IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Espanyol grows the grassroots

Chinese-owned Espanyol is pushing for a return to European soccer for the first time in a decade, barely a year after being taken over.

Widening the recruitment net

Lacking an entrenched tradition in winter sports, China is scouting summer sport athletes in the lead up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

Meet Malaysia's first family of skiing

A fanciful idea that started out as a joke among young members of one of Malaysia's most prominent families has snowballed into a fully fledged ski team and dreams of Olympic success.

Chen the key to China's chances

With a wily veteran of MLB wars topping its list of 15 pitchers, Team China is well armed heading into the World Baseball Classic.

Two decades of dominance

Two decades after being launched in Sapporo, Japan, the return of Asia's version of the Winter Olympics to the site of the 1972 Games was once again dominated by an elite club of a few countries.

Venus says retirement a long way off

NEW YORK - Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams, fresh off an inspirational run to the Australian Open final at age 36, sees no end in sight on the tennis court - even envisioning another Olympics alongside her sister Serena.

Taking a shot at respectability

After China's national men's hockey team was outscored 32-0 in its three games at the recent Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, head coach Hu Jiang blamed the poor performance on the absence of a domestic talent pool, declaring: "The national team does not have enough players from which to choose."

Trump slams 'witch hunt' over Sessions

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump accused Democrats on Thursday of conducting a "witch hunt" against Attorney General Jeff Sessions over contacts with Russia, as the veteran senator recused himself from any probe into the election campaign.

Saudi monarch shows he's selfie king

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia's King Salman has embraced the "selfie", taking part in a number of lighthearted self-shot pictures and videos during his tour of Asia that contrast with the pomp of the monarch's trips abroad.

Court finds Mubarak innocent in killing

CAIRO - Egypt's top appeals court found former president Hosni Mubarak innocent on Thursday of the charges of being responsible for killing protesters during the 2011 unrest that ended his 30-year rule, the final ruling in a landmark case.

Malaysia issues arrest warrant for Air Koryo staff over airport murder

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police issued an arrest warrant for an Air Koryo employee on Friday in connection with the investigation into an airport murder case, Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported.