- WHO to evacuate 1,000 Gazan women, children for urgent medical care
- Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group in Lebanon
- Erdogan's rival Fetullah Gulen dies in exile aged 83
- Gauff-led USA pitted with Canada at season-opening United Cup
- Cuban leader warns against unrest over nationwide blackout
- Asian markets mixed as traders digest China rate cut
- Sanofi pursues sale of painkiller after political controversy
- Trump heads to hurricane-hit N. Carolina, Harris in swing state push
- Rabada takes 300th wicket as Bangladesh stumble to 60-6 at lunch
- Alpacas, hecklers and climate warnings: King Charles visits Australia's capital
- Moldova EU vote too close to call, president blames 'foreign interference'
- Sartorially suave alpaca sneezes on King Charles
- In a first, France welcomes Russian army deserters
- Storm Oscar hits eastern Cuba as island grapples with blackout
- New Zealand basks in 'golden 48 hours' after sporting triumphs
- UN biodiversity summit opens with call for 'significant' funding
- Dodgers beat Mets to set World Series showdown with Yankees
- Liberty rally to top Lynx in overtime for WNBA title
- US, Canada warships pass through Taiwan Strait
- Asian markets fluctuate as traders digest China rate cut
- Naomi Osaka season over because of injury
- Toll from attack in India-controlled Kashmir rises to seven: reports
- Simmering Bellingham set for Dortmund reunion in Champions League
- World Cup winner Kerr thanks 'grandmas' for T20 inspiration
- Dortmund identity crisis ahead of European rematch with Real Madrid
- China's central bank cuts two key rates to boost economy
- BHP goes on trial in London over 2015 toxic Brazil mine disaster
- Pakistan passes constitutional amendments aimed at courts
- Fungi finding: mushroom hunters seek new species and recognition
- Beware: US election disinformation masked as 'breaking news'
- Celtics seek repeat, Lebron and son unite as NBA season opens
- Poston holds off Ghim for PGA Tour triumph in Las Vegas
- Unbeaten Chiefs march past 49ers, Lions hand Vikings first loss
- Moldova president blames interference for potential EU referendum loss
- King Charles to spotlight conflict, climate in Australian capital
- UN chief seeks 'significant' funding at summit to save nature
- Hurricane Oscar makes landfall in Cuba amid huge power outage
- McLaren blast 'inappropriate' penalty as Norris F1 title hopes hit
- La Rochelle bounce back against Bordeaux-Begles
- Lethal Lewandowski helps Barca rout Sevilla, Atletico triumph
- Leclerc wins US Grand Prix as Norris, Verstappen clash
- Moldovans vote 'no' in referendum on joining EU: partial results
- Lewandowski powers five-star Barca to Sevilla rout
- Lions hand Vikings first loss, Packers down Texans
- In escalation, Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group
- Martinez keeps Inter on Napoli's tail with Roma winner
- Marseille return to form with Montpellier thrashing
- Lula cancels trip to summit in Russia after injuring head
- Cuba girds for Hurricane Oscar with electricity supply still down
- Harris celebrates birthday at Georgia churches as Trump serves McDonald's
France begin Euro 2024 bid after Slovakia stun Belgium
Kylian Mbappe and France were set to start their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria on Monday after Slovakia inflicted a surprise 1-0 defeat on Belgium and Romania beat Ukraine 3-0 in their opening match at the tournament.
France, the runners-up at the 2022 World Cup, are one of the standout contenders for European Championship glory in Germany and were due to face a much-improved Austria side in Monday's late match in Duesseldorf at 1900 GMT.
Aiming to win a first European crown since 2000, Les Bleus will also face the Netherlands and Poland in a potentially tricky Group D, and their build-up to the game has been overshadowed by discussions of politics rather than football.
Mbappe's pre-game press conference was largely given over to questions about upcoming elections in France, which will take place during the competition and threaten to see the far-right National Rally become the biggest party.
"Today we can all see that extremists are very close to winning power and we have the opportunity to choose the future of our country," Mbappe said on Sunday.
"Kylian Mbappe is against extremes and against divisive ideas. We have the opportunity to choose the future of our country. That is a very important task."
The French team must hope such talk spurs them on to success, but a slip-up against Austria will raise questions about the team's focus.
Whoever wins Monday's game will join the Netherlands on three points, with the Dutch having beaten Poland 2-1 in their first outing on Sunday in Hamburg.
- Lukaku misery -
Belgium no longer rank among the leading contenders but they were not expected to start with a defeat against Slovakia in Frankfurt, where Ivan Schranz of Slavia Prague scored the only goal of the game.
Schranz struck in the seventh minute, firing home the rebound after Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels had saved from Juraj Kucka.
It was an especially frustrating day for Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, who missed a host of chances and had a late equaliser controversially disallowed by VAR.
He had already had one effort ruled out for a marginal offside call before he swept home a Lois Openda cutback in the 86th minute.
This time, however, the goal was disallowed because the ball had brushed Openda's hand at the beginning of the move.
Belgium's first defeat since the 2022 World Cup puts Domenico Tedesco's team under pressure going into their second Group E match against Romania on Saturday.
- Romania sink Ukraine -
Romania won at a major international tournament for the first time in 24 years as they saw off Ukraine with the help of two errors from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Captain Nicolae Stanciu's magnificent long-range strike -- following a misplaced Lunin clearance -- gave Romania, backed by the vast majority of the Munich crowd, a first-half lead in their Group E opener.
Razvan Marin's shot from distance then skipped under Lunin as Romania turned the screw with two more goals before the hour, Denis Dragus tapping home the third.
"This shirt means everything to me and to score at the Euros, you can't do more than that. To also win in the manner we did, that's just incredible," said Stanciu.
Romania's last and only previous win at the tournament came when they reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000.
It was a disastrous start to the campaign for Ukraine, who must quickly regroup with games to follow against Slovakia and Belgium.
"Unfortunately nobody expected this result," said Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov. "We didn't do good enough.
"We all have emotions. Everybody is unhappy," he added.
Ukraine players emerged onto the pitch with Ukrainian flags draped over their shoulders in the country's first game at a major tournament since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
They missed out on qualifying for the World Cup two years ago but secured a fourth successive appearance at the Euros, despite the backdrop of the largest European conflict since World War II.
P.M.Smith--AMWN