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- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
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- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
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- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Putin slams doping sanctions ahead of Olympics
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday slammed sanctions against Russia over doping in sports ahead of a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing at the Winter Olympics.
In an interview with Chinese media, Putin denied his government had orchestrated a massive doping programme at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, revelations that spurred a raft of penalties from international sporting bodies.
"Russia has been and remains committed to traditional Olympic values," Putin said in an interview with China Media Group president and chief editor Shen Haixiong.
"We oppose the politicisation of sports and attempts to use this as an instrument of pressure, unfair competition or discrimination," he said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin.
Russia was found to have orchestrated a state-backed doping programme at the Winter Games in Sochi and was banned from international competitions afterwards.
Russian officials including Putin are banned from attending competitions unless invited by the head of state of the host country. China's leader Xi has invited Putin to attend.
"The practice of 'collective punishment' is unacceptable for offences carried out by individuals," Putin said.
Russian athletes are allowed to compete as neutrals at the Olympics -- without the Russian flag or anthem -- if they can prove their doping record is clean.
The team takes part under the name of Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
Beijing and Moscow have denounced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics from several countries over what Western governments argue are widespread rights abuses by China.
Putin was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at Friday's opening ceremony.
The two leaders are set to meet in the Chinese capital Friday as their countries pursue deeper ties in the face of increasing criticism from the West.
O.Karlsson--AMWN