Author: AFP

Nadal takes positives out of Australian Open thrashing

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal said he took a lot of positives out of the Australian Open on his return from injury, despite being thrashed in the final Sunday by Novak Djokovic. The Spanish second seed had played an outstanding level of tennis at the tournament without dropping a set until he

M’sia stripped of World Para Swimming C’ships over Israel stance: IPC

PARIS: Malaysia has been barred from hosting the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships for refusing to let Israeli athletes compete, the International Paralympic Committee said yesterday. The decision was taken “after the Home Ministry of Malaysia failed to provide the necessary guarantees that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from

Antonsen wins first Indonesia Masters title

JAKARTA: Danish player Anders Antonsen (pic) won his first ever Indonesia Masters after defeating world number one Kento Momota of Japan yesterday to claim the 2019 title. Antonsen, who was not accompanied by his coach, reached the final of the the championship for the first time and managed to upset

Osaka wins title to be world No. 1

MELBOURNE: Japan’s Naomi Osaka battled past Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-4 to win her first Australian Open crown yesterday and become the new world number one. The fourth seed and US Open champion made it two Grand Slam titles in a row after a see-sawing 2hr

Arabian knights send South Korea and Australia crashing out

AL-AIN (United Arab Emirates): Asian Cup hosts UAE and Gulf rivals Qatar pulled off titanic upsets as they sent defending champions Australia and Son Heung-min’s South Korea crashing out in the quarter-finals on Friday. Milos Degenek’s defensive howler handed UAE a 1-0 win, and the Qataris beat South Korea by

Nine dead, 300 missing after Brazil dam collapse

BRUMADINHO (Brazil): Rescuers worked overnight into yesterday searching for around 300 people missing after a dam collapse at a mine in southeast Brazil killed at least nine, but the local governor said “odds are minimal” that they would be found alive. Seven bodies were recovered Friday hours after the disaster,

State of emergency declared in US measles outbreak

LOS ANGELES: A state of emergency was declared on Friday in the western US state of Washington following a measles outbreak that has affected more than two dozen people, the majority of them children. The disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but has since made a comeback

Camels, stunts and military might as India marks Republic Day

NEW DELHI: Thousands watched as tanks, camel-mounted forces and motorbike stunt riders paraded in New Delhi yesterday, as India marked its seventieth Republic Day in an annual display of culture and military might. Security was tight, especially in the capital where large sections were sealed off for the parade and

Robots serve up food and fun

BUDAPEST: The robots at the Enjoy Budapest Cafe can do it all – they can serve up food and drink, tell jokes, dance with the kids or just hang out for a chat with customers. The cafe, opened by IT company E-Szoftverfejleszto in the Hungarian capital, is staffed by a

‘Indiana Jones of art’ finds stolen Spanish carvings in English garden

A Dutch art detective has returned two priceless stone reliefs stolen from an ancient Spanish church after tracing them to an English nobleman’s garden where they were displayed as ornaments. Arthur Brand, dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, said he handed over the centuries-old carvings to the Spanish