Author: News Desk

Barcelona secured a 2-0 win against Vissel Kobe on Saturday to lift the Rakuten Cup in their last pre-season match in Japan. Three former Barcelona players were in action for Vissel Kobe and it was Andrés Iniesta who came closest to breaking the deadlock when a long-range effort flew past Marc-André ter Stegen’s far post, while Riqui Puig wasted a golden chance for the visitors at the other end of the pitch. Iniesta came close once again in the latter stages of the first half, while goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa was forced into a good save to deny Ivan Rakitić a late goal, but in the end,…

Egan Bernal was poised to become the first Colombian to win the Tour de France when he retained the overall lead after Saturday’s 20th stage, a 59-km ride from Albertville. The Team Ineos rider, 22, finished the stage won by 2014 champion Vicenzo Nibali of Italy in fourth place. His teammate and defending champion Geraint Thomas is second overall ahead of Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk after France’s Julian Alaphilippe cracked in the final ascent to the ski resort of Val Thorens. Sunday’s final stage from Rambouillet to Paris is a largely processional ride with only the final sprint being contested.

British MMA pioneer and combat sports star Paul Daley was just one of many VIP guests at the historic BRAVE 24: London event, which shook up the mixed martial arts world by connecting the sport to the highest level of personalities from around the world. Daley was full of praise for the event, but left with one certain thought: Bahrain’s Hussain Ayyad will be a star. Daley was impressed with Ayyad’s performance, as “Iron” only needed a few minutes to submit Mitchell Johnson in the first round of their BRAVE 24 bout, which opened the highly-anticipated fight card last Thursday. “When…

Days after the meeting between President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pentagon notified the Congress on Friday of its decision to approve military sales worth $125 million that would result in 24×7 end-use monitoring of the F-16 fighter jets of Pakistan. US officials asserted that the freeze in security assistance to Pakistan on Trump’s direction since January 2018 was still in place and the latest decision would help it in 24×7 end-use monitoring of the F-16 fighter jets in that country, as this would require the assignment of 60 contractor representatives there to assist in the…

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket in his 20s. Amir’s retirement decision has stunned Pakistan cricket as his Test career that began from July 2009 against Sri Lanka, lasted only 10 years. During this span, he played in 36 Test matches and took 119 wickets. His last Test was against South Africa at Johannesburg in January 2019. He made his Test debut and a year after he won international acclaim as one of the best left-arm pacers in the game. While announcing his retirement, Amir said that he has taken the decision to quit to…

Juventus drew 3-3 in a friendly with a K League all-star team on Friday but 60,000 spectators couldn’t hide their upset after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to play. Ronaldo remained on the bench throughout the game ignoring appeals from the crowd to lace up his boots. It was understandable on the Portuguese superstar’s part because the Italian team arrived in South Korea in mid-afternoon on a delayed flight from Nanjing, China, with the match scheduled only five hours later. The kick-off was delayed an hour and Spanish midfielder Osmar Barba, who plays for Seoul FC, quickly put the all-stars ahead. Simone…

Usually seen fighting hard On the cricket field, India’s former skipper, MS Dhoni will soon be seen guarding the Kashmir Valley as part of his duties. The 38-year-old, who is currently taking a break from cricket, holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army unit of the Parachute Regiment (106 Para TA battalion). The World Cup-winning cricketer has begun his two-month training with the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment. He will be with the unit, and he is currently stationed in the Kashmir Valley as part of Victor Force, from July 31 to August 15. He reportedly…

Manama: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, continues moving forward in keeping Bahrainization at the core of its recruitment strategy by welcoming a new batch of Bahraini pilots who have recently began operating flights after completing all the necessary vigorous ground and base training courses.The new batch of pilots will join the national carrier from a number of neighbouring regional airlines to be part of their national carrier and serve the Kingdom of Bahrain. Gulf Air’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed Al Alawi congratulated the airline’s new pilots for passing the selection process, and noted:…

Boris Johnson won the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday but will face a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and members of his party as well as a tense diplomatic standoff with Iran. The former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a poll conducted among members of the governing Conservative Party. He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister on Wednesday when his predecessor Theresa May formally tenders her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. It is a triumph for a man who has always wanted the top job, but Johnson, known…

Sultan Qaboos bin Zayed has ordered the release of 272 prisoners in Oman’s prisons. The order comes in the context of the country celebrating Renaissance Day. Those who have been convicted in various cases have the benefit of a pardon issued by the ruler. The Royal Oman Police said in a statement that 88 of those freed were in exile. On July 23 this year, the country celebrates its 49th Renaissance Day.