Author: AFP

Top two clash to decide Asia title

SHANGHAI: The two best badminton players in the world will battle it out in today’s final of the Asia Championships when title-holder Kento Momota faces Shi Yuqi. The women’s decider in the Chinese city of Wuhan is another Japan versus China showdown with Akane Yamaguchi taking on He Bingjiao. The

Nadal edges closer to ATP history

BARCELONA (Spain): Rafael Nadal held off Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-5 in the Barcelona Open quarter-finals on Friday to move closer to setting an ATP record as the first player to win the same event 12 times. Nadal must first get through yesterday’s semi-final between 2017 finalist Dominic Thiem, who crushed

Ferrari dominate practice as Williams go down drain

BAKU (Azerbaijan): Ferrari dominated the second practice session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday, but the action on the street circuit was marred by the bizarre sight of a Williams car tripped up by a loose drain cover and a collision with a bridge which took out a rescue

Australia’s Lee leads Los Angeles Open

LOS ANGELES (United States): Minjee Lee, who is seeking her fifth title on the USLPGA Tour, fired a two-under 69 in the second round of the Los Angeles Open to take a one shot lead over Nanna Koerstz Madsen. The fourth-ranked Lee, of Australia, had an eagle, two birdies and

Bayer shareholders vote against board over merger

BONN: Bayer chief executive Werner Baumann was dealt a blow Friday at the German chemical giant’s annual general meeting, amid tensions over last year’s decision to buy US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto, as disgruntled shareholders voted against management. At the AGM in Bonn, 55.5 percent voted against the management

Russia won’t immediately raise oil output after Iran waivers end

BEIJING: Russia will not immediately raise oil output after the United States ends sanctions waivers for buyers of Iranian crude in May, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday. The United States announced this week that, in a bid to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero, it would from May 2 end

Iraq on track to be third oil supplier in 2030

BAGHDAD: Iraq is on track to produce nearly six million barrels of crude daily by 2030, the International Energy Agency said Thursday, which would make it the world’s third biggest oil supplier. The IEA’s wide-ranging report found that Iraq’s production in the next decade could increase by an impressive 1.3

US stocks end at records after solid growth data

NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks rode strong US growth data and solid corporate earnings to another record-setting session on Friday, while the euro skidded to a near two-year low against the dollar amid angst over the European economy. Oil prices also retreated as US President Donald Trump revived a call

Total oil, gas output up despite yo-yo prices in strong Q1

Paris: French energy giant Total lifted oil and gas output to record levels to bolster cash flow and lift first quarter net profits Friday – but price volatility kept results in check. Net profits rose 18 percent year-on-year to $3.11 billion, enabling the firm to keep a swathe of new

United States economy surges at the start of 2019

WASHINGTON: The US economy got off to a roaring start in 2019, breezing past President Donald Trump’s extended government shutdown and wiping away fears of a slowdown in growth, at least for now, the government reported Friday. The unexpected surge was welcome news for Trump, whose record five-week shutdown of