MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ― Rafael Nadal’s quest to complete his “Rafa Slam” at the Australian Open started with a first-round victory that lasted only 11 games and certainly helped him conserve plenty of energy.The No. 1-ranked Nadal went straight to the practice courts and worked on his serve, later saying it needs work to improve his chances of winning the Australian title.The 24-year-old Spani

Japan pummels Saudi Arabia 5-0 to grab place in Asian cup's last 8DOHA (AP) ― Japan and Jordan reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup with contrasting victories on Monday.Three-time cup champion Japan humbled Saudi Arabia 5-0 and Jordan came from behind to defeat Syria 2-1 and reach the quarters for the second time in its history.The victories left Japan top of Group B on goal difference from

Singapore’s exports rose at a slower pace in December, ending a year in which shipments jumped the most since 2003 as the global economic recovery boosted demand for the island’s goods. Non-oil domestic exports climbed 9.4 percent from a year earlier, after a revised 9.9 percent gain in November, the trade promotion agency said in a statement in Singapore Monday. The median forecast of 14 economis

Win over India would assure place in last 8With just one match remaining in the group stage of the 2011 Asian Cup, South Korea is in the position it probably expected to be in ― just needing to defeat India on Tuesday (10:15 p.m. Korean time) to book a place in the last eight. It would be a huge shock if that didn’t happen as the team ranked 40 in the world, according to FIFA, takes on an oppositi

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ― David Chung replaced suspended FIFA vice president Reynald Temarii as president of the Oceania Football Confederation Sunday after his two New Zealand opponents for the position withdrew their nominations.Chung, the president of the Papua New Guinea football association, was elected at the congress of the 11-member confederation at Pago Pago in American Samoa.New Zea

China’s property prices slowed for an eighth month in December after the government expanded measures to limit the risk of asset bubbles in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Property prices in 70 cities rose 6.4 percent in December from a year earlier, China Information News, the statistics bureau’s newspaper, reported Monday. That’s slower than the 7.7 percent increase in November, and t

Some of the world’s top golfers are to vie for Korea’s biggest golf tournament this April. The world’s No.1 Lee Westwood, three-time major champion Ernie Els, No.10 Ian Poulter and Asia’s first major winner Y.E Yang will be among those competing in the Ballantine’s Championship, organizers announced on Monday.“We are delighted to announce that Westwood, Els, Poulter and Yang will all be competing

Exhibition“Christian Marclay: What You See Is What You Hear”: Three of U.S. artist Christian Marclay’s labor-intensive media works are on display at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art’s Black Box in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. It is the museum’s first “Black Box Project” which aims to introduce world-renowned media artists to the Korean public. The exhibition runs through Feb. 13 at Leeum, Samsung Museu

Sheraton Grande WalkerhillThe hotel offers a “Welcome 2011” package from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6. The package, at 158,000 won, includes a one night stay at the Douglas House and a buffet breakfast at the View. Another option starting from 178,000 won includes a one night stay in a deluxe room of the hotel’s main building, a buffet breakfast and a welcome gift of handmade LUSH soap. On Feb. 2, a day befo

Cho Kwang-rae aims to crack tough defenseSouth Korea is coming off a solid 2-1 win over Bahrain on Tuesday to start its Asian Cup football tournament in Qatar, but the real test is set for Friday.At 10:15 p.m. Friday, Korean time, South Koreans will face Australia, the highest-ranked team at this year’s Asian Cup at No. 26 in the world.This is Australia’s second Asian Cup appearance since the coun

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― Korea is still in its early days of ski jumping, but national team coach Kim Heung-soo says they are progressing rapidly through a newly built jumping slope. Some of the world’s top level ski jumpers on Wednesday had their first taste of the snow-covered Alpensia ski jumping slopes for the FIS Continental Cup, slated for Jan. 12-13.PyeongChang is holding the two-day

Jo Tong-sop's squad misses penalty shot in 6th minuteDOHA (AP) ― The United Arab Emirates restored some pride to the Gulf teams Tuesday by holding North Korea to a 0-0 draw in its opening Group D match of the Asian Cup.North Korea, which qualified for last year’s World Cup, should have taken the lead in the sixth minute but captain Hong Yong-jo hit the bar with a penalty after Hamdan Al Kamali pus

Koo scores brace as Korea trips Bahrain to open Asian CupKorean national team manager Cho Kwang-rae praised midfielder Koo Ja-cheol after watching his side’s 2-1 win over Bahrain in their Asian Cup group match Monday at the Al Gharafa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.The 22-year-old Jeju United player was the hero of the night. Koo not only scored a brace to claim the victory, but was instrumental throughou

PyeongChang delivered its candidature file Monday to the International Olympic Committee for its bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.Cho Yang-ho, CEO of Pyeong-Chang’s 2018 bid committee, joined by Korean bobsleigh team coach Kang Kwang-bae and short-track speed-skating gold medalist Choi Min-kyung, headed to Lausanne, Switzerland to hand in the finalized bid book to the IOC ahead of the Jan. 11

Promoter of ‘Sport for All’ focuses on global cooperationMany people make exercising their top New Year’s resolution, but are often unable to follow through.For Lee Kang-too, exercising regularly doesn’t have to involve running or going to the gym. Instead, it can be a simple activity, such as walking or climbing the stairs.“I wear my work-out shoes all the time. So wherever I go I’m ready to go f

Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will sell 9 million to 12 million iPhones this year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing analyst estimates. The lower number would boost Apple Inc.’s overall sales by 5 percent, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos., the Journal said. The iPhone may capture 5 percent of Verizon’s customers in its first quarter on s

National team opens Asian Cup campaign against BahrainSouth Korea kicks off its Asian Cup campaign against Bahrain in the early hours of Tuesday morning (1:15 KST) local time. It will be a long night for fans in Seoul and elsewhere who stay up to watch the Group C match beamed from the Qatari capital of Doha but that is nothing to the 51 years that have passed since the nation was last crowned con

HUA HIN, Thailand (AP) ― Asia swept all four points in the fourballs on Saturday to build a 6-2 lead over Europe in the three-day Royal Trophy match play golf tournament.Asia needs only 2 1/2 points from the eight singles matches on Sunday to win at the Black Mountain Golf Club. Asia’s Noh Seung-yul hits a shot on the second hole. (AP-Yonhap News)Locked at 2-2, Asia dominated the fourballs with Eu

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) ― Tiger Woods has one less endorsement deal, ending his 13-year relationship with golf’s biggest magazine when they couldn’t agree on how many hours he should devote to the job.Golf Digest, with a circulation of 1.65 million, announced Thursday the mutual end of a relationship that began at the 1997 Masters. He made his debut in the magazine in June that year, and the endorsem

The number of victims is estimated at 400,000, with most from Korea, China and the Philippines. Women from the Netherlands, Burma, Taiwan and other countries were also coerced to work as sex slaves during the war. Victims testify that they were forced to handle more than 20 soldiers a day, threatened with death and often assaulted. They said violence and humiliation were everyday occurrences and t