Messi Neymar

BARCELONA: Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (right) and Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (left) taking part in a training session at the Sports Center FC Barcelona Joan Gamper here Monday.
    — AFP Photo

Neymar set to feature in Suarez's Barca debut
MADRID, Aug 18: Brazilian striker Neymar has been given the all clear to play his first game since suffering a broken vertebra in his back during the World Cup when Barcelona play Mexican side Club Leon on Monday. The 22-year-old could get his first experience of playing alongside new teammate Luis Suarez as the Uruguayan was expected to make his Barca debut after being cleared to play in friendly matches last week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, despite serving a four-month ban from competitive games.    — AFP

Ex-diplomat elected Pak cricket chief
LAHORE, Aug 18: Former diplomat Shaharyar Khan was Monday elected Pakistan's cricket chief for a three-year term, a move aimed at ending a 14-month leadership tussle which has left the governing body in disarray. Khan, 80, becomes the 30th chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but the only one to have a second tenure, having held the post between December 2003 to October 2006. Khan was elected unapposed under the board's new constitution adopted last month in a bid to resolve the dispute triggered in May last year when then-chairman Zaka Ashraf was suspended by Islamabad high court.    — AFP
Taiwan, China swimmers launch cross-strait relay
TAIPEI, Aug 18: Fourteen people on Monday began the first relay swim across the 132-kilometre (82 mile) strait separating Taiwan and China, risking strong currents and shark attacks over some three days, organisers said. The swimmers-seven each from Taiwan and the mainland-started the maritime challenge around noon from the beach off Hsinchu, a city in northern Taiwan, said the Taipei-based swimming promotion club Master Swimming Taiwan. It said the group was expected to arrive at Pingtan, an island off China's southeastern province of Fujian, late on Thursday if all goes smoothly.     — AFP