ANKARA-(MaraviPost)-The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has taken unprecedented action, suspending 1,024 players across all levels of the country’s football system amid an ongoing investigation into illegal betting and match-fixing.
According to a statement released by the TFF on Tuesday night the suspensions come after weeks of intelligence gathering in cooperation with the Turkish National Police and the Ministry of Sports.
The investigation reportedly uncovered extensive evidence linking several players, club officials and betting syndicates to suspicious betting activities that influenced match outcomes.
Among those suspended are 27 players from the Turkish Süper Lig, the country’s top flight, who have now been referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) for further hearings.
The federation confirmed that the players face possible lifetime bans if found guilty of manipulating games for financial gain.
TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi described the revelations as “the darkest moment in Turkish football in decades,” promising full transparency and zero tolerance for corruption.
The TFF has postponed all matches in the 3rd and 4th divisions for two weeks, citing the need to protect the integrity of the sport while investigations continue.
Clubs affected by the suspensions are expected to face serious disruptions, as many teams in the lower leagues have lost key players overnight.
Reports from indicate that investigators are also scrutinizing betting patterns connected to online platforms based in Cyprus, Eastern Europe and Asia, where large sums were wagered on low-tier Turkish games.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has announced plans to tighten anti betting laws and expand the Sports Integrity Unit, which will now monitor all professional and semi professional competitions in real time.
House Republicans say they have the votes to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, a vote today could send the bill to President Trump’s desk by nightfall. The FAA warns that flight disruptions will continue even after the government reopens, as air traffic controller shortages strain the nation’s aviation system. And the U.S. deploys its largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, escalating tensions with Venezuela.
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…..Former HRDC activist turns political ally, emphasizing commitment to governance over street activism.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Former rights activist and now Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) Vice President Timothy Mtambo has issued a fiery statement that is sending shockwaves through both critics and allies.
In the statement, Mtambo declared his unwavering loyalty to AFORD and the current Mutharika administration, signaling a clear political alignment.
He also moved to distance himself from alleged plans for nationwide protests, emphasizing that he will not support actions that could destabilize the country.
Mtambo, who was once the face of Malawi’s street activism through the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), acknowledged his past role in mobilizing citizens for civic causes.
However, he said that he is now fully committed to working within the political system, helping President Arthur Peter Mutharika and the government achieve their policy goals.
The former activist stressed that constructive engagement within government structures is more effective than demonstrations and confrontational tactics.
Mtambo’s statement underscores a broader shift in his political trajectory, from grassroots activism to formal participation in political leadership and governance.
Observers note that this move could strengthen AFORD’s influence in national politics while signaling to citizens that Mtambo intends to support stability rather than street-based protest.
Critics, however, may view his alignment with the Mutharika administration as a departure from his earlier activist principles, raising questions about the independence of former HRDC leaders now in politics.
Supporters argue that Mtambo’s transition reflects maturity in political strategy, focusing on delivering tangible results for the nation rather than relying on demonstrations.
By publicly rejecting plans for nationwide protests, Mtambo is also sending a message to fellow activists that dialogue and cooperation with government are the preferred channels for change.
This development marks a new chapter in Malawi’s political landscape, where former activists are increasingly integrating into formal political structures while maintaining influence over civic discourse.
Mtambo concluded his statement by reaffirming his dedication to AFORD’s values and promising to work diligently in collaboration with the government to advance national development.
The announcement has generated intense discussion among political analysts, civil society, and the general public, highlighting the evolving role of former HRDC leaders in shaping Malawi’s governance and political stability.
Bergeron, 70, served as a guest judge during the Tuesday, November 11, episode of the ABC reality competition series, joining Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough at the judges table to score the remaining couples’ dances.
Current host Alfonso Ribeiro kicked off the night by asking his dear friend Bergeron to introduce the show.
“I’d love too,” he said, shortly before new cohost Julianne Hough started tearing up when they all walked down the ballroom steps. The veteran host added, “I am thrilled to be here, it’s such a rush. So great to see you all, and we have a number of familiar faces in the audiences.”
Before taking a seat at the judge’s table, Bergeron revealed just what he was looking for from the remaining competitors.
“You’e a week away from the semifinals, so I’m looking for the type of dance that induces goosebumps,” he said. “But since I’m sitting next to Bruno, I’m also trying to avoid a concussion.”
Tonioli, for his part, showed off his signature hand gestures.
The 20th anniversary episode of Dancing With the Stars also included first round dances set to music from iconic freestyles throughout the show’s run and, for the first time ever, competitive dances by the celebrity contestants without their pro partners for bonus points.
Disney/Eric McCandless
As for Bergeron, he hosted Dancing With the Stars for its first 28 seasons. Over the years, he was joined by cohosts Lisa Canning in season 1, Samantha Harris for seasons 2 through 9, Brooke Burke for seasons 10 through 17 and Erin Andrews for seasons 18 through 28.
After serving as the main host since the June 2005 premiere, Bergeron and his then-cohost, Andrews, now 47, were axed in July 2020. Tyra Banks replaced the pair as the host of season 29, while current hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough took over in season 32.
“I think it’s all about evolution. I think any show like this that has been on many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve,” executive producer Andrew Llinares told reporters in September 2020 of the decision to part ways with Bergeron and Andrews. “I think changing the host was all about evolution, it was about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new [and] kind of make it reach out — maybe to a new audience as well, as well as the audience that’s been there for years.”
Bergeron’s exit came after he publicly criticized Dancing With the Stars for casting former White House press secretary Sean Spicer for season 28. He later confirmed the mounting tensions behind the scenes of the show factored into his departure.
“In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” he said during an October 2021 episode of the “Bob Saget’s Here for You” podcast. “So, the end of the season that turned out to be my last season [in 2019], I kind of knew. So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. … It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads.”
“I look at the math and 95 percent of my experience was really quite wonderful,” he noted during an October 2023 episode of Cheryl Burke’s “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast.
Bergeron is not the only familiar face to return to Dancing With the Stars during its milestone 20th year. Burke, 41, stopped by Halloween Night on October 28 to serve as a guest judge after concluding her lengthy tenure as a pro in 2022.
“It’s so special to go back home, I guess, to a place where I have spent most of my life in that ballroom,” Burke exclusively told Us Weekly on October 23.
Burke also reflected on her “heartbreaking” exit, describing it as “the hardest decision of my life.”
“I mean, I’ve spent most of my life on that show, so I think the umbilical cord is still attached,” she explained. “Like, I love the show, and I have so many great memories, and it’s changed my life. It helped me find my voice in general, like, when I look back at my audition, it’s just insanity. I would say that I am the woman I am today because of the show, and I am grateful to just even be asked back and to also bring another perspective.”
Sydney Sweeney is pulling back the curtain on how she was able to quickly lose the weight she gained for her role in the new film, Christy.
“I had to be really strict with myself,” the actress, 28, said of her dieting plan after wrapping Christy in an interview with People published on Monday, December 10. “When I was training, it was really hard to put on all the weight.”
Sweeney previously shared that she had gained 30 pounds while training to portray boxer Christy Martin.
“I was eating so much food. Like, everything you could possibly imagine,” she continued. “And then I was downing protein shake after protein shake and taking a lot of creatine, which just makes you bloat.”
After wrapping up Christy, Sweeney had seven weeks before production began on her next movie, The Housemaid, premiering on December 19. Sweeney also returned to film her hit TV series Euphoria, which began production for season 3 earlier this year.
To get back to her natural shape, Sweeney “stopped” all of her previous training methods.
“When you stop working out and taking all your protein shakes, you lose muscle super fast,” she explained. “It’s the first thing to go before fat. So, that I dropped within two weeks.”
On top of quitting her training routine, Sweeney also followed a “super clean” diet and performed “a lot of cardio.” The Anyone But You star credited her quick weight loss to her metabolism, which she explained “works really well.
“I don’t want to say this is super easy,” she said about her rapid weight loss. “But I’ve been a very active person my entire life. Like, I was a super active kid, and I’ve always kind of just stayed active and always had a good metabolism. I can gain weight, but I can lose it too.”
While Sweeney admitted she can morph her body for a role, “this might be the one and only” time she agrees to put herself through such a drastic physical change..
Earlier this year, Sweeney opened up about her transformation process for Christy a biopic that follows the life of Martin, who overcame an abusive ex-husband while becoming America’s best-known female boxer. The Euphoria star revealed in June that her body was “completely different” after training for “three and a half months.”
“I didn’t fit in any of my clothes,” she told W magazine at the time. “I’m usually a size 23 in jeans, and I was wearing a size 27. My boobs got bigger. And my butt got huge. It was crazy!”
Sweeney continued, “But it was amazing: I was so strong, like crazy strong.”
During her training period, Sweeney shared that she was inspired by Martin’s strength and tenacity.
“Christy’s story is beyond important to tell. She is inspiring and an ultimate underdog. She completely changed the way that women in sports and boxing have gone on in time past her,” Sweeney said in an October interview with SiriusXM. “I knew that every single detail that was going to go into this, every choice that I made, was going to be an important one. Having Christy by my side during it was the biggest gift I could have asked for.”
Judy Garland paved the way for many actresses, but maybe none more than “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo … we caught up with one of Judy’s two daughters, Lorna Luft, who couldn’t be happier about who’s walking in her mom’s…
LILONGWE-(MANA)-The Malawi Police at Kanengo station in Lilongwe have arrested a 37-year-old woman, Bertha Chikuni, for allegedly stealing two mobile phones worth over MK800,000 at a funeral vigil in Area 25A.
According to Kanengo Police Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Gresham Ngwira, the suspect was arrested following complaints from two mourners who reported missing phones during the vigil on November 6, 2025.
“The victims discovered that their phones had gone missing the following morning, prompting immediate investigations that led to the arrest of the suspect,” Ngwira said.
Ngwira said the suspect was traced to her residence in Area 50, where police recovered the stolen phones before she could sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
“Our officers acted swiftly upon receiving the report. During the search, both the Samsung and Itel smartphones were found in the suspect’s possession,” he said.
Police investigations have revealed that the suspect has been targeting funeral gatherings and other social events, where she takes advantage of people to steal their property.
“Preliminary findings show that this is not the first time she has committed such crimes, as she has been frequenting funerals and other gatherings to steal from unsuspecting people,” Ngwira explained.
Police have since advised members of the public to remain vigilant when attending gatherings such as funerals or worship services, where thieves often take advantage of the situation.
Chikuni, who hails from Mthunzi Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kayembe in Dowa, will appear in court soon to answer theft charges.
ALGIERS-(MaraviPost)-Algeria are quietly preparing one of their most ambitious recruitment drives in recent years, with the country’s football federation reportedly targeting PSG youngster Ethan Mbappé for a surprise national team switch once the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations wraps up.
The Football Association of Algeria, officials are mapping out a long term strategy to convince the 17-year-old midfielder to follow his roots and wear the green and white.
The approach is expected to lean heavily on family influence, particularly the role of his mother, Fayza Lamari, who has deep Algerian heritage and has been instrumental in guiding both Ethan and his older brother, Kylian, throughout their careers.
Algeria FA officials believe Lamari’s bond with Algeria could unlock a rare opportunity to secure one of the most promising talents emerging from France’s football system.
His voice has been central to major decisions in the Mbappé household, including contract renewals, sponsorship deals and career transitions.
What is making Algeria optimistic is the brutal competition within the French national team setup.
With Les Bleus stacked with elite midfielders and attacking prospects, breaking into the senior squad could take Ethan years, even if his development continues on its current upward trajectory.
That reality has reportedly left the door slightly open for a second national identity a scenario Algeria are eager to explore.
The timing of the move is no Algeria FA insiders say they want to create a fresh identity for the national team after AFCON 2025, where the Desert Foxes are under pressure to rebuild following recent struggles in major tournaments.
Adding a high-profile, internationally recognized young star would boost both the team’s sporting ambitions and the federation’s global profile.
Algeria has attempted similar switches before, targeting players with dual nationality to blend diaspora talent with local development. Some efforts succeeded, others collapsed under the weight of pressure from France or club influence.
Securing an Mbappé, however, would be a level of recruitment the country has never achieved.
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LIKOMA-(MANA)-Forty- eightpassengers who were stranded on Lake Malawi while travelling from Nkhata Bay to Likoma have been rescued following a coordinated response by Likoma District Council and security agencies.
Station Officer for Likoma Police, Widz Chingala confirmed the development on Tuesday, saying the passengers who were travelling on Ibaba Njema Boat, got stranded after the vessel’s engines failed in the middle of their journey from Nkhata Bay to Likoma on Monday.
“Speedboat belonging to Likoma District Health Office with another one carrying members of Lake Safety Unit have arrived at the site where the passengers were stranded and now the boat with passengers on board is being towed to Chizumulu Island,” said Chingala.
Disaster Risk Management Officer for Likoma District, Tamandani Nkhoma that her office took immediate action to ensure the passengers’ safety after receiving reports on the development.
“From what we have gathered, the boat’s engines malfunctioned and upon receiving the report, we dispatched a rescue boat to tow the vessel which is meant for cargo to the nearest landing area which is at Chizumulu Island,” said Nkhoma.
She added that her office is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
