The swimming section of a paratriathlon test event for Tokyo 2020 was cancelled Saturday due to high levels of bacteria in the water, the latest in a series of difficulties over water quality and temperature.
Olympic organisers have won widespread praise for their preparations but extreme summer heat and poor water quality have brought headaches at practice events, with less than a year to go until the opening ceremony.
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) shelved the swimming leg after tests showed levels of e-coli more than double the acceptable standard.  The 70 paratriathletes instead competed in a duathlon format with two runs and a bike race.
"I'm so sorry for athletes that we could not prepare the competition conditions effectively," Shinichiro Otsuka, managing director of Japan's Triathlon Union, told reporters.
"It was regrettable," he said, vowing to step up preparations for Sunday's Mixed Relay.
Former British paralympic triathlete Clare Cunningham tweeted that ...

Water bacteria cancels Tokyo 2020 paratriathlon test swim

PTI Automatic

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez suffered a right leg injury during his side's defeat at Athletic Bilbao in Friday's La Liga opener, the Spanish champions have confirmed.
Suarez joins Lionel Messi on the sidelines after hobbling off in the 37th minute at San Mames, leaving Barca without their two premium strikers.
Messi sustained a calf injury in training earlier this month and was not deemed ready for the match.
Barcelona did not reveal how long Suarez would be out of action for, saying on Saturday he had a "right leg" injury and that his availability depended on his recovery.
The Uruguayan was replaced in the central striker's role by new signing Antoine Griezmann, but Bilbao veteran Aritz Aduriz stole the show by coming off the bench and snatching a 1-0 win with a spectacular scissor kick.
As well as Messi, Suarez and Griezmann, Barcelona have Ousmane Dembele as another option in the front three while the club are negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain over re-signing Neymar.
Philippe ..

Barcelona confirm Suarez suffered leg injury in La Liga opener

Scoreboard at the end of New Zealand's second innings of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday:
New Zealand first innings 249 all out
Sri Lanka first innings 267 all out
New Zealand second innings (overnight 195-7)
J. Raval c Karunaratne b De Silva
4
T. Latham c Thirimanne b Dananjaya
45
K.  Williamson c Perera b Embuldeniya
4
R. Taylor c De Silva b Embuldeniya
3
H. Nicholls c Mendis b De Silva
26
B.J. Watling c Dickwella b Kumara
77
M. Santner c Lakmal b Embuldeniya
12
T. Southee st Dickwella b Embuldeniya
23
W.  Somerville not out
40
Trent Boult c De Silva b Kumara
26
Ajaz Patel lbw b De Silva
14
Extras: (nb 2, b 4, lb 5)
11
Total: (all out, 106 overs, 422 mins)
285
Fall of wickets: 1-8 , 2-20, 3-25, 4-81, 5-98, 6-124, 7-178, 8-224, 9-260 (Boult), 10-285.
Bowling: Lakmal 15-2-37-0, Dananjaya 32-4-84-1, De Silva 12-3-25-3, Embuldeniya 37-4-99-4, Kumara 10-0-31-2.

Sri Lanka v New Zealand scorecard

Ukraine said Saturday it had captured an Israeli-American suspected of leading a major online-drug dealing network a day after he escaped while being extradited to the Jewish state.
Ukraine's SBU security service said it had found Amos Dov Silver in "one of the regions of our country" and said he would be extradited to Israel "in the near future."
The SBU also said it had detained three of its own employees suspected of helping Silver escape Kiev's Boryspil airport during the process of his extradition.
On Friday, Israeli police said Kiev informed it that Silver had "escaped his Ukrainian escorts." Kiev prosecutor's office said that he was at the city's Boryspil airport bound for Israel on Thursday when he escaped from his security service guards and "disappeared".
Silver was arrested in March accused of running a network with connections in the United States, Ukraine, Israel and Germany, using the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram.
Israeli police said at the time that the ring 

Ukraine catches suspected Israeli online dope dealer after escape

New Zealand were bowled out for 285 in their second innings on Saturday, setting Sri Lanka a tough target of 267 runs to win the first Test at Galle.
No team have successfully chased more than 99 runs at Galle, giving the visitors hope they can be victorious at the ground for the first time ever after three previous losses.
However, while the Galle wicket traditionally helps spin bowlers, the resistance shown by New Zealand's tail-enders suggested this particular wicket may not have the usual demons.
The wagging of New Zealand's tail cost the Sri Lankans dearly as the last five wickets added 187 runs after the first five fell for just 98.
Wicketkeeper B.J. Watling, who had stitched a 54-run stand with Tim Southee for the seventh wicket on day three, added 46 runs for the eighth wicket with William Somerville before being caught behind off Lahiru Kumara for 77. He faced 173 deliveries and hit six fours.
Kumara, who was used sparingly as Sri Lanka relied heavily on spin bowlers, ...

New Zealand set Sri Lanka tough 267 to win first Test

Protesters set fire to a building housing the offices of a Chinese oil company Friday, during a violent labor demonstration in northern Peru, the interior ministry said.
The unrest occurred in El Alto after a meeting over better working conditions broke down between China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), local authorities, and oil workers.
"After that, mobs burned tires... while another group set fire to the facilities of Confipetrol, a company that provides services to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which was also affected," the interior ministry said in a statement.
There were no initial reports of any deaths or injuries, but the ministry said it would file a criminal complaint against those it says took part in the incident.
Oil workers had been demanding a wage increase and that the Chinese firm hire more of the local population.
CNPC declined to comment on the incident.
The company has been active in Peru since 1993, where it operates half a dozen oil rigs in the ...

Peru protesters set fire to building housing China oil firm

Eight people were killed and ten were injured in a hotel fire in Ukraine's port city of Odessa early Saturday, emergency services said.
The fire broke out at 1.34 am (2234 GMT) in the southern city's Tokyo Star hotel.
Some 65 firefighters backed by 13 emergency vehicles put out the blaze three hours later.
Emergency services said in a statement that eight people died and ten were injured.
Odessa authorities said around 150 people were evacuated from the area.
Police opened a criminal investigation into possible violations of fire safety requirements and the causes of the fire were being established.
Odessa is a Black Sea port 475 kilometres (300 miles) south of Ukraine's capital Kiev. The seaside town also attracts summer tourists.

Eight killed in Ukraine hotel fire

Israeli warplanes struck at least three targets in the Gaza Strip early on Saturday but caused no apparent casualties, a Palestinian security source said.
The strikes, which came after Palestinians fired a rocket from the territory at southern Israel late Friday, hit a Hamas observation post in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, an unidentified target near Gaza City and open ground near Deir El Balah in the central part of the territory, the source said.
An Israeli army statement mentioned only two strikes, against "underground targets belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the northern and central Gaza Strip." It did not elaborate.
The army said that Friday night's rocket launch at southern Israel was the first since July 12.
A military statement said the rocket was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system, after air raid sirens sounded in the southern town of Sderot and its surroundings.
Earlier Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said that 32 Palestinians ..

Israeli warplanes hit Gaza after Palestinian rocket attack

The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen borders the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong, but calls for greater freedom from protesters in the Asian financial hub meet with short shrift among their mainland neighbours.
In the sprawling mainland city known for its high-tech market, many Shenzhen residents tell AFP they do not support the protests in Hong Kong, which has seen 10 weeks of pro-democracy rallies.
"They're just ruining themselves," said one taxi driver, who did not want to give his name due to the sensitivity of the topic.
"What can they do when their economy goes and no travellers want to visit?" Crossing between the cities is not straightforward for mainlanders, who need to get an entry-exit permit and face limits on the number of times they can travel to Hong Kong, which enjoys rights unseen in mainland China.
Shenzhen was dragged into the unrest after Chinese state-run media reported that elements of the People's Armed Police were assembling there.  In recent days 

Shenzhen: The border city a world away from Hong Kong

The swimming section of a paratriathlon test event for Tokyo 2020 was cancelled Saturday due to high levels of bacteria in the water, the latest in a series of difficulties over water quality and temperature.
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) shelved the swimming leg after tests showed levels of e-coli more than double the acceptable standard.
The 70 paratriathletes instead competed in a "duathlon" format with two runs and a bike race.
It was the most recent disappointment at a test event for Tokyo 2020 organisers, after the women's triathlon run was also cut short due to extreme heat in the Japanese capital.
Despite this, French triathlete Cassandre Beaugrand was taken to hospital with suspected heatstroke.
Around a dozen competitors and spectators fell ill at a rowing test event, also due to high temperatures, as Tokyo swelters through a deadly heatwave.
"I'm so sorry for athletes that we could not prepare the competition conditions effectively," Shinichiro Otsuka, managing ...

Tokyo 2020 paratriathlon test shortened due to bad water quality

An autopsy on disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein -- who was found dead in his jail cell -- has concluded that he committed suicide by hanging, a coroner said Friday, answering one of the questions surrounding his death.
The ruling comes six days after the 66-year-old, who was accused of trafficking girls as young as 14 for sex, was discovered dead in New York's high-security Metropolitan Correctional Center.
New York's chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson said in a statement emailed to AFP that "after careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings" it was determined that Epstein killed himself.
The New York Times cited officials as saying that Epstein had used a bedsheet to hang himself.
The report came a day after US media reported that preliminary findings from the post-mortem examination had found broken bones in Epstein's neck.
Epstein, a multi-millionaire who once counted Britain's Prince Andrew and US President Donald Trump as friends, 

Coroner rules that Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself

A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach, officials said Saturday.
Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of her nuzzling playfully next to rescuers quickly went viral.
The discovery soon after of another orphaned dugong brought the sea cows celebrity status, the attention of a Thai princess -- who named the second one "Jamil" -- and round-the-clock webcasts giving viewers a front-row seat to feedings and treatment.
But Mariam died just after midnight after going into shock and efforts to resuscitate her failed, Chaiyapruk Werawong, head of Trang province marine park, told AFP.
"She died from a blood infection and pus in her stomach," he said, adding they found small amounts of plastic waste in her intestinal tract.
An autopsy showed the plastic had caused obstructions in the animal's stomach, ...

Beloved baby dugong 'Mariam' dies in Thailand with plastic in stomach

A brace for Robert Lewandowski was not enough to save Bayern Munich from making a spluttering start to the new Bundesliga season as the reigning German champions were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin.
Lewandowski insisted that visitors Hertha had been "lucky" after he saved a point for Bayern with a second-half penalty on Friday.
Hertha, who finished 11th last season, cancelled out Lewandowski's opener with two unusual goals to take a surprise lead in the first half and ultimately deal an early blow to Bayern's title defence.
"We didn't play badly, and they barely had a shot. They were lucky," Lewandowski told ZDF.
"It wasn't a false start to the season. We were the better team and should have won," said coach Niko Kovac.
Despite winning the domestic double last season, Bayern opened the season under pressure after a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the German Supercup two weeks ago.
Questions over Kovac's tactics and relentless criticism of the club's transfer policy had 

Lewandowski to the rescue as 'lucky' Hertha hold Bayern in season opener

Pep Guardiola wants to see the on-form Raheem Sterling break the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career this season, but will only judge the England forward on his overall contribution to the Manchester City team.
Sterling has started the new campaign in prolific form, scoring in the Community Shield against Liverpool before netting a hat-trick in the 5-0 win at West Ham to start the Premier League season last Saturday.
He scored a career-best 25 last season as he collected the Football Writers' Player of the Year award as City won the domestic treble.
But Sterling has spoken of his hunger to score goals being stronger than ever with the 30-mark now in his sights.
"It will be good for Raheem and for the team if he can score 30 goals," says Guardiola.
"When he's in front of the goal, he puts it in the net. He scored 25 last season and 25 to 30 is only five goals."
Scoring more than 30 goals in a season across one of Europe's top leagues and the Champions League is seen as a ..

Guardiola backs Sterling to reach 30-goal mark

Barcelona made a nightmare start to the defence of their La Liga title by losing Luis Suarez to injury and then losing 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao, after a sensational late volley from substitute Aritz Aduriz.
Suarez hobbled off in the 37th minute with what looked like a calf injury before Aduriz came on in the 88th, the 38-year-old striker who has announced he will retire at the end of the season.
This was a spectacular start to the finale as Aduriz threw himself into the air and acrobatically volleyed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to send San Mames wild on La Liga's opening night on Friday.
"The competition has put us in our place," said Gerard Pique afterwards.
"We were not us."
Barca were already without Lionel Messi, who sustained a calf injury during pre-season, and before kick-off confirmed they were about to lose Philippe Coutinho, a loan deal "agreed in principle" with Bayern Munich, according to the club's director Guillermo Amor.
Suarez will undergo tests on Tuesday to diagnose the 

Bilbao's 38-year-old striker stuns Barcelona in title defence opener

Frank Lampard admits his first match as Chelsea manager at Stamford Bridge will be a proud occasion, but only a win against Leicester will make Sunday's homecoming a truly memorable occasion.
After successive defeats in his opening two competitive games in charge, Blues legend Lampard is desperate to get his reign up and running with three points this weekend.
The 41-year-old, Chelsea's record goal-scorer, is certain to get a hero's welcome from his adoring fans despite the frustrating start to the season.
A crushing 4-0 defeat at Manchester United in Chelsea's opening game of the Premier League campaign was followed by Wednesday's penalty shoot-out loss to Liverpool in the European Super Cup in Istanbul.
Both performances featured moments of promise for Chelsea, but Lampard knows he will be judged on results, making it essential to avoid a third consecutive defeat when Leicester visit west London.
"I'm proud to manage this club. I've been back a few times and had great support," ...

Proud' Lampard eyes first Chelsea win in home debut

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama shattered the course record at Medinah with a nine-under par 63 to seize the early second-round lead at the US PGA BMW Championship while Tiger Woods struggled again.
Matsuyama, a 2017 US Open runner-up seeking his sixth US tour title, on Frinday birdied five of the first eight holes and four of the final seven in a bogey-free round to stand on 12-under 132 after 36 holes at the famed suburban Chicago layout.
"It seemed like every birdie chance I had today I made the putt," Matsuyama said.
"Add it up, that's what I got." His total was two strokes under the old course mark of 65 shared by first-round co-leaders Justin Thomas and Jason Kokrak and previously held by Woods, Skip Kendall and Canada's Mike Weir.
Americans Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay shared second in the clubhouse on 133, one stroke off Matsuyama's pace, with a fourth-place pack in the clubhouse on 135 including Canadians Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners, Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini and Americans Lucas 

Matsuyama fires 63 to seize Medinah lead, Tiger stumbles again

Ashleigh Barty edged closer to a return to the top WTA ranking, reaching the WTA semi-finals as current number one Naomi Osaka retired with a knee injury.
Barty, the Australian top seed, on Friday engineered her second comeback in as many days, overhauling Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-2, 6-0.
But the US Open alarm bells were ringing for Osaka less than two weeks before the start of her title defense at Flushing Meadows after a left knee injury saw her retire against Sofia Kenin -- sending the American into the semis with a 6-4, 1-6, 2-0 victory.
Men's top seed Novak Djokovic also had the trainer on during his 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 victory over Lucas Pouille, but hoped discomfort in his right elbow wouldn't linger.
"I managed to finish the match, there was a little bit of tightness in there," Djokovic said.
"Hopefully all will be fine for tomorrow."
The 16-time Grand Slam champion will next face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev, conquerer this week of Roger Federer, 6-2, ...

Barty reaches Cincy semis, Osaka retires with knee injury

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un once again supervised a "new weapon" launch, state media said Saturday, complicating efforts at denuclearisation ahead of next week's visit to Seoul by the US envoy to Pyongyang.
Friday's launch was the North's sixth test in recent weeks as it protests the annual US-South Korea military exercises which Pyongyang considers rehearsals for invasion.
Defence officials in Seoul said Pyongyang fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles Friday, that flew some 230 kilometres (140 miles) before splashing down in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
A report by the official Korean Central News Agency said the tests had a "perfect result", which helped "cement bigger confidence in this weapon system".
"Juche shells were fired in the presence of the Supreme Leader," KCNA said.
Pyongyang has routinely expressed anger at the war games, but in the past has avoided carrying out tests while the manoeuvres are taking place.
The KCNA report ...

N Korea's Kim supervised 'new weapon' test again: KCNA

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama blasted his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison as "very insulting", saying China offers a more welcoming brand of diplomacy following a tense Pacific summit.
Bainimarama accused Morrison of heavy-handed tactics after the Pacific Island Forum wrapped up in Tuvalu on Thursday with pro-coal Canberra sharply at odds with island nations facing the existential threat of climate change.
"The prime minister (Morrison) was very insulting, very condescending, not good for the relationship," Bainimarama told the Guardian late Friday.
The group had hoped to issue a compelling global call to action from nations on the frontline of climate change ahead of UN talks in New York next month.
But after 12 hours of negotiations that descended into tears and shouting, the summit communique fell well short of expectations with language watered down at the insistence of the Australian PM, island leaders said.
Morrison pledged AUD500 million in aid to Pacific Island ..

Fiji PM labels Australia PM 'very insulting' after Pacific standoff

The White House has signalled progress on preparations for a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying that discussions between President Donald Trump and top advisors went "very well".
Trump met at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course with national security advisors, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, the White House said on Friday.
Also present were national security point man John Bolton and the US special envoy for the talks with the guerrillas, Zalmay Khalilzad.
"Discussions centered around our ongoing negotiations and eventual peace and reconciliation agreement with the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan. The meeting went very well, and negotiations are proceeding," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

AFP

AFP

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