Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was in retaliation for Tehran's attacks earlier this month
mena8 hours ago
Japan's sumo association said Monday it would cancel its upcoming tournament and aim to hold the following one behind closed doors, as the country extended a state of emergency over the coronavirus.
The next sumo "basho" or tournament had been scheduled to begin on May 24, after organisers of the nation's ancient sport delayed the event by two weeks over the pandemic.
But chairman Hakkaku said in a statement that the association had decided to cancel the May tournament "in order to secure the health and safety of fans and people involved."
The announcement came shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended a state of emergency over the virus until the end of May.
It is the first cancellation of a basho since 2011 when a spring sumo tournament was scrapped over a bout-fixing scandal. That was the first cancellation in more than half a century.
There are usually six tournaments across Japan each year, and the association said it "aims" to hold the July basho without spectators and would move the tournament from Nagoya in central Japan to Tokyo where sumo wrestlers are based.
The outbreak in Japan has been smaller than in many countries, with around 15,000 cases and 510 deaths confirmed so far, but the government declared a state of emergency in seven regions about a month ago and later expanded it nationwide.
A handful of low-ranking wrestlers and trainees as well as a stable master have tested positive for the virus.
The spring basho, held in March in Osaka, took place without spectators, with wrestlers surrounded by just a handful of judges in the empty arena.
But it was broadcast live on national TV, where viewers could hear sounds normally drowned out by the crowd, including wrestlers slapping their bellies and scraping their feet on the clay ring.
Some rituals were amended, including the traditional ladle of water that a winning wrestler offers to the next in the ring.
Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was in retaliation for Tehran's attacks earlier this month
mena8 hours ago
'All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop', said the spokesman for the Secretary-General
world8 hours ago
The initiative, which aims to ease the suffering of the Lebanese women, was held under the patronage of the Mother of the Nation
uae10 hours ago
Images on social media shared by the committee and others purported to show dozens of bodies wrapped for burial and mass graves being dug
mena11 hours ago
Artists will pay homage to and transform different landmarks in the emirate through auditory sculptures, 80m canvas across Corniche
uae11 hours ago
The group also said it fired rockets at five residential areas in northern Israel
mena11 hours ago
Medics said at least 44 of the facility's 70-member team of the hospital had been detained by the army
mena11 hours ago
Indian agencies have uncovered a network that sold fake tickets or charged exorbitant prices for legitimate ones for both concerts
world12 hours ago