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Danny McIntosh landed a crashing right hand in round 10 to claim the European title over Thierry Karl in France.

McIntosh was well behind on the scorecards and seemingly in danger of being stopped himself when he came up with the huge shot which left Karl out on his feet and prompted the referee's intervention.

It was a career-best win for McIntosh, who was stopped in a British title bid by Nathan Cleverly in 2009 and had had only two low-key victories before seizing his chance against Karl.

Geelong, Australia: Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and the Tour of Spain runner-up were suspended for suspected doping on Thursday in a devastating new double blow to cycling's battered image.

The suspensions set back the sport's efforts to restore its credibility after a string of high-profile drugs cases

Contador, one of the biggest names in cycling, tested positive for a very small concentration of a banned anabolic agent and was provisionally suspended, the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), said.

It added in a statement that the Spaniard, who won his third Tour this year, was tested during the second rest day of the highest profile race in the cycling calendar.

Contador, a three-time Tour winner regarded as one of the sport's greatest ever riders, vehemently...

France could seek negotiations with a branch of al-Qaeda that seized five French nationals and two other foreigners in Mali earlier this month, a presidential aide has said.
We are ready to talk to the kidnappers, a spokesman from the office of Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday, referring to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim).
The source, who was quoted by the AFP news agency, added that we have every reason to think that the hostages are alive and had been taken to Timetrine, a desert area near the Algerian border.
Members of Aqim seized the French nationals, along with a Togolese and a Madagascan, in a raid on September 16 on a uranium mining town in the deserts of northern Niger.
Earlier, a Malian source told AFP that he had seen the hostages and they were all alive.
They are even all able to stand up, he said.
Maximum discretion is needed. We are giving this information to reassure the families, but don't ask...

LYON, France: France rubber-stamped their Davis Cup final place in style by completing an emphatic 5-0 victory over Argentina in their semi-final here on Sunday.

Leading 4-0 after Gilles Simon's 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 defeat of Eduardo Schwank earlier in the day, France secured the whitewash when Arnaud Clement beat Horacio Zeballos 7-5, 6-1 in the final singles rubber.

It was France's second straight 5-0 win in the competition, following a quarter-final demolition of defending champions Spain.

They also defeated Germany 4-1 in the first round.

France will face either Serbia or the Czech Republic, who meet in Belgrade this weekend, in the Davis Cup final on December 3-5.

Sunday's two singles matches were rendered dead rubbers by the straight sets victory of Clement and Michael Llodra against Schwank and Zeballos in Saturday's doubles match, which gave France an unassailable 3-0 lead.
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After struggling to the top of a Pyrenean mountain almost five minutes behind the stage winner and falling to 18th place in the overall classification tonight, Bradley Wiggins admitted that his performance in the 2010 Tour de France has been something more than a disappointment.
Want me to be honest with you? I'm ****ed, mate, he told reporters. I've got nothing. I just don't have the form, it's as simple as that. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm just trying my hardest, battling on rather than giving up. I just haven't got it as I did last year. I don't know why. I just feel consistently mediocre. Not brilliant, not ****, just mediocre. It's form – it's a funny old thing.
In his unsparing analysis, Wiggins went so far as to describe his performance a year ago, when he finished a remarkable fourth in the general classification and aroused hopes that he might become...

President Nicolas Sarkozy asked his sports minister, Roselyne Bachelot, to prolong her stay in South Africa to speak to the captain, Patrice Evra, the coach, Raymond Domenech, and the head of the French Football Federation, Jean-Pierre Escalettes.

He (Sarkozy) like me, we are taking note of the indignation of the French people and calling for dignity and responsibility, she said.
Asked whether there would be penalties over the episode, she said: It's not yet the right time to take disciplinary action but that time will come very soon.

Economy Minister Christine Lagarde, formerly a member of the national synchronised swimming team, slammed the boycott which players said was out of solidarity with Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home after he insulted Domenech.

I am appalled because I have worn the French national colours as you know, and when you wear the French national colours you have added responsibilities, she told LCI television.
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France will not only have Batum but a host of other youngsters that make Les Bleus one of the most dangerous teams at the tournament.

Batum missed the first half of the NBA season following shoulder surgery but returned to the line-up and helped fire the Blazers into the play-offs.

His shoulder started to bother him again late in the campaign but the 21-year-old, who started for the Blazers in his second year and averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds, refused to come out of the line-up.

Now he is determined to wear the French shirt.

My decision is definite,” he said at Bercy, where he watched the French Cup Finals over the weekend.

“I will be present in the French squad for the World Championship. To join the national team again was a big desire after we (I) made our (my) debut at the EuroBasket.

“I had a worry about my shoulder but the Portland executives told me that I would be better off...