By Shahzad ABDUL and Adam PLOWRIGHT PARIS, May 31, 2024 (AFP) – French security services have arrested a Chechen teenager suspected of plotting an “Islamist-inspired” attack on a football game during the Paris Olympic Games in July and August, the interior ministry said Friday. The DGSI domestic intelligence agency “arrested a 18-year-old of Chechen origin in Saint-Etienne” in southeast France on May 22, the ministry said, calling it the “first foiled attack against the Olympic […]
Sports — International
Amateur, 22, is first Singaporean golfer to qualify for Masters
LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 (AFP) – Young amateur golfer Hiroshi Tai will be the first Singaporean to play in the US Masters after he won the prestigious national college championship in the United States. The 22-year-old, who studies at Georgia Tech, won the NCAA Individual Men’s Championship in California on Monday by one stroke to earn a place at Augusta in April 2025 and a major debut at next month’s US Open at Pinehurst. […]
Edwards, Towns keep Timberwolves alive as Mavs downed
LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 (AFP) – Anthony Edwards scored 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns produced a crucial late burst of long-range shooting as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 On Tuesday to keep their NBA Western Conference finals series alive. Minnesota, trailing 3-0 in the best-of-seven series heading into game four, held off a furious late rally to close out a battling victory at the Mavericks’ home arena. Edwards led the […]
Celtics sweep Pacers to reach NBA Finals
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2024 (AFP) – The Boston Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference championship on Monday with a 105-102 win over the Indiana Pacers, sweeping the series 4-0 and booking a spot in the NBA Finals. The Celtics will face the winner of the Western Conference Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks hold a 3-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of Tuesday’s game four. The Celtics win in Indianapolis was their seventh straight in the […]
Tributes pour in for ex-NBA MVP Walton
MIAMI, May 28, 2024 (AFP) – Bill Walton, the former NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time champion and popular television commentator, died on Monday after a lengthy battle with cancer. After a stellar college career with UCLA, Walton won his first NBA championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and he was named the league’s MVP the following year. He did a spell with the Clippers, in San Diego and Los Angeles, then moved to […]
Dallas rally to down Thunder, reach NBA Western Conference finals
LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2024 (AFP) – Luka Doncic posted a triple-double and P.J. Washington drilled the deciding free-throws as the Dallas Mavericks erased a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma City 117-116 to reach the NBA Western Conference finals on Saturday. The Mavericks beat the top-seeded Thunder 4-2 in the best-of-seven conference semi-final series to reach the conference finals for the second time in three years. They’ll face either the defending champion Denver Nuggets or […]
Scheffler shaken, shocked and quivering after arrest and jail
By Jim SLATER LOUISVILLE, United States, May 17, 2024 (AFP) – Top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler, known for his stoic shotmaking under pressure, was shaken to his core on Friday after being arrested before his second round of the PGA Championship. The two-time Masters champion was handcuffed and taken into custody after trying to get around an accident and enter Valhalla Golf Club while the entrance was blocked by police after an accident in which a […]
Malaysia footballer leaves intensive care after acid-attack: official
KUALA LUMPUR, May 14, 2024 (AFP) – A Malaysian national team footballer who was the victim of an acid-attack has left intensive care following multiple surgeries, a football official said Tuesday. Faisal Halim suffered burns on the neck, shoulder, hands and chest in Petaling Jaya district outside the capital Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago. Nicknamed “Mickey”, the 26-year-old plays on the right wing for Selangor Football Club and Malaysia. “Today, Faisal has been moved to […]
About 2,000 foreign troops to help France secure Paris Olympics
PARIS (AFP) – Some 2,000 foreign troops and police will be sent to Paris to bolster security for this summer’s Olympic Games as France remains on high alert following attack threats, the French armed forces minister said Friday. “We have something like 2,000 foreign police officers, gendarmes and troops who will be joining the protection system for the Olympic Games,” Sebastien Lecornu told all-news television station LCI. France, which will host the games from July […]
Champions League quarter-final matches under heightened security amid Islamic State threats
PARIS, April 9, 2024 (AFP) – Security will be reinforced at Champions League quarter-final matches on Tuesday and Wednesday after a communication outlet supporting the Islamic State group published threats against stadiums. European football’s governing body UEFA said all four games in Paris, Madrid and London would go ahead despite the jihadist threat. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said security would be “considerably reinforced” when Paris Saint-Germain take on Barcelona in the first leg at […]
Lillard ‘phenomenal’ as Bucks bounce back against Nets
LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Damian Lillard scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and came up with two late steals as the Milwaukee Bucks bounced back from a loss to NBA leaders Boston with a 115-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Lillard added 12 assists and Milwaukee’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game injury absence to score 21 points with nine rebounds […]
Djokovic claws out win in return to Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, United States, March 10, 2024 (AFP) – Novak Djokovic struggled to a winning comeback at the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters five years after his last appearance, defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday. World number one Djokovic, who had not played since losing an Australian Open semi-final to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in January, is chasing a sixth title at the desert venue in the season’s first Masters event. The 36-year-old Serb […]