SPORTS

Premier League leaders Liverpool stepped up their title bid with a 4-1 rout of Chelsea, while Erling Haaland made his Manchester City comeback as the champions beat Burnley 3-1 on Wednesday.

The traditional opening parade for the Games is set to take place in boats on the river Seine on July 26, the first time a summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a four-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday for failing a doping test prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Jannik Sinner stormed back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an energy-sapping five-set Australian Open final on Sunday, claiming his first Grand Slam title.

Pop music icon Taylor Swift is reportedly ready to make a lightning trip from Japan next month to see boyfriend Travis Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Klopp, who took over at Anfield in 2015 and has returned the Reds back to one of European football's powerhouses, said he was "running out of energy".

Jannik Sinner ended Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title on Friday, snapping the Serb's astonishing 33-match winning run at Melbourne Park to reach his first major final.

Morocco's 1-0 win over Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday had the knock-on effect of sending Ivory Coast through to the last 16, after a day in which the tournament hosts sacked their coach.

A Spanish judge on Thursday proposed that disgraced former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales be tried over the kiss he forced on Women's World Cup star Jenni Hermoso.

The Russian world number three was twice pegged back by Polish ninth seed Hurkacz after going a set up but produced the crucial break in the decider to get over the line.

Debutants Tajikistan struck twice late on to beat Lebanon 2-1 and reach the Asian Cup knockout rounds on Monday but China's hopes are hanging by a thread after defeat to Qatar.

Daniil Medvedev stayed on track for a third Australian Open final in four years on Monday as Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska upset former champion Victoria Azarenka to surge into the quarter-finals.

Hundreds of police officers protested across France on Thursday to press their claim for extra pay during this year's Paris Olympics, underlining the threat of strikes and disruption to the Games.

Egypt face an anxious wait on the extent of Mohamed Salah's injury sustained in a lively 2-2 draw with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday, while Nigeria defeated hosts Ivory Coast 1-0.

The world number one, who swears by a plant-based diet, extols the virtues of meditation and has previously used a spiritual guru, has never been shy of talking about his eccentricities.

Namibia produced the biggest shock so far in an Africa Cup of Nations full of upsets in the Ivory Coast by snatching a 1-0 triumph over former champions Tunisia on Tuesday.

Sadio Mane's Senegal are hoping to retain the trophy they won in Cameroon two years ago and were too strong for their Gambian neighbours, who played the whole second half with 10 men.

Iga Swiatek survived a tough test against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin to reach the second round in Melbourne on Tuesday as Carlos Alcaraz prepared to make his bow.

Mohamed Salah saved Egypt from an embarrassing defeat in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, while Nigeria were held by Equatorial Guinea despite Victor Osimhen getting on the scoresheet.

On a baking-hot day at Melbourne Park, men's seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and women's sixth seed Ons Jabeur also tasted victory, ahead of Naomi Osaka's Grand Slam comeback in the evening session.

Manchester City appear ominously poised to strike in the Premier League title race as Pep Guardiola welcomes back key players for Saturday's trip to Newcastle, while Manchester United can ill-afford another damaging defeat when Tottenham visit Old Trafford.

Andy Murray has welcomed a move by global tennis bodies to minimize the scourge of late finishes, saying it will make the game "a wee bit" more professional.

But while the Cup of Nations has been an endless tale of disappointments, Morocco soared to dizzy heights at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African and Arab semi-finalists.

Iga Swiatek is in scintillating form as she seeks a maiden Australian Open crown, but she could face a stiff test from defending champion Aryna Sabalenka while two-time winner Naomi Osaka is making her comeback.

Novak Djokovic is once again red-hot favourite at the Australian Open as he chases an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, but a wrist problem and the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz puts his all-conquering reign under threat.

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal need a psychological "reset" after missing a host of chances in their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool in the FA Cup third round.

The Premier League transfer window is open, with clubs in the English top flight set to flex their financial muscles.

The Dakar Rally roars into life on Friday in Saudi Arabia with Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah seeking a sixth title and third in a row in the mythic motorsport marathon.

Liverpool lead the way in a tantalisingly poised Premier League title race heading into 2024 with just six points separating the top five.