Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti has become the first African artist to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, honoured posthumously in Los Angeles for his music and political resistance.
Allan Saint-Maximin’s brief stint with Club America has come to an abrupt end just months after the French winger arrived in Mexico as the club announced his departure two days after he revealed his children had been targeted by racist attacks.
The 28-year-old former Newcastle United winger signed a two-year contract with the Liga MX club in August in a deal reportedly worth $10m but managed just 15 appearances before his sudden exit on Saturday.
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Club America expressed solidarity with Saint-Maximin in announcing his departure although neither party disclosed specific details about the incident that prompted his decision to leave.
“We reiterate our strong condemnation of any act of discrimination and/or violence that violates human dignity, both on and off the field,” the Mexico City club said in a statement.
“We express our absolute solidarity with Allan Saint-Maximin and his family, who have the support of everyone who is part of this institution.
“Thank you so much for wearing our colours Allan Saint-Maximin.”
Saint-Maximin had taken to Instagram to address what he described as attacks on his children, making clear his determination to protect his family.
“The problem is not skin colour, it is the colour of thoughts. People attack me, but that’s not a problem. I grew up learning to fight back against attacks, whether they are subtle, hidden or direct,” he wrote on Instagram.
“But there is one thing I will never tolerate, and that is people attacking my children. Protecting my children is my priority. I will fight with all my strength to ensure that they are respected and loved, regardless of their origins or skin colour.
“So, to those who dared to attack my children, I say this: you made a mistake. I will always fight to protect my family and no person or threat will ever scare me.”
America boss Andre Jardine said it was a “real shame” to lose a player of Saint-Maximin’s calibre.
“He’s a great player who was doing well for the league and has the ability to play in any league in the world. It was a big change for him, moving from Europe to Mexico,” Jardine said.
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned the United States that any attack on his country would result in a “regional war” as US President Donald Trump amasses military assets in the Middle East.
“They should know that if they start a war this time, it will be a regional war,” the 86-year-old supreme leader, who has held absolute power for about 37 years, said at an event in downtown Tehran on Sunday.
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He was speaking on the anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s return from exile in France to Iran in 1979, which led to the Iranian Revolution and the fleeing of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Khamenei’s comments came as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, jet fighters and navy destroyers neared the region after nationwide antigovernment protests in Iran, in which thousands of people were killed in January.
The protests, which started in late December over the collapse of the Iranian rial, later morphed into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s rule.
Iranian authorities maintain that the demonstrators were instigated and led by foreign agents.
“The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” Khamenei said at the commemoration on Sunday.
“Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centres involved in running the country, and for this reason, they attacked the police, government centres, [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] facilities, banks and mosques and burned copies of the Quran.”
Iranian state media said the protests killed 3,117 people, including 2,427 civilians and members of the security forces. US-based rights activists said more than 6,000 people were killed. Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify the figures.
Since the nationwide upheaval, Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack the country.
The US president initially conditioned a US attack on Tehran’s behaviour towards demonstrators, but he later shifted his posture, saying he wanted Iran to agree to a nuclear deal.
In June, Iranian and American officials were engaged in indirect talks in Oman before Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran. The US also joined Israel and struck Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Khamenei maintained a defiant tone on Sunday, accusing the US of wanting to seize Iran’s resources, including oil and natural gas. “This is the main reason for their hostility, and the rest of their talk, like human rights, is empty talk,” he said.
Despite the rhetoric, both Iran and the US have confirmed that they have opened lines of communication to try to work out a deal to avoid a military confrontation.
On Saturday, Trump said Tehran was “seriously talking” with Washington, hours after the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said Tehran was prepared for talks with the US.
Trump, speaking on board Air Force One, said he believed Iran should agree to a deal with “no nuclear weapons”, adding, however, that he did not know whether Tehran would sign up to such an accord.
Carlos Alcaraz won a pulsating Australian Open final to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam – ending Novak Djokovic’s latest attempt to land a 25th major title in the process.
Alcaraz, 22, immediately collapsed on the court in celebration after clinching a 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5 victory in Melbourne.
Despite his disappointment, Djokovic showed his sportsmanship by clambering over the net to warmly hug Alcaraz on creating a slice of history.
However, he knows might not earn any better opportunities to underline his place as the greatest player of all-time.
Afterwards, the 10-time champion placed doubt on whether he would be on court in Melbourne again.
“I didn’t think I’d be standing at the closing ceremony of a Grand Slam once again,” Djokovic told the 15,000 crowd.
“Who knows what happens tomorrow, never mind the next six or 12 months, but it has been a great ride.”
Spanish world number one Alcaraz struggled in the opening exchanges as 38-year-old Djokovic used his nous to dominate his younger opponent.
But Alcaraz found more rhythm from the baseline and outlasted the Serb fourth seed to claim his seventh major title.
Alcaraz’s victory means Djokovic’s wait to claim a standalone record 25th major continues.
Djokovic has been tied with Australia’s Margaret Court – who was watching on Rod Laver Arena – since winning the 2023 US Open.
Over the past two seasons, Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner have emerged as the dominant forces in the men’s game.
Alcaraz’s maiden win on the Melbourne hard courts means the pair have lifted the past nine major trophies between them.
Djokovic produced a superhuman effort to beat second seed Sinner in Friday’s semi-finals, but beating both of his younger opponents back-to-back always looked likely to be a task too tough.
“The work you have been doing is historic – legendary,” Djokovic told Alcaraz in his runners-up speech.
Getty ImagesHistory was on the line for both superstars in a highly anticipated final which ensured a rather underwhelming Australian Open ended with a flourish.
Following their gruelling semi-final victories on Friday, neither player trained on Saturday and left everyone wondering how they would pull up on Sunday.
Djokovic pointed out Alcaraz had the advantage in that regard – given he was 16 years younger – but the veteran made a mockery of the age difference in a blistering start.
Moving sharply, Djokovic used his superior tennis IQ to carefully construct points in a way which Alcaraz could not compute – similar to how he discombobulated the Spaniard in last year’s quarter-finals.
A locked-in Djokovic comfortably held serve thanks to the precision of his opening shot and accuracy of his groundstrokes, laying the platform to break Alcaraz for 3-1.
Continuing to take angles and space away from his opponent, Djokovic comfortably consolidated for a 4-1 lead and broke again to seal the opening set.
How long Djokovic could maintain this level was the next question.
A lot of emphasis had been placed on Djokovic’s good fortune over the fortnight, but his luck ran out in the third game of the second set when a remarkable net cord helped Alcaraz break.
The manner was brutal and, coming at 1-1 15-15, the timing was crucial in shifting momentum.
From that point, Djokovic’s serve lacked the same precision and his groundstrokes lacked the same punch.
Alcaraz won four of the next five games to level the match, keeping his foot on the pedal to break twice in the third set and lead.
Djokovic, though, is not a man to be beaten easily.
As he has shown countless times in his illustrious career, the veteran continued to believe he could defy the odds and turn the match around.
Djokovic fought off six break points in the second game of the fourth set, then created a chance of his own on Alcaraz’s serve in the ninth game.
Alcaraz kept his cool in a baseline duel with Djokovic finally pushing a forehand long – and it proved vital.
The exchanges continued to be intense as the set entered the business end, but Djokovic blinked first.
If a prop scoring a wonder try is enough to draw questions from the front row union, then doing so in a pair of coloured boots is surely cause for disbarment.
Ulster’s Angus Bell, however, was keen to stress that neither his double sidestep nor fashion statement were pre-planned.
With his province seven points to the good against Cardiff on Saturday night, the Wallaby loose-head collected the ball on the edge of the 22 and beat two players with a burst of pace and strength.
Cam Winnett stood in his way, but the prop sat the Cardiff full-back down with a sidestep that any world-class wing would be proud of, and another followed to skip past wing Ioan Lloyd as he raced over to score.
It was an astonishing try from any player, never mind a front row forward, albeit an Australian international who has a history of bringing a bit of ‘x-factor’.
There was more drama to come as Ulster held the Welsh side off in the 21-14 win, but Bell’s try was the undoubted highlight.
It was so good, in fact, Ulster back row Marcus Rea stood with his hands on his head after witnessing the run, while Bell was mobbed by his team-mates.
“I was just lucky. When your boots break in the warm-up you have to make do,” a modest Bell said on Premier Sports.
“I’ve got different colours on at the moment so I have to fix that. It wasn’t planned.
Ulster’s team wasn’t quite as makeshift as Bell’s boots, but the province’s strength in depth was handed a proper test against a side which started the night above them in the table.
Missing eight Ireland internationals for the Six Nations – a sign itself of the progress the province has made this season when compared to three players last year – Ulster had a blend of experience and youth in Belfast.
It was no coincidence that when Bell and captain Iain Henderson were withdrawn just shy of the hour-mark, Cardiff, who were also missing key players, came back into the game.
But Richie Murphy’s side, who had throw away leads of 19 and 14 points in their past two games against Cardiff, were determined for a different outcome.
Bell will get the headlines after his try, but fellow prop Scott Wilson – in a time where Ireland are struggling in the front row – also touched down and stopped a near-certain score at the other end.
Getty ImagesIn the United Rugby Championship last season, Ulster won seven out of their 18 matches.
Saturday’s win ensured they have matched that tally in just 10 URC matches of the current campaign, and the feel-good factor has returned to Belfast with the side just eight points behind leaders Glasgow Warriors with a game in hand.
But Murphy isn’t getting carried away. Ulster have vastly improved but are not the finished article, which was highlighted by an unsuccessful last-gasp attempt to secure the bonus-point try.
“I think we’re getting there. Seven out of 10 wins is a bit like our scorecard as well, which I’d give as a seven out of 10,” he told Premier Sports.
After the disaster of last season, when Ulster missed out on the play-offs and Champions Cup rugby, a lot has been made of the fresh approach in the new campaign with the appointments of Mark Sexton and Willie Faloon to the coaching team, alongside Murphy, Jimmy Duffy and Dan Soper.
That could be seen in the universal positivity when Murphy and his coaching team were tied down for another two years.
While coaching has played a big role, with more attacking freedom blended with a newfound defensive resolve, Murphy says the culture within the group has also helped with the turnaround.
“The lads are committed to try and drive certain standards within our team, and they are doing that on a daily basis,” he said in his post-match media conference.
“Culture is really important in relation to getting your work done during the week and making sure that the guys are in an environment where one, they’re challenged, and two, they’re learning.
“Ultimately, we have a high-performance model of trying to get better every day, and that is what we try and drive.
InphoAfter a run of 10 games in 10 weeks, Ulster have to wait until the end of February for their next outing as the Six Nations shifts into focus.
If Ulster can go deep in Europe and maintain their play-off charge in the URC, there could be as many as 14 games in the final stretch of the campaign.
“Every day that we’re training, we’re going out there with the belief that we’re going to be a top four team,” said player of the match Matthew Dalton.
“Parts of this season we’ve proven that we can be, and we are now.
“But I think there’s a lot to work on as well. There’s so much more that we can do and so much more that we can offer to be even better.