Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
Russia’s parliament passed a law that would allow for the suspension of bans on groups that Moscow has designated as terrorist organisations on Tuesday – paving the way for it to normalise relations with the Afghan Taliban and potentially with the new rulers of Syria. No country currently recognises the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said in July was now an ally in fighting terrorism. The leader of Russia’s…
Buoyant Chelsea moved within two points of leaders Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday as goals from Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson earned them a 2-1 victory over neighbours Brentford. Chelsea pushed Brentford back from the start but it was not until the 43rd minute that Cucurella raced into the area and dived athletically to head Noni Madueke’s cross past goalkeeper Mark Flekken. The Spain fullback’s night was spoiled after the fulltime whistle when he received a second yellow card apparently for shoving Kevin Schade. Ten minutes from the end, Jackson squeezed the ball inside the near post for…
Tottenham Hotspur scored five goals in the opening half of a Premier League game for the first time in their history as they thrashed bottom club Southampton 5-0 away on Sunday. James Maddison scored twice, his first after 36 seconds and his second on the stroke of halftime, while Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr were also on target. As Southampton imploded, many of their fans left well before the interval, although those that stayed at least watched their team recover a modicum of pride in the second half. Victory was a welcome boost for Spurs who had…
China is open to engaging and communicating with the economic and trade team of the Trump administration, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is optimistic that Kylian Mbappe’s injury won’t sideline him for long after the striker played a pivotal role in a 3-2 Champions League win at Atalanta on Tuesday, scoring the opener before being forced off shortly after with an injury. The club has already been plagued by a series of injuries this season, with key players like Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to ACL tears. “Mbappe has suffered an overload, an ischial (lower pelvis) discomfort,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus. “It doesn’t seem serious, but we’ll see…
In an effort to attract more participants and promote local produce, the Nong’an Taipingchi Ice and Snow Half Marathon in China’s Jilin province has announced an unconventional prize lineup. Set for Dec. 29, the race will award the male and female champions a cow, which can also be exchanged for 6,000 yuan ($827.81). Second-place finishers will receive wild fish from Taiping Pond, while other prizes include geese, ducks, and roosters from the same pond, along with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of rice and wheat for additional participants. “Grand prizes are coming and the champions are so proud. The organizing committee…
In an effort to attract more participants and promote local produce, the Nong’an Taipingchi Ice and Snow Half Marathon in China’s Jilin province has announced an unconventional prize lineup. Set for Dec. 29, the race will award the male and female champions a cow, which can also be exchanged for 6,000 yuan ($827.81). Second-place finishers will receive wild fish from Taiping Pond, while other prizes include geese, ducks, and roosters from the same pond, along with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of rice and wheat for additional participants. “Grand prizes are coming and the champions are so proud. The organizing committee…
Aryna Sabalenka has been named WTA Player of the Year for the first time, following a stellar season in which she captured two Grand Slam titles and claimed the year-end world No. 1 ranking, the governing body of women’s tennis announced. After defending her Australian Open title in January, the Belarusian clinched her third Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open in September and then surged past Iga Świątek to take the top spot in the world rankings a month later. Sabalenka also won titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to cap her 2024 campaign with four titles. International tennis media…
An Israeli military spokesperson said on Tuesday Israel was not intervening in Syria beyond taking steps to protect its borders and preventing strategic weapons from falling into hostile hands, and he denied that Israeli forces had advanced towards Damascus. Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Israeli forces had remained in the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights apart from “a few additional points” in the vicinity of the buffer zone.
Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv injured 10 people and damaged an administrative building, its governor said on Tuesday. Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russian forces carried out two missile attacks on the town of Zlatopil. The first strike damaged non-residential buildings and cars, while the second one damaged an administrative building. Russia has pummeled the border region with frequent attacks since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.