Aryna Sabalenka was in disbelief after she became the first player to claim back-to-back titles in Wuhan thanks to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over American Alison Riske in the final on Saturday.
The 21-year-old improved her record at the event to a perfect 12-0 and joins Petra Kvitova as the only player to have won the tournament twice.
"I can't believe that I defended this title. I couldn't even imagine that I would be able to do this," she said.
In a rematch of their final in Shenzhen last January, Sabalenka utilised her power game once again to overcome Riske in 114 minutes in front of a 13,000-strong centre court crowd. She unleashed 18 aces and won 79 percent of her first-serve points.
Sabalenka was emotional during the trophy ceremony as she addressed her coach Dmitry Tursunov, after the duo briefly split following her second round exit in the US Open.
"Special thanks to my team, this year has been really tough for us, and I think because of Wuhan, because I was really afraid of ...

Sabalenka beats Riske in WTA Wuhan final

PTI Automatic

Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce looks in prime form to add a fourth 100 metres world title after running the fastest heat in world championship history on Saturday timing 10.80 seconds.
The 32-year-old -- who did not disappoint her supporters in sporting eye-catching dyed gold hair which she said symbolised sunshine -- has stormed back to top form this season after taking time out following the birth of her son Zyon in 2017.
Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure took second behind her, a familiar position filled by the Ivorian, who took silver in both the 100m and 200m behind Fraser-Pryce in the 2013 world championships.
"It's my first championship in (three) years so I'm really excited to be able to come back and you know for me it's just a rung at a time and trying to execute as best as possible," said Fraser-Pryce.
"Because you all know my technique is not the best thing so I have to try and get it right." Her stunning run was in stark contrast to her more understated ...

Little Miss Sunshine Fraser-Pryce sparkles in opening 100m heats

World championships organisers vowed to press ahead with the 50 kilometre walk events later Saturday following a brutal women's marathon in sweltering conditions which saw dozens of runners fail to finish.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said in a statement that the men's and women's 50km events due to get under way at 11.30pm (2030 GMT) local time would go ahead as planned.
The IAAF said Friday's marathon, where 28 of 68 starters failed to finish a race held in sauna-like weather, had recorded no cases of heat stroke.
Despite the high number of competitors that failed to finish, the IAAF said the completion rate was comparable to women's races at Tokyo in 1991 and Moscow in 2013.
A total of 30 athletes visited the medical centre set up at the marathon venue as a preacaution.
The IAAF said "a small number" were kept under observation and one athlete was referred to the hospital for observation but later released.
The IAAF's decision to stage the ...

Race walks to go ahead despite heat: IAAF

Liverpool could be thrown out of the League Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their third round victory over MK Dons on Wednesday.
The Athletic reported on Saturday that an international transfer certificate for Pedro Chirivella had not been completed.
Chirivella, who came off the bench in the 63rd minute of the 2-0 win, spent the second half of last season on loan at Spanish club Extremadura.
The 22-year-old, therefore, required new clearance when he returned to his parent club in the summer.
Liverpool requested that in July but the process can only be completed by the English Football Association.
According to the report, the European champions are confident the mitigating factors will ensure they escape the most serious sanction of expulsion from the competition and could instead be fined.
"The club are aware of a potential administrative issue pertaining to one of our players," said a Liverpool statement.
"We are working with the relevant authorities in order to establish ..

Liverpool risk League Cup expulsion over ineligible player

Metallica are postponing their upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand after lead vocalist James Hetfield re-entered rehab, the American band announced Friday.
The heavy metal band was set to perform their first Australian show as part of their WorldWired tour on October 17, but will now fully refund all tickets, band members Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo wrote in a series of tweets.
"As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again."
"Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who travel great distances to experience our shows."
Metallica formed in 1981 in Los Angeles and went on to become one of the world's most successful heavy metal bands, selling tens of millions of albums.

Metallica postpone Australia, NZ tour after frontman enters rehab

Thousands attended a mass prayer in the devastated Indonesian city of Palu on Saturday, one year after a quake-tsunami swallowed up whole neighbourhoods and killed more than 4,000 people.
Many in the crowd sobbed as they remembered victims of the 7.5 magnitude quake and subsequent deluge that razed swathes of the coastal city on Sulawesi island last September.
Some 4,300 people were listed as dead or missing while nearly 60,000 people are still living in makeshift accommodation after their homes were destroyed, according to the Red Cross.
The force of the impact saw entire neighbourhoods levelled, with the earth turning to quicksand.
Elsa Lawira, whose seven-year-old son died in the disaster, was among some 3,000 people at Saturday's vigil, which was held in badly-hit Balaroa district.
"The past year has been traumatic," the 36-year-old Lawira told AFP as she sobbed.
"My only wish is that God will protect my son and a disaster like this never happens again." Former Balaroa resident ...

Mass prayer marks one year since Indonesia quake-tsunami disaster

Beijing's new futuristic airport that resembles a giant starfish -- opened days before the country celebrates the 70th anniversary of communist rule -- promises to transform the Chinese capital into a major Asian aviation hub.
Located 46 kilometres south of Tiananmen Square, Beijing Daxing International Airport will be able to handle 45 million passengers by 2021, with plans for 72 million by 2025 and 100 million by 2040.
It was opened by President Xi Jinping Wednesday, but had an immediate hitch when its maiden commercial flight -- an A380 superjumbo heading to the southern city of Guangzhou -- was delayed by nearly 30 minutes.
About a decade ago, Daxing was a sleepy suburb of dusty farmland and cramped quarters home to migrant workers building roads and skyscrapers in the city.
Now -- with the airport code PKX -- Daxing is seen as an embodiment of the "Chinese dream" Xi has offered his fellow citizens.
At 700,000 square metres (173 acres) -- about the size of 100 football pitches -- 

Beijing hopes glitzy new airport will take off as aviation hub

Wildlife officials found three more dead wild elephants in central Sri Lanka Saturday, raising the number believed to have been poisoned by angry villagers to seven.
The animals were found at a forest reserve near Sigiriya, a fifth-century rock fortress and UNESCO-protected heritage site, police said.
"Since Friday, we have found the remains of seven cow elephants, including a tusker," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
Nearly 200 elephants are killed every year on the island, many by farmers after the animals stray onto their land.
Marauding elephants kill roughly 50 people annually, mostly when the creatures stray into villages near their habitat.  A pregnant female and a male were among the four carcasses found on Friday.
Wildlife experts and vets will carry out autopsies, said a police official in Sigiriya, north of Colombo, as they suspect the animals may have been poisoned.
Police said there had been a spate of incidents involving wild elephants storming villages and ...

Three more elephants killed in Sri Lanka, bringing toll to seven

Afghans voted in presidential elections amid tight security Saturday, even as insurgents attacked polling centres in a series of blasts and clashes across the country that left at least two people dead.
The first-round vote marks the culmination of a bloody election campaign that despite a large field of candidates is seen as a close race between President Ashraf Ghani and his bitter rival Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive.
Wary authorities placed an uneasy Kabul under partial lockdown, flooding streets with troops and banning trucks from entering the city in an effort to stop would-be suicide bombers targeting residents as they cast their votes.
Polls closed at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT) after a two-hour extension due to long queues of people still waiting to vote, the Independent Election Commission said.
Compared to previous elections, the initial toll appeared relatively light, though authorities provided little information about reported blasts and ongoing armed clashes ...

Afghans vote in presidential election amid deadly violence

The family of former Zimbabwe  president Robert Mugabe gathered in his rural homestead on Saturday, three weeks after his death, to attend a much-awaited burial ceremony in the village of Kutama.
Mugabe died in a Singapore hospital on September 6, aged 95, almost two years after a military coup ended his despotic 37-year rule.
His remains will be laid to rest in the courtyard of his home in the district of Zvimba, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of the capital Harare.
Hundreds of mourners assembled for the low-key event, which was initially intended to be a private family ceremony.
Many wore white Mugabe-emblazoned T-shirts with the slogans "founding father", "liberator" and "torch bearer."
Some were singing and dancing. Others sat quietly under two white tents set up for the occasion.
Mugabe's widow Grace and his children accompanied the casket -- drapped in Zimbabwe's green, yellow, red and black flag.
No senior government officials were among the audience.
The Mugabe family ...

Mugabe burial begins in rural Zimbabwe home

A huge blast on an oil tanker in a South Korean port Saturday sparked a raging fire that spread to a nearby vessel, leaving 18 people injured, authorities said.
A ball of fire shot up high above the ship and thick black smoke billowed into the air, dramatic images showed.
Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze and prevent it spreading, shooting streams of water up onto the deck from beside the vessel in the southeast port of Ulsan.
All 25 of those on board the Cayman Islands-flagged tanker and the 21 people on the second ship have been rescued, according to the Coast Guard.
Twelve sailors and six rescue workers were injured, Yonhap news agency said, quoting local authorities. Nine of the injured were South Korean.
The Russian vice-consul in Busan said the tanker crew comprised 10 Russians, including the captain, and none had been seriously injured.
"Some received medical help on the spot, but no Russian has been hospitalised," said Evgeny Evdokimov, quoted by the Russian news ...

Huge tanker blast sparks fire injuring 18 in South Korea

Teen activist Greta Thunberg has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders to do more for the environment as she led half a million protesters in Montreal as part of a global wave of "climate strikes."
The 16-year-old Swede met privately with Trudeau but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was "not doing enough" to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
"My message to all the politicians around the world is the same. Just listen and act on the current best available science," she said.
Thunberg generated headlines around the world earlier this week with her viral so-called "How Dare You?" speech at the UN climate summit, accusing world leaders of betraying her generation.
"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," she thundered, visibly angry and close to tears.
The teen has inspired millions of youngsters, drawn to her cause by her passion and a mature, committed rhetorical style -- ...

Greta Thunberg marches in Montreal for global climate protests

Alain Robert, dubbed the French "Spiderman" for his exploits in climbing buildings around the world, was arrested Saturday in the German city of Frankfurt after scaling the "Skyper" tower, an AFP journalist reported.
Robert, 57, reached the top of  154-metre (500 feet), 42-floor building in just half an hour -- without permission nor safety equipment -- causing passersby to stop, stare and take photos.
Back on the ground, police moved into to arrest Robert who has chalked up a series of similar stunts across the globe since 1994, among them the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
In August, he climbed a Hong Kong skyscraper and unfolded a "peace" banner as massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests rocked the city.

French 'spiderman' arrested after climbing Frankfurt skyscraper

Afghans voted in presidential elections amid tight security Saturday, even as insurgents attacked polling centres in a series of blasts across the country that left at least one person dead.
The first-round vote marks the culmination of a bloody election campaign that is seen as a close race between President Ashraf Ghani and his bitter rival Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive.
Wary authorities placed an uneasy Kabul under partial lockdown, flooding streets with troops and banning trucks from entering the city in an effort to stop would-be suicide bombers targeting residents as they cast their votes.
By midday, the toll appeared relatively light compared to previous elections, though Afghan national authorities provided little, if any, information about reported blasts.
One person was killed and two others wounded in an explosion near a polling centre in Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar, provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.
And at least .

Afghan voters head to polls amid deadly violence

Porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump before he became president, has won USD 450,000 in a legal settlement with the city of Columbus, Ohio, over her arrest last year at a strip club, officials said Friday.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was arrested in 2018 at the Sirens Gentlemen's Club on sexual misdemeanour charges which were quickly dropped.
In a lawsuit filed in January, Daniels alleged her arrest was politically motivated and sued for false arrest and false imprisonment in violation of her civil rights.
Daniels, who originally sought damages of USD 2 million, settled her suit on Friday for almost a quarter of that amount, telling reporters "it was never really about the money, it was the changes that were made and bringing awareness".
Standing with Daniels on the courthouse steps, her attorney Clark Brewster said the case was "based upon the fact that she was targeted not for what she had done, but for who she was".
The ...

Stormy Daniels wins USD 450,000 payout over strip-club arrest

Indonesia on Saturday marked one year since a devastating quake-tsunami disaster pounded the city of Palu, killing more than 4,000 people.
Mass prayers are expected later in the day to remember victims of the 7.5 magnitude quake and subsequent deluge that razed swathes of the coastal city on Sulawesi island last September.
Some 4,300 people were listed as dead or missing while nearly 60,000 people are still living in makeshift accommodation after their homes were destroyed, according to the Red Cross.
The force of the impact saw entire neighbourhoods levelled by liquefaction -- a process where the ground starts behaving like a liquid and swallows up the earth like quicksand.
It also destroyed fishing boats, shops and irrigation systems, robbing locals of their income.
Rebuilding has been slow and many of the people still living in temporary shelters wonder if they'll ever have a home again.
"I've been living in this tent since the quake struck," said Ela, a mother of four.  "It's been 

Indonesia marks one year since deadly quake-tsunami disaster

Wimbledon champion Simona Halep said on Saturday that she will compete at the China Open in Beijing, days after retiring from the Wuhan Open with a back problem.
If fully fit, the 28-year-old Romanian will be among the favourites next week in the Chinese capital, where Serena Williams will not play because of a knee issue.
Halep, a former world number one, was forced out of the Wuhan third round on Wednesday, saying she had a muscle issue in the lower part of her back. She suffered a herniated disc in Beijing a year ago, bringing an early end to her 2018 season.
"The back is better, is getting better and I'm having treatment every day," said Halep, who plays a qualifier in her Beijing opener.
"I had two days off and today I practised. In my opinion, I can play tomorrow." "You never know with the back, every tournament starts with the back (issue) because I had problems since 2008," she added.
"So it's normal to have tough periods."
Halep, the Wimbledon holder and 2018 French Open ...

Halep to play China Open despite chronic back problem

Japanese football star Keisuke Honda on Saturday marketed himself to Manchester United in an unusual and apparently desperate Twitter plea, as he hunts for a new club.
"Give me an offer," the former AC Milan striker tweeted from his verified account, tagging United's official twitter account.
"I don't need money but I need to play with great team and great team mate!," said the 33-year-old, one of the highest-profile names in Asian football.  Honda is trying to find a new club in Europe after leaving Australia's Melbourne Victory in May.
He is aiming to continue playing international football after announcing his intention to compete at Tokyo 2020 Olympics as an overage player. Honda shot to fame at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when his goals helped Japan reach the last 16.
He has 37 goals in 98 appearances for his country, and was the first Japanese player to score at three World Cups -- 2010, 2014 and 2018. Instantly recognisable with his spiky, bleached blond hair, he played .

Japan's Honda urges Man Utd to sign him in Twitter plea

A huge blast on an oil tanker in a South Korean port sparked a raging fire that spread to a nearby vessel on Saturday, leaving 12 sailors injured authorities said.
A ball of fire shot up high above the ship and thick black smoke billowed into the air.
Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze, shooting streams of water up onto the deck from beside the vessel.
All 25 of those on board the Cayman islands-flagged tanker and the 21 people on the second ship have been rescued according to the Coast Guard, adding an investigation has been launched into the incident.
Fire officials told AFP 12 people were injured. One is in a critical condition with third-degree burns, authorities said.
Nine of the injured are from South Korea, while the nationality of the others is not yet known.
It was not immediately clear whether the injured were on board the tanker or the second ship that later caught fire.

Huge tanker blast sparks fire injuring 12 in South Korea

An American academic on Saturday said he was denied entry into Hong Kong days after he testified in a Congressional hearing alongside prominent democracy activists from the strife-torn semi-autonomous Chinese city.
Dan Garrett said he was turned away after landing on Thursday for "unspecified immigration reasons" -- something he said was a first in twenty years of travelling to and living in Hong Kong.
The week before Garrett had appeared in Washington before the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) alongside prominent Hong Kong activists, including outspoken Cantonese popstar Denise Ho and former student leader Joshua Wong.
The speakers, including Garrett, painted a picture of rapidly eroding freedoms in the international finance hub which has been battered by nearly four months of huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
The hearings -- coupled with a proposed bill in Congress aimed at defending civil rights in Hong Kong -- have sparked a furious response from ..

US academic denied Hong Kong entry after Congress testimony

US President Donald Trump told Russia's foreign minister and ambassador that he was unconcerned about their country's interference in the 2016 elections, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Trump made the previously unreported comments during the same May 2017 Oval Office meeting in which he famously revealed highly classified information on the Islamic State group.
During the conversation he reportedly told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak that he was not bothered by their country's meddling because the United States did the same in other countries, according to three former officials who requested anonymity.
The meeting was held just one day after Trump fired his FBI director James Comey, and Trump told the two senior Russian officials that the sacking had relieved him of "great pressure." The comments alarmed White House officials who subsequently restricted access to a memorandum describing the meeting to those with only the highest ...

AFP

AFP

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