LEVERKUSEN: Liverpool slu­m­ped to a shock 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta on Thursday as Gianluca Scamacca struck twice for the Italian side in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. On a chastening evening for former European champions in the continent’s second-tier club competition, AC Milan lost 1-0 at home to fellow Italian side AS Roma. Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leve­rkusen secured …

AUGUSTA: LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau used a sizzling burst of late birdies to muscle into a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler on Thursday as Spaniard Jon Rahm’s Masters title defence got off to a shaky start. After a storm delayed the start of the year’s first major by 2-1/2 hours, 2020 US Open champion DeChambeau thrived in the softened but …

JOHANNESBURG: Eight venues in South Africa have been confirmed for the 2027 World Cup, according to Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Pholetsi Moseki. In addition to the South African grounds, matches will also be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia, who will co-host the tournament. Moseki told the South African News24 website that the eight South African venues had been …

BEIJING: Chinese exports plunged more than expected last month, official figures showed on Friday, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to sustain its post-pandemic recovery. Shipments sank 7.5 per cent on-year, while imports shrank 1.9pc, the General Administration of Customs said. A Bloomberg survey of economists had forecast exports to fall just 1.9pc and imports to rise 1pc. The slump …

KARACHI: The bulls tightened their grip in the outgoing short week as they staged a surprise rally on the eve of Eidul Fitr, tossing the benchmark KSE 100 index to a new peak. It was the fourth record-breaking session at the end of Ramazan, a new trend for the PSX, which usually sees low volume and lacklustre activities in the holy month. …

LONDON: Britain’s economy grew for the second straight month in February, official data showed on Friday, boosting recovery hopes after it fell into recession in the second half of 2023. Gross domestic product ticked 0.1 per cent higher in February following an upwardly revised 0.3pc expansion in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. Growth for …

NEW DELHI: Tech billionaire Elon Musk said on Wednesday he planned to meet Indian Prime Minis­ter Narendra Modi, following suggestions the Tesla boss will soon announce major investment plans in the country. He made the announcement on his social media platform X, without giving a date for his visit. “Looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India,” he …

KARACHI: The US State Department spokesperson has denied the impression that Iran was supporting the militant Islamic State (IS) group in carrying out attacks in Pakistan. During the daily press briefing on Thursday, Matthew Miller was asked if the US has any information about Iran supporting IS in Pakistan to carry out the recent terrorist attacks. “…I do not have …

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was “considering” a request by Australia to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges. Australia’s parliament passed a motion in February with the prime minister’s support calling for an end to the legal saga surrounding Assange, who has been held in Britain since 2019 while fighting extradition …