Iraq forces attack areas in Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi forces attacked four jihadist-held areas in Mosul on Sunday, the latest push in a battle for the city's west that has displaced thousands since it began.

Trump accuses Obama of tapping his phones, invokes Watergate

PALM BEACH, Florida - US President Donald Trump is accusing then-president Barack Obama of ordering his telephones tapped during last year's elections, offering no evidence while invoking politically charged references to Watergate, Nixon and McCarthyism.

Philippine marines find remains of hostage

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine troops have found the remains of a German hostage who was beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the country's south, vowing Sunday to rescue more than 30 other captives and crush the ransom-seeking extremists.

Senior French centrist leader calls on Fillon to step down for Juppe

PARIS - The head of France's center-right UDI party said on Sunday he wanted presidential candidate Francois Fillon to quit the election race in favor of former prime minister Alain Juppe warning that if Fillon continued defeat was certain.

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."