Four Japanese basketball players expelled from Asian Games
Jakarta, Aug 20: Four players have been expelled from Japan's men's basketball team at the Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia for allegedly hiring sex workers, the Japanese Olympic Committee said on Monday.
Yasuhiro Yamashita, the head of the Japanese delegation, said that the players in question had had their accreditations withdrawn and had been sent home, reports Efe.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) sources told EFE that the decision was taken after pictures of the basketball players wearing the national jersey walking with the alleged sex workers in the red light area of the Indonesian capital appeared in the Japanese press.
Yamashita said the four players went for dinner at a Japanese restaurant last Thursday, after which they were approached by a person who spoke Japanese and offered them the prostitutes' services.
The head of the delegation said the four players, named as Yuya Nagayoshi, Takuya Hashimoto, Takuma Sato and Keita Imamura had breached the delegation's code of conduct, and had arrived back in Japan on Monday, public broadcaster NHK reported.
"I deeply apologize for betraying the expectations of the Japanese people", Yamashita said.
The men's team had defeated Qatar 82-71 on Thursday, and lost against Taiwan 65-71 two days later. They are due to play Hong Kong on Wednesday.
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Air India Express introduces late-night Bengaluru–Mangaluru service
International services at M’luru cancelled on March 7
Mangaluru: Air India Express will introduce a late-night daily flight service on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Bengaluru sector starting March 10, 2026.
According to the sources, flight IX 5971 will depart from Bengaluru at 9.25 pm and arrive in Mangaluru at 10.40 pm. The return flight, IX 5972, will depart from Mangaluru at 11.10 pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at 12.20 am.
The additional service will operate daily and will remain in effect until March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled all its scheduled international flights from Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) on March 7 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Bengaluru–Mangaluru sector already has multiple daily services. Apart from Air India Express, IndiGo also operates flights on this route.
