Sports & Entertainment

- Former International Biathlon Union (IBU) president Anders Besseberg has been indicted on charges of aggravated corruption, Norwegian prosecutors said on Monday. The Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Okokrim) said the offences took place between 2009 and 2018. Their charges include "accepting bribes in the form of watches, hunting trips and trophies, prostitutes and a leased car which he enjoyed the use of from 2011 to 2018 in Norway". Besseberg, 77, is a former biathlete who was the federation's president for more than two decades before resigning in 2018 after a criminal investigation was opened into allegations of corruption. "Okokrim believes there is sufficient evidence to prove that he accepted bribes continuously over a ten-year period," senior public prosecutor Marianne Djupesland said in a statement. "The seriousness of the matter is e...

- Five-time African champions Zamalek suffered another blow in a chaotic season as a local administrative court in Egypt ordered the removal of club president Mortada Mansour, days after the team appointed Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio. A local administrative court in Cairo ordered on Sunday to exclude Mansour from his post, as he has just served a one-month prison sentence over a defamation case against Al-Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib. Mansour can appeal the ruling. Mansour told his YouTube channel, which has more than half a million followers, "I will not talk about the ruling now because judgment is the title of truth." "No hair in my head shook for a very simple reason. I came to serve public, and the (club’s) general assembly brought me here... and no one can remove me except the general assembly," added the 70-year-old. Mansour had previously threatened to ban a group of supporters after they arranged themsel...

By Alicia Powell NEW YORK - Musical "The Phantom of the Opera" ended a record-breaking 35-year Broadway run on Sunday when, amid predictions that the show would one day return, teary-eyed cast members took a final bow alongside its original stars. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber dedicated the final Broadway performance to his son Nicholas, who died of gastric cancer last month. "In the last few months I don't think... any of us thought that 'The Phantom' would go out quite with the bang it has. And so maybe it may come back, you never know...," Lloyd Webber told a packed audience from the stage after the show. "It couldn't have gone out with a better performance." His production, whose closure date was set last year following a sharp drop in ticket sales, is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux. It was originally directed by Harold Prince and Broadway legends including Michael Crawford, who was the fir...

- World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, who became the first Arab team to beat Brazil last month, should focus on winning the Africa Cup of Nations next year before dreaming of glory at the 2026 World Cup, winger Sofiane Boufal said. Morocco were the surprise story at the World Cup in Qatar last year, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal on the way to the semi-finals prompting coach Walid Regragui to talk up his desire of winning the 2026 edition. That dream became bigger after a 2-1 win over five-times world champions Brazil in a friendly match in Tangier last month. Only European and South American teams have won the World Cup throughout history. "We must set our priorities. First, we must win the Africa Cup of Nations. We know very well that it is a difficult and complicated competition, and then we will have plenty of time to think about the World Cup," Boufal told Qatari's AlKass Sports through a translator. Mo...

- Arsenal captain Kim Little will miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury, the Women's Super League (WSL) club said on Monday. The midfielder, 32, came off 12 minutes into Arsenal's 2-0 victory over German side Bayern Munich in their Women's Champions League quarter-final second leg on March 29. "... tests have subsequently confirmed that the injury will keep her sidelined for the remainder of the campaign," Arsenal said in a statement. "Our captain has already begun her rehabilitation and this process is progressing well. We expect her to be available for the start of preparations for the 2023-24 season." The former Scotland international's injury will come as a big blow to Arsenal's WSL and Champions League title aspirations. They have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face VfL Wolfsburg, and are third in the WSL with 38 points from 16 games. Arsenal...

BARCELONA - Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona soccer club, said on Monday all payments made to a company owned by a senior refereeing official were transparent and came in exchange for advisory and not to get any illegal sporting advantage. A Barcelona court agreed to take on the case last week after prosecutors filed a complaint over what they alleged were payments of 7.3 million euros ($7.95 million) from 2001 to 2018 to firms owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Laporta said there was a media campaign to discredit the club. (Reporting by Joan Faus and Inti Landauro)...

- The row between Bayern Munich team mates Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane could actually make the German side more dangerous in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said. Senegal international Mane was fined and missed Saturday's 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Hoffenheim after hitting Sane following last week's 3-0 loss at City in the first leg. Asked if the situation could provide a rallying point for Bayern, Guardiola told reporters: "Absolutely. "Sometimes you need conflict to make the team more together," added the Spaniard, who managed Bayern from 2013-16. "It is not a weak point for them, it's a strong point. "I can imagine the situation against City. The best performance for Bayern Munich will be on Wednesday night." While City take a three-goal advantage into the second leg Guardiola said it would be dangerous to sit back....

Mumbai - Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav showed glimpses of his true quality in Sunday's match against Kolkata Knight Riders, calming the nerves of India fans who may have been doubting the batting lynchpin six months out from the Cricket World Cup on home soil. Suryakumar, the world's top-ranked T20 batter, is expected to play a key role in India's campaign at the 50-overs tournament in October-November but the runs had dried up for the 32-year-old over the last couple of months. Known for his audacious stroke-making, Suryakumar headed into Sunday's game with four first-ball ducks in his previous six innings, including three in a row in the one-day series against Australia last month. But he ended that slump at the Wankhede Stadium, smashing 43 runs off 25 balls in Mumbai's successful chase as the five-times Indian Premier League champions prevailed by five wickets. "I would have loved to finish the game but nevertheless,...

- Chris Ashton became the first player to score 100 tries in the English Premiership with a hat-trick in Leicester's 62-19 win over Exeter, with the ex-England winger thanking team mates for helping him over the line ahead of his impending retirement. Ashton, who scored 20 tries in 44 test appearances for England between 2010 and 2019, announced last week that he would retire from professional rugby at the end of the season. "I've had an overwhelming week with the retirement and stuff, but my motivation has always been the same - to score tries for my team and it was no different today," the 36-year-old told the BBC. "I've struggled the past few weeks just to get fit but I felt good out there - I almost thought, 'have I retired too early?' Maybe that's the best way, you need a goal, a focus as a professional player and I left myself two games, so I had to get it quickly. "The lads have really been behind me, trying to help a...

- Arsenal must maintain the intensity for a full 90 minutes if they are to challenge for the Premier League title, forward Gabriel Jesus said after they squandered a two-goal lead in Sunday's 2-2 draw at West Ham United. Arsenal were rampant early on and looked well placed to restore their six-point cushion over Manchester City after Jesus tapped home in the seventh minute and Martin Odegaard doubled their lead with a volley three minutes later. However, Arsenal then lost their momentum and the hosts fought back through Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen. Bukayo Saka missed a second-half penalty for Arsenal, who lead Manchester City by four points but have played a game more. Arsenal also let a 2-0 lead slip against Liverpool earlier this month and Jesus told the club's website they had to stop letting opponents off the hook. "Once again, the three points were in our hands," he said. "The game is 90 minutes, it's not 20, in this...

By Steve Keating BRAMPTON, Ontario - Hilary Knight scored third-period power play goals 27 seconds apart as the United States stunned archrivals Canada 6-3 on Sunday to win the gold medal final of the women's world ice hockey championships. Canada had led 3-2 heading into the third period and were on course for a third successive world title but threw it away with sloppy play, taking two late penalties to gift the U.S. a two-player advantage with 3:52 left. Knight made them pay dearly for their mistakes. After Caroline Harvey had pulled the U.S. level at 3-3 early in the third, captain Knight scored twice to complete her hat-trick having also netted in the second period. Cayla Barnes scored into an empty net to close out the scoring while Abbey Murphy also had a goal. Canada's Brianne Jenner scored a pair of second-period goals and set up another but it was her tripping penalty, along with Claire...

- Western United coach John Aloisi hopes his side will catch newly-crowned A-League Premiership winners Melbourne City at just the right time as they look to squeeze into the playoffs. Western United's 1-0 win over second-placed Adelaide United on Sunday ensured City cannot be overtaken before the end of the regular season. The result also keeps alive Western United's hopes of retaining the Championship, which they won last year with an unexpected Grand Final victory over City. Aloisi's side are eighth and sit three points behind Sydney FC, who occupy the sixth and final playoff berth. "We have to play Melbourne City this week and who knows how they will be feeling after their result? We don't know, but we have to worry about ourselves and try and win that game," Aloisi said of Saturday's game. "And then we go to Perth. Perth might still be alive. There are twists and turns that will happen. Sydney have a tou...

By Steve Keating BRAMPTON, Ontario - The Canada government will restore funding to Hockey Canada after the body met three conditions to make the sport safer, said Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge on Sunday, ahead of the women's ice hockey world championship gold medal game between the United States and Canada. Hockey Canada had its funding frozen last year when the national governing body came under scrutiny over its handling of sexual assault allegations. The organisation, which has lost a many corporate sponsors amid the scandal, has been under fire since news broke in last May of an alleged group sexual assault involving members of Canada's 2018 world junior team and subsequent out-of-court settlement paid for out of player registration fees. The allegations against the unnamed players have not been proven in court. "Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain th...

AUSTIN, Texas - MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia was baffled and angry after throwing away 25 points by crashing out of Sunday's Grand Prix of the Americas while leading from pole position. The Ducati rider, who took a Saturday sprint/Sunday double in last month's Portuguese opener, has now crashed out of his last two full distance races when he might have banked 45 points. Sunday's points blank at Austin's Circuit of the Americas came just as the Italian was poised to retake the championship lead from compatriot Marco Bezzecchi, the Argentina GP winner who finished sixth for VR46 Ducati. "For the second weekend in a row I don't know (how it happened)," Bagnaia, who won the Saturday sprint but is now 11 points behind Bezzecchi after three rounds, told BT Sport. "I am quite angry, disappointed. Not with myself, because I'm 100% sure it wasn't my fault," he continued. "So we need to understand it, we have...

- Third-placed AS Roma secured a comfortable 3-0 home win against Udinese thanks to goals from Edoardo Bove, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham in Serie A on Sunday. Roma now have 56 points from 30 games, five adrift of second-placed Lazio and three above AC Milan in fourth. They took the lead in the 37th minute through Bove who tucked the ball away after Bryan Cristante's penalty for handball by Roberto Pereyra came back off the post. Captain Pellegrini doubled Roma's lead with a precise strike into the top left corner after being nicely teed up inside the box by striker Andrea Belotti 10 minutes into the second half. Udinese could have pulled one back through a penalty awarded for Gianluca Mancini's handball but goalkeeper Rui Patricio dived full-length to save Pereyra's spot kick in the 69th. Roma substitute Abraham wrapped up the win in stoppage time with a header. Udinese, missing their sea...

PARIS - Vitinha scored his first goals for Olympique de Marseille as they thrashed struggling Troyes 3-1 to move into second place in the Ligue 1 standings on Sunday. The Portuguese striker, who joined in January, netted either side of the interval with Cengiz Under also on the scoresheet to put Igor Tudor's side on 64 points with seven games left. They trail leaders Paris St Germain by eight points after the capital side beat RC Lens, now third on 63, 3-1 on Saturday. Monaco are fourth on 61 points after beating Lorient 3-1 at home, as the race for second place and direct qualification for the Champions League group stage heats up. Vitinha, who had not scored in his first six matches since joining from Braga on Jan. 31, grabbed an early goal to give OM a dream start. They took charge in the second minute when Vitinha smashed a beautiful shot under the bar after powering into the area. The hosts d...

AUSTIN, Texas - Alex Rins won the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin on Sunday after MotoGP world champion Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia, the Saturday sprint winner, crashed while leading from pole position. The Spaniard's surprise victory on a clear afternoon in Texas was a first for his LCR Honda team since Britain's Cal Crutchlow in Argentina in 2018. Italian Luca Marini, MotoGP great Valentino Rossi's half-brother, was second for the VR46 Ducati team and France's 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo completed the podium on a Yamaha. VR46's Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth to stretch his championship lead to 11 points over fellow Italian Bagnaia after three rounds. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)...

NOTTINGHAM, England - With his Manchester United side still in the thick of three different races and in the midst of a gruelling stretch of games, manager Erik ten Hag says he will not prioritise one competition over another. "We approach this game by game, what can we do?" Ten Hag said after Sunday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest. "We have to win. We are United, we have to win every game." United's victory over Steve Cooper's relegation-threatened Forest at the City Ground propelled them into third to strengthen their grip on a top-four Premier League finish. The match was also sandwiched between both legs of their Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, United head to Seville for the return on Thursday. They play Brighton at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals next Sunday. "The points are getting more expensive at this period of the season, because they are all fi...

MADRID - Atletico Madrid extended their unbeaten run to 13 league games after Antoine Griezmann scored twice in a 2-1 home win over Almeria on Sunday as they registered their sixth straight win in Laliga. Atletico moved to within two points of second-placed rivals Real Madrid but Diego Simeone's side are 13 points behind league leaders Barcelona. Almeria are 17th, three points above the relegation zone. Atletico were up and running inside five minutes when Angel Correa cleverly flicked his header from a corner kick into the six-yard box where Griezmann nodded home from point-blank range. But Almeria got back on level terms in the 37th minute when they pounced on a poor back pass from Correa which set Leo Baptistao on his way down the left against his former club. The Brazilian quickly took his shot as he was closed down and it deflected off defender Jose Gimenez before looping over Jan Oblak in goal to go down as an own goal...

- A second-half goal by substitute Gregoire Defrel earned Sassuolo a 1-0 home win over Juventus in Serie A on Sunday, condemning Massimiliano Allegri's side to successive league defeats for the first time this season. Forward Defrel broke the deadlock for Sassuolo in the 64th minute, firing home inside the right post on the rebound following a corner. Juventus, seventh in the standings on 44 points, missed the chance to close the gap to the top six and remain four points behind Atalanta, who travel to ninth-placed Fiorentina on Monday. Sassuolo moved up three places to 10th on 40 points from 30 games. (Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)...