter-final tie with Chris Wakelin.

The Englishman, who came through two qualifying rounds to get to the Crucible, eliminated 2010 world champion Neil Robertson in the first round of the main tournament and then defeated former world number one Mark Allen in the last 16.

Wakelin, 33, made a break of 93 to take the opening frame, but 28-year-old Zhao then dominated to win six in a row, although Wakelin took the last to trail 6-2 before that match resumes at 19:00 BST.

Zhao, a former UK Championship winner, was one of 10 players from China to receive a ban in a match-fixing scandal.

He did not directly throw a match, but accepted charges of being a party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself. Zhao – who served a 20-month ban for those offences – is the only of the 10 players sanctioned in the scandal to have returned to action.

As a result of the ban, he lost his place on the World Snooker Tour, although he has already ensured he will be back on the tour full-time next season.

For this tournament, he is officially classed as an amateur and this is his seventh match of the competition, after he had to fight through four qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.

April 29 (UPI) — Electricity was restored to most of Spain and Portugal as of Tuesday, with continued disruptions on the second day after an unknown failure caused a massive blackout across much of western Europe.

Portugal and Spain remained under a state of emergency as power slowly became restored late Monday evening after the outage hit parts of France, Andorra and neighboring Belgium.

It brought life to a standstill, including elevators, traffic lights, business, roads, trains and hospitals. The power outages impacted Monday’s 2025 Madrid Open, forcing the suspension of matches, officials said.

On Tuesday, Spanish power company Red Electric said power had been 99% restored, but Spain’s transport minister warned that some rail trains may experience issues.

“The energy situation in Spain and Portugal is back to normal. This incident is the most severe for almost two decades in Europe,” European Commission Chief for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen posted on X, saying the commission stands ready to support Spain and Portugal “in all ways possible” and will “initiate a thorough investigation.”

Authorities mostly ruled out a cyberattack as the cause behind Monday’s chaos which left nearly 60 million without electricity with inquiries underway to pin down a cause.

“We have no information related to a cyberattack or a hostile act at this stage,” stated Portuguese government spokesman Antonio Leitao Amaro on Tuesday.

Amaro indicated that “there would seem to have been an issue in the power transmission network” in neighboring Spain, where the nation’s Interior Ministry deployed 30,000 officers for security concerns and roads where traffic signals were not working.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday night the power meltdown took place when 15 gigawatts of power was suddenly lost in five seconds, but experts say it could take weeks to figure out the actual cause.

“To give you an idea, 15 gigawatts is equivalent to approximately 60% of the country’s demand at that time,” said Sanchez.

Also on Tuesday, the Spanish head of state, King Felipe VI, sat down to chair a meeting of the national security council at Moncloa Palace in Madrid at the request of Sanchez.

Earlier on Monday, Portugal’s National Energy Network said it could take a week to return the full grid to normal.

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro also confirmed there was “no indication” it was caused by a cyberattack, saying “everything indicates” the cause of the outage “did not originate in Portugal.”

That was supported by Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council and a former Portuguese prime minister, who likewise backed up Montenegro’s claim that there were “no indications” of a cyberattack.

Meanwhile, Montenegro said that his government had requested an independent audit into the incident by the European Union’s Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.

“We want a full investigation of the outage’s causes,” he told reporters. “We need quick, urgent answers.”

Spanish grid operator REE mentioned Monday evening a “strong fluctuation in power flows, accompanied by a very significant loss of production” in the kingdom, where roughly 40% of its electricity arrives via solar or wind power.

April 29 (UPI) — Four former Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers were released from prison Tuesday after completing their sentences for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government of the special administrative region of China.

Claudia Mo, 68; Kwok Ka-ki, 63; Jeremy Tan, 49; and Gary Fan, 58; pleaded guilty to being members of the so-called “Hong Kong 47” group charged under a controversial National Security Law imposed by Beijing over organizing an unofficial primary ahead of 2020 elections in a bid to help pro-democracy parties win a majority in the legislature.

“[I am] going home to reunite with my family now. Thanks for the care from Hong Kong people and the media,” Fan said as he departed Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island.

Mo’s family confirmed she was home after being released from the Lo Wu Correctional Institution, which is close to the border with Shenzhen.

“I am very pleased that she is home, but she is resting so I cannot really say any more,” Mo’s husband, British journalist Philip Bowring, told reporters.

“I am sorry about that, but as you know the circumstances, so that is all I can say.”

The four were all sentenced to four years and two months in prison in November but were freed due to time served since being arrested in 2021.

They were among 45 of the Hong Kong 47 pro-democracy activists jailed for between 50 months and 10 years on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion under the NSL imposed in the wake of mass protests against it in 2019 that snowballed into wider pro-democracy protests that brought the territory to a standstill.

The four received the shortest sentences based on a one-third discount for their early guilty plea and reductions for their past public service and “ignorance of the law.”

Former law professor Benny Tai received the longest sentence of the group — 10 years for his role in masterminding the primary elections strategy — and remains behind bars.

The other two were cleared of the charges against them in May.

The judges in the trial, three hand-picked national security justices, ruled that the democrats’ plan was to abuse their control of the legislature to trigger a “constitutional crisis” by vetoing the budget, shutting down the government and forcing the chief executive to resign.

April 28 (UPI) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party were poised to lead a fourth consecutive government late Monday, as voters of the Great White North had their say in a federal election that was dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump, his trade war and threats of annexation.

According to early Tuesday election results from Elections Canada, the center-left Liberal Party had secured 167 of the 343 seats in Parliament, but it was still too early to tell whether it would form a minority or majority government, the latter requiring a minimum of 172 seats.

“Who’s ready to stand up for Canada with me?” Carney asked his cheering supporters in Ottawa in what was essentially a victory speech. “And who’s ready to build Canada strong?”

Carney spoke of the Canadian values of humility, ambition and unity that he will work to uphold every day as prime minister.

His victory marks a dramatic about-face from late last year, when it appeared the Liberals were headed for a Conservative defeat. What changed was the resignation in January of increasingly unpopular Prime Minister and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau — and the return of Trump to the White House. Since late January, Trump has upended the once-strong U.S.-Canada relationship with threats of annexation and the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, cars and auto parts.

The Liberal Party has since ridden a wave of anti-American sentiment that has taken over Canada and Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, has repeatedly described Trump’s actions as a “betrayal” and a fundamental shift in the U.S.-Canada relationship.

In his speech early Tuesday, Carney said Trump’s threats were designed “to break us so that America can own us.”

“That will never, ever happen,” he said.

“When I sit down with President Trump, it will be to discuss the future economic and security relationship between two sovereign nations and it will be with our full knowledge that we have many, many other options than the United States to build prosperity for all Canadians.”

“We will chart a new path forward because this is Canada and we decide what will happen here.”

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the right-leaning Conservative Party, spoke to his supports — also in the capital Ottawa — and conceded defeat, stating, “We didn’t quite get over the finish line.”

“We know that change is needed but change is hard to come by. It takes time, work, and that’s why we have to learn the lessons of tonight.”

The Conservative Party won 145 seats.

He also congratulated Carney on his “razor-thin” government victory, generating boos from the crowd, which he quieted by stating “there will be plenty of opportunity to debate and disagree, but tonight we come together as Canadians.”

However, it was not clear early Tuesday whether Poilievre would be able to hold onto his seat in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, where he was in a tight race against Liberal challenger Bruce Fanjoy.

Left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh also stepped down after conceding his Burnaby Central riding. In an emotional speech, Singh said “It’s been the honor of my life to represent the people of Burnaby Central.”

“We may lose sometimes and those losses hurt. You know, it’s tough. But we are only defeated if we stop fighting,” he said. “We’re only defeated when we believe that those that tell us that we can never dream of a better Canada, a fairer Canada, a more compassionate Canada.”

The defeat to the NDP also sets it up to lose its official party status. The NDP’s seven seats falls below the 12-seat threshold.

The Bloc Quebecois won 23 seats.

Poilievre, often viewed as a populist politician in the Trump mold, ran on a platform focused on cuts to government funding, the loosening environmental regulations to allow for deeper exploitation of natural resources and reducing bureaucracy.

The election had seen around 7.3 million Canadians cast early ballots, up from the 5.8 million who voted early in 2021 federal election.

In-person voting began at 7 a.m. EDT in Canada’s easternmost province, Newfoundland and Labrador.

While final results in Canada’s federal election were expected Monday night, the process will be a bit slower than in the United States. Canada uses paper ballots, which are counted by hand in front of representatives for each candidate. Each polling station’s results are then reported to Elections Canada before being released online.

April 28 (UPI) — Spain and Portugal declared a state of emergency after an all-encompassing power failure struck those nations as well as Belgium, Andorra and France.

As of around 12:30 p.m. local time, issues with the European electric grid were reported. Power went out across most of the Iberian Peninsula, affecting 48.4 million people in Spain and 10.6 million in Portugal. Parts of southwest France’s Basque Country also briefly lost electricity.

In a state of emergency, regions can ask the central government to take over public order and other things.

There was a “technical issue” when the Spanish grid was disconnected from the broader European one, a European trade body told the BBC’s The World Tonight. Kristian Ruby, the general secretary of EURELECTRIC, described the outage as a “50-year, if not 100-year incident….something very very rare.”

Ruby added: “Now, judging from that situation alone, you wouldn’t think that would cause a power cut across the entire Iberian peninsula, so my assessment is there is likely to have been other elements in this equation that have caused this situation.”

As of 11 p.m., 51% of Spain’s electricity was restored and 70% of substations were back up.

Those without power were plunged into darkness.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “a long night lies ahead” but to fully expect power to be restored Tuesday.

“The situation is very asymmetrical across the country,” he said. “Some autonomous communities have already recovered up to 97% of their supply, while others, unfortunately, are below 15%.”

He said authorities have not determined why the outage occurred.

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said there was “no indication” it was caused by a cyber attack. Portugal’s National Energy Network said earlier Monday it could take a week to return the full grid to normal.

Late afternoon, power operator REN said electricity was back for 2.5 million customers in Portugal.

Life drastically affected

Impacted hospitals have reportedly canceled surgeries, and Internet and mobile phone networks have also been affected.

Transportation has also been widely impacted, with trains trapped in tunnels between stations. Late Monday afternoon, Transport Minister Oscar Puente said 11 trains were stopped on tracks.

Puente said medium- and long-distance trains will be out until Tuesday.

Madrid’s Barajas International Airport and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado were closed. Air traffic control towers had battery power and generators.

Gas stations without generators were closed.

“I was driving and suddenly there was no traffic lights … It was a bit of a jungle,” Luis Ibanez Jimenez told CNN. “I saw a massive bus coming, and I had to accelerate a lot to go past it.”

The few open businesses only accepted cash.

The power outages impacted the 2025 Madrid Open, forcing the suspension of matches on Monday, officials said.

Help provided

France’s RTE transmission system operator announced it has mobilized teams to provide assistance.

Spain’s Interior Ministry deployed 30,000 officers for security concerns and roads where traffic signals were not working.

Madrid’s firefighters handled 174 “elevator interventions.”

The European Union, in a statement, said it was “in contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal as well as (European electricity transmission system operators’ network) ENTSO-E to understand the underlying cause and the impact of the situation.”

“As per EU legislation in place … there are protocols in place to restore the functioning of the system,” the statement read.

Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion, played against the ‘Class of 92’ throughout his career and felt this match was “the tie of the round”.

“They’ve been at the top of the game since 1992, 33 years, and are still at the top and still producing,” the Irishman said.

“As you get older it becomes a lot more difficult as players like me, Stephen Hendry, Alan McManus, Peter Ebdon have all found out. It’s hard to cope in terms of tension, intensity and also to be able to devote your life to the game.

“You become a father, a family man and it’s hard to dedicate themselves to the game but they still have the appetite, willingness and hunger and that’s an incredible talent as well.

“I’ve been logging heads with them for 30 years. I’ve beaten them all but also lost to them all in big finals. I just had great times playing them and you used to relish it as it was a great test of your own game.”

Doherty, who is part of the BBC TV team for the competition, felt the atmosphere would be electric.

“When you see them coming into the Crucible for their match they will get a standing ovation as they did in the Masters,” he added. “We might not see the kind of these three again so we have to enjoy them while we can. They’ve given the sport great entertainment, great matches and are still delivering.”

Shaun Murphy tipped Judd Trump, who beat him 13-10 on Monday, to win the title but thought the Williams-Higgins clash would be “fabulous for the sport”.

He added: “The Class of 92 are three of the best players we’ve ever seen and it’s wonderful we still get to watch them.

“None of them would be here if they didn’t want to be, they obviously love it enough to put themselves through it.”

April 28 (UPI) — Dutch curators are considering “next steps” after a child damaged a $56 million painting by American artist Mark Rothko while visiting a museum in Rotterdam.

“The work by Rothko — Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 — has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,” a spokesperson at the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen confirmed. “It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work.”

The painting from 1960 was being displayed at the museum’s Depot as the main building undergoes renovations, which are expected to be completed in 2030.

Rothko’s abstract paintings, known for their “floating color fields,” were produced from 1949 until 1970, when the artist died. Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 was acquired by Boijmans in 1970. It is one of only two Rothko paintings in the Netherlands and is among the museum’s most valuable pieces.

Boijmans, which is keeping the identity of the child and parents private, has not determined who will pay for the painting’s repair. In the past, the museum has billed visitors who damaged artworks on display, as fine art insurance policies typically cover “all risks associated with physical loss and damage to artwork.”

That includes “accidental damage caused by children or visitors, albeit with certain exclusions,” said Rachel Myrtle, head of Specie and Fine Arts of Aon.

Restoration experts are currently working to determine the best course of action to repair the Rothko painting before it can be displayed again.

“We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,” the museum spokesperson told BBC. “Conservation expertise has been sought in the Netherlands and abroad. We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting.”

Modern, unvarnished paintings are “particularly susceptible to damage,” according to Sophie McAloone, conservation manager at the Fine Art Restoration Company.

This is “owing to a combination of their complex modern materials, lack of a traditional coating layer and intensity of flat color fields, which make even the smallest areas of damage instantly perceptible,” McAloone added.

“In this case, scratching of the upper paint layers can have a significant impact on the viewing experience of the piece.”

The 35-year-old could become the first player to top £2m in prize money in a single season if he wins the world title, the prize for which is £500,000.

Trump, speaking to BBC Two, said: “Shaun was in a world of his own for four or five frames and I was a little bit worried, but I had to back myself in that last frame.

“In the past I’ve been a bit hard on myself but I’m a lot stronger mentally and I’ve learned to appreciate the losses and use them as motivation.

“I’m a lot more confident this year, I’m hitting the ball a lot better. I probably have a bit more belief in myself and I feel a lot more calm.”

On his chances of winning a second world title, he added: “Pretty much every single day [you play] now you are looking to that next session every time.

“It’s only going to get tougher, we’re not even halfway there now. It was an extremely tough draw to be playing Shaun at this stage, with the form he was in.”

More to follow.

April 28 (UPI) — North Korea gave the first official confirmation Monday that its troops were fighting in the ranks of the Russian Army in its war against Ukraine.

The Central Military Commission said in a statement issued via the state-run KCNA news agency that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had ordered the troops be deployed in line with the country’s commitment to come to Russia’s aid under a mutual defense pact signed by Pyongyang and Moscow in June.

The statement claimed the North Korean contingent had aided the recapture of Kursk province from Ukrainian forces at the weekend, eight months after parts of the region were occupied following a counteroffensive by Kyiv.

It said the campaign had been “victoriously concluded” and that North Korea was “honoured to have an alliance with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation.”

“Comrade Kim Jong Un defined it as a sacred mission for further consolidating as firm as a rock the traditional friendship and solidarity between the DPRK and Russia,” it added.

“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” said Kim, promising that a monument to their sacrifice would be erected in Pyongyang and that flowers would be placed on the tombs of those who fell in battle.

Kim also pledged “preferential treatment” and care for the families of troops who participated in the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday heaped praise on North Korea, Kim and units of the Korean People’s Army for their help in “liberating” the Kursk Region, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

“Our North Korean friends’ move was guided by a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine camaraderie. We highly appreciate this and are sincerely grateful, personally to the Chairman of the State Affairs Committee, Comrade Kim Jong-un, as well as to the entire leadership and the people of North Korea,” Putin said.

“We commend the North Korean soldiers’ heroism, their excellent training and dedication displayed while fighting, shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers, defending our Motherland as their own. They fulfilled their duty with honor and valor, covering themselves with unfading glory.”

Ukraine dismissed Russian claims that its forces had been routed in Kursk as propaganda, insisting the fighting was continuing in parts of the province.

No mention was made of the numbers of North Korean troops deployed or casualties sustained, but the acknowledgement from Pyongyang was the first time the secretive Marxist-Leninist state has admitted providing reinforcements for Russia’s war effort, despite United States, South Korea and Ukraine saying it had sent up to 12,000 troops to fight in Kursk in the fall.

South Korea, which claims about 4,000 of the North Koreans have been killed or injured, said the statement from Pyongyang was an effective admission of “its criminal behavior.”

“Our military strongly urges North Korea to immediately cease its deceitful and inhumane actions that threaten international peace and force the sacrifice of its residents through illegal military dispatches,” the South Korean National Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

The troop deployment provides much-needed 21st-century combat experience for North Korean forces, which have not fought a war in more than five decades, with the lack of modern battlefield smarts a major chink in its armor, according to experts.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed two Chinese citizens fighting in the Russian army had been taken prisoner.

Zelensky said the two Chinese fighters were detained in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, which borders Russia. They were identified from documents, bank cards and personal information discovered on them when they were captured.

He said he believed the Kremlin’s ranks likely contained many more soldiers from the East Asian ally of Russia.

April 28 (UPI) — Canadians will vote for their next prime minister Monday, in a decision about which leader will guide the country through its current relationship with the United States.

Interim Prime Minister Mark Carney has been in charge since fellow Liberal Party member Justin Trudeau resigned from office in March, after polls indicated a loss to the Conservative Party in the federal election was likely.

Carney arrived at a time when United States President Donald Trump had recently changed the general relationship between the two countries with threats of annexation by the United States, which was followed by the institution of 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, cars and auto parts.

As Trump changed the relationship between the United States and Canada, polls in Canada also changed, in which the Liberal Party shored up support in a patriotic wave, which currently spots Carney and his party as the likely winners.

If the Conservative Party wins it would see its leader, Pierre Poilievre, step into the role of prime minister.

Poilievre ran on a platform focused on cuts to government funding, the lessening of environmental laws to allow for deeper use of natural resources and a reduction of bureaucracy.

The election has already seen around 7.3 million Canadians take part in early ballot submittals, up from the 5.8 million who voted early in 2021 federal election.

In-person voting began at 7 a.m. EDT in Canada’s easternmost province, Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2022, Australia and New Zealand joined the United States and Canada to form a four-team competition that would serve as a qualifier for the newly-formed WXV.

The tournament, which ran without Australia and the Black Ferns in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, was first won by Canada, before New Zealand picked up the trophy in their debut season.

However, Canada produced an impressive 22-19 win over the world champions in Christchurch to win their second title last year and offer up a timely statement before WXV1.

Before playing England in a home WXV1 title decider in October, lock Tyson Beukeboom said Canada’s goal was to “win the World Cup next year”.

Errors proved costly as Canada, who are ranked second in the world despite being an amateur outfit, missed out on the opportunity to defeat the World Cup hosts, losing 21-12, but their performance added a serious contender to the mix.

In March, Rugby Canada announced they were 30% of the way through a fundraising campaign to “win the Rugby World Cup 2025” in England, with the goal to raise $1m (£775,000).

If Canada and New Zealand win their World Cup pools and quarter-finals, they will face off in Bristol in the final four.

Victory for Canada would then potentially set up a re-run of the 2014 World Cup final with England, which England won 21-9.

Given Canada or the Black Ferns will likely make the final, Mitchell may fancy a trip to his native New Zealand to watch on when they play on 17 May in Christchurch.

April 27 (UPI) — A hotel in the Japanese city of Kyoto asked an Israeli traveler who had served in the Israeli Defense Forces to voluntarily sign a declaration asserting that he had not committed any war crimes during his time in the military.

The Wind Villa Guesthouse shared on social media a copy of the form it asked the former Israeli Navy fighter to sign last week, noting that the business was later visited by officials in Kyoto who inquired about the incident after a complaint from the Israeli Embassy.

“The city official also told us that the city’s staff had been told that the pledge was discriminatory against Israelis. The city official also asked whether Israelis are the only ones who are required to fill out the form,” the hotel owners said.

“We ask all guests who may have committed war crimes to sign a pledge. It is not discriminatory because it is not intended only for Israelis.”

The hotel asserted that Israel is a garrison state with mandatory military conscription at the age of 18 for nearly all its Jewish citizens. It added that “cannot be ignored” that Israeli men may have been involved in military operations since October 7, 2023.

“The pledge refers only to acts of war crimes and does not call for disapproval of military operations,” the hotel said in its statement. “Since international humanitarian law must be observed by everyone, regardless of nationality, we believe that all human beings retain the right to affirm their non-involvement in war crimes.”

The hotel said that up until the most recent guest, no others had refused to fill out the form. It did not disclose exactly how many people had been asked to sign it.

“Just because the Israeli Embassy claims this is discrimination, the Japanese administration should not uncritically accept it and put pressure on its own citizens, but should examine both sides’ claims neutrally and fairly, and make its own judgment,” it said.

Days after the initial post, the hotel published a letter purporting to be from Gilad Cohen, Israel’s ambassador to Japan. In it, Cohen called the incident “deeply troubling” and said it “raises serious concerns about discriminatory practices” at the hotel.

“This discriminatory act, based solely on nationality, caused the guest significant emotional distress and discomfort. We view this incident as highly serious and unacceptable,” Gilad purportedly said in the letter.

“Singling out individuals in this manner stands in clear violation of Japan’s Hotel Business Law and of the values of equality and non-discrimination that we believe are shared by our two nations.”

Gilad asked for the hotel to make “sincere” efforts to deliver an apology to the guest. The hotel said Saturday that a response to the Israeli Embassy is currently being prepared.

The news was confirmed Saturday in a report from the Israeli newspaper Ynet, which spoke to the Israeli traveler.

“The clerk handed me this form and told me that without signing it, I wouldn’t be allowed to check in,” the man, who served as a combat medic, told the newspaper. “It’s ridiculous and absurd. I told him we don’t kill women and children. Why would we do that?”

Last year, another Kyoto hotel operator issued an apology after it refused to let an Israeli man stay at the hotel.

Watch as Judd Trump knocks in his 100th century break of the 2024-25 season.

It is the second time that the world number one has reached this milestone and it will earn him a £100,000 bonus from the World Snooker Tour.

READ MORE: Trump pockets £100,000 prize for 100 centuries

Available to UK users only.

Syria’s arrears to the World Bank total roughly $15m.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have announced that they will settle Syria’s debt to the World Bank totalling roughly $15m, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, in the latest effort to help reverse the economic fortunes of a nation beset by years of war.

Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach to Syria’s new interim government since the ouster of longtime leader President Bashar al-Assad in December.

“The ministries of finance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state of Qatar jointly announce their commitment to settle Syria’s outstanding arrears to the World Bank Group, totalling around $15 million,” the statement said on Sunday.

It came just days after Syria’s central bank governor and finance minister attended the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings for the first time in more than 20 years.

The World Bank had suspended operations in Syria after the start of the war, which began with a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring in 2011. The settlement of the country’s arrears will enable it to resume accessing the bank’s financial support and technical advice.

“This commitment will pave the way for the World Bank Group to resume support and operations in Syria after a suspension of more than 14 years,” the statement said.

“It will also unlock Syria’s access to financial support in the near term for the development of critical sectors.”

Al-Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive by opposition fighters led by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham armed group last December.

Syria’s new government has sought to rebuild the country’s diplomatic ties, including with international financial institutions. It also counts on wealthy Gulf Arab states to play a pivotal role in financing the reconstruction of Syria’s war-ravaged infrastructure and reviving its economy.

The government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa also wants to transition away from the corrupt system that gave al-Assad loyalists privileged access to government contracts and kept key industries in the hands of the al-Assad family.

Earlier this month, a United Nations official said that Syria’s authorities should begin the process of economic recovery, without waiting for Western sanctions imposed under al-Assad’s rule to be lifted.

April 27 (UPI) — The Vatican released photos of the tomb of Pope Francis as it was opened for public viewing Sunday. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Saturday.

The release of the photos came as more than 13,000 people were ushered into the basilica to view the tomb Sunday, and several thousand more were lined up outside, according to the Italian news agency ANSA, citing information from police.

More than 20,000 people filed into the basilica to view the tomb on Sunday, with several thousand more waiting outside, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing the police.

The Vatican said all of the cardinals in Rome visited the tomb Sunday where they recited the Second Vespers, which are prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

“Behind them, groups of worshippers joined in, while others continued to arrive during the celebration to pay their respects to Pope Francis,” Vatican state media reported. “An estimated twenty thousand people had already visited the tomb since the early morning.”

Francis, who was 88 when he died last Monday, became the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century and the first in more than 300 years to be buried at St. Mary Major.

England’s Marco Penge claimed his maiden DP World Tour title – just two months after returning from a betting ban.

The 26-year-old was given a three-month ban in December for placing bets on multiple events, with one month suspended for a year.

Since returning to action, Penge had finished third at the South African Open in March, and followed that up by securing a three-shot victory at the Hainan Classic in China on Sunday.

Penge, who joined the European-based tour last year, started the day in a share of the lead with China’s Xiao Bowen and was one shot behind Sean Crocker as he began the back nine.

But he hit three straight birdies from the 12th to go clear before finishing with a five-under 67 to seal the win on 17 under par.

American Crocker finished in a tie for second with Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan on 14 under, with Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen a shot further back.

“This means the world to me,” said Penge. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamt of achieving – winning on the biggest stage.

“After my time off it was the thing that I wanted to really prove to myself and prove to everyone, to show what a player I am.

“My caddie, through that time, has been my rock. And my wife and my whole team – I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”

Victory saw Penge finish third on the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing standings so he also earned a spot at the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who finished in a tie for 11th on Sunday, was top of the standings ahead of Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, so both will also be heading to the year’s second major next month.

April 26 (UPI) — Gunfire exchanges between Pakistani and Indian military forces continued for a second day on Saturday across the Kashmir border between the two nations.

Indian military officials reported Pakistani forces fired across a cease-fire line at several locations with no provocation and without causing any casualties, The Guardian reported Saturday.

Indian forces returned fire but also did not inflict any casualties, Al Jazeera reported.

The gunfire exchanges occurred after several gunmen killed 26 tourists when they emerged from wooded areas and fired at the tourists in the Baisaran Valley tourist town of Pahalgam, Kashmir, on Tuesday.

The Pakistani-based Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack and is a subset of the Laskhar-e-Taiba terror organization.

The attackers allegedly asked those killed if they were Muslim or Hindu and shot those who said they were Hindu, The Guardian reported. All of those killed were male.

Kashmir is a contested area in northwestern India along the border with Pakistan. Both nations claim sovereignty over the region, which has a mostly Muslim population.

Pahalgam is a popular tourist destination and is called the “Switzerland of India” due to its location near the Himalaya Mountains.

Indian officials closed the primary border crossing linking India and Pakistan on Wednesday and suspended a water-sharing agreement with Pakistan, the BBC reported.

Indian officials also expelled Pakistani diplomats and gave Pakistani visa holders 48 hours to leave the country.

India blames Pakistan for the attack and previously accused Pakistani officials of supporting armed groups, including the Resistance Front and its parent organization.

Pakistani officials deny the accusation and have said they are “fully prepared to cooperate with any neutral investigators” regarding the Pahalgam attack.

Pakistan responded to its diplomats being expelled from India by expelling Indian diplomats, canceling visas held by Indians and closing its airspace to Indian aircraft.

Pakistani officials also suspended the 1972 Shimla accord that enables dialogue between the leaders of both nations.

ALL eyes will be on the Crucible for the next couple of weeks as the very best cueists from around the globe battle it out at the World Snooker Championship – and there is a HUGE £500,000 jackpot.

Last year’s winner, Kyren Wilson, went into Sheffield as top seed after he claimed the crown with an 18-14 win over Jak Jones in the 2024 final.

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But the Kettering legend felt the raft of the Crucible Curse as he went crashing out in the first round at the hands of Chinese star Lei Peifan.

World No1 Judd Trump will be heavily tipped to take the title this year as the Ace aims to add to his 2019 world championship triumph.

Seven-time Crucible winner Ronnie O’Sullivan hasn’t featured since January but is set to make his return to snooker in Sheffield.

John Higgins heads into the World Championship as the man in form after the Scotsman won the Tour Championship earlier this month.

This year’s competition promises to be a thriller, and SunSport brings you all the information so you don’t miss a second from the Crucible.

When is the World Snooker Championship 2025?

• The World Snooker Championship got underway on Saturday, April 19.
• The tournament will conclude on Monday, May 5.
• The Crucible in Sheffield will host.

How to watch the World Snooker Championship 2025

BBC will air the World Snooker Championship across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four.

The BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport app/website will provide fans with coverage of every ball potted from the opening round to the final.

TNT Sports and discovery+ will also be airing the World Snooker Championship, but you must have a subscription to watch their service.

World Snooker Championship 2025 schedule

Saturday, April 19 (round one)
10am

• Xiao Guoddong 10-4 Matthew Selt
• Kyren Wilson 9-10 Lei Peifan

2:30pm

• Neil Robertson 8-10 Chris Wakelin
• Mark Williams 10-8 Wu Yize

7pm

• Barry Hawkins 9-10 Hossein Vafaei

Sunday, April 20 (round one)
2:30pm

• Mark Allen 10-6 Fan Zhengyi

Monday, April 21 (round one)
10am

• John Higgins 5-4 Joe O’Connor (first session)
• Jak Jones 4-10 Zhao Xintong

2:30pm

• Ding Junhui 6-3 Zak Surety (first session)
• John Higgins 10-7 Joe O’Connor

7pm

• Si Jiahui 6-3 David Gilbert (first session)

Tuesday, April 22 (round one)
10am

• Zhang Anda 5-3 Pang Junxu (first session)
• Shaun Murphy 7-2 Daniel Wells (first session)

2:30pm

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-4 Ali Carter (first session)
• Ding Junhui 10-7 Zak Surety (second session)

7pm

• Judd Trump 6-3 Zhou Yuelong (first session)
• Si Jiahui 10-6 David Gilbert (second session)

Wednesday, April 23 (round one)
10am

• Zhang Anda 7-10 Pang Junxu (second session)
• Shaun Murphy 10-4 Daniel Wells (second session)

2:30pm

• Luca Brecel 5-4 Ryan Day (first session)
• Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-4 Ali Carter (second session)

7pm

• Mark Selby vs Ben Woollaston
• Judd Trump 10-4 Zhou Yuelong (second session)

Thursday, April 24 (round two unless stated)
10am

• Luca Brecel 10-7 Ryan Day (second session)

1pm

• Chris Wakelin 6-2 Mark Allen (first session)

7pm

• John Higgins 8-8 Xiao Guodong (first session)

Friday, April 25
10am

• Hossein Vafaei 4-4 Mark Williams (first session)
• Chris Wakelin 12-4 Mark Allen (second session)

2.30pm

• Lei Peifan 3-5 Zhao Xintong (first session)

7pm

• Hossein Vafaei 9-7 Mark Williams (second session)
• Chris Wakelin 13-6 Mark Allen

Saturday, April 26
10am

• John Higgins 13-12 Xiao Guodong (second session)
• Lei Peifan 6-10 Zhao Xintong (second session)

2:30pm

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 Pang Junxu

7pm

• Si Jiahui 5-3 Ben Woollaston
• Luca Brecel 7-1 Ding Junhui

Sunday, April 27
10am

• Shaun Murphy vs Judd Trump
• Lei Peifan 6-10 Zhao Xintong (third session)

2:30pm

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 Pang Junxu (second session)
• Luca Brecel 7-1 Ding Junhui (second session)

7pm

• Si Jiahui 5-3 Ben Woollaston (second session)
• Shaun Murphy v Judd Trump

April 26 (UPI) — The United States and Iran on Saturday concluded their third round of “indirect” nuclear talks mediated by host Oman with both sides seeing progress in reaching a deal.

U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff again led American negotiators.

“The talks in Muscat were positive and productive. There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” a senior U.S. official said in a statement obtained by Axios.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that he thinks “our progress so far has been good. We are satisfied with the course of the negotiations. Both sides are showing seriousness.”

He said talks have become more technical.

“We are now gradually moving from general topics to more specialized issues,” Araghchi said. “Today, we had economic experts present, and I expect that from the next session, an expert from the Atomic Energy Organization will also join.”

The two sides exchanged opinions in writing several times during this round. Omani officials served as mediators with the two sides in separate rooms like the previous two negotiations.

Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, headed the 12-member technical team of experts from U.S. government agencies

Leaders in both nations will review matters before the next meeting be in seven days. Oman will decide the next location. The first talks were in Muscar, Oman, on April 12 and the next in Rome on April 19. Technical talks also took place on Wednesday.

Iranian officials are “hopeful, but extremely cautious,” Araghchi said.

The talks only dealt with nuclear and Iran’s top diplomat said they “will not accept negotiating on any other issues.”

The mediator, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, posted on X the talks “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments. Core principles, objectives, and technical concerns were all addressed.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said if a new deal isn’t reached, military action is threatened.

In an interview with Time magazine published Friday, Trump said “we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can.”

During his first term, Trump pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated during former President Barack Obama‘s presidency.

The agreement was reached in 2015 between Iran, the United States and other world powers for Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. Iran resumed its nuclear activities after the deal was scrapped.