sports
Iran into World Cup final as Japan, South Korea move closer
Liverpool stars Mane and Salah on track for Africa final showdown
Japan can overcome injuries in World Cup qualifiers: Minamino
Salah takes Egypt through on penalties as two Cup of Nations matches moved
Nadal targets shot at history, Medvedev faces Tsitsipas test at Open
SportAFP NewsAston Villa add Arsenal's Chambers to January splurge
Aston Villa signed versatile defender Calum Chambers from Arsenal on Thursday to take their tally of new recruits this month to five.
SportAFP NewsVersatile Dane Wass joins Atletico from Valencia
Denmark's Daniel Wass has signed for Atletico Madrid from La Liga rivals Valencia, the capital city side announced on Thursday.
SportAFP NewsAtalanta's Gosens joins Inter
Inter Milan said on Thursday they had signed Germany's Robin Gosens from fellow Serie A club Atalanta.
SportAFP NewsAussie defender Smith goes from Seattle to DC in MLS deal
Australian international defender Brad Smith, who helped the Seattle Sounders capture the 2019 Major League Soccer title, was sent from Seattle to DC United on Thursday.
SportAFP News'Big Ben' retires after 18 NFL years, two Super Bowl wins
Ben Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks, announced his retirement on Thursday after an 18-year career spent entirely with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
SportAFP NewsWorld champion cyclist Pieters still in coma after fall
A month after suffering head injuries on a Dutch national team training camp in Spain, track world champion Amy Pieters remains in a coma, her cycling team SD Worx said on Thursday.
SportAFP NewsMan Utd winger Diallo joins Rangers on loan
Manchester United teenager Amad Diallo has joined Scottish champions Rangers on loan for the rest of the season.
SportAFP NewsDenmark's Hansen leads in Dubai, Morikawa makes strong start
Denmark's Joachim B. Hansen fired a seven-under-par 65 to take the lead after the first day of the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday, while Collin Morikawa, Sergio Garcia and Viktor Hovland all made good starts.
SportAFP NewsTaremi fires Iran into 2022 World Cup finals with win over Iraq
Mehdi Taremi was on target as Iran confirmed their spot in the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar with a 1-0 victory over Iraq at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Thursday.
SportAFP NewsFootball police chief calls for Premier League talks to tackle disorder
Britain's head of football policing has called for an urgent meeting with Premier League chiefs over rising incidents of crowd disorder.
SportAFP NewsExeter Chiefs to end Native American branding
English Premiership club Exeter Chiefs have decided to abandon their controversial Native American branding from July.
SportAFP NewsKosovo's first female Winter Olympian Kryeziu aims for glory in China
Young, determined and willing to take chances, slalom skier Kiana Kryeziu's journey to the Olympics mirrors the recent history of her native Kosovo with the teenage skier set to become its first female Winter Olympian when she heads to Beijing.
SportAFP NewsDutch Olympic champion Kromowidjojo retires from the pool
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands said on Thursday she has retired from competitive swimming aged 31.
NewsAFP NewsBenzema cash seized by France in sex tape case
French bailiffs have seized 230,000 euros ($260,000) from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema over his conviction last year for complicity in a bid to blackmail former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape, a source familiar with the case said Thursday.
NewsAFP NewsCameroon government wants to 'improve' access to stampede stadium
The Cameroonian government wants to "improve" access to the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde after the deadly stampede that killed eight people at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, its spokesman told state media on Thursday.
SportAFP NewsSwiatek undone by 'fastest balls ever' from Collins
Iga Swiatek said she came up against the fastest balls she has ever faced after being blown off court by the raw power of Danielle Collins to miss out on an Australian Open final Thursday.
SportAFP NewsKeys upbeat for 2022 despite Barty thrashing
Madison Keys said that starting the year on such a strong footing gave her a lot of confidence for the season despite being thrashed by Ashleigh Barty in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday.
SportAFP NewsRampant Barty to meet powerhouse Collins in Australian Open final
A ruthless Ashleigh Barty swept into her first Australian Open final on Thursday with a clinical, straight-sets demolition of Madison Keys to set-up a title match with the hard-hitting Danielle Collins.
NewsAFP NewsSingapore Grand Prix gets green light for next seven years
Singapore will host the Formula One night race for another seven years from 2022 to 2028, organisers said Thursday, after the coronavirus pandemic scuppered the event for two years running.
NewsAFP NewsColourful Kenyan football fan hacked to death
Kenyans were mourning Thursday the country's best known football fan, a colourful former newspaper vendor who was hacked to death at his home.
SportAFP NewsTop seed Barty crushes Keys to make Australian Open final
A ruthless Ashleigh Barty swept into her first Australian Open final on Thursday with the top seed outgunning a resurgent Madison Keys in a clinical, straight-sets demolition.
SportAFP NewsNadal closes in on quest for greatness, Medvedev running on empty
Rafael Nadal is two matches away from getting the jump on golden era rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to become all-time Grand Slam leader as the Australian Open gets down to the last four on Friday.
NewsAFP NewsChina warns US over 'interfering' in Winter Olympics
China warned the United States to "stop interfering" in the Winter Olympics on Thursday, a week before the controversy-hit Games are due to start in Beijing.
SportAFP NewsWheelchair great Alcott bows out with Australian Open final defeat
Wheelchair great Dylan Alcott bowed out of tennis Thursday after losing the Australian Open final, drawing the curtain on a glittering career in which he became a prominent disability advocate.
SportAFP NewsIOC to meet Peng Shuai during Beijing Olympics
The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that it has spoken with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai again and plans to meet her in Beijing during next month's Winter Games.
