Mackay apologizes for 'disrespectful' messages

Former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay has apologized for sending text messages that were "disrespectful of other cultures" after he was ruled out of the running to take over at Premier League club Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Lavillenie's 20-win streak ends in chilly Stockholm

Olympic champion and world record holder Renaud Lavillenie suffered a surprise defeat in the pole vault at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on Thursday, just five days after the Frenchman wrapped up a third consecutive European title.

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IN BRIEF (Page 8)

England braces for Balotelli return

Volatile Italian poised to take over Suarez's role at Liverpool

Five things you should know about the EPL

One round of Premier League games has already backed up many pundits' preseason predictions, notably that Chelsea and Manchester City are title favorites and Manchester United needed more than just a change of manager to arrest its slump.

Di Maria wants out of Madrid - Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed midfielder Angel di Maria has asked to leave the European champion before the end of the transfer window.

Goalkeeper Howard takes break from US duties

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard announced on Thursday he will be taking a one-year break from international duty with the United States.

Fair market is anti-trust goal

Probes into both domestic and foreign-funded enterprises are push for a more regulated market order and maturer mechanisms

Western polluters are free riders in China

Just two days after US President Barack Obama called China a free rider in an interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, US Secretary of State John Kerry, in his Asia policy speech at the East West Center in Hawaii last Wednesday, listed climate change a common cause for the two largest greenhouse gas emitters on the planet.

Development is still priority

WHAT IS THE GIST OF DENG XIAOPING'S thought and how does it apply to China's development today? These questions are worth discussing as the anniversary of his 110th birthday is observed on Friday.

Deng showed the way forward

From allowing some to become wealthy first to stressing common prosperity among all, social equality has remained one of the important issues since Deng Xiaoping's later years. From top leader Xi Jinping's promise to make society more equitable to the resolution of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee to promote social equity and justice and enhance people's welfare; from the fierce nationwide campaign to fight corruption and privilege and promote political equality to the unprecedented effort to reform the 60-year-old barriers to urban-rural migration; from the simplification of administrative procedures to the delegating of more powers from the central to local governments; all the government's measures are a reflection of its ongoing efforts to promote social equality.