“Being able to block myself, from hockey, rugby, even boxing … I probably wouldn’t be here if not for that. I actually threw myself onto the hood and my skull smashed into the windshield. Sometimes, I think about how many other people in that exact accident who probably would have been dead.” How did it come to be that seven years later she is approaching one of the biggest and best moments of her life — a Paralympics debut representing her country on the waters of Tokyo? Well, old habits mostly. Sports saved her again. Not just sports of course but all that comes with it. The Hennessy spirit, a stubborn-as-a-mule, steely Irish-Canadian streak that coursed its way across the Atlantic generations ago but survived the journey, coursing on through the descendants.

  Kumar was deemed ineligible to compete after a review of his F52 classification in Tokyo. It means he has lost his bronze medal after finishing third, breaking the Asian record in the process.

                                   Cyclist Paige Greco has won the first gold medal of the Paralympic Games in the women's C1-3 3000m individual pursuit. She finished with a time of 3:50.815, beating her own world record set just a few hours before, during the qualifying round. Minutes later, Emily Petricola won the second gold in the C4 3000m pursuit, also setting a new world record

Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine on Thursday after "foreign materials" were found in some unused vials, the health ministry said. In a statement, Moderna pointed to a potential issue at a manufacturing contract site in Spain, adding that no safety or efficacy issues have been identified. The Japanese government said it would seek to minimise the impact of the withdrawal on the country's vaccination drive, Nikkei reported. Read More

  The new biographical drama stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. The movie takes place across the course of three days, and follows Diana, Prince Charles and the rest of the Royal family as they spend Christmas at Sandringham Estate in December 1991 During production Kristen Stewart has spoken extensively about taking on the role of Diana - saying " Spencer is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life" Read More

Childbirth is a miracle unto itself. But just like various other aspects of human life, there have been several astonishing feats in this regard as well. From the most prolific mother to the maximum number of children successfully born at once, we bring you some unique and amazing birth and baby records from around the world. Read More

  The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan continues following the collapse of the Afghan government in August. Here is the latest: - According to a NATO diplomat, at least 20 people have died in the past seven days in and around Kabul's airport during evacuation processes - CNN reports that the US military is establishing “alternative routes” to Kabul airport in coordination with the Taliban because “there is a strong possibility” the Islamic State group is trying to carry out an attack - Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar arrived in Kabul for talks with other leaders as they hammer out a new Afghan government under the group, Reuters says - The US Embassy issued a new security warning on Saturday telling Americans in Afghanistan not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a US government representative, the AP reports Watch Here

  Little Mix announced their new album Between Us on Thursday to celebrate their 10 years together as a group. The album will be released on November 12 and will include their hits and brand-new songs. The girl group was formed during The X Factor in 2011 and won the show. Read More

  A viral video circulated on social media alleging to show Taliban fighters celebrating their takeover of Afghanistan has been altered and taken out of context, according to Reuters, AP and AFP. Read More

The power-sharing deal still needs to be ratified by the Green Party's membership. If the deal goes through, Holyrood would have a pro-indepedence majority. Read More

  Broadcaster and author of Olive and Mabel, Andrew Cotter, explores what we can learn from our canine companions. Read More

  Introducing the new Prince and Princess of Wales. On Tuesday, Netflix revealed images of “The Crown” stars Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West from the upcoming season of the royal drama. The actors play Princess Diana and Prince Charles in the fifth season, replacing Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor, who played the roles in season 4 Read More

  Afghan women say they are fearful of returning to the "dark days" under the Taliban's rule. Under the previous era in the early 2000s, women in the country were banned from working and receiving an education. Read More

  A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday in the western part of the nation, killing more than 1,900 people and injuring at least 9,900 others, according to news reports. What you need to know: - The earthquake damaged or destroyed more than 83,000 homes, according to USAID - The Associated Press reports hospitals are overwhelmed with thousands of patients - Tropical Storm Grace hit Haiti just days after the earthquake and around 1.2 million people have been impacted by the successive disasters, UNICEF reports Watch Here

  As the all-electric racing series reaches the final two rounds, most of the drivers could still win the championship. Mercedes-EQ's Nyck de Vries leads Envision Virgin Racing's Robin Frijns and Jaguar Racing's Sam Bird going into Round 14, which takes place around Berlin's disused Tempelhof Airport. Watch Live

  Feeling overwhelmed by climate change news? Here's what people around the world are doing to adapt to global warming. Read More

  As the Premier League begins its new season with fans in stands, the league, clubs and players say that taking the knee is a gesture against racism. Watch Here

  A court in China sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty of spying on Wednesday. Spavor was detained in 2018 along with another Canadian Michael Kovrig, in what has been widely seen as retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant, AFP reports. Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said, "The release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig is our top priority." Read More

  Several people have died and hundreds have been injured in multiple wildfires across Turkey’s southwest coastal region that started on July 28. The fires have spread to Greece, as thousands of people have had to evacuate in recent days. The wildfires are also affecting nearby Mediterranean countries Lebanon, Syria, Italy and Cyprus. Read More

  PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Lionel Messi hosted a press conference on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes auditorium. Referencing Neymar and Mbappé, Messi said: “I’m going to play with the best players in the world, and that’s always good.” The six-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year contract with PSG on Tuesday and will wear the number 30 shirt.

  As one of the first people in her community to contract COVID-19, Diana Berrent scrambled to find medical information and testing, and she knew others must be struggling too. The COVID-19 long hauler created Survivor Corps, a grassroots patient advocacy group, to support the increasing number of coronavirus patients to push the CDC and medical researchers to connect with and learn from patients. Berrent sits down with Washington Post senior writer Frances Stead Sellers to discuss the growing number of long haulers and the mounting medical challenges they face. Watch Here

  From South Africa’s Jenna Cato Bass to Canada’s Ivan Grbovic: these are the films competing for the distinguished Platform Prize at #TIFF21 , awarded by an international jury led by president Riz Ahmed.

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games have officially come to an end, with the Closing Ceremony held at the Olympic Stadium this Sunday. There were fireworks, messages of thanks to Japan and musical performances, even from space! The official handover to Paris 2024 also took place, so the countdown to the Games in three years has begun.

The Pentagon will require members of the US military to receive COVID-19 vaccination by September 15, according to the White House and the Department of Defense. That deadline could be pushed up if the Pfizer vaccine receives full FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise, according to The Associated Press. Read More

August 9 marks a year since protesters swarmed the streets of Belarusian cities to demand the resignation of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. Over 35,000 people were arrested and thousands of Belarusians now live in exile. Read More

  After more than two decades in the spotlight, Beyonce has become much more than a pop icon. She’s a cultural force who has routinely defied expectations and transformed the way we understand the power of art to change how we see ourselves and each other. Read More

Several people have died and hundreds have been injured in multiple wildfires across Turkey’s southwest coastal region that started on July 28. The fires have spread to Greece, as thousands of people have had to evacuate in recent days. The wildfires are also affecting nearby Mediterranean countries Lebanon, Syria, Italy and Cyprus