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Alberto Contador will be one of the main draws at the Fleche Wallonne classic on Wednesday but the former Tour de France winner claims he wanted to skip the event. The 30-year-old Spaniard’s participation comes as something of a surprise after he recently said he was tired. His main aim for the year is a third Tour title in July. The champion from 2007 and 2009, who was stripped of a third victory in 2010 for doping, admitted the Fleche Wallonne had not featured in part of his original planning....

The Blues travel to Old Trafford for a crucial fixture in the race to finish in the top four, with Pogba one of the main talking points ahead of the game having been in and out of the side in recent times. After being withdrawn after 63 minutes of United’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in January, Pogba was then dropped to the bench against Huddersfield before again being taken off midway through the second half of the defeat to Newcastle....

Ranieri was sacked by Leicester City on Thursday with the club only one point above the relegation zone, just nine months after guiding the club to the most improbable title win in the history of the Premier League. Klopp compares Ranieri sacking to Brexit and Trump With Ranieri’s departure, none of the last five title winners are in a job with the team they won the league with, the Italian suffering the same fate as former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in December 2015....

Asked how important he thought it was for the United States to defeat Costa Rica in Saturday night’s semifinal and reach the championship game of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, his answer was, “I don’t care.” It wasn’t: I don’t care because I’m impartial and will cover the outcome regardless. It was: I don’t care because the importance of this Gold Cup for the United States men’s national team is to look at different players and different combinations, and that’s already been accomplished through three group games and the quarterfinal....

Kaufman’s new film, “Adaptation,” with Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep and directed by “Malkovich’s” Spike Jonze, is about a great many things–passion, failure, evolution, flowers, love, exploitation, honesty, baldness–but mostly it’s about Charlie Kaufman. Three years ago, Kaufman was hired to write a film adaptation of Susan Orlean’s book “The Orchid Thief,” a non-fiction account of a flower poacher in Florida’s Everglades, based on her article in The New Yorker....

Voters across the country have been asked to weigh in on this debate despite not understanding a fundamental question: Just how dangerous and addictive is the high-potency marijuana that legalizers are pushing? Two encouraging signs coming out of Washington may help us answer this question as the debate moves forward. One is the resurgent confidence in science brought on by the miraculous speed and efficacy with which vaccines for the coronavirus have been brought to market....

TMZ Sports tracked down the congressman and asked him a question regarding the sexual assault allegations against Titans defensive lineman Sammie Hill. “I don’t keep up with football, except college football,” Cohen said. “Except Eli Manning or Peyton Manning. And Eli and Peyton don’t do sexual assaults against people other than their wives.” MORE: Sammie Hill accused | Dwight Freeney wants to sack Peyton | 49ers end hope on Bowman and Dorsey...

“The picture is very clear to anyone who’s honestly looking at the facts and the evidence,” Lofgren told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Tuesday. “I think these two articles are sadly warranted, supported by the evidence and should be approved.” Lofgren serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which on December 7 released its report on the constitutional grounds for impeaching Trump. In 1974, she worked on President Richard Nixon’s impeachment inquiry as a staffer....

Some love the idea. Others hate it. Among the latter category are two Connecticut senators who are worried about whether the NCAA has the best interests of the athletes in mind or if the governing body is just looking for “another cash grab.” “The only guaranteed outcome of an expanded playoff field and longer season is more league profit that the players won’t see a dime of – it’s just another cash grab,” said Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn....

The 17-year-old lit up the 2023 World Juniors. Bedard was an integral part in Canada winning back-to-back golds at the tournament. He earned MVP, Best Forward and All-Star honors for his efforts. The performance from the Regina Pats star was historic. His insane point production allowed him to fly up the record books, even setting three different Canadian World Juniors records at the same time when he scored to open Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Slovakia....

McGregor also wants to make clear that Mayweather needs him more than he needs Mayweather, and that he’s the one who would be dictating the financial terms of the event. MORE: Best UFC villains of all time While TMZ Sports reported Friday that Mayweather has offered McGregor $50 million to fight him, McGregor discussed a much lower figure on Sunday’s SportsCenter. “I hear the boy talking,” McGregor told ESPN’s Kenny Mayne....

Conor McGregor responded to this by posting a tweet regarding Khabib’s late father, a move that was condemned by many in the MMA community. Former UFC champ-champ Daniel Cormier also criticized McGregor and noted that the Irishman’s tweet was a “cry for help.” This elicited a response from McGregor, who mocked DC’s weight. DC later addressed Conor McGregor’s jibes on the latest edition of ESPN’s DC & RC podcast. Daniel Cormier advised McGregor to focus on himself and the fighters beating him rather than turning his attention to Cormier....

Max Holloway won the fight and was congratulated for his amazing return to the MMA Octagon immediately by some of the best MMA fighters from around the world. However, Conor McGregor waited to talk about Holloway’s return, commenting on an observation made by Chael Sonnen. In case you didn’t know… Max Holloway had been out of the Octagon for over a year. He had been set to fight Brian Ortega earlier this year, but due to concerns about his health, the fight did not end up taking place....

Beck made the remarks in a video posted to Twitter Monday, saying it was time to call out “wokeism.” The nationally syndicated talk show host follows other voices who have used the term “woke” as a culture war rallying cry to undermine their political opponents or stances in their own party. Webster’s Dictionary defines “woke” as: “Aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)....

Conte’s Premier League champions were strong favourites to complete the double as his opposite number Arsene Wenger grappled with a defensive injury crisis before the contest, but Arsenal tore into their rivals from the opening whistle. Arsenal were unfortunate not to hold a more authoritative lead than 1-0 at half-time after a scintillating showing, even allowing for questions over handball and offside associated with Alexis Sanchez’s fourth-minute opener. Chelsea improved after the break and equalised through Diego Costa despite having Victor Moses sent off, although Arsenal hit back instantly and Aaron Ramsey netted the winner – as he did in the 2014 final against Hull City....

Amid the Italian’s reported frustration with Chelsea’s performance in the transfer market, Wenger claimed he appreciates his counterpart’s situation at Stamford Bridge, but does not feel sorry for him. Chelsea 15/4 to win the Premier League The Arsenal manager suggested Conte could bring back some of the host of players who have been loaned out if he wants a bigger squad. Kurt Zouma, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kasey Palmer, Izzy Brown and Tammy Abraham are among the Blues’ youngsters who will play elsewhere in the Premier League this season, while Marco van Ginkel and Mario Pasalic have been temporarily sent elsewhere in Europe....

Conte responds to Willian-Man Utd link The Nigeria international has been a revelation for Chelsea this season after Antonio Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation, but that has prompted rival clubs to show an interest in his services. Conte wouldn’t be drawn on whether Chelsea would be ready to offer Moses a new deal to ward off interest, but he was emphatic about his desire for his players to not lose focus during their impressive six-match winning run....

The right-of-abode question turned on the Court of Final Appeal’s recent interpretation of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. Taking a broad interpretation of the law, the court’s ruling could have resulted in the sudden influx of well over a million mostly mainland Chinese immigrants. In responding to the judgment, Hong Kong had four options–none ideal. First, accept the consequences. Second, the court could reverse its ruling–following a precedent set by many foreign courts....

“You’re not in a theater, you’re in a classroom,” Callas informs the Broadway audience, ostensibly addressing the pupils and auditors who jammed her classes. She adds, “I hope you’re not expecting me to sing.” (At that point in Callas’s career her voice was pretty shot.) The music is provided by the students, played by three real singers (beautifully aided by David Loud as the class pianist). What Caldwell does is speak the arias with a powerful dramatic inflection and intensity; you believe that she has lived deep inside that music by Bellini, Verdi and Puccini....

India women couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series, defeating the current world champions by 66 runs in the opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. The win not only gave a fillip to their confidence but also enabled India grab crucial two points in the ICC Women’s Championship as the race for securing direct qualification spots for the 2021 World Cup heats up. India need to hold on to its position in top four of the world rankings till 2020 to get a direct berth in the 2021 World Cup and in this context, a second successive victory on Monday would do a world of good for the hosts....