Top seed Rafael Nadal laboured past dogged fellow left-hander Federico Delbonis Thursday to take another step towards only a second Australian Open crown.
The Spanish world number one created 20 break point chances but was constantly denied by the Argentine before he wrapped up a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 win on Rod Laver Arena.
The victory set up a third round clash with countryman Pablo Carreno Busta, his doubles partner at this month's ATP Cup.
"It was a tough match. I lost a lot of opportunities on break point but found a way to finally win the second set," he said.
"In the third I was more relaxed, more aggressive and found better play in that set."
Nadal had dropped only 10 games in three previous emphatic wins over 76th-ranked Delbonis, and defeat was never on the cards at Melbourne Park.
But the Argentine, whose best Grand Slam result was the third round in Melbourne in 2016, made life hard for the 19-time Grand Slam winner, fending off 16 break point chances.
Nadal looked on track .

Nadal labours past Delbonis and into Open third round

PTI Automatic

Dubai Islamic Bank said on Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Noor Bank to consolidate its position as the top Islamic lender in the United Arab Emirates.
DIB said in a statement posted on Dubai bourse website the acquisition was carried out through a share swap after securing the necessary approvals from the regulatory authorities.
The bank said the move raises its assets to USD 75 billion, making it one of the biggest Islamic banks in the world, but it remains the fourth largest lender in the UAE behind three conventional banks.
"The acquisition of Noor Bank is a landmark achievement, establishing DIB as one of the largest Islamic banks in the world and amongst the largest banking entities in the UAE," chairman Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaibani said.
CEO Adnan Chilwan said the acquisition will boost the UAE's position in the world of Islamic finance.
"This acquisition will undoubtedly strengthen Dubai's role as a global hub for Islamic finance, allowing greater investment and ..

Dubai's largest Islamic bank acquires smaller lender

Manchester United played out the final stages of Wednesday's humiliating 2-0 defeat to Burnley in front of banks of empty seats, raising fresh questions over how long beleaguered boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will survive.
The United teams that Solskjaer played in during the glory years of Alex Ferguson were famed for their great escapes but his young, jaded players are struggling to live up to the club's swashbuckling traditions.
Solskjaer has now lost more Premier League games than he has won since being handed the job on a permanent basis in March after an exhilarating three-month stint as caretaker boss.
His appointment increasingly looks a rash and misjudged decision by the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who is blamed by large sections of United's support for the club's malaise.
Those who stayed to the bitter end of Burnley's first win at Old Trafford since 1962 did so to make their thoughts on Woodward and the club's American owners, the Glazer family, clear as the ...

Solskjaer in firing line but Man Utd malaise runs deep

Hong Kong has turned two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced Thursday.
The international financial hub has been on high alert for the virus, which has killed 17 people since the outbreak started in central China.
The same sites were used as quarantine facilities during the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak 17 years ago.
Nearly 300 people in Hong Kong were killed by SARS, a tragedy that left a profound psychological impact on one of the most densely populated places on earth.
So far, two people in the city have tested positive for the new coronavirus -- which is similar to the SARS pathogen.
Both had visited Wuhan in recent days and are being treated on isolation wards in hospital.
On Thursday evening Hong Kong officials cancelled a five-day Lunar New Year festival in a public park that had been due to open on Saturday.
The ...

Hong Kong holiday camps become quarantine zones as virus fears spike

Sweden's top court on Thursday granted a Sami association in the far north the right to regulate local hunting and fishing activities, scoring a legal precedent in favour of the country's indigenous community.
The Supreme Court granted the Girjas Sami association the "exclusive right" to administer hunting and fishing privileges on its traditional lands, stressing that the state, which owns the land, did not have this right.
The court cited the association's right by tradition "from time immemorial," meaning the association had proven it had used the lands for centuries.
In the ruling, which was met by applause from representatives of the minority group dressed in traditional colourful garb, the court said the right extended to the association's entire area, with the exception of arable land, and that it could henceforth be exercised "without the state's approval."
The verdict had been greatly anticipated.
The case has spanned over a decade, starting in 2009 when the Girjas Sami sued .

Sami association wins hunting rights battle in Sweden

Sudanese vets scrambled to save four surviving captive lions of five that were left sick and malnourished in a Khartoum park during months of political and economic turmoil.
The fifth, a lioness, died on Monday of dehydration and lack of food despite receiving intravenous fluids for several days following the launch of an online campaign for veterinary help.
The animals had lost as much as two-thirds of their body weight as a result of going unfed for weeks as Sudan's chronic cash shortage hit donations.
"It's so upsetting. These lions have been suffering for so long," said Osman Salih, a software engineer who launched the online campaign under the hashtag #Sudananimalrescue.
"We were so late in rescuing them and were unable to save the one that died."
A second lioness was also sick but her condition has improved, and AFP correspondent reported after touring Al-Qureshi Park in an upscale district of Khartoum.
Salih said a group of international wildlife conservationists had contacted .

Sudan vets scramble to save park's malnourished lions

Six soldiers were killed and several were wounded in an overnight attack in central Mali, the army said Thursday, in fresh violence in the war-torn West African state.
The troops came under fire late Wednesday from "unidentified armed men" in Dioungani, an area in the central Mali's volatile Mopti region near the border with Burkina Faso, the army said on Twitter.
Local authorities and inhabitants have blamed the attack on jihadists.
The army gave a "provisional toll" of six dead and several wounded, without giving further details.
Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north in 2012 and has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since.
Despite some 4,500 French troops in the Sahel region, plus a 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in Mali, the conflict has engulfed the centre of the country and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Local Malian troops are frequently attacked. On Tuesday, two soldiers were killed in the Mopti .

Six Mali soldiers killed in overnight ambush

NATO and key member Turkey have failed to find common ground over Russia's controversial delivery of a S-400 air defence system to Ankara, the military alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
The delivery of the system by Russia to Turkey, in a deal strongly backed by President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has deeply troubled Ankara's NATO allies and raised the risk of US sanctions.
"So far it has not been possible to reach an agreement on that," Stoltenberg said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos at a panel discussion alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who had delivered a staunch defence of the deal.
"We will try to do whatever we can to find a way to solve these issues, as this is one of the issues that is causing problems within the alliance -- there is no way to deny that," he added.
Cavusoglu however had argued in front of Stoltenberg that Turkey had no choice but to buy the S-400 due to a dwindling presence of ...

Turkey, NATO still at odds over Russia arms deal: Stoltenberg

Flamboyant Nick Kyrgios suffered a fright before reaching the Australian Open third round on Thursday as the weather-disrupted tournament faced a new challenge: dirty rain, which left courts muddy and unplayable.
After a day of clean-up operations and delays, Australia's Kyrgios fought his way past Frenchman Gilles Simon in four sets, and Wimbledon champion Simona Halep stamped her class with a win over Britain's Harriet Dart.
Kyrgios, increasingly popular with home fans after spearheading fundraising efforts for Australia's bushfire crisis, was cruising at two sets up when he dropped the third set and with it, his composure.
But just when it looked like he would suffer one of his trademark implosions, he rallied for a 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory.
"I definitely lost my way a little bit... but I decided to refocus," Kyrgios said of his mini-meltdown in the third set.
"I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set but I put it away."
The win keeps Kyrgios on course for a ...

Kyrgios scare as latest freak weather disrupts Australian Open

Ukraine, battling a sharp decline in foreign investment, on Thursday announced a novel plan to attract more cash inflows -- a "nanny" to look after foreigners wary of putting their money in the country.
Prime Minister Oleksiy Goncharuk told investors at the economic forum in Davos that such a nanny would be a multilingual point person within the government for big foreign investors ready to help with any issue.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ukraine has plummeted since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Mosocw and the war with pro-Russian separatists in the east which led to the rapid pullout of Russian investors.
"We are offering an investment nanny," Goncharuk told a breakfast meeting of investors at the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) organised by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation.
"You will have this opportunity to have a specific individual in the government who will hear you," he added.
He pledged that the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky would "show the world that ...

Investment-starved Ukraine plans 'nanny' for wealthy foreigners

North Korea will send a delegation to the Munich Security Conference for the first time in the 56-year history of the top diplomatic gathering, organisers said Thursday.
An MSC spokesperson confirmed that North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong would attend next month's event.
The announcement comes a month after Pyongyang declared it was abandoning moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The self-imposed ban on tests had been the centrepiece of two years of nuclear diplomacy between the US and North Korea, including three meetings between the two countries' leaders Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Also expected to attend the Munich talks this year are US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
The Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is likewise expected to attend.
Founded in 1963, the Munich Security Conference hosts hundreds of high-ranking officials and ...

North Korea to make Munich Security Conference debut in 2020

Showman Nick Kyrgios blasted Frenchman Gilles Simon off court at the Australian Open Thursday, with his raw talent shining through in front of an adoring home crowd.
The 24-year-old had the measure of the veteran early on then lost concentration and became agitated before refocusing to win 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on his favoured Melbourne Arena.
It set up a third-round clash with either Russian 16th seed Karen Khachanov or Sweden's Mikael Ymer, with the winner of that match on course to meet world number one Rafael Nadal in round four.
"I definitely lost my way a little bit... but I decided to refocus," Kyrgios said of his mini-meltdown in the third set.
"I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set but I put it away."
A seemingly more mature Kyrgios has spoken of how the bushfire crisis in his homeland has given him perspective and focus, and that he felt he was playing for the nation rather than just himself.
And with the roars of the crowd ringing in his ears, he broke the ..

Showman Kyrgios powers into Australian Open third round

- A court in Toronto on Wednesday ordered Volkswagen to pay a fine of Canadian dollars 196.5 million (USD 150 million) after the automaker pleaded guilty to violating environmental laws in the emissions cheating scandal.
The court accepted an agreement that the German automaker reached with the Canadian government, which in December filed a 60-count indictment against the company.
This fine is in addition to nearly Canadian dollars 2.4 billion that Volkswagen had agreed to pay in 2016 to compensate Canadians who bought some 130,000 cars that did not meet Canadian standards from 2009 to that year, as well as a Canadian dollar 17.5 million penalty for false advertising.
In December, Ottawa accused the automaker of knowingly importing cars into Canada that did not meet emission standards, after more than four years of investigation.
In a statement, Volkswagen said it had taken extensive measures "to make things right in Canada" and cooperated fully with the investigation into the ...

VW in Canada ordered to pay Canadian dollars 196.5 mn over emissions scandal

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said he expects an emotional return to his former club Napoli on Sunday as Lazio and Roma prepare for a derby clash in Serie A after both capital-city sides exited the Italian Cup during the week.
Sarri missed Juventus' home game against Napoli with pneumonia in August and Sunday's game at the Stadio San Paolo will be his first since leaving the club in 2018 before his move to Chelsea.
"It will be a tremendously difficult game, emotionally it will be particularly special. My relationship with Naples and above all the city was strong," said Sarri, after Juve reached the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Roma on Wednesday.
Juventus are top of the league with a four-point lead on second-placed Inter Milan, but Napoli -- Serie A runners-up in the past two seasons -- are struggling in 11th position, 14 points off the Champions League places.
"We must not look at their position in the table," Sarri continued. "They have a strong team. They are going ..

Sarri set for emotional Napoli return, Rome prepares for fiery derby

Alexander Zverev said Thursday the pressures of social media made it harder for the new generation of players compared to when the likes of Roger Federer were trying to break through.
The German is among a clutch of players in their early twenties who are seen as the new guard to take over from Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
But the 22-year-old said the constant news cycle and social media made it tough to keep focus and ignore negativity.
"I think it's different than it was 20 years ago," said the Australian Open seventh seed after he beat 98th-ranked Egor Gerasimov in three tough sets in the second round.
"I think with the social media, I think with the mobile phones that we have, the pressure the media puts on us, other people put on us, we are more aware of it than 20 years ago.
"To read what's going on, to read the press, you (used to) have to buy a newspaper, go on the laptop and search for it.
"Now you open up Instagram, there's five million people that have an ...

Zverev says young guns have more pressure than Federer did

Iranian clubs Esteghlal and Shahr Khodro agreed Thursday to play the home legs of their Asian Champions League preliminary round ties at neutral venues, backing down on a boycott threat.
Tehran giants Esteghlal will now play Tuesday night's postponed fixture against Kuwait SC in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, Iranian media reported.
"Esteghlal club announced it will go to Dubai to face Kuwait SC on Saturday ... meaning they have accepted playing in a neutral country," semi-official news agency ISNA reported.
Mashhad club Shahr Khodro confirmed that it too had agreed to a neutral venue and would play its delayed preliminary round home leg against Bahrain's Riffa SC in Dubai on Saturday, ISNA said.
The clubs are among four Iranian clubs that qualified for this year's Asian Champions League, alongside Estghalal's Tehran rivals Persepolis and Sepahan of Isfahan.
All four had threatened to boycott the tournament unless they could host their home legs in Iran.
ISNA reported that a ...

Iran clubs back down on neutral venue for Asia ties

World number five Dominic Thiem admitted he was "freaking out" after dropping two sets before regaining composure to beat gutsy home hope Alex Bolt at the Australian Open Thursday.
The Austrian, targeting a maiden Grand Slam crown, looked fragile as the crowd got behind the wildcard but ultimately prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2 in 3hrs 22mins.
Thiem is among a clutch of players tipped to win a Major after reaching the last two Roland Garros finals, but he was exposed at times by a player ranked 140 who controlled much of the second and third sets.
"I got crazy today in the third set. I think body language was not the best because it was, of course, in my head that I should be 2-0 up, 6-2 6-4, I should be up. I messed it up," he said.
"Instead of that, he raised really his level. The crowd got it going.  "It was all of a sudden a really tight third set that shouldn't happen. That's why I was freaking out inside and also outside today."
Thiem, who has never gone past the fourth 

Thiem 'freaking out' in five-set Australian Open scare

A Turkish prosecutor called for a sentence of up to 18 years for a delivery man who spat on a customer's pizza before handing it over, local media reported Thursday.
The incident -- which happened in 2017 in the central city of Eskisehir -- was captured by a security camera in the customer's apartment block, according to news agency DHA.
The footage showed the delivery man, identified as Burak S., spitting on the pizza and recording the moment on his mobile phone. His motive was unknown.
The defendant has already been fined 4,000 lira (600 euros) for endangering a customer's health, and prosecutors are now seeking a lengthy prison sentence for "poisoning food", DHA reported.
The owner of the apartment building alerted the customer after watching the security footage, prompting the criminal complaint.
Even by Turkey's often tough judicial standards, the requested sentence is heavy, given that "membership of an armed terrorist organisation" carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

Turkey delivery man risks 18 years for spitting on pizza

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday advised climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has been bitterly critical of US policy at the World Economic Forum, to study economics before giving out lessons.
Asked about the Swedish 17-year-old's demand for an immediate halt to investment in fossil fuels, he told reporters: "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us."
The Trump administration and Greta Thunberg have sparred indirectly since Tuesday on panels in Davos but organisers have carefully averted any direct confrontation.
In a speech on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump castigated the "prophets of doom" and those that predicted a climate "apocalypse", while Thunberg sat in the audience.
Shortly before leaving the Swiss ski resort, Trump said he would have "loved" to have met the activist, Time magazine's Person of the Year.
Thunberg repeated her climate warnings, hammering home in her speech that it was time to "panic" because ..

US Treasury Secretary advises Greta Thunberg to 'go study'

An unbeaten fourth wicket partnership of 79 between Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams rescued Zimbabwe on the final morning of the first Test in Harare on Thursday after Suranga Lakmal threatened to win the match for Sri Lanka.
The 32-year-old pace bowler rocked the home side with three wickets in his first three overs as Zimbabwe, needing 157 to make Sri Lanka bat again, crumbled to 41 for three.
Taylor and Williams, however, battled back, batting positively on a surface that remains largely benign in spite of the occasional ball keeping low.
At lunch they had taken Zimbabwe to 120 for three, still 37 short of making Sri Lanka chase in the fourth innings.
Zimbabwe captain Williams struck three fours in one over off Lasith Embuldeniya but was then was dropped off the left-arm spinner on 25 at short midwicket, going to reach 39 at the break.
Taylor hit five fours and clubbed Embuldeniya for six over square leg to reach 38.
It was a distant cry from the early stages of the session when ..

Zimbabwe battle to save Test after Lakmal strikes early

Simona Halep said she dreaded to think how much money she owed her coach after victory over British qualifier Harriet Dart in the Australian Open second round on Thursday.
The fourth seed pledged earlier this month to donate $200 to Australia's bushfire relief fund each time she gives her Australian coach Darren Cahill a hard time during matches.
Halep cruised the first set 6-2 against Dart, but the second set was not so easy, the Romanian kept at bay by the determined 164th-ranked Briton.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep slapped her thigh twice after failing to put Dart away on third match point at Rod Laver Arena.
The former number one finally sealed victory at the fourth attempt when the 23-year-old Londoner fired long, but not before aiming a few choice words at Cahill.
"He's counting this stuff so I am afraid to ask (how much she owes)," the 28-year-old Halep joked, after the 6-2 6-4 win.
Cahill famously told Halep that she was "a disgrace on the court" at the WTA Finals in ...

AFP

AFP

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