■ SOCCER
Thai gamblers arrested
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Thailand for gambling on Euro 2008 soccer matches, with nearly 1 million baht (US$30,000) in cash seized, police said yesterday. Most gambling is outlawed in the kingdom, but it remains popular. “There were 1,098 people arrested, including 192 bookies, 831 punters and 75 others. We seized 931,496 baht and betting slips worth 524.2 million baht,” police spokesman Major-General Ruangsak Jaritake said. “We are satisfied with our arrests although we cannot arrest everybody. We focus on preventive measures,” he said.
■ OLYMPICS
Bush eases China gun ban
US President George W. Bush moved on Monday to ease restrictions on weapons exports to China so Americans competing in Olympic shooting events can take their equipment to the Beijing Games. In a letter to Congress, Bush said he was easing restrictions pertaining to firearms as well as to military gyroscopes used in high-definition television camera systems. “Licensing requirements remain in place for these exports and require review and approval on a case-by-case basis by the United States Government. The equipment will be returned to the United States following the end of the Games,” Bush said.
■ FOOTBALL
Martin faces dope charge
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Derrick Martin was charged with a misdemeanor for suspected possession of marijuana on Monday after an incident two days earlier at Cleveland International Airport. Martin, 23, was not arrested but must appear in court on July 15 after airport security found three small packets thought to be marijuana while the two-year NFL player was checking in for a flight. “We are aware of the situation with Derrick, and we have talked with him about this,” the Ravens said in a statement. “There is a due process taking place and we are following that.”
■ FOOTBALL
Patriots defender arrested
New England Patriots cornerback Willie Andrews was arrested early on Monday after allegedly holding a handgun to his girlfriend’s head, the Boston Herald reported on Monday. Police arrested Andrews at his Boston apartment on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was being held without bail pending a hearing tomorrow. Authorities told the newspaper that Andrews had denied having a gun, but police later recovered the weapon from a dumpster near the apartment building.
■ SOCCER
Chelsea snap up Deco
Portugal midfielder Deco has signed for Chelsea, the English Premiership club said on Monday, for £8 million (US$15.9 million). Deco, the midfield maestro of Porto’s 2004 European Champions League-winning campaign, leaves Barcelona, with whom he also won the Champions League two years later, after the Catalan club said he did not feature in their plans. Stamford Bridge have now confirmed the 30-year-old Brazil-born player has agreed the move to become the club’s first signing since Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed manager. The two-time Champions League-winner had been linked with Inter Milan, but the Italians appear to have been put off by the price. Chelsea, however, seem to have negotiated the fee down to sign Deco. Barcelona released a statement on Monday saying Deco had signed a three-year contract with Chelsea.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
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