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Poland's Iga Swiatek swept aside Anett Kontaveit in the Qatar Open final on Saturday and dedicated her victory to "the people who are suffering in Ukraine".

Japan midfielder Genki Haraguchi finally scored his first goal for Union Berlin Saturday while around Germany, Bundesliga clubs showed solidarity in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Pro-Ukraine protests erupted across the world on Saturday, as thousands took to the streets from London to Rome to Barcelona to denounce Russia's assault on its neighbour.

France stayed on course for their first Six Nations Grand Slam and title since 2010 with a thumping 36-17 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's two decades of relations with the West, initially marked by fascination over what the ex-KGB agent stood for and then bursts of cooperation, have now reached a point of no return with his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Christian Eriksen made an emotional return to competitive football eight months after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch, coming on as a substitute for Brentford against Newcastle on Saturday.

Local hero Wout van Aert opened the classic season by surging away from a powerful pack to win Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday.

Russia on Saturday ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine "from all directions" as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv imposed a blanket curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths.

Tottenham hammered Leeds 4-0 on Saturday to put a smile back on the face of Antonio Conte and plunge Marcelo Bielsa's team deeper into Premier League relegation trouble.

England summoned Elliot Daly into their starting XV to play Wales in place of injured centre Manu Tuilagi when coach Eddie Jones announced a revised team just over two hours before kick-off in Saturday's Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

Opener Pathum Nissanka and an explosive Dasun Shanaka put on an attacking stand to guide Sri Lanka to 183 for five against India in their second Twenty20 international on Saturday.

Russian forces have made thrusts into Kyiv before falling back to the outskirts, facing tough resistance from Ukrainian troops on day three of the invasion ordered by President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

Manchester United and Watford players stood together with a sign saying "peace" in six languages ahead of Saturday's Premier League match in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian gas giant Gazprom's contract with UEFA is in the balance after Russia's invasion of Ukraine with European football to make a decision next week, a source told AFP on Saturday.

Christian Eriksen was named among the Brentford substitutes for the visit of Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.

Tottenham hammered Leeds 4-0 on Saturday to put a smile back on the face of Antonio Conte and plunge Marcelo Bielsa's team deeper into trouble towards the foot of the Premier League.

Joey Carbery performed well against France but Sunday's Six Nations clash with Italy gives the fly-half the chance to "make sure he grasps that next level" said Ireland attack coach Mike Catt on Saturday.

Having evacuated part of his team from Kyiv, Mike Chobanian, boss of cryptocurrency exchange Kuna, is watching the effects of Russia's invasion on his flourishing industry with a weary eye.

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen won the men's World Cup slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Saturday as several top names struggled to recapture their medal-winning form from the Winter Olympics.

Ukrainian forces repulsed a Russian attack on Kyiv but "sabotage groups" infiltrated the capital, officials said Saturday, as Ukraine reported 198 civilians deaths, including children, following Russia's invasion.

Tadej Pogacar retained the UAE title, demonstrating his domination on Saturday by sprinting away from his main rival Adam Yates at the end of the final climb.

At least 13 people were killed and four others missing after a tourist boat capsized Saturday in bad weather off the coast of Hoi An, a world heritage-listed Vietnamese city, an official said.

Thousands of Greeks on Saturday joined union protests in several cities against a steep rise in the cost of living as the government vowed to boost emergency support for households.

As a street battle with invading Russian forces raged overhead, Kyiv resident Yulia Snitko spent the night cowering in the basement of her apartment block praying for her unborn baby.

The Czech Republic's triple Olympic champion Ester Ledecka won the women's downhill race at Crans-Montana on Saturday for the third World Cup victory of her career.

Svetlana Z. knew it was time to flee when she noticed that planes were no longer taking off or landing at the airport near their house in the north-eastern Ukrainian town of Kharkiv.

Afghanistan's main universities reopened Saturday six months after the Taliban returned to power, but only a trickle of women returned to now-segregated classes.

Ukrainian forces repulsed a Russian attack on Kyiv but "sabotage groups" infiltrated the capital, officials said Saturday as a defiant President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Ukraine would never give in.

Torrential downpours lashed eastern Australia on Saturday, raising deadly floodwaters to decades-long highs, swamping homes and sweeping away cars.

Poland will not play their 2022 World Cup play-off with Russia in Moscow on March 24 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine the president of the Polish football federation said on Saturday.

Several Chinese public banks are limiting financing to purchase raw materials from Russia for fear of Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg news agency reported on Saturday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could mean less bread on the table in Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere in the Arab world where millions already struggle to survive.