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Protesters again poured into Canada's capital early Saturday to join a convoy of truckers whose occupation of Ottawa to denounce Covid vaccine mandates is now in its second week.

Powerful Cyclone Batsirai was closing in on eastern Madagascar Saturday as residents sought secure shelter or reinforced their roofs with sandbags after warnings that "widespread damage" was feared.

One year after its sudden and disconcerting disappearance from a wall at the United Nations, a vast tapestry representing Picasso's iconic "Guernica" has been returned by owners the Rockefeller family to its prominent place at the global body.

French striker Alassane Plea rescued a point for crisis-hit Bundesliga club Borussia Moenchengladbach against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, as high-flying minnows Freiburg and Union Berlin both slumped to surprise defeats in the race for the Champions League.

American Harold Varner III hit a birdie on the closing hole to pull one shot clear of Spain's Adri Arnaus in a blustery third round at the Saudi International on Saturday.

Ireland laid down a marker for the Six Nations title easing to a convincing 29-7 victory over champions Wales at Lansdowne Road on Saturday for their ninth successive Test win.

Nicolo Zaniolo was denied late glory for Roma on Saturday after what looked to be a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Genoa was ruled out after a VAR check in a goalless draw.

Non-league Kidderminster Harriers were seconds away from one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history until Declan Rice rescued West Ham as the Premier League side progressed to the fifth round 2-1 after extra time.

Queen Elizabeth II made a rare public appearance on Saturday, chatting and cutting cake at a party, a day before she enters her 70th year as monarch.

As powerful Cyclone Batsirai closed in on eastern Madagascar on Saturday people sought shelter in more secure concrete buildings while others reinforced their roofs with large sandbags.

US steps on lifting sanctions are "good but not enough", Iran said on Saturday, following Washington's announcement it was waiving sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear programme.

Belgian rider Maxim Van Gils won the Saudi Tour after a fifth and final stage in the old town of Al-Ula won by Dylan Groenewegen on Saturday.

Morocco held its breath as rescue workers on Saturday entered a tunnel leading to a pocket where a five-year-old boy has been trapped for days after falling into a well, AFP correspondents said.

Borussia Dortmund star striker Erling Haaland is expected to miss Sunday's top-of-the-table clash with Bayer Leverkusen, but promised social media followers that he would return to action "soon".

Aprilia's motorcycle racing team took first and second place at the MotoGP pre-season test in Malaysia on Saturday, powering past all opponents on the first day at the Sepang circuit.

Together Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have lifted the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool, but only one can fulfil their dreams on the international stage on Sunday when they face off in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Walter Wallberg of Sweden stunned reigning Olympic moguls champion Mikael Kingsbury at the Beijing Games on Saturday.

It's official: Austrians over the age of 18 must be vaccinated against Covid-19 from Saturday or face the possibility of a heavy fine, an unprecedented measure in the European Union.

France international Ousmane Dembele has been named on the Barcelona squad for Sunday's crunch Spanish league match against Atletico Madrid despite his ongoing contract standoff with the Liga side.

Ursa Bogataj came from behind to win the women's individual ski jump title at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday -- Slovenia's first ever gold medal in the sport.

For Team China's foreign-born ice hockey players, suiting up for the Olympic hosts is not merely pulling on a new uniform -- it means an unfamiliar language, alien culture and even different names.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel could miss his side's trip to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup after testing positive for Covid-19.

Vandals in central France damaged a sculpture of an Algerian military hero who resisted France's colonisation of the North African country, just hours before it was inaugurated Saturday, AFP journalists reported.

Claudia Pechstein became the oldest woman Winter Olympian in history on Saturday in Beijing when the decorated speed skater competed aged 49 years and 348 days.

Moroccan rescuers were only metres away Saturday in their nerve-wracking but increasingly urgent effort to rescue Rayan, a five-year-old boy trapped underground whom they hope to find alive.

Hong Kong's "zero-Covid" policy was on the ropes Saturday as authorities announced a record number of new infections, sending officials scrambling to ramp up testing capacity and warning that a tightening of virus-control measures could be needed.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on Saturday urged the African Union to withdraw Israel's accreditation, bringing simmering tensions to a head as the 55-member bloc opened a two-day summit in Addis Ababa.

Madagascar braced up for Cyclone Batsirai set to hit the eastern parts of the Indian Ocean island on Saturday, with powerful winds and torrential rains posing a "very serious threat" to millions.

The Beijing Olympic alpine skiing programme launches on Sunday with the eagerly anticipated men's downhill.

India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday ruled out drastic team changes in the wake of Virat Kohli's departure as skipper ahead of the hosts' 1,000th one-day international against the West Indies.

American snowboard legend Shaun White said Saturday he will retire from competition after he attempts to defend his Olympic title in Beijing, citing the "little signs" from his 35-year-old body.

Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Saturday as sport moved centre stage after a troubled build-up dominated by coronavirus and rights concerns.

Norway's Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Saturday, storming ahead of the competition in the women’s 7.5km-plus-7.5km skiathlon cross-country skiing.

Jamaica's flag-bearer at the Winter Games in Beijing has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to race in the two-woman bobsleigh at the Olympics, saying not enough spots are made available in women's events.

Moroccan rescuers worked through the night into Saturday, the fifth day of an increasingly urgent and nerve-wracking effort to rescue Rayan, a five-year-old boy trapped underground in a well.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet on Saturday for heads of state and international organisations attending the Winter Olympics, part of a diplomatic blitz following nearly two years without face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic.

China's move to thrust a young Uyghur athlete into the spotlight at the climax of the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony placed her at the centre of long-time controversy over rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Donovan Mitchell returned from an eight-game injury absence to score 27 points for the Utah Jazz, who handed the Brooklyn Nets a seventh straight NBA defeat, 125-102 on Friday.

Throughout the day, vans loaded with bags full of Covid PCR test kits arrive at a Vienna laboratory, currently analysing an average of 370,000 tests per day.