Author: AFP

US stars aim to lay down marker

LOS ANGELES: Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky will spearhead a powerful US assault when the swimming world championships begin Sunday, with the Americans looking to make a big statement before next year’s Tokyo Olympics. The event in Gwangju is the biggest meeting on the 2019 calendar, but for team USA

Mahrez, Mane duel in rematch for glory

CAIRO: Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane will renew their Premier League rivalry for a second time in Egypt, with Africa Cup of Nations immortality awaiting the victor today’s final between Algeria and Senegal. Algerian star Mahrez was part of the Manchester City team that edged out Mane’s Liverpool for the

Ighalo boosts Golden Boot hopes as Nigeria finish third

CAIRO: Odion Ighalo boosted his chances of winning the Golden Boot at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday after he netted Nigeria’s winner to ensure his side third place in the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia. The 30-year-old Shanghai Shenhua forward struck the only goal of the

At least 24 killed in suspected arson attack

TOKYO: A suspected arson attack on an animation production company in Japan killed 24 people and injured dozens more on yesterday, with flames gutting the building in the city of Kyoto. Police said the fierce blaze appeared to have been started deliberately but there was no immediate information on a

Barman convicted of killing British schoolgirl in India

OLD GOA (India): A court in India on Wednesday found a local bartender guilty of raping and killing British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008, overturning his earlier acquittal. Samson D’Souza was charged alongside Placido Carvalho after 15-year-old Keeling’s bruised and semi-naked body was found in shallow

Friendly robots spruce up S’pore

SINGAPORE: Hundreds of “friendly” robots that speak multiple languages and sing are being rolled out across hi-tech Singapore, to help clean the city-state’s hotels, shopping malls and government buildings. Four of the robots, which have oval-shaped heads with lights for eyes, have already got down to work and it is

India to make new bid to launch Moon rocket

NEW DELHI: India will make a new bid to launch a landmark mission to the Moon on Monday, a week after aborting lift-off at the last minute because of a fuel leak, officials said. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said it had rescheduled the launch of Chandrayaan-2, or Moon

Nissan and Mitsubishi sued for breach of contract

PARIS: Former auto titan Carlos Ghosn, currently under house arrest in Tokyo, is suing Nissan and Mitsubishi in a Dutch court for “improper termination” of his contract, French newspaper Le Figaro reported Wednesday. Ghosn is accusing the Japanese manufacturers of breaching his contract as an employee of NMBV, their joint

South Korea cuts interest rate

SEOUL: South Korea’s central bank on Thursday cut its key interest rate for the first time in three years as the economy struggles with sluggish global growth and with the country embroiled in a trade spat with Japan. The Bank of Korea (BOK) lowered its key rate to 1.5 percent

Disappointing Q2 subscriber growth

SAN FRANCISCO: Netflix shares plunged  in after-hours trade Wednesday after its quarterly update showed weaker-than-expected subscriber growth for the streaming television sector leader. Netflix said it added 2.7 million new subscribers worldwide in the April-June period, well below expectations, as the sector prepared for offerings from rival groups including Walt