- Women ride Pakistan's economic crisis into the workplace
- Wallabies 'fell of cliff' in loss to Pumas, says coach Schmidt
- Child abuse scandals hang over pope's East Timor visit
- Biden team, end in sight, keeps hope on Gaza truce despite setbacks
- Sabalenka dedicates US Open to family 'who never gave up' on dream
- Venezuela takes diplomatic jab at Brazil in spat over election
- Multiple people shot along highway in US state of Kentucky
- In Papua New Guinea, Pope holds mass 'at the edge of the world'
- Hewett stays positive for wheelchair tennis despite agonising defeat
- Three things on US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka
- Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
- USA slump to first home defeat against Canada in 67 years
- Argentina hand Australia record 67-27 loss in Rugby Championship
- England impress on Carsley bow, Germany, Dutch hit five
- AFP photographer wins top prize for Gaza coverage
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- Pedro Almodovar: chronicler of modern Spain crowned in Venice
- Trump sounds dark tone at rally, Harris 'ready' for debate
- Wirtz and Musiala dazzle to kick-start new Germany era
- Chinese teenager takes 7th gold of Paris Paralympics
- England interim boss Carsley 'respects' divided opinions over anthem
- Neuville moves to the front in the Acropolis Rally
- Garfield, Pugh charm Toronto in new romance 'We Live in Time'
- 21 boys confirmed dead in Kenya school inferno
- Over 100,000 protest in France against new prime minister
- Golden 30 minutes takes China to swimming Paralympics swimming domination
- Green leads Australia to T20 series sweep of Scotland
- Nigeria, Cameroon win afer chaotic AFCON build-ups
- Nicole Kidman: A-lister, cinematic chameleon, wins in Venice
- 'I had to prove myself', says Kolisi after win against All Blacks
- Almodovar wins top prize at Venice film festival
- Grealish savours England redemption after 'worst summer'
- Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland
- Springboks close on Rugby Championship with storming win over All Blacks
- Sri Lanka's De Silva and Kamindu Mendis defy England in third Test
- Farrell's Racing lose on opening day of Top 14
- Dunbar takes second Vuelta stage as Roglic closes in on victory
- Fritz eyes US Open glory to end 21 years of American hurt
- Thousands protest in France against new prime minister
- Trump to hold rally in swing state, Harris preps for debate
- Stone at the double as Sri Lanka collapse against England in third Test
- French tennis player takes legal action over online abuse
- Italy backs Kyiv's 'legitimate defence' as Zelensky presses allies
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- MotoGP leader Martin roars to victory in San Marino sprint
- Ireland and UK to 'reset' relations as Starmer begins Dublin visit
- Ma Lin turns brutal encounter with bear into glorious Paralympic career
- Flintoff appointed England Lions head coach
- Sri Lanka hit back as Pope falls during England collapse in second Test
Russian teenager Valieva set to go for second Beijing Olympic title
Teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will go for a second Beijing Olympics title on Thursday, the next chapter in a damaging doping scandal which has overshadowed the Games.
The 15-year-old burst into tears after topping Tuesday's first half of the women's singles competition to put herself in prime position ahead of the all-important free skate.
Valieva has dominated the second week of the Games in the Chinese capital after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that she should not be thrown out of the Olympics despite failing a drugs test in December.
Valieva played a central role in propelling the Russians to skating team gold last week, before news of her test broke, but no medal ceremony ever took place and will not during these Olympics -- unprecedented for a Games.
There will also be no medal ceremony if Valieva -- the pre-Games favourite for gold -- comes in the top three on Thursday.
CAS cleared her to stay at the Games, citing her age as one of the "exceptional circumstances", but she has not been absolved of doping and still faces further investigation in a case that looks set to rumble on well after the action ends in Beijing.
Games testing authorities said last week that the teenager tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but which is banned for athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because it can boost endurance.
In a fresh twist, The New York Times reported that her sample also contained the substances Hypoxen and L-Carnitine, which are also used to treat heart conditions. They are not on WADA's prohibited list.
Senior IOC member Denis Oswald said Tuesday that Valieva informed the CAS panel that she tested positive because of "contamination" from her grandfather's medicine.
The New York Times report said the grandfather provided a pre-recorded video message to a hearing with Russian anti-doping officials on February 9 in which he said he used trimetazidine.
Valieva's mother told the same hearing her daughter took Hypoxen for heart "variations", the Times said.
The affair puts the spotlight once more on doping by Russian athletes, who are not allowed to take part at these Games under their flag because of a state-sponsored doping programme that reached its peak at its home 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Some of Valieva's fellow skaters made plain their anger that they had to compete against her.
"I don't know every detail of the case, but from the big picture obviously a doping athlete competing against clean athletes is not fair," the 16-year-old American skater Alysa Liu said.
- Gold for France -
Clement Noel claimed France's first alpine skiing gold medal of these Games when he won the men's slalom.
Noel was sixth fastest after the first run but his lightning-quick second run gave him a combined total of 1min 44.09sec to hold off Johannes Strolz, the Austrian former traffic policeman who had already won a gold in the alpine combined event.
"That was one of the most important races in my career. It's not often that you are able to win a medal in the Olympic Games," said 24-year-old Noel.
"It's one shot -- one minute and 40 seconds every four years."
In the men's ice hockey, Slovakia eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals, stunning the Americans with a tying goal in the final minute of regulation before winning 3-2 in a shootout.
Deprived of its National Hockey League (NHL) stars by the pandemic, the USA squad of relative unknowns had inspired comparisons to the overachieving 1980 gold-medal winning "Miracle on Ice" team as they went 3-0 in group play.
They were 44 seconds from clinching a spot in the Beijing semifinals when Slovakia's captain Marek Hrivik slotted home to tie it 2-2 and send the game into overtime.
Slovakia scored once in the penalty shootout, leaving USA captain Andy Miele with one last shot, but his effort was smothered by goalie Patrik Rybar.
There was better news for the US with Alexander Hall winning the men's freeski slopestyle gold, taking the title ahead of countryman Nick Goepper.
In cross-country skiing, Germany triumphed in the women's team sprint classic and Norway took the men's honours.
Sweden won gold in the biathlon women's 4x6 kilometre relay.
Norway top the medals table with 13 golds, ahead of 10 for Germany 10 and the United States have eight.
The Games end on Sunday.
G.Teles--PC