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Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with the White House insisting that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Manchester City powered 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's hat-trick inspired a 4-0 win against Norwich on Saturday.

Inter Milan maintained their one-point lead at the top of Serie A on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at title rivals Napoli which gives AC Milan the chance to claim top spot.

France beat Ireland 30-24 in Paris on Saturday to consolidate their status as favourites for this year's Six Nations title.

Dan Biggar hailed Wales' 20-17 win over Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday as one of the "best victories" of his career.

American golfer Charley Hoffman went onto Instagram to unleash a tirade over a penalty at the Phoenix Open that sparked discussion over Saudi-backed efforts to develop a rival tour.

Canadian police on Saturday began clearing a key bridge of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions, even as authorities in Ottawa braced for renewed demonstrations expected to bring thousands to the federal capital.

Wales captain Dan Biggar's drop-goal 10 minutes from time proved decisive as the Six Nations champions kept Scotland waiting for a win in Cardiff with a 20-17 victory at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Lorenzo Insigne overtook Diego Maradona in Napoli's all-time scorers list on Saturday after netting the penalty which gave his boyhood team the lead against Serie A title rivals Inter Milan.

Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw at Villarreal on Saturday despite the return from a lengthy injury absence of Gareth Bale.

The true story of a mother's battle to bring her son back from Guantanamo Bay premiered to cheers in Berlin Saturday, as the German filmmakers called for reparations for the family.

Double Oscar winner Cate Blanchett on Saturday made a passionate defence of cinema in the face of competition from the serial format ahead of Saturday's Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars.

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his first final since last year's French Open when he came back from a set down to defeat Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka in the Rotterdam semi-finals on Saturday.

Manchester United's top four bid suffered another blow as Southampton hit back to earn a 1-1 draw, while Everton boosted their bid for Premier League survival with a vital 3-0 win against Leeds on Saturday.

India's rising star Ishan Kishan fetched a whopping $2 million in the auction for the Indian Premier League -- the world's most valuable cricket tournament -- on Saturday.

Dan Biggar's drop-goal 10 minutes from time proved decisive as Wales revived their Six Nations title defence with a 20-17 win over Scotland at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday slammed Western claims of an imminent Moscow invasion of Ukraine as a "provocation" as he began new crisis talks with US President Joe Biden.

VfL Bochum forward Gerrit Holtmann inspired his side to a stunning 4-2 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday, as the Bundesliga leaders suffered a historic humiliation ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Red Bull Salzburg.

Waving flags and singing the national anthem, thousands of Ukrainians braved the winter cold to march across Kyiv on Saturday to show unity in the face of a feared Russian invasion.

Top seed Maria Sakkari reached her fourth WTA Tour final on Saturday after beating unseeded Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in a three-hour thriller in Saint Petersburg.

French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron made a commanding start to their quest for Olympic gold on Saturday, breaking their own world record to place top in rhythm dance.

Mattia Zaccagni struck a second-half brace as Lazio strolled past Bologna 3-0 to close in on Serie A's Champions League places.

Jaclyn Narracott earned Australia's first Olympic medal in a sliding sport Saturday with silver in the women's skeleton, three years after she nearly quit, as Germany continued their domination of the high-speed events at the Beijing Winter Games.

Paris police fired teargas and issued hundreds of fines on Saturday to break up a convoy of vehicles that attempted to block traffic in a protest over Covid restrictions and rising living costs.

Olympic road race champion Richard Carapaz did not start the stage two of the Tour of Provence after testing positive for Covid-19, his team Ineos said Saturday.

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw warned there is "no way" the Red Devils will reach the Champions League next season if they continue to throw away leads after a 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron made a commanding start to their quest for Olympic gold on Saturday, breaking their own world record to place top in rhythm dance.

Police in Canada were positioning Saturday to clear a key bridge on the US border, snarled for days by truckers protesting against vaccination rules, an AFP journalist observed.

Top seed Maria Sakkari reached her fourth WTA Tour final on Saturday after beating unseeded Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in a three-hour thriller in Saint Petersburg.

Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj, whose name was synonymous with road transport in India, died Saturday aged 83, his company said.

A convoy of vehicles from across the Netherlands brought The Hague's city centre to a standstill on Saturday, protesting against coronavirus restrictions.

Jaclyn Narracott earned Australia's first Olympic medal in a sliding sport Saturday with silver in the women's skeleton as Germany continued their domination of the high-speed events at the Beijing Winter Games.