Granit Xhaka will lead Arsenal into Monday's Premier League clash at Manchester United as the club's new captain, but the Swiss midfielder has to win over plenty of doubters that he is fit to wear the Gunners' armband.
Xhaka's discipline and defensive awareness have repeatedly been questioned since joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, but both Arsene Wenger and current Arsenal boss Unai Emery have consistently put their faith in the 27-year-old.
That trust is not replicated by the club's fans. On one of the few occasions he was replaced by Emery with the Gunners trailing 2-1 to Aston Villa last weekend, Xhaka was booed as he trudged off the field.
Despite being down to 10 men, Arsenal turned the game around with the energetic duo of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira buzzing around the midfield.
That is a combination many supporters would like to see on a more regular basis, but Xhaka's elevated status in the dressing room means he will remain a fixture for some ...

Time for Arsenal captain Xhaka to repay Emery's faith

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Yusuke Suzuki made history for Japan on Sunday delivering the country's first ever world title in the men's 50 kilometres walk as competitors conquered Doha's sweltering heat and humidity.
Suzuki's pillar to post victory -- who timed 4hrs 04min 20 seconds -- was impressive enough but possibly outdone by the achievement of Portugal's silver medallist Joao Vieira who at 43 became the oldest male athlete to medal at the world championships.
"This is very good, I am very happy," sad Vieira through a translator, who added there was no question of retirement and he would go to the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Canada's Evan Dunfee, who began the race aged 28 and turned 29 during it (it began at 23.30 local time on Saturday) took bronze.
The women's race saw a Chinese 1-2 with Liang Rui taking gold in 4hr 23min 26sec and Li Maocuo the silver.
Italy's Eleonora Giorgi took the bronze -- defending champion Ines Henriques failed to finish.
For Suzuki it also represented redemption for the ...

Suzuki delivers historic gold for Japan as walkers conquer the heat

American Cameron Champ, who is playing this week with a heavy heart, fired a bogey-free five-under 67 to seize a three shot lead after the third round of the PGA Tour's Safeway Open.
Champ rolled in five birdies on Saturday as he seeks his second title on the US Tour after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship last year.
He has a 14-under 202 total at the Silverado Country Club course in Napa, California.
"I am executing everything," Champ said. "I am not making the little mistakes I was before.
"I felt like I left something out there last two or three holes."
Champ is three strokes ahead of last week's Sanderson Farms winner Sebastian Munoz (67) and Adam Hadwin (67) and Nick Taylor (70).
Former PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas is a stroke further back following his one-under 71.
Champ's grandfather, Mack, is in hospice battling stomach cancer. The family has been dividing their time between the hospital in Sacramento and the nearby Napa golf course.
"It's been a pretty ...

Champ fires 67, leads Safeway Open by three

China Open organisers faced questions after two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza lost in a match which did not start until nearly 1:00 am and concluded at 2:31 am Sunday.
The Spaniard's conqueror Sofia Kenin said that she felt "mentally drained" following the late-night first-round encounter in Beijing, which the American won 6-0, 2-6, 6-2.
"I obviously started out really well in the first set and I knew that she was going to pick up her game," the 15th seed told the official WTA website.
"I just felt pretty tired, mentally drained, but I'm happy that I somehow found a way to just fight through it.
"The support from the crowd was great, even at 2:30 in the morning, surprisingly," added the Moscow-born Kenin.
Her clash with Muguruza, 25, who won the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon a year later, was delayed after all four previous matches on the main Diamond Court went to three sets.
AFP has approached the China Open for comment about its scheduling.

Garbine Muguruza out of China Open tennis - at 2:31 am

Brazilian superstar Neymar pledged to "give my life to PSG" after his goal kept the French giants top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win at Bordeaux.
Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer, had been strongly linked to a return to Barcelona over a tumultuous summer.
However, in an attempt to win over PSG fans, many of whom have become unconvinced by the player's attachment to the French capital, Neymar has looked a rejuvenated figure, scoring for a third time this season.
"I'm very happy to be able to help PSG, it's better with the fans," he said.
"It's like with your girlfriend, one moment you're bad, but with hugs and a lot of love, it's better.
"I am here to give my life to PSG. They are my team, my goal is to help my club, to continue to score goals."
On Saturday, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar played together for the first time this season and combined for the only goal in Bordeaux.
Mbappe, who had been out injured since August 25, started on the bench but, with PSG struggling for a ...

'I'll give my life to PSG,' says Neymar

Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gathers his Conservative party Sunday for what could be its final conference before an election, with the gathering set to be dominated by Brexit.
Despite a string of parliamentary setbacks and a defeat in the Supreme Court, Johnson insists he will take Britain out of the European Union, with or without a deal, on October 31.
His stance has put him at odds with the House of Commons, which has passed a law blocking a "no deal" exit, and lost him a number of his own MPs.
But it resonates with many pro-Brexit voters and particularly with Conservative party members who elected him in July, and are expected to give him a hero's welcome.
The conference "will be a rally for Boris Johnson and a rally for Brexit", predicted Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
The four-day meeting in Manchester, northwest England, however risks being disrupted by parliamentary business back in London.
MPs were furious at Johnson's ...

UK's Johnson rallies party for Brexit fight

Donald Trump's administration is amping up an investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails, The Washington Post reported Saturday, breathing new life into a pet issue used by the president to rail against his opponent during the 2016 elections.
The question of whether Clinton improperly used a private email account and server while secretary of state led to Trump's repeat assertion that she deserved to be put in prison and frequent chants of "lock her up" at his political rallies.
Following an FBI investigation into the matter, former director James Comey did not recommend charges against Clinton but did describe her conduct as "extremely careless."
In recent weeks, up to 130 officials have been contacted by State Department investigators concerning emails they sent years ago which have been retroactively classified, nearly all of which were sent to or eventually made their way into Clinton's unsecure email account, the Post reported.
The paper, which cited current and former ...

State Department ratchets up Clinton email probe: report

News that US President Donald Trump's special representative on Ukraine had abruptly resigned didn't come from a high-profile newsroom in Washington or New York -- a 20-year-old student journalist on the other side of the country scooped them all.
Andrew Howard, a managing editor of The State Press student paper at Arizona State University, broke the news late Friday that Kurt Volker quit his position at the State Department after Congress ordered him to answer questions in an impeachment investigation of Trump.
"I didn't take a different approach to this story than any other," Howard told The New York Times on Saturday.
"Everyone's looking for an 'aha' moment that I don't think was there." Howard said he was looking for a local angle to a major story, and Volker is director of a national security institute run by the university.
A school official told Howard that the diplomat had resigned from his government post.
"I'm not sure we ever expected to get the scoop that we did," he said. 

Student journalist scoops major media on Trump envoy departure

At least 36 people died and 36 others were injured in east China when a packed coach with a flat tyre collided with a truck, authorities said Sunday.
The bus was carrying 69 people -- its maximum capacity -- when it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the freight truck on an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province on Saturday morning, the Yixing public security bureau said.
A preliminary investigation determined that the accident was caused by a flat tyre on the left front wheel of the bus, the bureau said in a statement.  Nine people were seriously injured, 26 were slightly hurt and one was discharged from hospital.
The Changchun-Shenzhen expressway reopened after eight hours of rescue work.
Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.
According to authorities 58,000 people were killed in accidents across the country in 2015 alone, the last available figures.
Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 percent of ..

At least 36 killed, 36 hurt in China road crash

Overshadowed by other concerns, the war in Syria got some attention Saturday and leaders from assorted island nations pleaded for their survival as they urged the U.N. General Assembly to take action that would help stop them from sinking into the ocean.
Syria's plight remains one of the world body's thorniest issues as the country has been devastated by more than eight years of war. But global worries over rising tensions in the Gulf region, the earth's warming temperature and the trade war between the United States and China this year have eclipsed attention given to the Syrian people.
The U.N. is hoping that the recent creation of a committee that would draft a new Syrian constitution will put the country on track for a political solution.
But in a speech before world leaders, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem took what appeared to be a hardline stance. He insisted that the committee not be subjected to deadlines and be run entirely by Syria with no preconditions set by ...

Syria gets its moment at UN, small island states sound alarm

Funeral services for the trailblazing Indian-American Sikh police officer, who was shot multiple times and killed in an "ambush-style" attack in the US State of Texas, has been set for October 2.
A pall of gloom has fallen over a shocked Houston community since the shooting of Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal during a mid-day traffic stop on Friday, and people have been lining up to pay their respects and show their support for the Houston County Sheriff Office Deputy.
Dhaliwal, a 10-year veteran of the department, made national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job in 2015. The first member of the Sikh community to join the sheriff's office, he's survived by his wife and three children.
A law-enforcement ceremony and a Sikh religious ceremony have been scheduled for the 42-year-old Dhaliwal on Wednesday.
A group of volunteers are tying black and blue ribbons to give to anyone who wants to show their support for law enforcement or Dhaliwal. Volunteers are ...

Indian-American Sikh police officer's funeral set for Oct 2; shooter charged with capital murder

Forecasters say Hurricane Lorenzo has continued to strengthen in the central Atlantic Ocean, where it is currently far from any populous land masses.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Saturday night that the Category 4 storm has maximum sustained winds of 233 kph.
Lorenzo is about 2,325 kilometers southwest of the Azores and is moving north at 16 kph.
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, although forecasters say people in the Azores should monitor the storm's progress, as the center could move northeast and approach the Portuguese island chain on Tuesday.
Officials say swells produced by the storm are affecting parts of the northeastern coast of South America and the Lesser Antilles.

Category 4 Hurricane Lorenzo strengthens in Atlantic

At least 36 people have died and 36 others were injured in east China after a coach collided with a truck, state media said Sunday.
The bus was carrying 69 people when it hit the truck on an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province on Saturday morning, the official Xinhua news agency said.
The accident was caused by a flat tyre on the bus, according to a preliminary investigation, Xinhua said.
Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.
According to authorities 58,000 people were killed in accidents across the country in 2015 alone.
Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 percent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year.

At least 36 killed in China road crash: state media

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is denying his country would interfere with the upcoming US presidential election and says his government doesn't have a preference in the race.
In an interview to air Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Zarif also accuses the U.S. of initiating a cyberwar with his country and warns that "any war the United States starts it won't be able to finish."
The interview took place in New York, which Zarif visited this past week to attend meetings at the United Nations. NBC provided a partial transcript on Saturday.
When "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd noted that US intelligence included Iran among the countries attempting to interfere with the US election, Zarif responded, "We don't have a preference in your election to intervene in that election."
"We don't interfere in the internal affairs of another country," Zarif said later.
"But there is a cyber war going on."
The Iranian official cited Stuxnet, a computer virus that is widely believed .

Iranian official denies plans to interfere with US election

A US federal judge has dealt a new blow to President Donald Trump's anti-immigration efforts, blocking a measure meant to relax the criteria for deporting undocumented migrants.
The ruling concerns a policy known as expedited removal under which migrants previously found within 160 kilometers of the border within 14 days of their arrival were deported without appearing before an immigration judge.
In July, the Department of Homeland Security implemented a policy to expand the measure to include immigrants found within two years of arrival and located anywhere in the United States.
The decision issued late Friday evening by US District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson prohibits the DHS from applying the expanded criteria.
The move, she said, would leave those affected by the expansion "irreparably harmed."
"The Trump administration intended to deport as many noncitizens as possible using a process that is profoundly flawed and puts noncitizens, including asylum-seekers, at serious ...

US judge rejects Trump policy of expanded deportation

The head of the UN's nuclear test ban treaty organization says that in his "wild dreams," very young children around the world will be taught that nuclear testing isn't good  and that the world should be free of nuclear weapons.
In an interview on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, Lassina Zerbo said he started a nine-member youth group three years ago with that aim. It has grown to 780 today, and they come from all over.
"Fortunately, we started before Greta Thunberg," he said, laughing, referring to the 16-year-old Swedish activist who has become the world's best-known campaigner against climate change. He said even very young children should be brought into the anti-nuclear campaign.
"In my wild dreams," Zerbo said Thursday, "we have to take kids when they start talking and then put in their mouth, in their brain, that nuclear testing isn't good, and that we want a world free of nuclear weapons." Zerbo said more "innovative ways" are .

Head of UN nuclear test ban group: Teach your children well

French police repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons to break up a protest Saturday by nearly a 1,000 yellow vest demonstrators in the southwest city of Toulouse.
There were also clashes in the southern city of Montpellier where around 300 protesters faced off with police.
Police there said four officers were slightly injured and nine demonstrators arrested for offences including throwing projectiles.
A police statement in Toulouse said officers made five arrests after being targeted by missiles thrown by some of the protesters.
A group that observes police conduct at yellow vest protests said officers had attacked five of their number during the demonstration, injuring one of them.
The Observatory of Police Practice (OPP) posted images and video on Twitter to support their account and posted an open letter to the authorities protesting the incident.
The police headquarters in Toulouse was not available to comment on the allegations Saturday evening.
Earlier this month, a member ..

French police break up yellow vest protest with tear gas

Christian Coleman stormed to victory in the 100 metres at the World Championships in Doha, emphatically shrugging off the missed drug test controversy which had threatened to derail his career.
The 23-year-old American, who escaped a doping ban earlier this month on a technicality, swept over the finish line in a world-leading personal best of 9.76sec to claim his first major outdoor championship gold medal on Saturday.
Defending champion Justin Gatlin took silver in 9.89sec at the age of 37 while Canada's Andre De Grasse claimed bronze in 9.90sec.
It completed a flawless championship campaign for Coleman, who had been the only man to duck under 10 seconds in both Friday's opening rounds and Saturday's semi-finals.
Coleman's victory in perfect conditions at the Khalifa Stadium was never in doubt, the stocky 2017 World Championships silver medallist exploding out of the blocks to take the lead over the opening 20 metres.
The American let out a roar of triumph as he crossed the line ...

Brilliant Coleman blasts to 100m world gold

US sprinter Christian Coleman blasted to the 100 metres title at the World Championships in Doha on Saturday, outclassing the field in a personal best of 9.76 sec.
Coleman, who before the championships avoided a lengthy ban for missing doping tests, was followed over the line by reigning champion Justin Gatlin and Andre De Grasse.

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