TOKYO: A Japanese cultivator of bonsai trees appealed on Tuesday for the thieves who made off with his expensive potted plants to take good care of them. Seiji Iimura, a fifth-generation bonsai cultivator who runs a garden in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo, told AFP the seven tiny trees stolen from
KABUL: An Afghan mujahideen commander who fought the Soviets and rose to become the country’s first president after the Red Army retreated has died aged 93, his family said Tuesday. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, who commanded a mujahideen faction during the decade-long insurgency against the Soviet occupiers, passed away late Monday in
TOKYO: Japan’s swim queen Rikako Ikee, a poster girl for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, has been diagnosed with leukaemia, the 18-year-old tweeted on Tuesday. In a shock announcement, Ikee said: “After feeling unwell I returned in haste from Australia and following tests I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I still can’t
LAUSANNE: Former Thai football chief Worawi Makudi had his three-and-a-half-year ban rescinded by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday. Worawi was suspended from all football-related activities in October 2016 for five years following his conviction for forgery in a Thai court and for failing to cooperate with a
TOKYO: World tennis number one Naomi Osaka has split from her coach Sascha Bajin just 17 days after completing back-to-back Grand Slam victories at the Australian Open. “Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best
MANCHESTER (United Kingdom): Chelsea are making a nasty habit of breaking records for the wrong reasons under Maurizio Sarri, with time running out for the Italian to avoid becoming the latest coaching casualty at Stamford Bridge. A 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on Sunday was Chelsea’s heaviest
WOLVERHAMPTON (United Kingdom): Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka damaged his side’s bid to avoid relegation for the second successive match as his late howler gifted Wolves a 1-1 draw on Monday. Rafael Benitez’s side were seconds away from a valuable victory after Isaac Hayden’s first goal since 2017 put them ahead
SYDNEY: Australia yesterday unveiled a new national integrity body to tackle cheating and corruption in sport in the wake of a ball-tampering “sandpapergate” scandal that rocked cricket. The new watchdog, Sport Integrity Australia, will combine the powers of three existing agencies, including the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), to better
SAN FRANCISCO: Phil Mickelson captured his 50th career worldwide title on Monday, finishing off the last two holes of his darkness-halted final round to win the US PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. The 48-year-old American closed with a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 18th hole to complete a bogey-free
LONDON: Anthony Martial has the talent to reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s level if he puts his mind to it, according to Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Martial had looked set to leave the club in the summer after falling out with Jose Mourinho but battled his way back into