SPORTS

Defending champion Novak Djokovic eased into the second round of the US Open with a straight-sets victory over qualifier Radu Albot on Monday as Coco Gauff launched her defence of the women's title with a convincing victory.

Bangladesh players have rallied round teammate Shakib Al Hasan, the ousted lawmaker who faces a case of alleged murder connected to unrest that toppled the government earlier this month.

The Paris Paralympics begin on Wednesday with a spectacular opening ceremony in a city still on a high after the highly successful Olympics.

Lydia Ko said she had enjoyed a "Cinderella" story after ending an eight-year wait for a major title by winning the Women's British Open at St. Andrews on Sunday, just a fortnight after her Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris.

The Paralympics begin in Paris on Wednesday, putting on display the talents of remarkable athletes in a city still riding the wave of the highly successful Olympics.

World number one Nelly Korda is hoping to rediscover her stunning early season form as the women's British Open returns to the famous old course at St. Andrews this week.

Nicaragua on Monday shuttered 1,500 NGOs, bringing to more than 5,000 the number of such entities scrapped in a crackdown on opponents by President Daniel Ortega.

Thousands of outraged Indian protesters, including arch-rival football fans, called for justice on Monday after the rape and murder of a doctor as widespread strikes by healthcare workers entered a second week.

Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic inflicted defeat on Enzo Maresca in his first match in charge of the Blues.

Paris Saint-Germain are beginning a new era following the departure of Kylian Mbappe and the reigning French champions have so far kept a low profile as they prepare for life without the superstar forward.

Manchester United kick-off the 2024/25 Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday before Manchester City begin the defence of their title at free-spending Chelsea on Sunday.

France has launched a cyberbullying probe following a complaint by Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, who was at the centre of a gender controversy at the Paris Olympic Games, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

While France basks in the glow of the dazzling Paris Olympics, French football is trying to shake off a hangover from its own disastrous summer as the first Ligue 1 season of the post-Kylian Mbappe era begins this weekend.

Senegalese news organisations widely heeded a call Tuesday for a news blackout to protest against economic measures by the new government which they say threaten the industry.

The Paris Olympics won mostly rave reviews from western media after they closed on Sunday, while media in Russia, whose team were excluded because of its war in Ukraine, sniffed at France's success.

France bid a reluctant farewell on Monday to an "enchanted" fortnight of Olympic sport as athletes headed home from Paris praising a dazzling edition of the Games that has breathed new life into the biggest show on earth.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the Paris Games had been "sport at its best."

The stands have fallen quiet and the Athletes' Village is emptying. The rented scaffolding from the temporary stands will be dismantled and re-used.

Sifan Hassan completed her mission impossible with a gruelling women's marathon win on the sun-baked streets of Paris Sunday as Tom Cruise is rumoured to give the Olympic Games a Hollywood ending.

The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics is over but the fight now starts for its inclusion at the 2028 LA Games after a damaging gender controversy placed the sport under renewed scrutiny.

From cameos in K-pop videos to cooking chimichangas with celebrity chefs, movie stars like Ryan Reynolds are trying ever-more unorthodox stunts to reach fragmented Gen-Z audiences, according to Disney's marketing chief.

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting won her Paris Olympics women's boxing final on Saturday in style, ensuring that the two fighters at the centre of a major gender controversy both take home gold.

LeBron James's USA faced host nation France in an eagerly awaited men's basketball gold medal contest at the Paris Olympics on Saturday while on the track Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 5,000m after his disappointment at 1,500m.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday in front of a pulsating Roland Garros crowd that roared her to victory.

A thrilling open-water swim in the River Seine kicked off Friday's Olympic action in Paris, which will later see Algerian gender eligibility row boxer Imane Khelif go for gold.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, at the centre of an Olympic gender eligibility row, goes for gold in Paris on Friday as Thierry Henry bids to lead France's footballers to glory.

A resurgent United States under new coach Emma Hayes are hoping to establish themselves as the leading force in women's international football once again by claiming the gold medal in Saturday's Olympic final against Brazil and their legendary skipper Marta.

Olympic marathon swimmers dived into the Seine Thursday with the river deemed clean enough to compete, as US sprinter Noah Lyles hoped to pocket a 200m gold to go with his stunning 100m success.

After all the doubts, the grumbling and the gloom, Paris has finally embraced the Olympics, with some of its famously cynical residents even returning early from holidays to take part in the fun.