Japanese star Kei Nishikori was in superb form as he demolished Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International on Saturday.
The 29-year-old gave his French opponent no chance as he put on a commanding all court display to advance to the final for the second time in three years.
After his impressive straight sets quarter-final win over Grigor Dimitrov, Nishikori said he had set his sights on returning to the world's top five after falling to 39 last April due to a wrist injury at the end of 2017 that required time away from the tour.
And he showed all the qualities of a top five player in his 66-minute demolition at the Pat Rafter Arena.
He only served two aces compared with the 11 sent down by Chardy, but Nishikori returned superbly and pressured the Frenchman's serve throughout, breaking him twice in each set.
Nishikori also moved around the court well, his speed not noticeably affected by the injuries that hampered him last year.
"Everything was working well 

Nishikori powers through to Brisbane final

PTI Automatic

Reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka said her poor attitude cost her during her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Lesia Tsurenko in Saturday's Brisbane International semi-finals.
Osaka went into the match as firm favourite but looked flat from the outset as Tsurenko raced through the match in just 65 minutes.
The Japanese star, who burst to prominence with her eventful US Open final win over Serena Williams, made 26 unforced errors and was broken three times in a disappointing display.
She said after the match that she didn't know how to cope once things started to go against her.
"If I'm being really frank, I just feel like I had the worst attitude today," she said.  "I feel like I didn't really know how to cope with not playing well.
"I was sulking a little bit, and like there are moments that I tried not to do that, but then the ball wouldn't go in, and then I would go back to being, like, childish and stuff.
"I feel like last year I did a lot of that," she added.
"I'm trying to change it more, ...

Osaka says poor attitude cost her Brisbane semi-final

President Donald Trump warned on Friday that he could keep the US government partly closed for "months or even years" and declare a national emergency if the Congress refused to provide USD 5.6 billion funding for a wall along the Mexico border.
After his meeting with top Democrats failed to end the two-week impasse, Trump said that he may call a national emergency to build the wall without congressional approval.
I did say that. Absolutely, I said that, Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House after Democratic leaders told media about the president's "threat", during their meeting with him, to continue with the partial government shutdown for years.
The Republican president initially gave a positive account of the 90-minute meeting with Democrats at the White House, describing it as "very productive".
But when asked whether he had considered using emergency presidential powers to bypass congressional approval of funding, Trump said he had.
"I may do it. We can call .

Trump threatens to declare national emergency to get fund for border wall

Iran's telecommunications minister said Saturday his country's three new satellites have successfully passed pre-launch tests.
Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi made the announcement in a tweet but did not mention a launch schedule. Iran usually displays space achievements in February during the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
On Tuesday, Iran said it plans to send Payam, a 200-pound (90-kilogram) non-military satellite into a 310-mile (500-kilometer) orbit using an Iranian Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran's plans for sending satellites into orbit demonstrate the country's defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran says the launches do not violate the resolution.
Jahromi's announcement comes soon after the U.S. in November re-imposed all nuclear-related sanctions it had lifted under a 2015 nuclear ..

Tests concluded, Iran prepares for launching of satellites

Canadian teen Bianca Andreescu continued her fairy-tale run through the WTA Classic Saturday, stunning third seed Hsieh Su-Wei to set up a final against defending champion Julia Gorges.
The 18-year-old qualifier's 6-3, 6-3 semi-final triumph followed victories over two former world number ones, the now number three Caroline Wozniacki and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
In contrast, second-seed Goerges who beat Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) in her semi-final has not faced one seeded player all week.
For the unflappable Andreescu, ranked 152nd in the world, it is the first final of her fledgling career after arriving in Auckland with the simple aim of getting through the qualifying tournament.
She has surprised even herself with the way her baseline power, drop shot finesse and all round athleticism have come together.
"I guess Auckland brings out the best in me. I don't know what's going on really," she said after defeating Hsieh.
"What's really important for 

Unstoppable Andreescu to face Goerges in Auckland Open final

A rollicking maiden century by Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera was ultimately in vain as New Zealand wrapped up the one-day series with a 21-run victory in the second ODI at Mount Maunganui.
With Sri Lanka chasing New Zealand's 319 for seven, they were on the ropes at 128 for seven when Perera opened up.
He faced 74 deliveries and cracked 13 sixes and eight fours before he was the last wicket to fall and Sri Lanka were out for 298 with 22 balls remaining.
Sri Lanka reached 112 for two when Ish Sodhi captured the wicket of Kusal Mendis for 20 to trigger a collapse which saw five wickets fall in six overs.
But Perera refused to give up as he bludgeoned the New Zealand attack with brute force.
He made 58 in a 75-run stand with Lasith Malinga for the eighth wicket, and scored 45 of the 51 runs for the ninth wicket with Lakshan Sandakan.
But when an seemingly impossible victory seemed on the cards Matt Henry had Perera caught by Trent Boult at long-on.
Opener Danushka Gunathilaka played his ...

Thisara's 140 in vain as New Zealand snatch ODI series

Police in California on Saturday said they were responding to a shooting with "multiple victims" at a bowling alley near Los Angeles.
In a tweet posted shortly after midnight, the Torrance Police Department said there were "reports of shots fired with multiple victims down."
"T P D is on scene. Investigation is ongoing. Please stay away from the area," it added.
The Los Angeles Times reported the shooting took place at Gable House Bowl, a gaming complex.
A witness told the newspaper there had been a "big fight" prior to the shooting.
Torrance, a coastal city, is located around 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles in the South Bay region.
According to health authorities, nearly 40,000 people died in the United States as a result of firearms in 2017 -- a figure that includes suicides.

'Multiple victims' in shooting near Los Angeles: police

Australia opener Marcus Harris on Saturday rued missing out on a hundred and said batsmen unable to convert starts have left his team with a mountain to climb in the fourth Test against India.
Harris (79) scored his second Test half-century in the morning session, but was out within three overs on resumption, playing on to his stumps off Ravindra Jadeja.
"I got out playing a pretty half-arsed (sic) shot. I am more disappointed in myself than anything. I think it is always a goal against the spinners is to be aggressive early and once you're able to get those sweepers out, it is to be able to hit them hard and just not milk them as much as you can," said Harris after the hosts were reduced to 236-6 when bad light and rain interrupted proceedings on day three.
"It's not as easy when you get to that point in an innings so you want to really build on it. When you chop on for 70 odd that's what's really disappointing. I felt like my game I had a really good plan today and I played to it ...

Not being able to convert starts have hurt us: Harris

Soon after making an instant impact in his maiden Test on Australian soil, India spinner Kuldeep Yadav said he needs "more time" to improve as a Test bowler, stressing that playing red-ball cricket is vital for his growth.
The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner scalped three wickets to leave Australia struggling for 236-6 in reply to India's first-inning score of 622-7 declared on the third day of the fourth Test.
Playing in his first overseas Test since Lord's, Kuldeep said he was a bit nervous.
"To be very honest I haven't changed anything (for bowling in Australia). I am playing my first Test in this series and so was nervous," he said on Saturday.
"I have played enough cricket to have decent enough knowledge but in Test cricket I will need a little more time perhaps to improve. The more you play with red ball the more you can improve."
Kuldeep said there is no substitute to "match experience" when it comes to improving as a bowler.
"Test cricket is similar - the more you play the .

I need more time to improve as Test bowler, says Kuldeep

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the army to enhance its combat readiness to make sure it is always ready for a battle, saying risks and challenges are on the rise as the world is facing a period of major changes never seen in a century, state media reported Saturday.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's largest with two million troops, last year doubled the training period for new recruits from three to six months in a bid to improve their combat capabilities.
President Xi, who also heads the PLA besides the ruling Communist Party, told a meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military, that "the world is facing a period of major changes never seen in a century, and China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development".
Xi is the Chairman of the CMC. He is the only civilian in the high-power military body comprising top defence officials.
Preparedness is vital in the era of drastic changes, ...

Xi orders Chinese military to be combat-ready; says risks and challenges on rise

"Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart has made a comeback to social media, three weeks after she took a break from it due to constant trolling.
The 22-year-old actor posted a long message on her Instagram Story and dedicated it to her haters.
"I give too much of myself to these people. The last people on earth who deserve it. And I feel regret. For letting them spark a reaction out of me. When I know all too well that the moment will pass. I'm still me. They're still them. Judging my pictures and words, without actually seeing anything or knowing any part of me. The sticky spider web that they create seems to trap me every time. But I seem to be the one biting myself in the end," she wrote.
The actor said she will not cheapen herself by "acknowledging that their web even exists."
"They will never know me. They will never see me as raw or bare as they see themselves. And that's what keeps me sane. That I, myself, am tucked away. Where none of them can reach me.
"Each year brings new lessons. .

Lili Reinhart returns to social media, addresses her haters

Funeral services will be held in California on Saturday for Indian-origin police officer Ronil Singh, shot dead allegedly by an illegal immigrant last week, as several police personnel and civilians paid their respects to the fallen officer.
The first of several services for Singh took place Friday morning. Crowds lined up side of the road to pay their last respects as Singh's body travelled from Modesto to Newman in California. An Honor Guard Viewing was also held.
Photos and flowers lined the aisles of the theater in downtown Newman with Singh's flag draped casket at the front, ABC7News reported.
Singh, of the Newman Police Department was shot and killed at a traffic stop on December 26 by an illegal immigrant named Gustavo Perez Arriaga when he was planning to flee to his native Mexico.
Just hours before the incident, the 33-year-old officer had been home celebrating Christmas with his wife and 5-month-old son before starting his night shift.
Singh, who was a native of Fiji and ...

Slain Indian-origin police officer's funeral to be held in California

The father of one of three children found stabbed and beaten to death in a Southeast Texas apartment they shared with their mother was charged with capital murder Friday in the attack that left the woman with severe injuries.
Texas City police Chief Joe Stanton said Junaid Hashim Mehmood, 27, is facing two counts of capital murder along with a charge of aggravated assault.
The children's mother was beaten and shot several times in the face and head with a high-powered pellet gun.
Mehmood was arrested late Thursday, just hours after the slain children and their mother  24-year-old Kimaria Nelson  were discovered by officers in an apartment in Texas City.
Mehmood had earlier been identified as a person of interest in the deaths, but he was arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Galveston County assistant district attorney Kevin Petroff said it was a misdemeanour warrant for providing alcohol to a minor.
Mehmood was being held in the Galveston County Jail without bond. No attorney is listed ..

Texas man charged in slayings of 3 kids, wounding of mother

Nicole Kidman's honesty towards her craft made things easy for Karyn Kusama while directing "Destroyer", says the filmmaker.
The crime drama features the 51-year-old actor as an undercover LAPD officer who must take out members of a gang, years after her case was blown.
In an interview with IndieWire Filmmaker Toolkit, Kusama said her collaboration with the Oscar winner was the "most intense", an experience that she last witnessed while working with Michelle Rodriquez on sports drama "Girlfight".
"I think the irony of comparing those two things is that part of Nicole's gift is she never shows up like, 'Oh I've got my bag of tricks, I'm just going to go into my bag of tricks, I've got this all figured out.' She's very open about not always finding her way through," she said.
"She's very open (and would) say, 'I think we need to explore here,' or, 'I'm not quite sure what to do.' That honesty actually makes my job so much easier because we can stop and say 'Let's talk, let's figure out .

'Destroyer' director Karyn Kusama praises Nicole Kidman for honesty

Michael Pena has joined the cast of the CBS Films comedy "Lexi", which features Adam Devine and Alexandra Shipp in the lead.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, "The Hangover" writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore are directing the indie project.
Suzanne Todd is producing, with production in San Francisco to run through February 15.
The story revolves around Devine's character, who loves his smartphone more than anything else in his life, and Shipp plays his romantic interest.

Michael Pena joins CBS Films comedy 'Lexi'

A high-level delegation from Pakistan is in Australia for a three-day meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that will review the progress made by the government to stop money laundering and terrorism financing.
The 12-member Pakistani team will explain the action plan that the government intends to follow to come into compliance with international obligations and secure an exit from the grey list of the Paris-based watchdog.
The Financial Action Task Force in its Paris meeting in June last year placed Pakistan onto its watch list in a bid to push the country to halt support for militant groups.
Pakistan on Friday dispatched a Terror Financing Risk Assessment Report electronically to FATF followed by a 12-member team led by Secretary Finance Arif Ahmed Khan to Sydney to attend the three-day meeting, beginning Saturday.
The delegation comprised representatives of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Federal Investigation Agency ...

Pak delegation in Australia for FATF meeting

An international team of scientists will begin the new year hunting for microbes and other living specimens in an unexplored lake far beneath the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet.
Led by polar scientist John Priscu of Montana State University in the US, a team of 45 scientists, drillers and support staff will drill 4,000 feet to the bottom of the ice sheet that covers Mercer Subglacial Lake about 370 miles from the South Pole.
The lake, which measures nearly 62 square miles, was discovered more than a decade ago through satellite images but has never before been explored.
The expedition, known as SALSA (Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access), hopes to shed light on what kind of life can survive in such remote regions and serve as an on-Earth comparison for habitats deep inside Mars or on the ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
While Mercer will be the second subglacial lake that humans have sampled directly, Fox wrote, it will be the first time scientists will use a ...

Scientists to hunt microbes beneath Antarctic ice sheet

Pop star Demi Lovato has called out Instagram over a "fat shaming" advertisement, saying such feeds can contribute to mental health problems like eating disorders.
On Friday, the 26-year-old singer shared a screenshot of the ad for the video game, 'Game of Sultans', on her Instagram story, which showed two animated women  one labeled "pretty" and the other "obese."
"Why is this fat shaming bulls*** on my feed? So many things wrong with this ad. 1. You can be 'pretty' at any weight," Lovato said.
"This is absolutely harmful to anyone who is easily influenced by societal pressures put on us from the diet culture to constantly be losing weight in a world that teaches us to equate our value and worth with the way we look and especially anyone in recovery from an eating disorder. Especially when eating disorders are all about 'control'," she added.
According to E! online, a representative for Instagram said the ad has since been removed.
"We're sorry. This ad was approved by mistake. We ...

Demi Lovato calls out Instagram for 'fat shaming' ad

Actor John Krasinski has revealed that he has stopped calling a movie bad after filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson taught him about the importance of backing the projects that break the norm.
Anderson is a big fan of Krasinski's directorial debut, "A Quiet Place", and in December last year, the filmmaker had hosted a private screening of the film for Academy and industry people.
Asked about the moment, Krasinski's told New York Times, "I think I've only told my wife this, so why not say it in an interview: That was the moment that was most surreal of all this.
"He emailed me and said, 'You need to call me,' and we talked on the phone and he was so specific and so honest about the movie. He's been so kind to me through my career, but we were talking like we were on an even playing field and that tripped my wires. What I love most about Paul is that he loves movies," he added.
He recalled an incident that happened at his house where during a discussion about a film, Krasinski casually ...

Paul Thomas Anderson gave pep talk to John Krasinski about not hating bad films

A former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South urged an ex-colleague missing in Italy to come and settle in Seoul Saturday, as the rare asylum bid makes global headlines.
Jo Song Gil, the North's acting ambassador to Rome, went into hiding with his wife in November and is seeking asylum, according to Seoul's intelligence authorities.
It would be the first high-profile defection of a North Korean diplomat since 2016 when the then deputy ambassador to London, Thae Yong Ho, switched sides to settle in Seoul.
Jo has not contacted Seoul's spy agency since he went into hiding, suggesting he was seeking asylum in a third country in the West, possibly the US, according to several media reports.
But Thae, who said he once worked with Jo at Pyongyang's foreign ministry, wrote an open letter urging his ex-colleague to come to the South instead and work together to help the two Koreas reunify.
"I thought that I knew a lot about the South...through the Internet while serving overseas. ...

Former N Korea diplomat urges asylum-seeking colleague to come to South

Pop star Britney Spears has postponed her new "Domination" show in Las Vegas due to her father's recent illness.
In a series of tweets, Spears said she was heartbroken because she had to cancel the gig, but asserted that for her family comes first.
"I don't even know where to start with this, because this is so tough for me to say. I will not be performing my new show Domination. I've been looking forward to this show
"However, it's important to always put your family first and that's the decision I had to make. A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalised and almost died. We're all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him... And seeing all of you this year, so doing this breaks my heart," Spears wrote.
Two months ago, the singer's father, Jamie Spears, suffered a ruptured colon and was rushed into surgery in Las Vegas, and remained in the hospital for 28 days.

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