Superstar tennis player Naomi Osaka said Thursday she intends to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo next year. The two-time Grand Slam champion will give up her U.S. citizenship to play for her birth country in her Olympic debut.  Osaka currently holds dual nationality from Japan and the United States. She turns 22 next week, the age at which Japanese law requires dual-nationality citizens to choose one. Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father and was raised in the U.S. from the age of 3. She told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that she has chosen to pursue Japanese citizenship, calling it a “special…

Tehran, Iran — Iran on Monday broke further away from its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal with world powers by announcing it’s doubling the number of advanced centrifuges it operates. Tehran called the decision a direct result of President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement. The announcement — which also included Iran saying it now has a prototype centrifuge that works 50 times faster than those allowed under the deal — came as demonstrators across the country marked the 40th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover that started a 444-day hostage crisis.By starting up these advanced centrifuges, Iran further cuts into the one year that experts estimate Tehran would need to…

Aston Martin technical director Andy Green says Sebastian Vettel’s personal driving style is “a lot less extreme” than Sergio Perez, but the team is working on tuning its 2021 car to suit its new driver. Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape Backpacks Vettel starts afresh this season with Aston Martin after a difficult end to his six-year tenure at Ferrari, marked by the German driver’s clear underperformance relative to teammate Charles Leclerc. However, the Italian outfit’s SF1000 – whose rear end was undeniably more tailored to the Monegasque’s style – was a difficult proposition for Vettel who at times last year even questioned whether his mount was identical to…

Skateboarding shoes and apparel company Vans has opened public nominations for its “Foot the Bill” program, aiming to provide financial support to local and community-driven small businesses across the US. Since the beginning of 2021, Vans’ “Foot the Bill” program has supported 27 small businesses dealing with the ongoing devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Partners of the program collaborate with Vans to create unique footwear and apparel that features original artwork that best represents their business’ identity. Customers can then support a business by selecting their unique designs through the Vans Customs feature online. Customers can also create and design their own pair of Vans with proceeds going to…

Sebastian Vettel says that as the “old guy” in Aston Martin’s line-up he is “happy to help” his teammate Lance Stroll further refine his undeniable talent. Stroll heads into his fifth season of Formula 1, his third with the team owned by his father Lawrence Stroll. Upon his arrival in F1 in 2017 with Williams, the young Canadian was dismissed by many critics as a mere rich kid who owed his spot on the grid to his father’s fortune. But over the years, the 22-year-old has grown into a skilled racer whose performances – including three podiums and a pole position at last year’s Turkish GP – have quieted his…

Image: WWE After returning at the Royal Rumble, Seth Rollins is set to appear on SmackDown next week. Click Here: new zealand chiefs rugby jersey It was announced during tonight’s SmackDown that Rollins will return to the show on next Friday’s episode. It will be the first time he’s appeared on SmackDown since November. After being part of Team SmackDown in the five-on-five men’s elimination match at Survivor Series, Rollins was off WWE programming until returning at the Royal Rumble. Rollins (real name Colby Lopez) and Becky Lynch (Rebecca Quin) welcomed the birth of their daughter Roux in December. Rollins entered Sunday’s men’s Royal Rumble match at number 29. He…

Viral social media platform TikTok is increasingly becoming a fashion authority online, with many young consumers looking to the app for fashion inspiration. According to Google Trends, global searches for the keyword ‘TikTok fashion’ have tripled since January 2020, up 195 percent. After the term ‘TikTok leggings’ increased on Google by 1,150 percent in February alone, online retailer PrettyLittleThings, aimed at 16-35-year-old women, capitalized on the trend by releasing its own range of leggings. Currently, the tight-lifting leggings are among the most in-demand search items in the UK, with retailers dubbing it the ‘The TikTok Effect.’ Moreover, separate research from online search platform Stylight showed that Y2K fashion is also…

With today’s launch of its new W12 car, Mercedes has confirmed that concerns over the reliability of the power unit meant the team had needed to make some changes for 2021. Engine chief Hywel Thomas caused a stir last month when he revealed that Mercedes had experienced “some issues” with this year’s engine, just weeks before pre-season testing in Bahrain. “We have got some issues with the power units,” he said in a team video released in February. “We know we have issues but we have plenty of plans in place to fix all of those issues. I’m sure it will all be ready for the first race.” Read also:…

On Sunday, February 28, ahead of Paris Fashion Week, Sonia Rykiel unveiled on Instagram its first show since the brand’s takeover by Eric and Michaël Dayan last year. Like most of the ready-to-wear brands presenting their collections for the next FW21, Sonia Rykiel unveiled a video instead of a physical catwalk show. “Shine a light on Sonia Rykiel” For the first collection under new management, the brand has remained true to its DNA since it was founded in 1968, with knitwear taking center stage. High-waisted knitted culottes, sweaters, bags, and heeled ankle boots were the main products featured in the presentation that “tells the story of women who cherish their…

Jaguar driver Mitch Evans has been talking about the incident that occurred at the end of Saturday’s second Diriyah E-Prix, with the race red-flagged after a huge crash for Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn. The pair had been battling for position on lap 26 when they tangled heading into turn 18, which had proved to be the best place for overtaking on the street circuit. As the CCTV footage hereunder released by Formula E shows, Lynn’s car was thrown into the air by the collision and then landed upside down, skidding down the circuit until it finally came to rest between the barriers at the bottom of the run-off. Read also:…