News

LONDON: Ireland’s Katie Taylor moved a step away from becoming one of the first Olympic women’s boxing champions on Wednesday when she produced a clinical performance to reach the lightweight final. The four-time amateur world champion, at the forefront of the campaign to get women’s boxing into the Olympics, beat Tajikistan’s Mavzuna Chorieva 17-9 in front of another raucous crowd …

MANCHESTER, England: The only top contender still left in the men’s Olympic football tournament, Brazil has no excuse to leave the London Games without the gold medal. First, though, it will have to get past South Korea in the semifinals on Tuesday. Brazil brought most of its top players to the Olympics and has been dominant so far, getting more …

WEST JERUSALEM, Israel: Israeli troops shot across the ceasefire line with Syria on the occupied Golan Heights to wound a man suspected of planning to tamper with the boundary fence on Saturday, the military said. The Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed, has been largely untouched by the 17-month-old uprising rocking Damascus. But …

LONDON: British rapper Dizzee Rascal says it all for handball at the Olympics – his hit “Bonkers” blares out across the arena at London 2012. Fast, physical, fun and just a little bit crazy. The formula works a dream in “The Box That Rocks” in the Olympic Park and players are hoping the sport gains more recognition in Britain and the United …

An-Nahar Jalili visits Beirut amid stories on the fate of the kidnapped State and security officials have not been informed of any details about the 11 Lebanese kidnapped in Syria whose case resurfaced following conflicting news of an attack on them and their kidnappers. This development comes following the ruckus over General Security’s deportation of 14 Syrians and the entry …

LONDON: A dozen people opposed to the Syrian government have protested the presence at the Olympics of equestrian rider Ahmad Saber Hamsho. The rider’s father is under U.S. and EU sanctions for supporting the regime of President Bashar Assad. Syria’s civil war has intensified in recent weeks as rebels focused on the country’s two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. Hamsho competed …

LONDON: Russia’s Tagir Khaibulaev delighted his president and judo black-belt Vladimir Putin Thursday as he beat Mongolian defending champion Tuvshinbayar Naidan to win the Olympic under-100kg title. Putin, seated among the crowd, raised his arms in celebration and was among the first to congratulate Khaibulaev after he claimed Russia’s third judo gold with an unstoppable seoi-nage (shoulder throw). Dutchman Henk …

LONDON: Bradley Wiggins took a step toward becoming Britain’s greatest ever Olympian Wednesday after overtaking former rower Steve Redgrave’s tally of six medals following his men’s time trial win. With five golds and one bronze medal, Redgrave is widely considered Britain’s greatest ever Olympian. But he could soon lose that accolade to Wiggins after his fellow Englishman added a fourth …