Winter Paralympics: Watershed moment as Russia’s sporting exile ends

IOC president Kirsty Coventry certainly suggested as much recently when she said: "Our game is sport. That means keeping sport a neutral ground. A place where every athlete can compete freely, without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments."Although she did not directly reference any particular country, the comments were widely interpreted to be hinting at a potential lifting of the partial Olympic ban on Russia and Belarus. Her words were welcomed warmly by…

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Heavy gunfire heard as BBC reports from border of Israel and Lebanon

From the small Israeli town of Metula right on the border with Lebanon, BBC reporter Jon Donnison heard what sounded like a full-on gun battle just a kilometre (0.6 miles) or so away.For 10 minutes heavy bursts of machine gun fire echoed across the valley, interspersed with what sounded like artillery fire. The Israeli army says it is trying to push Hezbollah fighters - supported by Iran - back from the south of Lebanon.Read more about this ongoing…

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