Another scare for the US as Cousins hurts his knee

DeMarcus Cousins had a big bag of ice on his right knee while he watched the end of practice on Thursday. He briefly covered his face with a towel as trainers milled around his table next to the folded gym bleachers.

Score board

Plenty of challenges for Conte

Unloved even in its own country, Italy's national team clearly needs a radical overhaul and, if anyone can do it, then it is the steely-willed Antonio Conte who was named as its new coach on Thursday.

Suarez begins training at Barcelona

Luis Suarez will start training with his new Barcelona teammates on Friday after getting the green light from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Spanish giant confirmed.

Pulis leaves Palace over transfer row - reports

Tony Pulis is reported to have left Crystal Palace by mutual consent in a shock move prompted by disagreements over the Premier League club's transfer policy, according to reports on Thursday.

City star Aguero signs new 5-yr deal

Manchester City received a boost on the eve of the new Premier League season as Argentine striker Sergio Aguero signed a new five-year contract with the English champion.

Getting rid of pandering hypocrisy

British Parliament should review unilateral legislative moves by last HK governors that left holes in the democratic process

Nothing could be further from the truth

I laughed it off when news came last week that US President Barack Obama had made pointed remarks about China's activities in Africa and played up the United States' role on the continent.

Cartoon

Behind herb's name change

IT IS UNIMAGINABLE TO MANY THAT DELIVERY OF interest could be behind the change of name of a medicinal herb. But a disciplinary inspection official in Central China's Hunan province has accused the former director of the China Food and Drug Administration of manipulating the change of Lonicera japonica, or Japanese Honeysuckle, a medicinal herb growing in South China provinces to another name. He claims that the name change has caused heavy economic losses to millions of herb growers, and firmly pledged that corruption was involved. This accuser, using his real name, said online that an enterprise from East China's Shandong province benefited the most from the change of name in 2005 while the former CFDA director at the time was from that province.

Probe can get to root of case

The difference between the traditional Chinese medicinal herb and its new offspring may confuse the public since it is to do with the specialist field of plant taxonomy, which requires professional knowledge to understand. But, the public can easily understand the process by which the name of the medicinal plant has been changed, as it reflects a redistribution of interests. Moreover, whether such a process is normal and fair is of great concern to the public nowadays.

Reckless words, policies catch up with Abe

In this year of sobering historical reminders, Aug 15 marks the 69th anniversary of Japan's announcement of surrender in World War II. That date is unlikely to bring inspiration or comfort to Japan's increasingly beleaguered Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.