Author: AFP

Australia coach slams question over future

OITA (Japan): Dejected Australia coach Michael Cheika urged the media to show “compassion” when asked about his future after England knocked the Wallabies out of the World Cup with a 40-16 quarter-final win on Saturday. Cheika’s contract expires at the end of the year and he has previously indicated he

Nigerian painting fetches $1.4 million after Google search

A painting by the Nigerian artist responsible for the “African Mona Lisa” sold at auction in London for $1.4 million after the family who owned it googled the signature and realised its importance. “Christine”, by 20th century master of African modernism Ben Enwonwu, had been in the sitter’s family home ever

Italy rejects bid to stop iconic Da Vinci loan to Louvre

An Italian court rejected a dramatic last-minute bid to halt the loan of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Vitruvian Man drawing and other works to France’s Louvre museum, ending a bitter cultural row The court in Venice cited “the exceptional global relevance of the (Louvre) exhibition and (Italy’s) desire to maximise

Marie-Antoinette — from hated queen to pop icon

In 1793, the Conciergerie palace-turned-prison in Paris slammed the gate behind its most famous inmate, the hated queen Marie-Antoinette, as she was led to the guillotine. On Wednesday, 226 years to the day of her execution, the former revolutionary jail on the banks of the Seine river opened an exhibition

HK’s domestic workers dodge tear gas and clashes

Indonesian migrant worker Jochel usually spends her day off in Hong Kong’s parks, chatting with friends and video-calling loved ones back home. But this summer, her downtime keeps getting disrupted — by protests and tear gas. The 35-year-old is one of more than 370,000 domestic workers, overwhelmingly women from Indonesia

Messi wins third Golden Shoe

BARCELONA: Barcelona captain Leo Messi received his sixth Golden Shoe as the top scorer in the European leagues on Wednesday. Messi won the trophy for a third straight year after scoring 36 goals, three more than his closest challenger, Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain. Messi’s sons Thiago and Mateo, presented

City held by Atletico as French enjoy goal glut

PARIS: Manchester City’s hopes of reaching the Uefa Women’s Champions League quarter-finals were left on a knife-edge on Wednesday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 clash. City were 1-0 up through Canadian international Janine Beckie after 13

Balance not just brawn will beat Japan

TOKYO: South Africa would not be “one dimensional” and try to just bludgeon a rampant Japan side into submission in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday, according to Springboks forwards coach Matt Proudfoot. Japan have played an up-tempo game that has combined exceptional skill execution at a blistering speed

Marathon adds to Ineos’ sporting portfolio

PARIS: When Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in Vienna this month, his performance had been meticulously planned by one of sport’s major new players, the petrochemicals giant Ineos. Founded and 60-percent owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos is using

Diplomatic stalemate fuels dangerous Saudi-Iran standoff

The dangerous rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, played out in proxy wars and mystery strikes, is destined to fester as long as neither reaches across the gulf that divides them, observers say. At the Beirut Institute Summit in the United Arab Emirates this week, heated sessions dominated by the