The cities of Doha and Baku have been cut from the list of candidates to stage the 2020 Olympic Games.

Syrians are expected to largely shun the polling booths today in an election widely written off as a sham that will do nothing to loosen President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power.

It took Agnieszka Radwanska 17 years to decide that her father, Robert, was not the best man to be her full-time travelling coach. It has taken the 23-year-old Pole just three months to appreciate the wisdom of her decision to stop touring with her father and to work instead with Tomasz Wiktorowski, Poland's Fed Cup captain, and Borna Bikic, who used to coach Jelena Dokic.

Roger Federer said a busy opening to the season had "taken its toll" after the world No 3's 16-match unbeaten run was ended by the world No 34, Andy Roddick, in the third round of the Miami Masters on Monday night. Federer, who lost 7-6, 1-6, 6-4, was playing his 29th match of the season.

Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards has apologised again this morning for claiming that FIFA and UEFA had "stolen" football from England and admitted sometimes he is a "little bit broad".

Messages show the dictator and his wife obsessed with shopping while Syria suffers

British heptathlete sees ‘victory’ taken away after computer error and poor long-jump performance

It was all very different the last time a golden hope from Sheffield was preparing for an eagerly awaited duel in the Olympic track-and-field arena. Sebastian Coe might have lived in the same country as Steve Ovett but, in the lead-up to the Moscow Olympics, the great British kings of middle distance studiously avoided one another in the heat of competitive battle. Indeed, at one point, as they traded world records on the tracks of mainland Europe, one national broadsheet bemoaned in a leader column: "It as if they are playing a game of postal chess."

UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee believes Britain remains “on course” for a successful Olympic Games after encouraging performances this winter.

Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "a desperately sad day for our country" as news emerged of the attack in Helmand.

Conservative rivals of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were leading in the race for parliament according to early election results today, an indication the president may face a more hostile house in the remaining 18 months of his second term in office.

President Barack Obama warned he should be taken seriously when he says he would consider military action to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

The figures showed that Bashar al-Assad had far more support than had been portrayed by the opposition. No less than 55 per cent of the people of Syria, according to an opinion poll, wanted him to continue leading the country.

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