The World Aquatics governing body of swimming has eased rules that now allow approved athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in team events at international meetings.

Coco Gauff has defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 6-3 Friday and set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final on Saturday of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Billie Jean King is now the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Roger Federer has returned to the U.S. Open as a spectator.

Aryna Sabalenka finally got rolling after a bad beginning to the latest-starting match in U.S. Open history and beat No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.

The IOC has invited eight top Russian tennis players plus Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka from Belarus to compete as neutral athletes at the Paris Olympics.

Mirra Andreeva, a 17-year-old unseeded Russian, has defeated No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open to reach the semifinals.

Grand Slam winners Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have reached the fourth round of the French Open in straight sets.

Defense officials in NATO member Poland have presented a plan to strengthen surveillance and defense along its eastern border with Russia and Russian ally Belarus.

A Russian space capsule with two women and one man has safely landed in a steppe in Kazakhstan after their missions aboard the International Space Station.

A Russian spacecraft with three astronauts has successfully docked at the International Space Station.

A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station has blasted off two days after its launch was aborted at the last minute.

Russia’s Roscosmos space agency has aborted the launch of three astronauts to the International Space Station about 20 seconds before they were scheduled to lift off.

Emma Navarro beat second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open for the biggest win of the young American’s career.

Pro tennis players have been wondering aloud whether arm injuries in their sport are related to the week-to-week changing of the tennis balls used by tournaments.

Elena Rybakina claimed her sixth career title with a 6-0, 6-3 rout of top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka to win the the Brisbane International in a perfect tune-up for the first major of 2024.

An orphaned Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia last year during the war in his country returned home on his 18th birthday.

Aryna Sabalenka’s bid to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking has been put on hold because her WTA Finals round-robin match against Elena Rybakina was suspended in the second set by rain.

The women’s tennis tour has defended the court built for the WTA Finals as meeting its “strict performance standards” after No_ 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka called the conditions at the season-ending championship “another level of disrespect.”.

Elena Rybakina advanced to her eighth semifinal of the year by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 at the China Open.

German government officials have held talks with their Polish counterparts asking them to clarify how many visas were issued in an illegal program in which some Polish consulates issued visas in Africa and Asia in exchange for bribes.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda says he is awaiting results of an investigation into allegations that Polish consulates sold a quarter of a million work visas to migrants from Asia and Africa for thousands of dollars.

U.S. Open women’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka and men’s champion Novak Djokovic each moved up one spot to No. 1 in the rankings.

Aryna Sabalenka reached her first U.S. Open final by edging Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5).

Russia’s Investigative Committee has confirmed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash.

Poland’s president has announced that the country will hold its parliamentary election on October 15.

Spectators at a tennis tournament in Washington have been told that there would not be a handshake at the conclusion of the match between players from Ukraine and Belarus.

Ukraine has signaled it will no longer bar its athletes from competing against Russians who are taking part in sporting events as “neutral athletes."

In an election reflecting strong global opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine, NATO and European Union member Slovenia has overwhelmingly defeated Moscow’s close ally Belarus for a seat on the U.N. Security Council starting in January.

Top tennis player Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus has been allowed to avoid a traditional postmatch news conference at the French Open after saying she did not feel safe when a reporter asked about the war in Ukraine during previous question-and-answer sessions.

The wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski says he's been transferred to a notoriously brutal prison in Belarus and hasn’t been heard from in a month.

Victoria Azarenka continues her quest for a third Australian Open title a decade after her last championship at Melbourne Park when she plays Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in one of two night women’s semifinals.

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka has made it back to the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2016 by coming back to beat Zhu Lin 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Tennis player Jessica Pegula has Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on her mind at the Australian Open — and his No. 3 on her outfit.

The leaders of 44 European countries are hailing their united stand against Russia’s war on Ukraine as the conflict fuels an energy crisis and high inflation.

The NHL has suspended its dealings with the Russia-based KHL.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest conflict that Europe has seen since World War II, with Russia conducting a multi-pronged offensive across the country.

Flags celebrated survival, endurance and above all, defiance on a day Ukraine's president had called for displays of unity.

A new day of high-stakes diplomacy beckons as European leaders try to reinvigorate stalled peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron says Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would not further escalate the Ukraine crisis.

Russia says it will relocate naval exercises off the coast of Ireland after Dublin raised concerns about them amid the tense dispute with the West over expansion of the NATO alliance and fears that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine.

The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered about 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert, preparing for possible deployment to Europe, if needed, to reassure NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine.

Russian officials say Moscow is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major joint military drills.

Senior U.N. refugee agency and European Union officials are accusing Latvia, Lithuania and Poland of using questionable methods to keep out migrants trying to enter from Belarus.

A mink was caught on camera carrying a snake on a nature trail in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

When the leaders of the Soviet Union’s three Slavic republics met at a secluded hunting lodge near the Polish border on Dec. 8, 1991, they delivered a death blow to the USSR.

France's interior minister says France will double the number of officers in charge of fighting smugglers after 27 people died last week trying to cross the Channel to get Britain in an overcrowded smuggling boat.

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is appealing to the European Union not to forget the plight of ordinary citizens and political prisoners in the former Soviet country.

Poland's prime minister has warned that migrant pressures on the European Union's border with Belarus could continue, this time with people fleeing from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Fears that the authoritarian leader of Belarus is using migrants as a “hybrid warfare” tactic to destabilize the European Union are putting new strains on some of the values and laws of the 27-nation bloc.

Thousands of people have marched in Poland in solidarity with migrants and asylum-seekers at the Poland-Belarus border who have been pushed back by Polish authorities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she finds it unacceptable that refugees are being used to apply pressure to Poland and other European Union members on the border with Belarus.

A top European Union official has condemned Belarus and expressed support for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The two singles champions at this year’s U.S. Open will earn 35% less than in 2019.

For all the International Olympic Committee talks of staying neutral, its games have long proven to be essentially and sometimes overtly political.

Lithuania has ordered its border guards to turn away, by force if needed, migrants attempting to enter the Baltic country as a surge of Iraqis coming in from neighboring Belarus has emerged a major foreign policy issue.

Japan’s government says a Belarus track sprinter is safe after she alleged her Olympic team tried to remove her from Japan in a dispute that led to a standoff at Tokyo’s main airport.

Eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova has reached her second Grand Slam final after rallying to beat No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets at Wimbledon.

The highest court in Belarus has convicted an aspiring rival to the nation’s authoritarian president on corruption charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

European Union member Lithuania has declared a state of emergency due to an influx of migrants from neighboring Belarus in the last few days.

The daughter of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has made a rare public appearance to accept a human rights award on his behalf.

Thousands of Belarusians who have fled the former Soviet nation amid a brutal crackdown on dissent are shocked by the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.

Pope Francis has kissed the tattoo of an Auschwitz survivor during a general audience.

The authoritarian president of Belarus has signed a law sharply restricting news media activities and allowing them to be shut down without a court hearing.

Aryna Sabalenka is glad she changed her mind about playing at the Madrid Open.

Ashleigh Barty of Australia, returns to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Ash Barty is tough to beat under any circumstances, especially when she’s on the ropes. The world’s top-ranked player has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, getting there by holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. This, too, was cool: The match lived up to its showdown potential, with the reigning Miami Open champion and current world No. 1 in Barty facing someone who has won the Miami title three times and a previous world No. Svitolina will play unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the quarters; Sevastova was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia.

AdHe said: “If it’s any other tournament than a Grand Slam, then I’d withdraw from that event, that’s for sure. Defending champion Novak Djokovic has started his fourth-round match against Milos Raonic at the Australian Open. He'll play either U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem or Grigor Dimitrov next and he says he doesn't have a preference. Their match is to be followed by eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic against 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic — assuming Djokovic decides he can play. Other men in action include reigning U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem and the man he beat in that final, Alexander Zverev.

The World Health Organization and the European Union announced Thursday Feb. 11, 2021, the launch of a 40-million euro (dollars 48.5 million) program to help deploy COVID-19 vaccines in six former Soviet republics including Belarus. The program will involve Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, and complements the work of an existing EU program and the WHO-backed COVAX Facility that aims to deploy vaccines for people in all countries in need whether rich or poor, Dr. Hans Kluge said. But only if we ensure that all countries, irrespective of income level, have access to them,” Kluge told reporters from WHO Europe headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the region, some 7.8 million people have completed immunizations against the coronavirus, Kluge said. He added that the number of vaccine doses administered has outstripped the number of reported COVID-19 cases, with some 41 million doses given compared to the 36 million cases reported in the region during the pandemic.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko defended his country’s ability to host the ice hockey world championship on Monday by ridiculing the United States following the violent attack at the Capitol. The authoritarian leader met with International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel for talks amid calls to move the world championship following mass protests against Lukashenko’s rule. “In our country, protesters and other dissatisfied people don’t storm government agencies and capitols,” Lukashenko said. Authorities have cracked down hard on the largely peaceful demonstrations, the biggest of which attracted up to 200,000 people. Lukashenko has been president of the Belarus Olympic Committee since the 1990s and Fasel is an IOC member who previously sat on the executive committee.

State health officials said Tuesday that the variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history. Health officials have said the vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the variant. — A former Louisiana state lawmaker and his wife died from COVID-19 on the same day. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City fire department says a firefighter, whose nephew became the first department employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, died of the virus after being infected while responding to a call. In the Upstate area of the state, COVID-19 infection rates continue to outpace every other part of South Carolina.

KYIV – A human rights group in Belarus says over 300 people have been detained during Sunday protests against the country’s authoritarian president, who won his sixth term in office in a vote widely seen as rigged. The protests took place in Minsk, the capital, and other cities and attracted thousands of people. Nearly 250 demonstrators were detained in Minsk alone, police said. More than 300 people have been detained all across the country, according to the group. “I will support everyone who takes part in the Neighbors' March this Sunday,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a video statement.

The European Union has awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for their challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's long hard-line reign. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)BRUSSELS – The European Union on Thursday awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for their challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko’s long, hard-line reign. During a speech at the European Parliament, president David Sassoli praised the Sakharov Prize laureates for their “courage, resilience and determination." Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s main challenger, got 10% of the vote. The EU award, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Officials on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, confirmed its first U.S. cases of mink infected with the coronavirus following outbreaks in Europe. Five infected mink have been identified at two farms in Utah, the Department of Agriculture announced. Over the weekend, a handful of protesters were removed outside two mink farms, he added. The coronavirus pandemic could “threaten the entire profession,” said Tage Pedersen, chairman of Danish Fur Breeders Association. In Poland, another large mink fur exporter, the ruling right-wing coalition and the opposition are deeply divided over a new law that would ban fur farms.

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___9:35 p.m.American teenager Coco Gauff’s French Open debut has ended in the second round after she double-faulted 19 times in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 loss to 159th-ranked qualifier Martina Trevisan. Stefano Travaglia beat the Japanese player 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open after nearly four hours. 2-seeded Spaniard is looking to win his record-extending 13th French Open title and equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20 major titles overall. ___2:55 p.m.U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is out of the French Open in the second round. They said it was "a fighter plane which has broken the sound barrier.”___12 p.m.Serena Williams is out of the French Open.

Belgium's David Goffin plays a shot against Italy's Jannik Sinner in the first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS – The Latest on the opening day at the French Open:___David Goffin has become the first seeded player to be knocked out of the French Open. The 11th-seeded Belgian lost 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 to 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who beat Goffin for the second time this year after winning on hard courts at Rotterdam in February. Sinner showcased his talent as one of the world's best young players by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals last year. In the women's draw, tenth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Danka Kovinic 6-1, 6-2 in chilly conditions.

Police detain a protester during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/TUT.by)KYIV – Hundreds of women calling for the authoritarian president to step down protested in Belarus’ capital on Saturday, continuing the large demonstrations that have rocked the country since early August. Police blocked off the center of Minsk and arrested more than 80 demonstrators, according to the Viasna human rights organization. Some of those arrested were chased down by police in building courtyards where they were trying to take refuge, Viasna said. A large protest is expected on Sunday, typically the day that sees the biggest demonstrations attracting crowds estimated at up to 200,000.

U.S. Open champion Osaka has pulled out of the French Open because of an injured hamstring. 1-ranked Ash Barty in skipping the French Open, which opens on Monday, Sept. 21. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the French Open because of an injured left hamstring. Osaka joins defending champion Ash Barty in skipping the French Open, which opens on Sept. 27 in Paris. “Unfortunately I won’t be able to play the French Open this year,” Osaka said on Twitter.

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts during the women's singles final against Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, during the US Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in New York. Surprisingly off-kilter in the early going Saturday, Osaka kept missing shots and digging herself a deficit. By the end, Osaka pulled away to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory for her second U.S. Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall. But Osaka regained control, breaking to start a match-ending run of three games, covering her face when the final was over. Osaka and her coach have said they think the off-court activism has helped her energy and mindset in matches.

Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Serena Williams, of the United States, during a semifinal match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK – The Latest on on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):___3:30 p.m.Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka were supposed to play two weeks ago in Flushing Meadows. Osaka and Azarenka will meet in the U.S. Open women's final, with the winner earning her third Grand Slam singles title. She went on to win another in 2019 at the Australian Open, a title Azarenka won twice. Azarenka won that tournament, normally held in Ohio but moved because of the coronavirus pandemic, when Osaka had to pull out of the final with a hamstring injury.

FILE - This Aug. 23, 2020, file image made from video provided by the State TV and Radio Company of Belarus, shows Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko armed with a rifle near the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus. His office released a video showing Lukashenko landing in a helicopter nearby and brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle as protesters marched nearby. He is predictably stifling the protests, but the picture is changing, said Valery Karbalevich, an independent political analyst. The authorities' scenario is clear: They are trying to stem the wave of protests by using force, slowing the processes and demotivating the leaders, he said. Lukashenko is a seasoned demagogue who can imitate a dialogue in order to shift focus, Klaskousky said.

Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and the Netherlands have scientists digging into how the animals got infected and if they can spread it to people. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)MADRID Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and the Netherlands have scientists digging into how the animals got infected and if they can spread it to people. In the meantime, authorities have killed more than 1 million minks at breeding farms in both countries as a precaution. The outbreaks among the minks on farms in the Netherlands and Spain likely started with infected workers, although officials arent certain. China, which produces about a third of the mink fur market, and the United States have not reported any virus outbreaks in minks or in animals at other farms.

Police officers detain protesters during a rally against the removal of opposition candidates from the presidential elections in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Election authorities in Belarus on Tuesday barred two main rivals of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko from running in this summer's presidential election. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)MINSK Police in Belarus said Wednesday that officers detained more than 250 people the previous day, after mass protests against barring two candidates from the upcoming presidential election erupted in the country. This provoked violent responses from some protesters who tried to prevent others being arrested and beaten," Aisha Jung, Amnesty International's Belarus Senior Campaigner, said in a statement. However, according to eyewitnesses and widely available video footage, the gatherings remained largely peaceful, and many of those arrested were peaceful protesters," Jung said.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko look on during Independence Day celebrations, in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)MINSK Election authorities in Belarus on Tuesday barred two main rivals of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko from running in this summer's presidential election. The ballot, among others, will feature Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, wife of jailed popular opposition blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky. The presidential campaign this year has sparked tensions in Belarus amid the coronavirus outbreak and a weakening economy. The country's authorities' decision not to impose a lockdown during the pandemic and crackdown on opposition candidates elicited outrage and prompted protests.

In this picture taken on Wednesday, May 26, 2020, Valery Tsepkalo, a potential candidate in the upcoming presidential election, smiles in Minsk, Belarus. The central elections commission in Belarus has rejected a top challenger's bid to run against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in this summer's election. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)MINSK The central elections commission in Belarus has rejected a top challengers bid to run against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in this summers election. The commisions decision Tuesday to bar Valery Tsepkalo from the ballot removes any serious competition for Lukashenko, who has stifled opposition and news media during a quarter-century in power. Another strong challenger, former banker Viktor Babariko, has been jailed and is facing charges of money-laundering.

MINSK A human rights group in Belarus said Sunday that more than 30 people have been detained amid demonstrations against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is running for another term. Lukashenko, who has suppressed opposition and independent news media during quarter-century in power, is seeking a new term in an election scheduled for Aug. 9. Nikolai Statkevich, one of Belarus most prominent opposition figures, was detained while heading for a protest in Minsk. On Friday, popular opposition blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky was detained during a rally in Grodno, the countrys fourth-largest city. The human rights group Vesna said Sunday that more than 30 people in all had been detained in recent days.