■ Baseball
Japan wins, Taiwan loses
Defending champion Japan slammed host China 7-0 at the Junior Women's World Softball Championship. Karino Ayumi put Japan on the board in the fourth inning Thursday, driving in three runs, the Xinhua News Agency said. In other results Thursday, the US beat Taiwan 6-1; New Zealand shut out South Korea 8-0; Australia beat the Philippines 4-1; the Netherlands edged Argentina 4-3; and Canada stomped Thailand 17-0. Also, the Philippines beat the Czech Republic 2-0, and Russia defeated Thailand 1-0. The championship, which runs until today, is being held in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. It includes 14 teams including last year's top three -- Japan, the United States and Taiwan.
■ Football
Raider sues teammate
Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski was sued by teammate Marcus Williams, who was seriously injured when they fought during practice. The suit, filed Thursday in Alameda County court, seeks unspecified damages for alleged battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Romanowski instigated the fight Aug. 24 when he ripped off Williams' helmet and punched him in the face, breaking a bone around his left eye. The fracture put Williams on injured reserve -- ending his season before it began.
■ Cricket
South Africans ride luck
Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis rode their luck Friday as sloppy Pakistan fielders dropped three catches on the first day of the first cricket test, allowing South Africa to reach 145 for two. At the end of an extended first session of 2 1/2 hours due to Friday prayers, Kirsten was unbeaten on 46 and Kallis not out on 27. Kallis was also lucky not to be given out by English umpire Neil Mallender, standing in his first test. One run later, Kallis, who celebrated his 28th birthday Thursday, rode his luck once again when Moin Khan couldn't hold onto a thick edge behind the wickets.
■ Baseball
Murder suspect enters plea
One of two men charged with murder in the shooting of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium pleaded innocent. Manuel Hernandez, 33, is being held on US$1 million bail pending his Nov. 3 court date. He entered his plea Thursday. Pete Marron, 19, also is accused of murder in the killing of Mark Allen Antenorcruz near the end of the Dodgers-Giants game Sept. 13. Marron, who is at large, also has been charged with discharge of a firearm.
■ Baseball
MLB accused of racism
A former Major League Baseball employee accused the sport's business arm of fostering an environment in which anti-Asian hostility thrived. Juri Morioka said in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed Thursday in US District Court in Manhattan that the hostilities were evident while she worked for one year as an administrative assistant in Major League Baseball's Broadcasting Department. Morioka, a Japanese citizen, said she was told when she was hired in February last year that her Japanese language skills and familiarity with the Japanese culture would help MLB's International Department deal with Japanese clients. Yet, she said, she was repeatedly subjected until her May termination to an "unreasonable, offensive and demeaning anti-Japanese and anti-Asian hostility that pervaded the entire International Department."
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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