US Open champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of Wimbledon on Wednesday, losing her second-round match against Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-3 to the disappointment of the British home crowd.

The 10th seed, who was troubled by a side strain in the run-up to the Grand Slam, was broken five times in the match on Centre Court by her French opponent, ranked 55 in the world.

Raducanu, 19, was on the back foot early in the contest after being broken in her first service game and won just 45 percent of points on her first serve.

Garcia, fresh from winning on grass at Bad Homberg, hit 25 winners in an impressive display.

"Emma is a huge player and in her home tournament and she proved she can do very well on the big stage," said Garcia.

"I really enjoyed playing on Centre Court, it was my first time and very special."

Raducanu has struggled with a string of minor injuries since her sensational win at Flushing Meadows last year.

She has also come under scrutiny over her failure to settle on a long-term coach.

SOURCE: AFP

A Mexican journalist was killed in the northern state of Tamaulipas on Wednesday, the newspaper he worked for said, the latest in a series of attacks in one of the world's most dangerous countries for media workers.

Antonio de la Cruz, a journalist for local newspaper Expreso, was gunned down in his home in the state capital Ciudad Victoria, the paper said.

His death comes after eight others in the media have been murdered in Mexico this year as a result of their journalism, according to human rights organization Article 19.

Presidential spokesperson Jesus Ramirez said on Twitter the journalist's daughter also was injured in the attack.

"We must not allow any more attacks on journalists and activists. These crimes will not go unpunished," Ramirez wrote.

The paper's parent company Expreso-La Razon demanded justice from authorities.

The Tamaulipas attorney general's office said in a statement it had opened an investigation into the incident and that police are collecting evidence and hunting for the attackers.

Violence against the press has skyrocketed during Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, according to a report published by Article 19.

SOURCE: REUTERS

Islamabad: Pakistan has reported one death and 541 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, the highest since March 11 when it recorded 571 positive cases. 

According to the figures released by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Wednesday, an uptick in new COVID-19 cases in Pakistan consistently continues as the country reported over 500 new daily cases for the first time in three months. 

Following the situation, the health ministry said that wearing mask has been made mandatory on all domestic flights, railways and public transport.  

The overall tally of the infected people climbed to 1,535,144 across Pakistan after adding the fresh cases.  

March 23 was the first day without any recorded deaths in Pakistan since the pandemic took hold in 2020. Official death figures are typically lower at weekends and holidays because of a lag in reporting.  

The health authorities have advised the people to restart following COVID related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) such as wearing face masks, sanitizing hands, and maintaining social distance.