Auckland, New Zealand | AFP | All Blacks selectors backed star centre Sonny Bill Williams to help achieve an unprecedented World Cup treble in Japan but dumped veteran prop Owen Franks from their 31-man squad on Wednesday. The axing of 108-Test stalwart Franks was the major surprise, although the defending champions …
Read More »Nadal rampant at US Open as Thiem, Tsitsipas lead exodus
New York, United States | AFP | Rafael Nadal launched his tilt at a fourth US Open title Tuesday with a swift defeat of John Millman as other leading seeds in his half of the draw tumbled out in the first round. Four players in the world’s top 10 — Dominic …
Read More »Serena routs Sharapova in US Open start, ‘rusty’ Federer wins
New York, United States | AFP | Serena Williams overwhelmed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 on Monday to reach the second round of the US Open in search of her 24th Grand Slam title while “rusty” Roger Federer rallied past Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal. Six-time US Open champion Williams crushed the five-time major …
Read More »Ngbaba, a sport lost in time, returns to battered C. Africa
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Two teams confronted each other on the dusty sports field, wielding roughly cut sticks to whack a homemade puck at high speed. For the middle-aged and beyond, the sight of this rugged game triggered distant memories, of happier times. The sport, known as ngbaba, …
Read More »Space Jam or the World Cup? LeBron among USA’s absent stars
Washington, United States | AFP | So many NBA headliners from the United States are skipping the Basketball World Cup in China that they would assemble a formidable all-star squad of their own. But it is nothing new for the Americans as they seek a third consecutive crown in the global showdown …
Read More »Dynamite debut for Lukaku!
Lukaku scores as Conte’s Inter reign starts in style Milan, Italy | AFP | Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku scored on his Inter Milan debut as new coach Antonio Conte’s reign got off to a perfect start with a 4-0 win over promoted Lecce on Monday. “There was a spark, but …
Read More »KCCA to face Angolan giants Petro Luanda
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | KCCA will take on another Angolan side for a place in the African Champions League group stages, according to the CAF draw. KCCA have good memories of their last match against Angolans, after they edged CD Primeiro de Agosto in 2017. Winners qualify for …
Read More »CANCER RUN 2019: Record thousands run across the world
PICTORIAL: Thousands on Sunday converged at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, and a dozen others cities and towns across the world, to take part in the Uganda 2019 Rotary Cancer Run. At least 778 million shillings has been collected in the 2019 Rotary Cancer Run. The money will go towards the …
Read More »Guardiola hopes for impact from wounded Mendy
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy can still make a strong contribution for the Premier League champions, but only as long as he wins his on-going fitness battles. The 25-year-old French international has had a disappointing time with last season’s domestic treble winners, …
Read More »Chiellini gets Juventus off mark as Napoli win Tuscany thriller
Milan, Italy | AFP | Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini scored the first goal of the Serie A season on Saturday as the champions kicked off their bid for a ninth consecutive title with a pedestrian 1-0 win at Parma. As the champions struggled without coach Maurizio Sarri, absent from the bench …
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