Mumbai Indians chased 221 to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in the IPL opener on March 29-30, 2026. Rohit Sharma led the chase with a 38-ball 78, sharing a 148-run opening stand with Ryan Rickelton (81). Rohit’s knock also took him past Virat Kohli to become the highest run-scorer against a single IPL side, amassing 1,161 runs versus KKR. Shardul Thakur’s three wickets (3-39) and Jasprit Bumrah’s late control helped restrict KKR after Ajinkya Rahane’s 67 propelled them to 220-4. The match generated controversy when Rahane deflected questions about Australian signing Cameron Green’s absence from the bowling attack with “ask Cricket Australia.” CA later confirmed Green is managing a lower-back complaint, will abstain from bowling for around 10-12 days and that KKR had been informed. Mahela Jayawardene said Suryakumar Yadav’s use as an impact substitute was precautionary for a tight groin. Former India captain Anil Kumble praised Rohit’s “2.0” form, while the result snapped MI’s 13-year run of losing season openers.

Australian police say a man they believe to be Desmond “Dezi” Freeman was shot dead during a three-hour standoff at a remote property in Thologolong, Victoria, on Monday (March 30–31, 2026), ending a 216‑day manhunt. Freeman, 56, is suspected of fatally shooting two officers and wounding a third at Porepunkah on August 26, 2025. Victoria Police Special Operations Group officers confronted the fugitive in a converted shipping container or caravan on Murray River Road after receiving a tip-off; police say he emerged wrapped in a blanket carrying a pistol believed to be a service weapon from one of the slain officers. No officers were injured in the operation. A formal identification, forensic examinations and an independent inquiry including the coroner are under way. Authorities are also investigating whether others assisted Freeman during his months on the run; the rural property’s owner, reported to be Richard Sutherland, has said he was away in Tasmania. Victoria Police had offered a A$1 million reward during the extensive search operation.

Pope Leo XIV used his Palm Sunday homily (March 29–30, 2026) to condemn leaders who invoke Jesus to justify armed conflict, saying “God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.” His remarks came as the U.S.–Israeli campaign against Iran enters its second month and follow controversy over U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who led a Pentagon prayer invoking “overwhelming violence of action” against enemies. On the same weekend Israeli police barred the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to mark Palm Sunday, citing security concerns tied to Iranian missile strikes. The move provoked sharp criticism from Italy, France, Spain, the European Union and U.S. diplomats. After international backlash, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered authorities to grant the patriarch “full and immediate access” and said there was no malicious intent. The Latin Patriarchate described the initial denial as a “grave precedent.” The episode has spotlighted tensions over freedom of worship in Jerusalem’s Old City and raised renewed debate about the use of religious language by political and military leaders in the Iran war.

President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on March 29 that the U.S. military is building a “massive complex” beneath a privately funded, $400 million ballroom he is having constructed on the site of the demolished East Wing. Trump displayed renderings of the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom and described the surface structure as a “shed” for the subterranean facility, saying windows will be “high‑grade bulletproof” and the roof “drone‑proof.” The project, which began after the East Wing was razed in October 2025, has prompted legal and preservation challenges. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit in December 2025 seeking to halt work, arguing required reviews and congressional approvals were bypassed; a federal judge has signalled he could rule soon on whether to enjoin construction. The National Capital Planning Commission is due to vote on the proposals in early April. White House officials and Trump have defended the build as necessary for security and state functions and say private donors are funding the work; the administration has declined to provide further details about the underground component, citing security concerns.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week heard arguments in a high-profile challenge to President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed Jan. 20, 2025, that seeks to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully present or temporarily here. The consolidated case, argued on April 1, 2026, tests the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment and longstanding precedent from United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898). The administration asks the court to limit the clause to persons “subject to the jurisdiction” in ways that would exclude many children of immigrants; lower courts have blocked the order from taking effect. Critics, including civil-rights groups and legal scholars, say the government’s briefs recycle 19th-century arguments tied to anti-Black and anti-Chinese racism — citing figures such as Alexander Porter Morse and Francis Wharton — and warn that narrowing birthright citizenship could leave hundreds of thousands of U.S.-born children with insecure status and disrupt education, benefits, identity documents and elections. The White House defends the move as restoring the amendment’s original meaning. A decision is expected months from now.