These bonsai trees are shaped to look like rats, and were made to order in small quantities. They take about a year to grow, and a meticulous hand is required to shape them so that all the fruits are exposed, CNN affiliate VTV reported. ### Kumquats — a citrus fruit with a sour tang — are growing on the ornamental trees. And the more ripe fruit a tree has, the higher its price, with the bonsais costing up to $215. ### The kumquat tree has deep orange-colored fruits, and is a popular ornamental plant in Vietnam and parts of Asia during Lunar New Year because its many fruits symbolize fertility,…

NEW YORK — Beginning on Jan. 2, the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship heads into the medal rounds and this year’s tournament is shaping up to have quite a finish.  Every roster is littered with future NHL stars. Some players, such as Canada’s Barrett Hayton, have already broken into the NHL ranks this season.  It’s a unique moment these current players are experiencing: playing for national pride, wearing a jersey that represents not only their homeland but years of building a program to the point of reaching one of the most prestigious stages in juniors. All with one goal: to finally hear their country’s anthem with a medal around their neck. Sporting News recently spoke to a few…

The United States and Finland meet up in the quarterfinals on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s gold-medal game. Like last year, the United States and Finland enter the game as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds from their respective groups. The United States is looking for a different result this year after the Finns won on a Kaapo Kakko goal with under two minutes remaining in the game in the 2019 final.  It’ll be a tough match-up for the Americans as both teams enter with comparable stats. Finland has netted two more goals than the U.S. and has one of the tournaments top scorers in Patrik Puistola (Carolina Hurricanes). For…

College football’s early signing period may be over, but the excitement surrounding the 2020 recruiting class isn’t finished yet. Several four- and five-star recruits are scheduled to announce their commitments during Thursday’s 2020 Under Armour All-America Game about where they’ll play college football next season. That includes two players who will reveal with whom they have signed their national letters of intent. Those players include 247Sports top-100 recruits Darnell Washington (No. 1 athlete, No. 10 overall), Zachary Evans (No. 1 running back, No. 14 overall), Dontae Manning (No. 6 cornerback, No. 76 overall) and Daniyel Ngata (No. 2 all-purpose back, No. 80 overall), among others. Sporting News has you covered…

UFC president Dana White thinks it is “a bad idea” for Conor McGregor to chase a fight with Jorge Masvidal. McGregor will make his return to the Octagon after over a year away when he takes on Donald Cerrone at welterweight at UFC 246 on Jan. 18. Join DAZN and watch more than 100 fight nights a year When he announced his comeback in October, the Irishman said he wanted to fight the victor of Masvidal’s UFC 244 bout vs. Nate Diaz — which Masvidal won via third-round TKO — before a rematch with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to close his 2020 season. White has urged McGregor to reconsider his desire to take…

The 2020 NFL playoffs are here. After making 256 game picks for the 2019 regular season, there are only 11 more picks and predictions against the spread to be made all the way through Super Bowl 54. After going through a tricky slate of games last week, there are only four games to prognosticate for wild-card weekend. That means 12 fewer chances to get games wrong, but also 12 fewer chances to get games right. Without further ado, here’s our latest fearless forecast for upcoming NFL results. All odds are courtesy of SportsInsider.com. MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends from Sports Insider NFL playoff picks, predictions against spread for…

British heritage brand Burberry is seeing red for its Chinese New Year 2020 campaign heralding “joy, health and happiness” in the Year of the Rat. The 2020 campaign launched alongside a special Chinese New Year collection stars brand ambassador Zhou Dongyu alongside models He Cong and Liang Jiyuan. Shot by photographer Leslie Zhang, the campaign highlights Burberry’s vivid red collection, featuring refined tailoring and sports-influenced pieces, as well as new iterations of the British label’s iconic Union sneaker and Lola bag. Burberry’s new 2020 campaign Burberry’s Chinese New Year collection includes a limited-edition Thomas Burberry Monogram motif, inspired by the Chinese zodiac and animated with an original illustration in honour…

Mikel Arteta will meet with Eddie Nketiah today to decide where the Arsenal striker will spend the second half of the season. The 20-year-old spent the first half of the campaign with Leeds, but it was confirmed on New Year’s Day that he would be cutting short his stay at the Championship club. Nketiah made 19 appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and scored five goals but only two started two league matches. Arsenal were unhappy with his lack of game time at Elland Road and he is now expected to be sent on loan to another Championship side. Bristol City tried to sign the youngster in the summer but were…

Daniel Sturridge could be on his way back to the Premier League. Aston Villa are understood to be eyeing the striker, who left Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer and joined Trabzonspor. Villa boss Dean Smith is looking to boost his attacking options in January with his side in a fight to avoid relegation in their first season back in the top-flight. The Midlands club beat Burnley 2-1 on New Year’s Day to move out of the drop zone. But they lost goalscorer Wesley to injury and now fear they their big summer signing could be sidelined for a considerable time. Smith was keen to bring in another…

Rio Ferdinand has recalled a stern conversation Sir Alex Ferguson once gave to his players and admits it is one Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will soon need to have with his squad. Goals from Nicolas Pepe and Sokratis handed United the worst possible start to 2020 as they lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were starved of quality service from the midfield throughout the game, despite making several good runs and this was noted by former United defender Ferdinand, who said Solskjaer needs to instruct his players how to get the best from their attackers. Joining him in the studio was Robin van Persie, who joined…