Federal prosecutors told a Brooklyn court this week (March 4-5, 2026) they expect to extend formal plea agreements to 12 defendants in a sprawling federal probe of rigged high-stakes poker games that prosecutors say involved members of organised crime and prominent former professional athletes. More than 30 people were charged across two related indictments: one into mafia-backed, allegedly rigged poker games and a second involving insider sports-betting. The filings and a Wednesday status hearing set a trial date of Nov. 2, 2026. Key defendants include Hall of Famer and Portland coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones; both have pleaded not guilty to charges including money-laundering and wire-fraud conspiracies that carry up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have produced massive discovery — over 100,000 pages of records, more than 800 surveillance photos and multiple terabytes of electronic data, including pole-camera footage — and allege the schemes netted millions for cheating teams that used high-tech devices to manipulate games.

At Wankhede Stadium on April 16, 2026 Punjab Kings chased down Mumbai Indians’ 195-6 in 16.3 overs to win by seven wickets, handing Mumbai their fourth defeat in five matches. Quinton de Kock, filling in for the injured Rohit Sharma, produced an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls — his first hundred for Mumbai — and Naman Dhir added 50. But Prabhsimran Singh’s blistering unbeaten 80 off 39 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer’s 66 off 35 powered a 139-run stand that ended the chase early. Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh returned 3-22 and Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett and Marcus Stoinis provided late support. Mumbai’s bowling, including Jasprit Bumrah (wicketless for a fifth straight match), struggled to contain the onslaught. The result lifted Punjab to the top of the IPL table with nine points from five matches (four wins and a no-result), while Mumbai slipped to ninth with two points. Post-match, Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya acknowledged the need for urgent review and possible tough changes as his side search for form.

April 16 — The Golden State Warriors erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 in the Western Conference play-in game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Stephen Curry led the comeback with 35 points, making seven 3-pointers, and hit the go-ahead triple with 50.4 seconds left. Veteran Al Horford, who had just two points before the finish, drilled four 3-pointers in the final 5:37 and finished with 14 points as part of a game-ending 27-13 Warriors run. Kristaps Porziņģis added 20 points, and Gui Santos contributed 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland each scored 21, while Bennedict Mathurin led L.A. with 23 off the bench. The loss eliminates the Clippers and sends Golden State to a sudden-death play-in meeting with the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the West’s No. 8 seed; the winner will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

Lionel Messi has completed the acquisition of UE Cornellà, the Catalonia-based club announced on April 16, 2026. The Argentina captain and Inter Miami forward, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, has taken full ownership of the modest club from Cornellà de Llobregat; financial terms were not disclosed. UE Cornellà competes in Spain’s lower leagues (Tercera Federación / regional levels often reported as the fifth tier) and is known for a productive youth academy that helped develop players such as David Raya and Jordi Alba. The club said Messi’s arrival “marks the beginning of a new chapter,” with a strategic plan emphasising sporting and institutional growth, sustainability and local talent development. The purchase reinforces Messi’s long-standing ties to Barcelona and follows a recent spate of high-profile player investments in Spanish clubs, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s stake in Almería. The announcement did not outline immediate operational changes, investment amounts or timelines for promotion ambitions, but signalled a clear focus on youth development and strengthening the club’s institutional foundations.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced on April 16, 2026 that Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham will be eligible for end-of-season honors despite falling short of the league’s 65-game minimum. Dončić finished with 64 appearances after missing two December games to attend the birth of his daughter and later sustaining a hamstring strain; Cunningham played 63 qualified games after missing time with a collapsed lung. Both players won “extraordinary circumstances” challenges under the collective bargaining agreement and were placed on ballots for MVP and All-NBA teams. Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards filed a similar challenge but was denied by an independent arbitrator after registering 60 qualified games. The league has sent award ballots to voters a few days later than customary. The rulings reinstate Dončić and Cunningham in major award conversations and reignite debate over the clarity and consistency of the 65-game rule, which has left several stars — including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry — ineligible this season.

Nottingham Forest reached the Europa League semi-finals on April 16, 2026, beating 10-man FC Porto 1-0 at the City Ground to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate. Jan Bednarek was sent off after an eighth-minute high challenge on Chris Wood, and Morgan Gibbs-White capitalised four minutes later when his shot deflected in to settle the match. Gibbs-White celebrated by holding up team-mate Elliot Anderson’s No.8 shirt; Anderson was unavailable after the club confirmed the death of his mother. Forest endured a bruising evening as Chris Wood, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi were all forced off with injuries, leaving questions over their availability for crucial Premier League fixtures as the club fights to avoid relegation. The victory sets up an all-English Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa, with the winners heading to the final in Istanbul on May 20. Porto, Freiburg and Braga completed the quarter-final line-up in the other bracket. Clubs and supporters paid tribute to Anderson amid widespread condolences from both sets of players and officials.