Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce broke the 40-year-old Pan Am Games 200 metres record on Friday. The twice Olympic 100 metres champion clocked 22.43 seconds to win gold on Friday.

Despite it all, the participants, from across the American continent, show up as they vie for the medals and glory. Along the way, they give us some moments that are captured for posterity. Here are some eye-catching scenes from the Pan Am Games...

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday

Liverpool's Champions League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's player award

Neymar says that he is neither a superhero nor a perfect role model.

Neymar prompted more speculation with a brief Instagram video, showing a black-and-white image of himself in a shirt with the badge of Barcelona and a quote from the Bible, which was widely reproduced on news websites.

India lifted 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, recording the fastest reductions in the multi-dimensional poverty index values during the period with strong improvements in areas such as "assets, cooking fuel, sanitation and nutrition," a report by the United Nations said.

Brazil's Gabriel Jesus made one goal, scored another and was sent off in the second half as they beat Peru 3-1 to win the Copa America for the ninth time.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday

Lionel Messi was sent off before half-time and then angrily hit out at "corrupt" tournament organisers after Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to win a bad-tempered third-place playoff at the Copa America on Saturday.

Peru advanced to the final of the Copa America and a date with hosts Brazil after beating reigning champions Chile 3-0 on Wednesday.

Argentina lose to Brazil in Copa America semis

Suarez spurned the first penalty of the shootout, his effort bouncing off the chest of Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, to complete a frustrating evening for Uruguay's all-time top scorer, who also had a goal ruled out for offside.

Argentina can look forward to a mouthwatering Copa America semi-final clash with Brazil after delivering a much-improved display to beat Venezuela 2-0 in the quarter-finals in their first game at the Maracana since losing the 2014 World Cup final.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Gabriel got the winning kick for Brazil after Gustavo Gomez and Derlis Gonzalez missed for the visitors. Roberto Firmino pulled his spot kick wide for the hosts.

Elections for the five non-permanent members of the 15-nation Council for the 2021-22 term will be held around June next year.

A late header from Edinson Cavani gave Uruguay a 1-0 win over Copa America holders Chile which saw them snatch top spot in Group C at their opponents' expense and set up a quarter-final meeting with Peru.

The Uruguay striker seemed to momentarily forget that Chile goalkeeper Gabriel Arias's job is to stop shots with his hands and appealed for a penalty, gesticulating to the referee by pointing to his own hand.

An early goal from Lautaro Martinez and a late second from Sergio Aguero gave Argentina a 2-0 win over Qatar on Sunday, a deserved victory that takes them into the Copa America quarter-finals.

Brazil overwhelmed Peru with three goals in a superb first half to set up a crushing 5-0 victory on Saturday and cruise into the Copa America quarter-finals.

A fun filled trip to Peru and Colombia.

Roberto Firmino had a goal chalked off late in the first half after the referee awarded a foul against the hosts, before substitute Gabriel Jesus found the net on the hour mark only for a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review to deem Firmino offside in the build-up. Brazil meet Peru in their final group game on Saturday with both sides needing only a draw to seal their place in the quarter-finals

Roger Martinez scored an outstanding goal as Colombia beat Argentina 2-0 in an exciting finale to a Copa America Group B opener on Saturday that burst into life after a sluggish start.

Philippe Coutinho scored a second half double and Everton added a cracking third as Brazil recovered from a sleepy start to beat Bolivia 3-0 in their Copa America opener on Friday.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday

A decision to include Japan and Qatar as the invited sides to this year's Copa has also done little to generate faith in the new leadership, with the tournament usually featuring the 10 South American nations plus two invited teams, although they are generally from elsewhere in the Americas.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.

Neel Mullick lists a few must-don'ts as well!

The ongoing experiments on Moon, Mars and elsewhere could translate into better crop yields and hardier plants that could thrive in inhospitable parts of the world, says Devangshu Datta.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday

Mina Guli wants to complete 100 marathons across the world to raise awareness of water scarcity and save water.

Football fans worldwide back points deductions for racism at matches

From modest milk chocolate for kids 45 years ago to sophisticated dark chocolate for adults, Amul is a part of India's history.

A stoppage-time goal from Miranda gave Brazil a 1-0 win over South American rivals Argentina in a foul-strewn friendly, while Netherlands secured a 1-1 draw at neighbours Belgium.

The four semi-finalists from the AFC U-16 Championship qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Peru. India had taken part in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup by virtue of being the host team.