Sports World: Mendy charged with 2 more rape counts

LONDON • Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged with two additional counts of rape in addition to earlier charges of rape and sexual assault, English prosecutors said yesterday.

The 27-year-old French international, who has already been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, has been in custody since August.

Mendy has not yet formally entered a plea but his lawyer said the player has denied the allegations.

REUTERS

LONDON • The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday announced 14 host locations for the upcoming one-day international World Cups, Twenty20 World Cups and Champions Trophy tournaments from 2024 to 2031.

Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe have all been named as hosts, while the United States and Namibia are set to stage an ICC event for the first time.

REUTERS

NAIROBI • The husband of Kenyan distance-running star Agnes Tirop was on Tuesday charged with her murder, a day after he was found fit to stand trial.

Ibrahim Rotich, who is also known as Emmanuel, denied the charges when he appeared before the high court in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. A two-time world championships bronze medallist in the 10,000m, Tirop, 25, was stabbed to death last month.

REUTERS

SYDNEY • Outspoken tennis star Nick Kyrgios yesterday attempted to play down comments that he wanted the Australian Open to be cancelled, after a backlash with government officials stressing the country was "gagging for major events".

The Australian said on a podcast the first Grand Slam of next year should not go ahead out of respect for host city Melbourne, which has gone through several rounds of hard lockdown. But in a retort, Victoria state Sports Minister Martin Pakula said Kyrgios' reasoning had "no logic".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE