Smith, who developed a reputation for playing exciting, attacking football at Brentford, is a Villa fan and will replace Steve Bruce, who was sacked last week following the second tier side's dismal start to the season.
Making a comeback after a two-year hiatus, she enters women's doubles quarter-finals of Hobart International.
Netherlands' dream run in the Fed Cup ended agonisingly short of the final when they lost the deciding doubles rubber of a thrilling semi-final against France in Trelaze.
Images from La Liga and German Cup matches played on the weekend.
Naomi Osaka settled her nerves and stepped up her preparations for the Australian Open by beating Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-2 to reach the last 16 of the Gippsland Trophy warm-up tournament in Melbourne on Tuesday.
AS Roma were dumped out of the Italian Cup on penalties by second-tier Spezia after a 0-0 draw at home extended their winless streak to seven matches and heaped pressure on coach Rudi Garcia.
Hulk signs two-year contract with Atletico Mineiro.
China on Friday hiked its defence budget to $209 billion, maintaining a single-digit growth for the sixth consecutive year with a 6.8 per cent increase in 2021.
Defending champion Serena Williams continued her march towards a sixth Wimbledon title with a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 second-round win over French teenager Caroline Garcia on Thursday.
'Seen in the context of world turmoil in face of the pandemic and the Chinese 'miracle' of being the only country in the world to control it, this is not merely a 'Sputnik' moment, but a 'Sputnik Plus' moment,' argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
AS Roma slipped up in their pursuit of Serie A leaders Juventus as they salvaged a 1-1 draw at mid-table Palermo on Saturday thanks to a second-half Mattia Destro equaliser.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
A defiant FIFA President Sepp Blatter declared there was no moving the 2022 World Cup form Qatar, despite widespread concerns about the bidding process that took the tournament to the Middle East for the first time.
Real were smarting from a surprise 1-1 draw at struggling Elche in their last match and were missing captain Sergio Ramos, who was out with a stomach bug.
In a first for ATK Mohun Bagan this season, two first-half goals signalled the downfall for a beleaguered Bengaluru FC
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
FIFA whistleblower Phaedra Al-Majid, who accused Qatar of corruption in its successful bid to win the right to host the 2022 soccer World Cup, said on Wednesday she was living in fear after receiving threats against her family.
A new military rank system had been introduced for the PLA, but all soldiers must always obey the Communist party, reveals Jayadeva Ranade, the distinguished China expert and retired RA&W officer.
They have inherited their parents' good genes.
Roger Federer suffered a shock 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5) loss to world number 116 Evgeny Donskoy of Russia in the Dubai Open second round on Wednesday.
Back to the Olympiad after a gap of 12 years, Anand was precise in calculation and brilliant in judgement giving away nothing to Ragger who was all at sea defending a difficult position out of the opening on Tuesday evening.
The year has come to an end and we are looking forward to 2020. While we think back of the events that shaped the year, we couldn't help but think of these awards for these personalities.
Striker Ferran Corominas scored the first hat-trick of the season as FC Goa beat 10-man Bengaluru FC 4-3 in a thrilling match of the Indian Super League in Margao on Thursday.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US and Czech Lucie Safarova fought back from the brink of defeat to steal the US Open women's doubles title, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 over the French top seed partnership of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday.
Fiji's Vijay Singh ran down Sergio Garcia then outlasted Garcia and Jim Furyk in a three-way playoff to win the Wachovia title.
Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 5,806 confirmed cases, including 204 deaths, official media reported.
The draw, Goa's sixth on the trot, helped the Gaurs climb to the third spot on the table.
A look at some memorable moments from the London Olympics so far.
The Czech Republic further established themselves as the dominant force in women's team tennis as they claimed a 3-2 comeback win against hosts France to capture their fifth Fed Cup title in six years on Sunday, and 10th overall. Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova downed Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia 7-5 7-5 in the doubles to hand the visitors the decisive point. The nation won five titles as Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 80s before dominating the women's team competition in recent years.
Reactions to Liverpool's Premier League triumph, their first league title since 1990:
Zinedine Zidane's Real side demonstrated their new-found grit to re-take the lead
Images from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches.
Indian golfers Anirban Lahiri and Jeev Milkha Singh exited early, as did many other big names, including multiple Major winners Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, after the completion of second round in the US Open in Oakmont.
India, Taiwan and countries with large numbers of Tibetans, Uyghurs and overseas Chinese will be prominent among those that witness elevated United Front activity, notes Jayadeva Ranade, the distinguished China expert and retired RAW officer.
Breathtaking views of some of the world's most scenic landscapes have been showcased at this year's Epson International Pano Awards. In its eighth year, the event pays homage to the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography. The competition was stiff with 5,377 entries from 1,322 photographers in 71 countries this year, battling it out for the top spots in five categories, for several special awards, and for some of the $50,000 in cash and prizes offered. The organisers were kind enough to share some of the winners and top scorers here.
Xi spoke of the importance of implementing the new development philosophy and advancing the new development paradigm of "dual circulation" in the country's new development phase to ensure a good start for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.
Xi, 67, already roiling the Communist Party with a 'rectification' campaign and mass persecution of foes, will launch 'another brutal purge' following the Chinese army's failures on the Indian border, the Newsweek said in an opinion piece.
Former France and Juventus striker David Trezeguet has followed compatriot Robert Pires by becoming the latest overseas recruit for India's new franchise-based soccer league on a one-year deal with Pune City.
The British-controlled Indian ocean island of Diego Garcia might have served as a secret prison for America's Central Intelligence Agency, a media report said on Friday.
Golfer Rory McIlroy recently raised eyebrows, when he decided to celebrate his Open win with lingerie model, Nadia Forde, at Hoylake, Merseyside.
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