Liverpool stars, fans and families remembers Hillsborough disaster

Tributes were paid to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster at Anfield

Church bells ring and public traffic is halted as the city pays its respects to the 96 fans who died at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield 25 years ago.

Liverpool stars during a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster

Liverpool stars join the relatives of the 96 Hillsborough disaster victims as the club marked the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

The Reds captain Steven Gerrard and former manager Kenny Dalgish were among those in the crowd of approximately 30,000 who united to honour the Liverpool fans killed.

A minute of silence took place at 3:06pm to reflect the precise moment at which the game against Nottingham Forest was called off. 

Relatives and fans displayed flowers and candles to pay tributes to the victims involved

Local religious leaders read out the names of those who died. Besides that, many scarves donated by fans were on the pitch which wrote a large number 96. Moreover, thousands of scarves were draped over 96 seats in the stadium that had been left empty for symbolical purposes. Some supporters also attached scarves to the Shankly Gates beside the Hillsborough memorial outside the ground.

Liverpool scarves draped over 96 seats

Tennis: Watch out for female Asian tennis players

World No. 2 tennis player Li Na

China's world No. 2 Li Na is well-known for being the top achiever of Asian tennis. She became the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam at the French Open in 2011 and winning yet another trophy at the Australian Open this year.

Her success is a testament to the rise of Asian tennis players around the world.

Zhang Shuai, ranked 3rd in China

Zhang Shuai, World No. 46 and ranked 3rd in China, claimed Li Na's Grand Slam victories have generated much interest into training among youngsters in China.

"In the past, youngsters in China prefer to take up table tennis and badminton but because of Li Na, more are playing tennis. They want to follow her footsteps. I believe tennis in China and also in Asia is growing," said Zhang Shuai in Kuala Lumpur.

Zhang Shuai does not come from a tennis background. What's interesting is that her father, Zhang Zhi Qiang was a professional football player while her mother, Wang Feng Quin played basketball in her younger days.

Arumi Morita

Japan's Arumi Morita feels the same, believing that Asian tennis would soon reach the same standards its Western rivals.

Tennis in Asia is definitely growing and eventually more Asian players will climb up the rankings soon, especially with China and Japan making strides in the women's games.

Unseeded Indonesian player, Simon Santoso defeats World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei at Singapore Open

Simon Santoso is ranked 58th in the world

Unseeded Simon Santoso pulled off a major shock to the world when he thrashed the 31-year old Malaysian player to win the Singapore Open for the first time on Sunday. World No. 1 Datuk Lee Chong Wei suffered a major upset when he lost to Simon Santoso at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Santoso celebrates his win

Santoso, considered a rank outsider against Malaysia's Lee, kept up his winning momentum by beating him 21-15, 21-10 in straight sets in just 48 minutes of the match. The results shocked many badminton fans throughout the world, particularly the Malaysian fans who watched it live on TV.

"I am really satisfied with my performance especially after beating one of the best players, Lee Chong Wei, in the final. I am really happy and proud," said the 28-year old Indonesian player.

Winner Santoso and runner-up Lee poses for photographs during the Singapore Open men's final

Lee downplayed the loss, claiming that it was "only the Singapore Open".

"This is just a Superseries, there are still many other important tournaments. I just take care not to get an injury at the competition," stated Lee.

"I just tried and just enjoy for SIngapore and not go so hard."

Chong Wei had already won the Malaysian Open Super Series in January, All England in March and the India Open early this month.

Swansea City vs Chelsea: Final score 0-1, John Terry warns Liverpool after Swansea win

Terry ensures Chelsea will keep the title pressure on for Liverpool

The 33-year old Chelsea defender believes he could once again be crowned with a 4th BPL medal.

"It feels like a bigger win because of the earlier result. We knew about it, and looking at Manchester City dropping points it is probably the one we wanted - even though Liverpool are flying. The manager said before the game, regardless of that result, if we don't our games then we will make it very easy for them, so it was important." stated Terry.

"We've won our game, and the pressure is still on the teams above and below us."

Recent defeats of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have put themselves in a struggle to win the Premier League title. Heading into the 34th match day, they are just a couple of points away from league leaders Liverpool and would be 4 points away from being top if Manchester City wins both their upcoming matches in hand.

Chelsea didn't really started the match off as good as they used to. Mohamed Salah made a big mistake by missing six minutes in and Swansea nearly scored in the 13th minute when Petr Cech was forced to make a nice save on a header by Wilfried Bony. Despite the unfortunate incident, Chico Flores was sent off for getting a second yellow card in two minutes. Referee Phil Dowd hesitated to send off Flores, but was unable to avoid penalising him for a nasty move on Andre Schurrle.

Ba celebrates after netting Chelsea's winning goal in the second half

Chelsea's Demba Ba's victory shot against Swansea seem to spark the team's spirit alive. It kept manager Jose Mourinho's team 3 points behind league leaders after Liverpool had beaten City.

Liverpool vs Manchester City 3-2, The Reds to close in on title

Fans take a moment of silence before kick-off

When the final whistle blew, the look on Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard was absolutely phenomenal. The tears in his eyes signalled the deep impact of the result of their match against Manchester City.  It signified that The Reds were closer to victory, closer to the title, closer to their first league championship in 24 years. It meant everything to them and the fans.

Sterling celebrates his early opener with Suarez

Liverpool had given everything to bring them closer to the title, technically and mentally to the extent that their victory against City could bring tears of joy to their captain. Gerrard's game has changed, but he might just be playing the best football of his career. For the first half, they were a ball of fury, crashing Manchester City to pieces, scoring through Raheem Sterling in less than 6 minutes and Martin Skrtel in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, there was a negative for Liverpool which was the red car for Jordan Henderson due to a tackle on Samir Nasri that resulted in a three-match suspension.

Fortunately, luck was on Suarez's side as he managed to avoid a second yellow card. Clattenburg decided to go for a lenient approach to the Uruguayan player. Suarez gave himself a yellow card after a dangerous tackle on City's Martin Demichelis.

Philippe Coutinho seals victory after giving Liverpool a 3-2 lead

Philippe Coutinho scored the winning goal to seal their victory and made the team climb back on their perch. This was Liverpool's 10th consecutive win and they are now confident here in stating a total belief that they CAN win the title this season. Their fans' support, their manager's strategies and captain's devotion are sweeping them towards the Premier League trophy.

Liverpool vs Manchester City 3-2 All Goals and Highlights

Southampton's Jay kisses World Cup dreams goodbye due to injury

Southampton's Jay Rodriguez faces six months on the sidelines with anterior cruciate ligament in right knee

Southampton's striker Jay Rodriguez's dreams of playing for England in this summer's FIFA World Cup were crashed on Monday when it was confirmed that he would be ruled out of the World Cup with his knee injury. It has been announced that he would be out for at least six months.

Jay taken off the pitch in a stretcher

He injured his knee by landing awkwardly during Saturday's defeat by Manchester City (4-1) and was taken off the pitch on a stretcher at Eastlands.

"Southampton Football Club can confirm that, following his injury on Saturday against Manchester City, Jay Rodriguez has been diagnosed as having suffered a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament," said a statement on the club's website. This means he will not be fit for selection by the English national team at this year's World Cup in Brazil.

"Everyone at the club now wishes Jay well and we will support him, along with his family," Southampton's head of football development, Les Reed, claimed. "Jay has asked us to pass on his gratitude to everybody who has shown him their concern and sympathy. Jay is naturally disappointed, but is determined to get back playing for Southampton as soon as possible."

The loss of Jay will be another disadvantage to England for the World Cup tournament as they already lost Arsenal player, Theo Walcott who suffered the same injury in the match against Tottenham in January.

Jamaica's 2008 Olympic women's 100 medalist Sherone Simpson suspended for doping

Jamaica's Sherone Simpson in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China

The 29-year-old, who won 4x100m relay gold and silver medals in the 2004 and 2013 Olympic Games respectively, tested positive for oxilofrine at the Jamaica National Championships in June 2013, a stimulant which is prohibited when used in a competition.

She claims that the substance was found in a new supplement given to her by Canadian physical trainer Chris Xuereb. JADCO's lawyer Lackston Robinson pushed for a maximum suspension of two years for Simpson, stating that he was not convinced that Epiphany D1 contained the stimulant found in Simpson's sample. The chairman of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel said that Simpson had not been taken proper care of.

"Having listened and reviewed all the evidence and listened to the detailed submissions of councils, this panel is unanimously of the view that Miss Simpson was negligent in all the circumstances as an elite athlete," said Lennox Gayle, chairman of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.