
-
What is in the new US-UK trade deal?
-
MLB Pirates fire Shelton as manager after 12-16 start
-
Alcaraz '100 percent ready' for return to action in Rome
-
Prevost becomes first US pope as Leo XIV
-
Andy Farrell holds out hope for son Owen after Lions omission
-
Roglic leads deep field of contenders at tricky Giro d'Italia
-
White smoke signals Catholic Church has new pope
-
Bill Gates speeds up giving away fortune, blasts Musk
-
LA Coliseum, SoFi Stadium to share 2028 Olympic opening ceremony
-
Trump unveils 'breakthrough' US-UK trade deal
-
Andy Farrell holds out hope for Owen Farrell after Lions omission
-
Trump calls US Fed chair 'fool' after pause in rate cuts
-
Stocks rise as US-UK unveil trade deal
-
UN says Israel school closures in east Jerusalem 'assault on children'
-
Itoje grateful for 'tremendous honour' of leading Lions in Australia
-
Cardinals to vote anew for pope after second black smoke
-
Arsenal fall short again as striker woes haunt Arteta
-
Inter turn attentions to fading Serie A title defence after Barca triumph
-
Elk could return to UK after 3,000 years as plan wins funding
-
Trump announces 'full and comprehensive' trade deal with UK
-
Putin and Xi rail against West as Ukraine reports truce violations
-
England's Itoje to captain British and Irish Lions rugby team in Australia
-
Gates Foundation to spend $200 bn through 2045 when it will shut down
-
Swiatek makes fast start at Italian Open
-
Israel's aid blockade to Gaza 'unacceptable': Red Cross
-
EU threatens to target US cars, planes if Trump tariff talks fail
-
Amnesty says UAE supplying Sudan paramilitaries with Chinese weapons
-
Bank of England cuts interest rate as US tariffs hit economy
-
Germany slams Russian 'lies' on Ukraine in WWII commemoration
-
Pakistan and India accuse each other of waves of drone attacks
-
Thrilling PSG home in on elusive Champions League trophy
-
Wolf protection downgrade gets green light in EU
-
Fijian Olympic medallist Raisuqe killed after car hit by train
-
EU parliament backs emissions reprieve for carmakers
-
Trump announces trade agreement with UK
-
Global temperatures stuck at near-record highs in April: EU monitor
-
Stocks rise as Trump signals US-UK 'trade deal'
-
Second black smoke, cardinals to vote again for new pope
-
Screams and shattered glass under Pakistan bombardment
-
Drone strikes spark civilian exodus from army-controlled Sudan aid hub
-
First responders in Gaza run out of supplies
-
Pakistan shoots down 25 Indian drones near military installations
-
Xi meets Putin in Moscow as Ukraine reports truce violations
-
Israel forces close UN schools in annexed east Jerusalem
-
Trump to announce 'trade deal' with UK
-
'Jumbo': the animated Indonesian film smashing records
-
Stocks rise on trade hopes, London boosted by reports of deal
-
Emirates airline group announces record $6.2 bn gross profit
-
Accused mushroom murderer sent children to movies before deadly meal
-
Nintendo forecasts 15 million Switch 2 sales in 2025-26

Roglic leads deep field of contenders at tricky Giro d'Italia
Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso head a long list of contenders at a 21-stage Giro d'Italia laced with hills that culminates in the high Alps and starts on Friday with three stages in Albania.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is missing, but several riders could take the honours in an event notorious for surprises and wild weather, which sometimes favours an outsider.
AFP takes a look at the big guns:
- Veteran Roglic -
Red Bull-Bora rider Roglic is a five-time Grand Tour winner backed by climbers -- the 2022 Giro champion Jai Hindley and 2024 runner-up Dani Martinez.
Roglic, 35, can also count on the gutsy Italian Gianni Moscon in the engine room.
The Slovenian is capable of shining in the time-trial, in the hills and in the high mountains. But he is also capable of losing his nerve when isolated or racing downhill.
Roglic is also on record as saying his main target this year is the Tour de France, and should he claim the Giro again he will become the oldest rider ever to do so. "Inside I still feel 20," he said this week.
- Rookie Ayuso in Pogacar's shadow -
The 22-year-old Spanish all-rounder Ayuso won the Tirreno-Adriatico this year but makes his Giro debut here backed up in their Team UAE by another potential champion, Adam Yates, who has proven talent in the mountains but is only an average time-triallist.
It will be fascinating to see the team's tactics in the two individual time-trials, a hilly one in Tirana on day two and a 30-kilometre (18.6 mile) flat run from Luca to Pisa on stage 10.
Team UAE won the race in 2024 with Pogacar, who took six stage wins and won by ten minutes, setting the bar very high for young pretender Ayuso.
- Home hope Tiberi -
A distant fifth in 2024, Antonio Tiberi represents Italy's best hope of a first home win since 2016 when the great tactician Vincenzo Nibali won, and tactics could prove key on such an extraordinarily challenging route.
"Over 21 days anything can happen and the hierarchy can shift at any moment. I think there’s room to try something," he said confidently this week. The Bahrain Merida rider will be flanked by experienced pair Pello Bilbao and veteran Italian Damiano Caruso.
Tiberi, a 23-year-old climber, has promised to keep is powder dry until the final Alpine stages, hoping to ride into Rome in his home region on June 1 donning the leader's pink jersey.
- Scores to settle -
Twin brother of Adam, Simon Yates was on his way to victory in 2018 before a crushing meltdown as Chris Froome turned the tables with an 80km attack.
Yates has a chance at new team Visma, where he is backed by Wout van Aert.
If Yates can survive the time trial on stage 10 he looks a contender to do well at altitude in Sestriere on stage 20. Yates and Van Aert could conversely both win multiple stages.
- South American trio -
Richard Carapaz leads the EF team, Egan Bernal fronts the Ineos challenge and Nairo Quintana heads the roster at Movistar.
All three are former Giro champions with 2021 Olympic champion Carapaz seen as a serious contender with the American team who are sometimes found tactically wanting yet remain enthusiastically ambitious.
Bernal appears to be in his best form since his Giro win in 2021. "I hope to win. Every morning when I wake up that's what motivates me and I can't wait to get started" he said Thursday.
Meanwhile Quintana, the 2014 champion, would likely be satisfied with a stage win.
D.Schlegel--VB