Lebanon's Christians mark Easter in solidarity with war-hit south

American fourth seed Tommy Paul saved three match points before scoring a battling three-set victory over unseeded Argentine Roman Burruchaga to win the ATP Houston US Men's Clay Court Championship on Sunday.

Paul, 28, held his nerve in a nail-biting third set to dig out a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 triumph in 2hr 40min to claim the fifth ATP title of his career.

The American had looked to be heading for defeat after the 77th-ranked Burruchaga engineered a trio of match points while leading 5-3 on Paul's serve in the decisive third set.

But Paul showed tremendous resilience to put out that fire and hold, and then broke Burruchaga in the next game to square the match at 5-5.

Buoyed by that narrow escape, Paul then held to love to go 6-5 up, and suddenly the pressure was all on the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires, playing in his first ATP final.

Burruchaga, the son of 1986 World Cup-winning footballer Jorge Burruchaga, appeared equal to the challenge after going 40-0 up.

Yet once again Paul dug deep and clawed his way back to deuce.

The American moved to match point when Burruchaga drilled a backhand wide down the line, and then clinched victory when the South American yanked a wild forehand long on the next point.

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The University of California at Los Angeles thrashed South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday to capture the coveted US women's collegiate basketball championship.

In a commanding performance at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, UCLA dominated on both ends of the floor, building an early lead with an unselfish offensive display and lock-down defense.

The Bruins out-rebounded the Gamecocks 49-37 and out-scored them 40-28 in the paint and 25-12 on second-chance points.

Gabriela Jaquez -- sister of Miami Heat player Jaime Jaquez Jr. -- scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for UCLA. Gianna Kneepkens added 15 points and center Lauren Betts scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as she made her presence felt in the paint.

UCLA claimed their first NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 championship, their previous title, in 1978, coming before the NCAA tournament era.

In the face of suffocating defense, South Carolina connected on just 25.7% of their shots from the field and the team that went into the final shooting 50.5% shot just 29% for the game.

Trailing 36-23 at halftime, South Carolina were outscored 25-9 in the third quarter.

Third-year guard Tessa Johnson scored 14 points to lead the Gamecocks, but South Carolina's top three scorers Joyce Edwards, Ta'Niya Latson and Madina Okot, were all held to single digits.

The margin of victory was the third largest ever in the women's championship game, and UCLA denied South Carolina a fourth title.

They lifted the trophy in 2017, 2022 and 2024 but fell to Connecticut last year.

bb/rcw

For just the third time under coach Kerrick Jackson, Mizzou baseball has earned a Southeastern Conference series win. 

The Tigers entered the Bluegrass State and pulled off a 5-4 comeback win in the ninth inning Friday, but then dropped Game 2 without much fight. This set Mizzou up for a rubber match, in which the Tigers came out on top with a 5-2 victory over No. 24 Kentucky on Sunday.

In a cutthroat conference, series wins are not a simple task. In the past three seasons, Mizzou has only accomplished the feat against then-No. 4 Florida in 2024, Texas A&M in 2025 and now No. 24 Kentucky in 2026. It also marked its first road series win over a ranked opponent since 2021 against then-No. 3 Mississippi State. 

The team has tied its SEC win total from the previous season and hasn't even reached the halfway point of conference play yet. 

This season, Mizzou has snagged one win on the road against then-No. 22 Tennessee on the road in the series opener and then took another series opener on the road Friday. The Tigers paired it with the win in the series finale. All three wins last year came in the series sweep of Texas A&M on the road.

"Anytime you can win a series on the road against a ranked opponent that's a really good ball club," Jackson said to Mizzou Radio postgame, "you gotta be able to take advantage of that, and we were able to do that today."

There was only a couple innings on Sunday in which the Wildcats had the advantage over Mizzou. The pitching for the Tigers has been up-and-down this season, but they were locked in on the mound in this game.

Mizzou needed just three pitchers for the win. 

In his first collegiate start, freshman right-hander Sam Rosand had himself quite a day. He tossed a career-high four innings and allowed just two runs across the second and third inning. Those were the only runs the Tigers allowed of the game. 

The Wildcats were able to tie together three singles off of Rosand in the second for the first of the runs for Kentucky, then added another run on a solo home run in the third. That briefly put Kentucky ahead 2-1. 

After one more scoreless inning on the mound from Rosand, lefty Juan Villarreal took over and continued to shut down the usually scrappy Wildcats offense. He didn't allow a hit, walked just two batters and hit two batters across his three-inning stint. 

Villarreal's appearances on the mound this season have brought improvement each time. He was able to go a season-high in innings and put up one of his best performances on the mound. 

He was followed by yet another stellar outing on the bump. Freshman right-hander Eli Skidmore has excelled in late inning roles and did so again Sunday. His two innings of one-hit ball earned him his first career save. 

"Friday night, he didn't even come to the game because he was sick," Jackson said. "So for him to go out there and do what he did, it was awesome." 

In many games this season, pitching success on the mound was typically paired with not enough run-support from the offense. That was not the case in the series finale. 

"You start with a freshman and you close with a freshman," Jackson said. "It doesn't get any better than that. Obviously had a great outing from Juan in-between there."

Along with Rosand and Skidmore, yet another freshman was a key contributor to the win for the Tigers. Young designated hitter Blaize Ward ripped three hits in the game and brought in two of the runs.

His first hit of the game was a single in the second that followed a double from Pierre Seals, which brought Seals home for the first Mizzou run. Three innings later in a four-run fifth, he singled again for the fourth run of the game. 

The Tigers brought chaos with them in the fifth to garner the lead. It began with a walk, featured a double steal that somewhat worked and ended with the first batter that came to the plate. 

After Eric Maisonet walked to lead off the inning, a throwing error by Kentucky's starting pitcher Ben Cleaver following a sacrifice bunt from Keegan Knutson allowed him to reach base, but made every run scored in that inning unearned and pushed Maisonet to third. The next batter, Kam Durnin, recorded a sacrifice fly to tie the game. 

Kaden Peer then took the plate and singled, pushing Knuston to third, but he wasn't on the base path long. He and Knutson engaged in a double steal attempt, in which Knutson made it home but Peer was caught stealing.  

After a hit-by-pitch of Jase Woita and a walk to Seals, Ward snagged his aforementioned second RBI and scored Woita from second base. 

The final run crossed when catcher Juliomar Campos earned a walk with the bases loaded. That settled the game at 5-2.

The Tigers earned just two hits in the inning but combined it with four walks, three different pitchers, two sacrifices, two wild throws and one error all in the inning for the lead. 

Mizzou (19-14, 3-9 SEC) will return to Columbia to face in-state foe Missouri State (21-9) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Taylor Stadium. 

Lebanese Christians marked Easter Sunday by turning their prayers to the south, where villages remain trapped by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

This year's celebrations were dedicated to "people in the south," said Jenny Yazbek al‑Jamal, as she left mass at a church in Beirut's northern suburb of Jdeideh.

With family living in the region, the 55-year-old said she feels like "one of them". 

It is not only Christian villages suffering in this war added al-Jamal, who leads the parish choir. 

"Muslim villages too... we stand with all the people of the south who were forced to flee their homes."

The church was packed on Sunday, with some worshippers left standing outside. 

Around the altar, placards bearing the names of Christian villages in south Lebanon -- cut off from the rest of the country or under fire -- had been placed.

Hymn singers struggled to raise their voices above the roar of Israeli fighter jets flying low over Beirut and bombing the capital's southern suburbs. 

"Even during our religious holidays, even on Good Friday, jets fly over us and break the sound barrier just to scare us," al-Jamal said.

- 'For peace' -  

"This has to stop," said Marina Awad, another 55-year-old worshipper attending mass with her husband. 

"It's truly very sad to know people had to abandon homes built over a lifetime, unsure if they will ever return."

Border villages are going through a severe crisis, added 65-year-old Dori Ghrayeb. "No food, no water, no bread, no medicine, and no medical care."

The Maronite Patriarchate expressed "deep disappointment" on Sunday over the cancellation for "security reasons" of a humanitarian convoy jointly set up by the Vatican's envoy to Lebanon. 

The convoy had been due to visit the border village of Debl.

Several Christian villages near the frontier -- including Ain Ebel, Rmeich and Debl -- are caught between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

Residents have refused Israeli calls to evacuate as troops advance in southern border areas. They insist this is not their war and say they feel abandoned after Lebanese troops withdrew from several border points. 

The convoy, organised with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and two Christian charities, was meant to deliver 40 tonnes of medicine and basic supplies to residents "cut off from the rest of the country", the Patriarchate said.

The two charities, Caritas‑Lebanon and L'Oeuvre d'Orient condemned the cancellation as a violation of international humanitarian law, particularly as it affected vulnerable civilians trapped in their villages.

"I am for peace; the war must stop so that we can sit at the same table," Ghrayeb said.

dco-mby/at/hme/rh

Defending champion Jessica Pegula clinched back-to-back victories at the WTA Charleston Open clay court tournament on Sunday, routing Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva in straight sets to claim her second title of the year.

Top seed Pegula, who had gone to three sets in every round on her way to Sunday's final, was in no mood to take the scenic route again as she sprinted to a 6-2, 6-2 victory in 1hr 22min against her 89th-ranked opponent.

The Charleston victory follows Pegula's win at Dubai in February and is the 11th title of the 32-year-old New Yorker's career.

After an even start, Pegula seized control in the fifth game of the first set, grabbing the first break point of the match when Starodubtseva pulled a forehand wide.

The Ukrainian saved that point but was quickly in trouble again, giving Pegula another break point with a rushed return which the American converted for a 3-2 lead.

After holding to go 4-2 up, Pegula then went a double-break ahead as more unforced errors from Starodubtseva proved costly.

After comfortably serving out for the set, Pegula was soon on the offensive in the second, breaking Starodubtseva for a third time to 1-0 up.

Starodubtseva finally began to exert some pressure in the next game and twice carved out break points. 

But Pegula slammed the door shut to hold for 2-0 and then rammed home the advantage by breaking again for a 3-0 lead.

Another break left her 5-0 up and serving for the match. Starodubtseva finally showed some resilience to fight off three match points to grab her first break to make it 5-1.

But Pegula made no mistake on her next service game, holding to love to wrap up victory.

rcw/pb

British police said they arrested seven people on Sunday at a protest near an air base in eastern England used by US forces, accusing them of supporting the banned group Palestine Action.

Activists had gathered to protest the alleged use of the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base as a departure point for US aircraft involved in the war in the Middle East.

The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace, which organised the protest, said the seven had been arrested wearing clothing with the message: "We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action."

Police said the five men and two women had been arrested "on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation last year, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group.

In February, a court ruled the ban was "disproportionate" and interfered with the right to free speech.

But the government has appealed, and the ban remains in effect in the meantime.

More than 2,700 people have been arrested and hundreds charged over rallies in support of the group, according to protest organisers Defend Our Juries.

Police said in a statement on the latest arrests that they had a duty to enforce the law "as it currently stands, not as it might be in the future".

Two protesters were also arrested on Saturday at Lakenheath and charged with obstructing public thoroughfares, police said.

The New York Times and BBC have reported that images relayed by Iranian media of the US fighter jet shot down on Friday in Iran match a model typically stationed at Lakenheath.

President Donald Trump has railed against Starmer for what he calls insufficient support for the US campaign in the Middle East, straining the countries' longtime alliance.

The UK has authorised the United States to use British military bases to carry out "defensive" operations against Iran and protect the vital Strait of Hormuz.

mhc/jhb/pdw

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," based on the wildly popular Nintendo video game, crushed the competition at the North American box office in its opening weekend with $130.9 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The animated sequel from Universal and Illumination Studios tracks the adventures of Mario, Luigi and friends in outer space, where they must save Princess Rosalina. It features the voices of Jack Black, Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Brie Larson. 

"This is a sensational opening for the second episode in an animation series," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

"Family moviegoing is leading the industry now and these series are a lot of the reason why."

Dropping to second place in its third week in theaters is another space adventure flick, "Project Hail Mary," which earned $30.7 million over the three-day Easter weekend in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations reported.

The Amazon MGM film stars Ryan Gosling as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

Debuting in third place was "The Drama," a romantic comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson about a couple unraveling just before their wedding. The A24 film earned $14.4 million.

"Current romantic comedies are about the misery of romance... all played by bigger-than-life stars," said Gross, citing past successes "Anyone but You" with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, and "Ticket to Paradise" with Julia Roberts and George Clooney.

Dropping to fourth place at $5.8 million was Disney/Pixar animated hit "Hoppers," the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

Fifth place went to Universal's romance film "Reminders of Him," with $2.2 million. The movie, the latest adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover, stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers.

"Moviegoing has momentum right now. The big films are working and audiences like what they're seeing," Gross said.

Rounding out the top ten:

"They Will Kill You" ($1.9 million)

"Dhurandhar: The Revenge" ($1.82 million)

"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" ($1.8 million)

"Scream 7" ($915,000)

"GOAT" ($800,000)

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The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis 2 mission began their fifth day journeying to the Moon on Sunday, after already taking in sights of the lunar surface never before seen by human eyes.

As they awoke for day five of the 10-day mission, their Orion spaceship was nearly 215,000 miles (346,000 kilometers) from Earth and 65,000 miles from the Moon, according to NASA's online dashboard.

Former astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the Moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 16 mission, gave the ceremonial wakeup call to the crew.

"Below you on the Moon is a photo of my family. I pray it reminds you that we in America and all of the world are cheering you on. Thanks to you and the whole team on the ground for building on our Apollo legacy with Artemis," said the 90-year-old.

Earlier, in the wee hours of Sunday, the US space agency published an image taken by the Artemis crew, showing a distant Moon with the Orientale basin visible.

"This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes," NASA said. The massive crater, which resembles a bullseye, had been photographed before by orbiting cameras.

Astronaut Christina Koch, speaking to Canadian children live from space, said the crew was most excited to see the basin -- sometimes known as the Moon's "Grand Canyon."

"It's very distinctive and no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today, really, when we were privileged enough to see it," Koch said during the question-and-answer session hosted by the Canadian Space Agency.

The next major milestone is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, at which point the astronauts will enter the "lunar sphere of influence," where the Moon's gravity will have stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's.

If all proceeds smoothly, as the Orion spacecraft whips around the Moon the astronauts -- Americans Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- could set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.

- Systems tests -

NASA said the Artemis crew has completed a manual piloting demonstration and reviewed their lunar flyby plan, including reviewing the surface features they must analyze and photograph during their time circling the Moon.

"We're focusing very much on the ecosystem, the life support system of the spacecraft," NASA chief Jared Isaacman said Sunday in a televised interview with CNN.

"This is the first time astronauts have ever flown on this spacecraft before. That's what we're most interested in getting data from," he added.

On the schedule for day five, according to NASA, is testing of the astronauts' "survival" suits.

The bright orange suits are worn during takeoff and re-entry, but also emergency situations, such as cabin depressurization.

The crew "will conduct a full sequence of suit operations, including putting on and pressurizing their suits, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry, and assessing mobility and their ability to eat and drink," NASA said.

While the four astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface, they are expected to break the record for the farthest distance from Earth during their pass around the Moon.

Over the next day, "they will be on the far side of the Moon, they will eclipse that record, and we're going to learn an awful lot about the spacecraft," said Isaacman.

The information will be "pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions like Artemis 3 in 2027 and, of course, the lunar landing itself on Artemis 4 in 2028."

bur-des/msp

US President Donald Trump did not take a break from his polarizing rhetoric on Easter Sunday, delivering an expletive-laden attack on Iran that sparked criticism on Capitol Hill and beyond.

"Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" the president wrote just after 8:00 am, renewing his threat to unleash heavy bombing on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to unblock the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"Praise be to Allah," he added, apparently sardonically, after ending another threatening message a day earlier with "Glory be to GOD!"

While the Republican president is well known for his straight talk, the post on his Truth Social network raised eyebrows, especially on a Christian holiday.

"Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.

"He's threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better."

For Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who opposes the war in Iran, Trump's attitude was "completely, utterly unhinged."

Murphy added: "If I were in Trump's Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment," referring to the clause that provides for a transfer of power if the president is unable to serve.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, also a Democrat, noted it was not the first time that the 79-year-old Trump had used stark language since the US and Israel launched their assault on the Islamic republic in late February.

"Bombing them back to the Stone Age, cursing them," Kaine said on NBC's "Meet the Press" news program.

"This is all embarrassing and juvenile, and it's people trying to act like they're puffed up and tough, when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale."

- 'Stop worshipping the president' -

Criticism was not limited to Trump's Democratic opponents.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former congresswoman who was once a staunch Trump backer but now a fervent critic, slammed his message, especially on Easter Sunday.

"Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump's madness," Greene said in a post on X.

"Our President is not a Christian and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians," said Greene, who opposes US military interventions abroad.

Some however praised Trump's fiery rhetoric. 

Conservative firebrand commentator Laura Loomer, who speaks regularly with Trump and has described herself as an Islamophobe, had nothing but praise.

"This is what I voted for. Bomb jihadis back to the Stone Age where their mentality permanently lives," Loomer wrote on X.

"Trump said he's going to bomb their infrastructure in Iran, and then he said 'Praise be to Allah'. On Easter. Amazing. Just amazing."

rle/sst/des

The OPEC+ oil cartel agreed on Sunday to again increase oil production quotas, while warning that repairing energy facilities, such as those damaged in the Middle East war, is "costly and takes a long time".

For the second month in a row, OPEC+ countries -- which include key oil producers Russia and Saudi Arabia, as well as several Gulf countries that have been targets of Iranian airstrikes -- agreed to raise quotas by 206,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May.

But OPEC+ warned that damage to energy infrastructure increases oil market volatility, potentially hitting global supplies well into the future.

Its statement also stressed "the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy".

The text did not mention the Iran war directly, but the conflict -- which has roiled global energy markets and caused prices to surge -- clearly weighed on the decision.

The United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, and Tehran has retaliated by striking targets across the region.

In addition to hitting key energy facilities in a number of neighbouring countries, Iran has virtually halted ship traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz by threatening to attack tankers passing without permission.

That has badly restricted exports from the Gulf region, and raised questions about whether oil can reach global markets even if OPEC+ members in the region manage to ramp up production.

Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Strait.

Ukraine has also been striking Russian oil industry facilities as it seeks to fight back against Moscow's ongoing invasion.

Last month, the eight-strong V8 (Voluntary Eight) group in the OPEC+ cartel also raised production quotas by 206,000 bpd.

On Sunday, the V8 said in a statement that "any actions undermining energy supply security, whether through attacks on infrastructure or disruption of international maritime routes, increase market volatility" and make it more difficult for OPEC+ to manage global prices.

The eight countries -- Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- praised members that managed to find alternate exports routes to deliver oil, "which have contributed to reducing market volatility".

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