The 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup will see 14 nations in action – an increase from the last two editions – with 10 teams now having direct entry into the competition.

Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified by virtue of hosting the event. The remaining eight direct qualification places will be taken by the top eight sides in the ICC ODI rankings as of 30 September.

Afghanistan are very certain to be in the top eight after a stunning victory in Belfast over Ireland.

The sides likely to be awarded direct qualification are defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and Afghanistan as well as hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The West Indies face a tough road to the World Cup with a current 10th place ranking. They have two ODIs left against India before the September 30 deadline but even winning both matches will not be enough to get them into the top eight.

Consequently, the West Indies will be required to play in the World Cup Qualifier to be held in February 2027 to earn qualification for the tournament.

“The Associate nations will have to pass a number of stages on the qualification path. The 12 teams in the Challenge League will be split into two groups with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Qualifier Play-off.

The top four sides from the eight-team Cricket World Cup League 2, meanwhile, will progress directly to the World Cup Qualifier.

The last four World Cup places will be determined in a 10-team Qualifier from 22 February to 23 March 2027.

Mishal Pakistan’s transparency report 2026 shows that over half Pakistanis are positive about the direction the country is heading, with 52% of respondents feeling confident about the future of the country.

Mishal Pakistan has launched The State of Transparency in Pakistan 2026, a state and government level analysis of transparency, accountability, public confidence and governance.

This is the first complete national assessment of the quality of governance in Pakistan, using the TARL paradigm in the dimensions of transparency, accountability, rule of law and public confidence.

The report is based on the opinions of 2,000 respondents from around the country.

According to the report, 45 per cent of the respondents were aged between 18 and 25 years and 35pc were aged between 26 and 35 years. Around 67pc were graduates, 32pc with a master’s degree and 1pc with a doctorate degree.

Pakistan has a broad accountability framework, the report stated, adding that rules exist at the federal level and in all four provinces enabling public access to information.

The Public Accounts Committee performs extensive scrutiny of organisations and agencies on the basis of Auditor General’s yearly reports, it stated. The Auditor General of Pakistan completed 683 audits throughout 29 subordinate offices which identified anomalies totalling Rs224 billion.

The report further mentioned that major regulatory authorities, including the State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, NEPRA, NAB, Auditor General and HEC, regularly publish yearly performance reports.

Social media has become a significant source of information. About 25% of respondents mentioned Facebook as their main source, 20% WhatsApp. But 58% found social media news to be deceptive. Television was named as a source of information by 15% and no respondent mentioned newspapers.

The report concluded that the public trusted institutions in varied degrees. About 34% believed that Parliament would strengthen financial discipline and 34% had confidence that Parliament would establish Pakistan as an Islamic welfare state.

Meanwhile, 52% of respondents said the government is operating based on long-term vision and 36% said the administration is influenced by popular opinion. Around 43% said they trust policymakers’ ability, 39% trust police reforms and 40% trust the higher judiciary.

The armed forces had maximum institutional trust with 82% of respondents saying they had confidence in their role in securing Pakistan’s borders.

The paper investigated public knowledge about regulatory bodies. 90% knew about Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, 95% about FBR and 90% about HEC.

On digital governance, 52% stated that e-government platforms were increasing service delivery, while 54% thot that Pakistan was moving toward a digital future. Overall, 52 percent of respondents were optimistic about the long-term direction of Pakistan.

– US military operations in Yemen killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 in 2025, a US official said on Tuesday, citing Pentagon assessments, marking a sharp increase from the previous year.

The figures represent a sharp increase from 2024, when Pentagon assessments found that two civilians were killed and two injured in US military operations.

A Pentagon report submitted to Congress and published by US media said all civilian deaths and injuries recorded in 2025 resulted from three US strikes in Yemen.

The report said US Central Command assessed that the three strikes, carried out in April 2025, “more likely than not” resulted in civilian harm.

The Pentagon also said that, as of February 2026, Central Command was assessing 15 other incidents in Yemen following reports received from non-governmental organisations.

The US military has said its operations in Yemen are aimed at degrading the capabilities of Houthi militants.

The Pentagon report did not include casualties from US strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

According to the report, as of February 1, 2026, US Southern Command assessed that there were no incidents in its area of responsibility in 2025 in which civilian casualties “more likely than not resulted” from US military operations.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out strikes on vessels it accuses of transporting narcotics in the eastern Pacific, describing those targeted as “narco-terrorists”.

US military strikes on the vessels have killed more than 200 people since September 2025, according to a Reuters tally based on death tolls released after each strike.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings, while the American Civil Liberties Union has criticised the Trump administration’s allegations against those targeted as “unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims”.