Serena Williams and Japan's Naomi Osaka booked a rematch of last year's US Open final in the WTA Toronto quarter-finals after straight-set triumphs here.
Reigning US and Australian Open champion Osaka broke at love in the final game to defeat Polish teen Iga Swiatek 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 after one hour and 51 minutes on Thursday.
World number 10 Williams was broken twice and dropped the first three games in 10 minutes then battled back to defeat Russia's 48th-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 6-4 in 91 minutes.
That set the stage for Williams, a 37-year-old American who will try for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title at the upcoming US Open, to again face Osaka after the controversial finish to their Grand Slam showdown last year in New York.
It would be the first match between Osaka and Williams since the Japanese star defeated her childhood idol 6-2, 6-4 in last year's US Open final, a match marred by an on-court dispute between Williams and the umpire that led to a game penalty ...

Serena, Osaka book US Open final rematch in Toronto quarter-final

PTI Automatic

Manicured children strut down the catwalk at a Beijing fashion show, one of thousands of events driving huge demand for child models in China that insiders warn leaves minors vulnerable to physical abuse, 12-hour-days and unrelenting pressure from pushy parents.
The kids' apparel market is growing faster than any other clothing sector in the country and was worth more than USD 40.5 billion in 2018 according to Euromonitor.
This, combined with the rise of "kidfluencers" sponsored by brands to promote products on social media, is spurring greater demand for young models -- but experts warn of the heavy cost of pursuing such deals.
"If children don't listen to the parents then I think hitting them is quite standard," Lee Ku, founder of Le Show Stars modelling school, told AFP.
A video of a mother kicking her three-year-old daughter in fury at her failure to comply during a modelling job went viral earlier this year, causing outrage online.
And footage emerged in early August online of a .

China's child modelling industry booms amid controversy

Three people were killed Thursday when a small aircraft crashed into the backyard of a home in a residential neighbourhood near Philadelphia, US police said.
The single-engine propeller plane came down shortly after 6:00 am in Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania, around 20 miles from Philadelphia, according to local police.
They said in a statement that they received a call from a resident "reporting a plane crash in their backyard." "The police department was able to determine that the plane had three passengers, all of whom were deceased," the Upper Moreland force said.
The victims were a husband and wife, aged 60 and 54 respectively, and their 19-year-old daughter, the statement added.
No one on the ground was injured, Upper Moreland Police Chief Michael Murphy told reporters, adding that the plane had not issued a distress call.
"There are pieces of debris spread out over four backyards," he told a news conference.

Three killed in US as small plane crashes into backyard

The head of America's powerful gun lobby on Thursday dismissed calls for tougher restrictions on firearms, saying they would not have stopped the weekend mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
National Rifle Association head Wayne LaPierre implied that he had spoken to President Donald Trump since the back-to-back massacres that left 31 dead.
"I'm not inclined to discuss private conversations with President Trump or other key leaders on this issue," LaPierre said in a statement.
"But I can confirm that the NRA opposes any legislation that unfairly infringes upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. The inconvenient truth is this: the proposals being discussed by many would not have prevented the horrific tragedies in El Paso and Dayton." Trump has not publicly acknowledged any conversation with LaPierre since the shootings.
But The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said the NRA boss warned the president in a telephone call on Tuesday against backing tougher background checks. It was .

US gun lobby head rejects tougher firearms laws

The wife of Xiyue Wang, an American serving 10 years on espionage charges in Iran, called Wednesday for President Donald Trump to step up efforts to free him.
Chinese-born Wang, a doctoral candidate in history at Princeton University, was researching Iran's Qajar dynasty when he was imprisoned in August 2016.
"I implore Iran, the US, my own country China and other members of the international community to come together and find a way to secure the release of this innocent man," Wang's wife Hua Qu told a news conference in Washington marking the third anniversary of his arrest.
"This case will not be automatically resolved," she said. "They need to come to the negotiating table, to speak to each other, to engage in a dialogue."
She cited the recent example of US rapper A$AP Rocky, whose detention in Sweden after a public brawl sparked the ire of Trump, who dispatched his envoy for hostage affairs for the trial.
"President Trump offered his intervention in the superstar A$AP Rocky's ...

Wife of American held in Iran pleads for Trump's help

Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled plans Thursday for a new fast-track visa route for "the brightest and best", in a bid to attract the world's top scientists to Britain after Brexit.
The "shake-up" of immigration rules is aimed at encouraging elite researchers and specialists in science, engineering and technology to immigrate, the premier's Downing Street office said in a statement.
"We have to not only support the talent that we already have here, but also ensure our immigration system attracts the very best minds from around the world," Johnson said in the statement.
"I want the UK to continue to be a global science superpower, and when we leave the EU we will support science and research.
"Far from losing out, the scientific community has a huge opportunity to develop and export our innovation around the world," he added.
The new PM announced the plan during a visit to a science centre in Oxfordshire in central England, as well as in a Facebook Live video.
Johnson replaced ...

UK's Johnson plans visa shake-up to attract science talent

The UN rights chief on Thursday intensified criticism of US sanctions targeting Venezuela, condemning the latest measures as "extremely broad" with the potential to exacerbate suffering among an already vulnerable population.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has raised concern about previous sanctions imposed by Washington against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In the new measures, President Donald Trump's administration ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States and barred transactions with its authorities.
"I am deeply worried about the potentially severe impact on the human rights of the people of Venezuela of the new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the US this week," Bachelet said in a statement.
"The sanctions are extremely broad and fail to contain sufficient measures to mitigate their impact on the most vulnerable sectors of the population," she added.
Bachelet, a former ...

UN rights chief condemns latest US Venezuela sanctions

President Donald Trump on Thursday accused France's President Emmanuel Macron of getting in the way of US policy and sending "mixed signals" to Iran.
"Iran is in serious financial trouble. They want desperately to talk to the US, but are given mixed signals from all of those purporting to represent us, including President Macron of France," Trump tweeted.
Trump has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran and sought to sink an international deal for managing the country's contested nuclear industry, but several major allies and other partners, including France, have resisted the US attempt to isolate the Iranians.

Trump criticizes French president for sending Iran 'mixed signals'

An Afghan politician once seen as a top contender to stop President Ashraf Ghani winning a second term suspended his campaign on Thursday amid worsening violence and problems on his team.
Hanif Atmar, the former national security advisor to Ghani, had hoped to beat his former boss in elections set for September 28.
Official campaign season started July 28 but was immediately beset by deadly violence, when Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh was targeted in an attack in Kabul that killed at least 20 people.
Atmar highlighted the violence in his decision to suspend his campaign, and also attacked Ghani for using his presidential bully pulpit to an unfair and "illegal" advantage.
"Threats against the election process have increased with each passing day," Atmar said.
"This is not only threatening the election teams and their campaigns, but also endangers the lives of millions of Afghans who participle in the election." Atmar's campaign was also beset by rumours of an internal rift with ..

Top opponent suspends campaign to unseat Afghan president

Serbian media reported Thursday that the country has granted citizenship to Thailand's fugitive former premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who was ousted ahead of the 2014 coup and later fled to avoid a jail term.
Yingluck furtively slipped out of the kingdom while it was still under junta rule in August 2017, a few weeks before she was handed a five year sentence for negligence over a costly rice subsidy scheme.
She and her supporters say the trial was a witch-hunt led by a junta keen on rooting out her family's political influence.
On Thursday local Serbian magazine Nedeljnik published an image of a government document dated June 27 that said Yingluck had "obtained Serbian citizenship".
It appeared to be signed by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.
A Serbian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yingluck's spokersperson could also not immediately be reached.
Yingluck's billionaire brother and former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is also living in exile to ..

Serbia gives citizenship to fugitive ex- Thai PM Yingluck: media

Romelu Lukaku completed his long-awaited move to Inter Milan from Manchester United on Thursday after the Serie A club announced his arrival in Italy on a five-year deal.
"The Belgian footballer, arriving from Manchester United on a permanent basis, has signed a contract with the Nerazzurri until 30 June 2024," Inter said in a statement.
The club did not reveal Lukaku's wages nor the fee paid to Premier League side United, reported in Britain to be in the region of 80 million euros ($90 million).
Milan-based Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that the player will earn 8.5 million euros a season at Inter, and claims that the club will pay United 65 million euros up front with a further 10 million in add-ons.
Inter announced the deal with a video of the 26-year-old in an Inter shirt saying: "Inter: it's not for everyone, that's why I'm here."
Lukaku, who had long been tipped for the move to Inter, landed in Milan early on Thursday morning for his medical, with fans who waited at the airport ..

Lukaku completes move to Inter Milan from Man United

Hashim Amla, the only South African to score a triple Test match century, on Thursday announced his retirement from international cricket, just days after fast bowler Dale Steyn said he was quitting Tests.
Amla, 36, said he was retiring from all international cricket after a 15-year career during which he hit 55 centuries in 349 matches across all formats.
He followed record-breaking fast bowler Steyn who on Monday said he was retiring from Test cricket, although he remains available for international white-ball cricket.
An elegant right-handed top-order batsman, Amla overcame a shaky start in international cricket, during which his technique was criticised, to become one of South Africa's all-time leading batsmen.
He hit 55 centuries in a 15-year international career, including South Africa's highest Test score of 311 not out against England at The Oval in 2012.
Amla scored 9,282 runs at an average of 46.64 in 124 Test matches and 8,113 at 49.46 in 181 one-day internationals.
He also 

Hashim Amla, only South African to score triple Test ton, retires from international cricket

South African batsman Hashim Amla on Thursday announced his retirement from international cricket.
Amla, 36, hit 55 international centuries, including South Africa's highest Test score when he struck 311 not out against England at The Oval in 2012.
He was the second major South African player in three days to announce his retirement, following fast bowler Dale Steyn's announcement on Monday that he was quitting Test cricket. Steyn will continue to be available for limited-overs internationals.
An elegant right-handed top-order batsman, Amla hit 9,282 runs at an average of 46.64 in 124 Test matches and 8,113 at 49.46 in 181 one-day internationals.
He hit 28 centuries in Tests and 27 in ODIs. His Test tally included four double centuries.

South Africa batsman Amla retires from international cricket

President Donald Trump said Thursday he is not happy with the strong US dollar, which is hurting American manufacturing, and blamed the Federal Reserve for keeping interest rates too high.
Breaking with decades of US policy, Trump said on Twitter that a weaker dollar would help US firms compete.
"As your President, one would think that I would be thrilled with our very strong dollar.

Trump: not 'thrilled' with strong US dollar, hurts manufacturing

Over 200 US mayors demanded Thursday that the US Senate return from its summer break and immediately pass gun control legislation, after mass shootings in two major cities left 31 dead.
They wrote to the Senate's Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and top Democrat Chuck Schumer demanding the chamber approve bills passed by the lower House requiring background checks for all gun purchases and regulation of secondary sales.
"Already in 2019, there have been over 250 mass shootings," said the 214 members of the influential US Conference of Mayors, including Dee Margo of El Paso, Texas and Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio -- the two cities where 31 people were gunned down at the weekend.
The call will add to the mounting pressure on McConnell, who has stifled congressional efforts to expand gun controls amid Republicans' fears that they could suffer at the ballot box in next year's elections.
"The tragic events in El Paso and Dayton this weekend are just the latest reminders that our ...

US mayors demand gun control action

Five thousand protesters blocked roads and burnt tires in an eastern DR Congo city on Thursday, police and local leaders said, to protest a spate of killings including at least six deaths in the past 24 hours.
Officers have begun to clear Beni city's main roads, urban police commander Colonel Safari Kazingufu said, after protesters set up barricades on the streets from 06:30am (local time).
"Really, it's not right, there are killings every day," said Kizito Bin Hangi, a local civil society official.
"Young people in Beni city decided to demonstrate. They threw stones on the avenues, burned tires in some neighbourhoods and called on the population to stop all work," he said.
Police gave no figures for the demonstration but civil society leaders said some five thousand people protested.
A similar demonstration took place on Wednesday, with protesters travelling 15 kilometres (nine miles) to deliver a written letter to the office for the UN mission in Congo.
Several armed groups and ...

Thousands protest in eastern DRC city over killings

Legislators in the West African nation of Togo, ruled by one family for decades, have tightened a protest law to further restrict demonstrations after a wave of opposition rallies.
Togo saw regular marches in 2017 and 2018 against President Faure Gnassingbe's grip on power.
In April a demonstrator died and dozens were wounded in mass protests as officials pushed to change the constitution to allow Gnassingbe to run for two more terms in office.
The legislative changes passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday banned protests on key roads, including in urban centres and near government buildings, "for strategic, economic and security reasons".
It also limited any demonstrations to between 11am and 6pm and said the number of marches allowed in any one town per week could be restricted by the authorities.
Territorial administration minister Payadowa Boukpessi said the authorities had been forced to tighten the law to allow better supervision of protests given the "terrorist threats in 

Togo introduces tough new protest restrictions

Renewed fighting in northwest Syria after a brief ceasefire has triggered "total panic", a top UN official said Thursday, warning that a possible government offensive in the area was "like playing with fire".
The jihadist-run bastion of Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in Syria, is currently home to about three million people.
The United Nations has raised specific alarm about the risks of a massive government offensive in the area because Idlib has for several years served as a reception zone for those escaping government advances elsewhere in the country.
"These people don't know where to go," the UN's humanitarian chief for Syria, Panos Moumtzis said, stressing that there is no other opposition stronghold where people can flee if Idlib confronts a full assault by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
"A total panic has resumed again," added Moumtzis.
He spoke after a meeting in Geneva that including envoys from Syrian ally Russia, which has reportedly hit southern Idlib ...

Fresh fighting in Syria's Idlib triggers 'total panic': UN

The mother of a young man suspected of gunning down 22 people at a Walmart in the US state of Texas called police weeks before, concerned about a military-style weapon he owned, the family's lawyers told CNN.
The report comes with bipartisan sentiment for action on gun safety appearing to grow after the killings in El Paso and another mass shooting hours later in Dayton, Ohio that left nine people dead.
CNN reported that the mother of the El Paso suspect, Patrick Crusius, had called police in the Dallas suburb of Allen weeks before the attack because she was concerned about his owning an "AK"-type firearm, the network quoted family lawyers as saying.
AK usually refers to a Kalashnikov, a type of semi-automatic rifle.
The lawyers, Chris Ayres and R. Jack Ayres, of Dallas, told CNN that Crusius's mother was worried given her son's age, maturity level and lack of experience with such a weapon.
They added that, during the call, a police officer told her that -- based on what she described 

US shooting suspect's mother called police over son's gun: lawyers

Brazilian ex-billionaire Eike Batista, who has been under house arrest pending an appeal of a 30-year jail sentence, was arrested again on Thursday as part of a sprawling corruption probe, officials said.
Batista, once the richest man in the Latin American country, was detained in Rio de Janeiro after a judge issued an order for his arrest, federal police told AFP.
Judge Marcelo Bretas also ordered the arrest of Batista's associate, Luiz Arthur Correia, along with four others, G1 news site reported.
They are suspected of insider trading and money laundering, G1 said.
An emblem of Brazil's boom years, Batista amassed a fortune with investments in mining and oil that in 2012 put him in seventh place on Forbes's list of the world's wealthiest.
But by 2013 a downturn in the commodities market wiped out a fortune that had been estimated at USD 30 billion.
He later came under scrutiny by investigators in the vast "Car Wash" operation which revealed mass corruption by public officials linked 

Brazil ex-billionaire re-arrested in corruption probe

Migrants hired as extras for an Italian film set in Malta were subjected to ill treatment allegedly in order to create more realistic scenes, the Times of Malta has reported.
Under the direction of Italian comedic filmmaker Checco Zalone, around 70 African migrants living in Malta, including four children, were hired for a movie titled "Tolo Tolo", the newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The paper cited members of the film crew as saying that 60 of the migrants, most of whom could not swim, were left without water for six hours on a boat in the sun without being allowed to take toilet breaks.
At one point a pregnant woman began to panic and the crew took her to shore. At least four crew members resigned after the incident, the Times of Malta reported.
"Their lives were at risk," one of them told the paper. "I was terrified for their safety."
Maltese production company Halo Pictures, which is coordinating the filming in Malta, denied any ill treatment, saying local employment law was ...

AFP

AFP

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