- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
Ballet greats unite for London Ukraine benefit gala
World famous ballet dancers from Russia and Ukraine, Argentina, Cuba, France and Japan come together on Saturday for a gala to raise funds for Ukraine and send a message of peace.
"We as artists have talent and we need to use this talent to say what we believe in," Ukraine's Ivan Putrov, co-organiser of the event to be held at the English National Opera's London Coliseum, told AFP.
"Art has a voice and is the voice that we use," said Putrov, who was a principal dancer with London's prestigious Royal Ballet from 2002 to 2010.
Putrov and Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru both trained in Kyiv and decided to mobilise the world of ballet for this "humanitarian appeal" in the face of Russia's invasion.
Now, they have united a team of exceptional dancers to "raise funds that will save lives," Putrov said.
The message is not only for the West and those in Ukraine, but also Russia.
"Some Russians will hear us and will raise their voice... because what's happening is outrageous," he said.
Stars taking the stage include Russia's Natalia Osipova, Argentina's Marianela Nunez and Japan's Fumi Kaneko, all from the Royal Ballet, and France's Mathieu Ganio from the Paris Opera.
Ukraine's Katja Khaniukova, Spain's Aitor Arrieta and the United States' Emma Hawes of the English National Ballet will also perform on the night.
The evening hopes to raise more than £100,000 ($130,000, 120,000 euros) for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) UK charity collective which includes the British Red Cross and is helping victims of the war.
"Is art appropriate in such a horrible circumstance? Of course it is, because it gives hope, it gives inspiration to people," said Putrov.
- Loaded with symbolism -
The Ukrainian national anthem will open the evening, which will close with "The Triumph of Love" from the ballet "Raymonda", with music by Russia's Alexander Glazunov.
In between there will be 13 symbolism-laden choreographies such as "No Man's Land" by Liam Scarlett, "Lacrimosa" by Gyula Pandi and "Ashes" by Jason Kittelberger.
Russian composers including Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff will also be played.
"Russian culture doesn't have anything to do with (President Vladimir) Putin, and equally Putin has nothing to do with Russian culture," said Putrov.
Osipova, one of the most famous Russian dancers outside her country, declined to be interviewed.
But her presence "signifies that Russia doesn't equal aggression", said Putrov.
Cuba's Javier Torres of the Northern Ballet will perform "The Death of a Swan" by Camille Saint-Saens.
The piece is about a paraplegic who loses one of his limbs and "represents fighting for what you have lost," Torres told AFP.
"It talks about fighting to the end and that's how I wanted to interpret it," he said, thinking of "people who try to resist what happens to them," like the Ukrainians mired in war or the Cubans who have suffered under decades of US sanctions and embargoes, and "even by the Russians" in Soviet times.
"I have that pain, I have that anguish that every Cuban who lives outside of Cuba has, because we know the needs that are experienced there," he said.
He said he has not previously mixed art with politics, but Saturday's gala is "a humanitarian duty as a dancer, as a human rights defender, first as a person and then as an artist".
L.Mason--AMWN