Journal De Bruxelles - News from Brussels, Belgium, Europe and the world

Italian football icon Paolo Maldini has been appointed technical director of the national football federation (FIGC) looking to rebuild after Italy's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

Heather Knight, England's 2017 World Cup-winning captain and the most capped women's player in England history, announced Saturday she will retire from international cricket following the end of the ongoing Test match against India at Lord's.

England and Norway were preparing to lock horns in a blockbuster World Cup quarter-final battle of elite strikers in Miami on Saturday set to be played in ferocious heat and humidity.

England coach Steve Borthwick refused to say if he would start Henry Pollock after the Northampton flanker produced another high-impact performance off the bench with a hat-trick of tries in a 73-8 Nations Championship rout of Fiji in Liverpool on Saturday.

The Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks closed early over the weekend and cycling's Tour de France shortened a stage for the first time in its history, as France sweated through its third heatwave since May.

"Fruit Gathering" by Myanmar director Aung Phyoe won the Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary film festival in the Czech Republic on Saturday, the organisers said.

Tearful Linda Noskova admitted her astonishing Wimbledon final victory over close friend Karolina Muchova was an emotional rollercoaster.

Jos Buttler's first international century in three years powered England to an emphatic 56-run victory over India at Southampton on Saturday as they took over at the top of the T20 world rankings after completing a 4-0 series clean sweep.

Jesse Kriel scored a 78th-minute try to seal a 42-28 victory for South Africa over Scotland in a thrilling Nations Championship match in Pretoria.

The death toll in Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes last month has topped 4,300, a top lawmaker said Saturday.

Russia struck Ukraine with missiles, drones and guided bombs on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding dozens of others, officials said.

Linda Noskova won her first Wimbledon title in astonishing style on Saturday as the tearful Czech recovered from wasting five match points to beat Karolina Muchova in one of the most dramatic finals in All England Club history.

Liam Slock blew his chances of a Tour de France stage victory after 175km in a breakaway when he took off on his own, fellow escapee Thibault Guernalec said on Saturday.

Kranti Gaud took five wickets before Smriti Mandhana once more piled on the runs against England as India continued to dominate the inaugural women's Test at Lord's on Saturday.

Tour de France organisers for the first time in the race's history have decided to shorten a stage due to intense heat, as Belgian sprint king Tim Merlier doubled up in Saturday's flat eighth stage.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will take part in a commemoration on Sunday for South African soldiers killed in World War I, as part of a three-day visit to France.

Typhoon Bavi made landfall late Saturday in eastern China, packing strong winds as it roared ashore after authorities evacuated nearly two million people, state media said.

Belgian Tim Merlier dominated a bunch sprint finish for the second day running to claim victory in the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, as organisers announced a shortened stage the following day due to the "intense heatwave".

Henry Pollock scored a hat-trick of tries as England ended their five-match losing streak with a 73-8 Nations Championship rout of Fiji in Liverpool on Saturday.

Tour de France organisers announced on Saturday that the next day's ninth stage would be shortened by 30km due to the extreme weather conditions in the central Correze region.

Ryu Hae-ran put herself in position to win a second women's major this season as she blazed a spectacular third-round 60 on Saturday for a two-shot lead at the Evian Championship.

Henry Pollock scored a hat-trick of tries as England ended their five-match losing streak with a 73-8 Nations Championship rout of Fiji in Liverpool on Saturday.

Belgian Tim Merlier dominated a bunch sprint finish for the second day running to claim victory in the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.

Reigning champion Jannik Sinner takes a 13-match Wimbledon winning streak into Sunday's final at the All England Club against French Open winner Alexander Zverev, unbeaten in 13 Grand Slam ties.

After trying for over a decade to win a Grand Slam title and overcoming an array of challenges, Alexander Zverev is one match from making it two in barely a month at Wimbledon.

Russia struck Ukraine with missiles, drones and guided bombs on Saturday, killing six people and wounding dozens of others, officials said.

Kranti Gaud became the first woman to claim a place on the Lord's honours boards for her performance in a Test match with a five-wicket haul that put India in command against England on Saturday.

Seven-time world champion Marc Marquez demonstrated his continued mastery of the Sachsenring with victory in Saturday's German MotoGP Sprint, just hours after booking pole for the main race on Sunday.

The German Football Federation (DFB) announced on Saturday that it was close to an agreement with Jurgen Klopp for him to become the new Germany coach.

Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara won the Wimbledon men's doubles title with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Saturday's final.

Nigerian security forces suffered "casualties" during the rescue of over 40 kidnapped schoolchildren and teachers, the army said Saturday, in an operation that put an end to a major security crisis in the country's relatively safe southwest.

South African midfielder Jayden Adams, who represented his country at the ongoing World Cup, died Saturday at the age of 25, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said.