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Ogier claims ninth Monte win in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two

TOKYO, Jan 23, 2023 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has started the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship with a one-two finish on Rallye Monte-Carlo as Sebastien Ogier claimed a record ninth victory on the legendary event ahead of team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.Car 17 (Sebastien Ogier, Vincent Landais)Mostly dry weather made this year's rally more a test of outright performance than usual, and Ogier set the pace from the start with five straight stage wins as he opened up a lead of half a minute by Friday lunchtime.The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID was fastest in the first 11 stages of the season, its streak only ended on Saturday afternoon - by which point Ogier was focused on managing his lead. He carried an advantage of 16 seconds over Rovanpera into the final day, when he proceeded to claim his eighth and ninth stage wins of the weekend and finished up with a winning margin of 18.8s.Ogier's 56th WRC win is also the first for his co-driver Vincent Landais, in only the second event since he began working with the up-and-coming French navigator at the end of last season. It is also Toyota's fifth Monte win with a fifth different model of car: the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID winning all but two of the 18 stages across the weekend.With Ogier once more only contesting selected events this season, second place plus victory in the rally-ending Power Stage represents an ideal start to Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen's defence of their first championship titles. Rovanpera grew in confidence and speed during the rally, taking six stage wins in total on his way to a first Rallye Monte-Carlo podium.Elfyn Evans displayed similarly strong pace to his team-mates throughout the weekend and was second to Ogier before losing around 40s with a damaged tyre in SS5 on Friday morning. He and co-driver Scott Martin fought back to finish fourth, 27.8s from the podium despite a brief spin on Sunday morning. He was also third in the Power Stage to claim three additional bonus points.The strong start to the season for TGR was completed by Takamoto Katsuta in his WRC Challenge Program-supported entry. He produced his strongest Rallye Monte-Carlo performance to-date alongside co-driver Aaron Johnston, frequently joining his team-mates in the top-four on stage times and finishing sixth overall.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2023/rd01-day4/. Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Kitchen Culture Says Purported Notice to Call Second Attempted EGM on 25 November 2022 to Remove 5 Directors By Electronic Means Is Invalid; Urges Shareholders Not To Attend

SINGAPORE, Nov 18, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. ("Kitchen Culture" or the "Company") said today that a second attempt to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting ("Second Intended EGM") to remove 5 of 6 directors next week is defective and invalid for non-compliance with the Companies Act 1967 and the Company's Constitution.Kitchen Culture had sought legal advice and had since early November 2022 been writing to lawyers representing OOWAY Group Ltd. ("OOWAY") who in turns representing a group of 7 other shareholders (8 aforementioned shareholders collectively, the "Requisitioners") who had published an advertisement in The Business Times on 3 November 2022 calling for the Second Intended EGM to be held on 25 November 2022 by electronic means. Based on opinions of 2 lawyers, Kitchen Culture, the SGX Catalist-listed provider of solutions and products for kitchens and wardrobes said:"... the Company announces that the Second Intended EGM (scheduled for 9.00 am on Friday 25 November 2022 to be held by electronic means) is NOT a proper extraordinary general meeting of the Company. As such, that Second Intended EGM is defective and invalid, and any resolution passed at any purported meeting held as the Second Intended EGM will be invalid. Even assuming that the Second Intended EGM is not defective and invalid, any resolution to remove any Director or to appoint some person in place of a Director so removed, will be invalid."The Requisitioners had not given sufficient notice in writing of the Second Intended EGM as required by the Companies Act and the Constitution of the Company. While the Requisitioners were in a position to send all required notices in writing to every member of the Company at the relevant and appropriate address they did not do so, the Company said.Further, the Requisitioners are in 'serious breach' of the Company's Constitution by failing to deposit executed Proxy Forms only at Kitchen Culture's registered office. Instead, shareholders were informed that executed Proxy Forms were "to be sent to the office of a company unknown to the Company and at an address not previously known to the Company, and not to the registered office of the Company."Kitchen Culture's Board, with the exception of Madam Hao Dongting, has said that there are no grounds to justify the resignations of the 5 directors - Mr Lim Wee Li (Executive Director), Mr Lau Kay Heng (NonExecutive Non-Independent Chairman), and 3 Independent Directors, Mr Ang Lian Kiat, Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Peter Lim King Soon.Mr Lau Kay Heng and Mr Peter Lim King Soon were named as new directors on 15 July 2022, the same day that Mr Lincoln Teo, an OOWAY representative and former Interim CEO of Kitchen Culture, ceased to be Executive Director. The Company stressed that OOWAY had in fact supported the re-appointments of Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Ang Lian Kiat at the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2022. The Requisitioners comprise OOWAY - the Company's largest shareholder - and 7 individuals who own an aggregate of 21.71% of the Company's shares. They had first issued Purported Notices under Section 177 of the Companies Act 1967 - on 30 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 - to remove the 5 directors at a physical EGM that was first called to be held on 1 November 2022 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.Kitchen Culture had responded that the Purported Notices were defective and that any resolution passed at the 1 November 2022 EGM would be invalid. The Requisitioners then published the 3 November 2022 newspaper advertisement and engaged in legal correspondence with the Company's lawyers."The Company will not be publishing as an announcement the Second Concatenation Purported Notice of EGM, and the Company cannot proceed and will not be proceeding with the Second Intended EGM purportedly called for by the Relevant Shareholders (i.e. the Requisitioners). If the Second Intended EGM is attempted to be held, and any resolution purportedly passed at such Second Intended EGM, would be invalid. In any case, the Company advises shareholders not to attend the Second Intended EGM purportedly called for on 25 November 2022", Kitchen Culture said.Kitchen Culture shares have been suspended from trading since July 2021. Its Board has seen several changes since the involvement of OOWAY in October 2020. Issued by:Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd.9 Raffles Place, #52-02, Republic PlazaSingapore 048619 Tel: +65 6471 6776, Fax: +65 6472 6776Media & Investor Contact Whatsapp (Text): +65 9748 0688 kitchenculture@wer1.netThis press release has been reviewed by the Company's sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the "Sponsor"). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the "SGX-ST") and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release.The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Lee Khai Yinn (Tel +65 6232 3210), at 1 Robinson Road, #21-00 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542. Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Kitchen Culture Seeking Legal Advice on Validity of New Purported Notice to Remove 5 Directors; Urges Shareholders Not to Accept Notices or Proxy Forms Unquestioningly

SINGAPORE, Nov 3, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. ("Kitchen Culture" or the "Company") said today it will seek fresh legal advice on the validity of a letter from a law firm and fresh notice received by a group of 8 shareholders ("requisitioners") seeking to remove 5 of 6 directors via an Extraordinary General Meeting ("Second Intended EGM") proposed for 25 November 2022.The directors of SGX Catalist-listed provider of solutions and products for kitchens and wardrobes received the new notice ("Second Concatenation Purported Notice") as well as a lawyer's letter yesterday. The requisitioners also published an advertisement for the Second Concatenation Purported Notice in The Business Times today.OOWAY Group Ltd. ("OOWAY") - the Company's largest shareholder - and 7 individuals who own an aggregate of 21.71% of the Company's shares had issued Purported Notices under Section 177 of the Companies Act 1967 - on 30 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 - to remove the 5 directors. Kitchen Culture responded that the Purported Notices were defective and that any resolution passed on 1 November 2022 would be invalid.Kitchen Culture's Board, with the exception of Madam Hao Dongting, has said that there are no grounds to justify the resignations of the 5 directors - Mr Lim Wee Li (Executive Director), Mr Lau Kay Heng (Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chairman), and 3 Independent Directors, Mr Ang Lian Kiat, Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Peter Lim King Soon.Mr Lau Kay Heng and Mr Peter Lim King Soon were named as new directors to on 15 July 2022, the same day that Mr Lincoln Teo, an OOWAY representative and former Interim CEO of Kitchen Culture, ceased to be Executive Director. The Company stressed that OOWAY had in fact supported the re-appointments of Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Ang Lian Kiat at the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2022.Addressing the letter and notices received yesterday from a law firm, which did not confirm for whom they were acting, Kitchen Culture said:- The undated Second Concatenation Purported Notice contained resolutions for the proposed for Second Intended EGM scheduled for 25 November 2022 that were substantially similar to those proposed for the 1 November 2022 EGM that was 'postponed'. Yet it made no mention nor explained the so-called 'postponement' advertised by requisitioners on 29 October 2022 in The Business Times despite having issued a press release on 24 October 2022 urging shareholders to attend;- As the above documents gave notice of the "Second Intended EGM" "to be convened and held only be electronic means" on 25 November 2022, it remains unclear if requisitioners have detracted from the "postponed" 1 November 2022 EGM which they had earlier urged shareholders to attend;- The letter received from the law firm failed to explain how 2 earlier notices filed by requisitioners ahead of the earlier EGM (1 November 2022) can be "reissued" as a "composite" in the form of the Second Concatenation Purported Notice to call for the Second Intended EGM; and- The requisitioners did not confirm whether the requisitioners regard the Second Intended EGM to be in anyway connected with the 1 November 2022 EGM that was called off.The Company will seek to communicate with the requisitioners to minimise, if not to clear up, the confusion among shareholders which might have been caused by the requisitioners' actions or by the documents or omissions contained in the documents received yesterday.Kitchen Culture urged shareholders in the meantime "NOT to accept unquestioningly the Second Concatenation Purported Notice of EGM or its related Proxy Form, or the validity the Second Intended EGM. Instead, they should await further announcements of the Company to give updates on this subject." Kitchen Culture shares have been suspended from trading since July 2021. Its Board has seen several changes since the involvement of OOWAY in October 2020.Issued by:Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd.9 Raffles Place, #52-02, Republic PlazaSingapore 048619 Tel: +65 6471 6776, Fax: +65 6472 6776Media & Investor Contact Whatsapp (Text): +65 9748 0688 kitchenculture@wer1.netThis press release has been reviewed by the Company's sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the "Sponsor"). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the "SGX-ST") and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release.The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Lee Khai Yinn (Tel +65 6232 3210), at 1 Robinson Road, #21-00 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542.Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. [SGX: 5TI] [BBG: KCH:SP] [RIC: KCHL.SI] https://kcholdings.com.sg Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Yeahka Announces 2022 Interim Results

HONG KONG, Aug 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Yeahka Limited ("Yeahka" or the "Company", Stock Code: 9923), a leading payment-based technology platform in China, is pleased to announce the interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 (the "period" or "1H 2022").Financial Highlights-- During the period, the Company's total revenue reached RMB1,641.8 million, representing a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 17.1%. -- Gross profit during the period rose 52.1% YoY to RMB529.3 million, gross margin increased from 24.8% to 32.2%, gross profit contribution from non-payment business was 50%.-- Adjusted EBITDA amounted to RMB69.7million, increased by 39.7% compared with the second half of 2021.-- Gross profit of in-store e-commerce services reached RMB92.3million, gross margin reached 57.1%, increased by 76.9% and 6.6 percentage points respectively, compared with the second half of 2021.Operational HighlightsNumber of users and scale of one-stop payment services continued to grow:-- Total gross payment value ("GPV") of the payment services reached RMB1.06 trillion, up 7.4% YoY;-- The number of active payment service merchants increased 24.1% YoY to a historical high of 7.6 million;-- The number of cities covered exceeded 300 nationwide;-- The number of partnership banks increased to nearly 100; the number of independent sales agents in our network reached nearly 16,000; and the number of application programming interface (API) partners on our cloud payment platform exceeded 3,000.In-store e-commerce services grew rapidly and achieved significant results:-- Total gross merchandise value ("GMV") was nearly RMB1.4 billion, up 17.9 times YoY, and 3.2 times compared with the second half of 2021;-- The number of monthly active users ("MAU") reached 19.0 million; -- The number of paying consumers reached nearly 9.7 million, increasing by 578.9% YoY and 136.0% from the second half of 2021;-- Stock keep units (SKU) reached over 205,300, up 1,570.2% YoY and 39.6% from the second half of 2021;-- Number of regional sites exceeded 300.Steady growth for merchant solutions:-- Number of active merchant solutions merchants increased by 25.8% YoY to nearly 1.5 million.Mr. Luke Liu, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Company, said, "The resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic has made 1H 2022 challenging by slowing down retail sales growth of consumer goods, and significantly disrupting offline commerce. But for us, because of our broad coverage across over 300 cities and low geographic concentration, we continued to make progress in scaling up and monetizing our commercial digitalized ecosystem. We have been proactively adapting to the new norm in China's internet industry, by being more cost cautious and profitability-driven, which has been demonstrated by our financial performance in the first half - total revenue and gross margin both showed encouraging improvement year over year("YoY"), particularly with gross profit increasing 52.1% to RMB529.3 million, gross margin improving by 7.4 percentage points on a YoY basis, and adjusted EBITDA reaching RMB69.7 million during the period, increasing by 39.7% compared with the second half of 2021."We firmly believe that fast-tracking development in the local lifestyle market brings significant real and quantifiable value to consumers and merchants, because consumers can find intriguing experiences and receive actual discount by using our services, and merchants can boost their revenue and name recognition through our concentrated traffic during a short timeframe. The in-store e-commerce business has experienced strong growth in GMV, with MAU exceeding 19.0 million during 1H 2022, coupled with our effective operations optimization, we have significantly narrowed its loss. Going forward, we will continue to focus on creating user value, driving technology innovation, and taking more social responsibility."Also, with confidence in Yeahka's fundamentals and future strategies, we have purchased a total of 25,533,600 shares of the Company through the restricted share unit scheme, accounting for 5.65% of total shares outstanding. Moreover, on 30 August 2022, we announced an additional US$70 million share purchase scheme, reflecting our continued confidence in Yeahka's growth potential."OutlookOn one-stop payment services, Yeahka will continue to strengthen its sales network, particularly Open-API SaaS partnerships and bank partnerships. Yeahka will also look to embrace new payment standards such as DC/EP. On in-store e-commerce services, Yeahka will put utmost emphasis on improving user experience and focus on narrowing loss, as it is constantly optimizing its cost structure and operating efficiencies. Based on the strong results in the past few months, Yeahka is confident that it will continue to realize tremendous growth in GMV and increase market share. On merchant solutions, leveraging its strong payment merchant network, Yeahka will continue to empower merchants on optimizing digitalized operations and enhancing efficiency. Yeahka has raised US$70 million in July 2022 to strengthen its offshore balance sheet, and will explore overseas opportunities as cross-border travel gradually become available in China.Overall, empowering the real economy and creating values for merchants and consumers has always been Yeahka's core values since its inception in 2011. As Yeahka enters the second half of 2022, the Company may still face challenges from pandemic-driven weakened consumption environment. However, as it has demonstrated with its operating results in 1H 2022, Yeahka will continue to navigate through difficult times, capitalize on the data and traffic in its ecosystem and achieve healthy growth. Yeahka will continue to invest in research and development, enrich its product mix, enhance user experience, increase diversified revenue streams, extend business boundaries, and create sustainable value for shareholders, employees, and society.About YEAHKA LIMITED (Stock Code: 9923.HK)Yeahka is a leading payment-based technology platform dedicated to creating value for merchants and consumers. Our goal is to build an independent and scalable commercial digitalized ecosystem to enable seamless, convenient, and reliable payment services to merchants and consumers, and to further expand into serving merchants and consumers with our diversified product portfolio, which now includes (i) in-store e-commerce services, providing consumers with local lifestyle services of great value, and (ii) merchant solutions, enabling merchants to better manage and drive business growth.Investor and media enquiry:Yeahka LimitedIR teamEmail: ir@yeahka.com Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Another double podium for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

TOKYO, Aug 22, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has scored another double podium finish at Ypres Rally Belgium as Elfyn Evans finished just five seconds away from victory in second position with Esapekka Lappi in third.In their second time hosting a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the farmland roads of the West Flanders region again lived up to their historic reputation as one of rallying's most demanding asphalt tests with frequent surface changes and little margin for error.Kalle Rovanpera was one of many drivers to be caught out when he rolled on Friday morning's second stage: a first significant setback in what has been an outstanding season so far from the young Finn. An extensive rebuild of his car by the team's technicians allowed Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen to return under restart rules the next day and target points in the rally-ending Power Stage over the famous cobbled climb of the Kemmelberg. There they set the fastest time to leave Belgium with their championship lead still a commanding one at 72 points with four rounds remaining.Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin took over the lead when Rovanpera dropped out, but a slow puncture that compromised their tyre strategy and a 10-second penalty for arriving late to one stage meant they ended Friday third overall and 13.7 seconds from the lead. Having fought back on Saturday and gained second overall, Evans continued to close the gap to the leader Ott Tanak with two stage wins on the final morning, but just fell short in the end.Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm scored their third podium from six starts and second in as many weeks with a superbly consistent and clean weekend on a rally where their only previous experience came eight years ago, having already had top-four pace from the start. The result ensures TGR still has a strong lead of 88 points in the manufacturers' championship.Takamoto Katsuta recovered from an issue on Friday morning to finish fifth in his TGR WRT Next Generation entry with co-driver Aaron Johnston, and is now the only driver to have finished every rally in the top 10 this season.The public debut of the innovative GR Yaris H2 concept took place on the stages in Belgium, and was completed by Toyota rally legend Juha Kankkunen driving the Power Stage ahead of the competitive field in the hydrogen-fuelled car, running on Pirelli tyres. After driving the GR Yaris H2 himself on Saturday, Team Founder Akio Toyoda had the chance to ride alongside Kankkunen on the most varied stage of the weekend before greeting his drivers at the podium.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2022/rd09-day3/. Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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“第二城市”，即将推出连接现实和虚拟世界无限可能性的元宇宙游戏

SEOUL, S.KOREA, Apr 20, 2022 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - (株)D-Master表示多年准备的元宇宙项目"第二城市"将于5月中进行测试。"第二城市"元宇宙的意义是从创造一个真正的虚拟和现实相结合的想法开始的。不单纯的游戏，而是要反映现实的元宇宙世界，才能让玩家获得无限的自由度和可能性。此外，"第二城市"在5月中测试前， "Token Incity Token Air Drop" 活动从2022年4月11日到5月9日。而且，到5月25日为止，将在活动参与者中抽取"第二城市"内的土地NFT进行Air Drop。"第二城市"之前没有向外界公布元宇宙开发的消息，一直隐藏着神秘的面纱。直到目前即将来临的5月提前测试活动、土地NFT Minting活动、以及6月的公开测试，才通过开设telegram官方社区及活动、在官方YouTube频道上传开发日记视频等，在向外界宣传信息并进行交流。"第二城市"Louis Kim代表强调："现在终于到宣传我们打造的元宇宙'第二城市'的时间了，很多人将在"第二城市"内体验跨越现实和虚拟的经验。"在"第二城市"内可以用自己的土地NFT开采CITY代币，在土地上建造建筑物，建筑物的结构可以将各层制作成市迷你世界或开放形态使用。例如1楼是开放型，2楼 通过电梯可以进入迷你世界的结构建造建筑物。因为每个楼层可以设定出入者的权限，所以租赁、公司运营、内容事业等，想象的一切都可以通过Unity来开发经营。另外，与其他元宇宙不同的是"第二城市"游戏商业系统具有批发功能。各种创作者可以制作属于自己的项目，或者可以通过NFT化进行交易。因此预计随着这些全世界多彩多样的创作者们可以在"第二城市"内宣传自己的创作作品并进行交易，生产经济体系也将逐渐形成。在"第二城市"也存在着地铁及机场，我们可以像现实世界一样移动到遥远的地区或在移动到其他城市的时候使用。在这个时间播放简短而简单的广告视频，游戏中与现实一样也会形成流动人口。另外，还可以为观看简短广告的用户提供奖励。据说，这些奖励系统会使"第二城市"本身作为元宇宙，将成为与用户融为一体的广告媒体。接着，可以通过幻想乐园、狩猎、宠物系统，可以解决游戏玩家对玩游戏的欲望。 各式各样的开发者制作幻想乐园并上传到"第二城市"的话，开发者可以获得收益，用户可以享受更多的游戏，也可以通过在游戏的市政府为市场和人力进行投票，将吸引活动等的权限交给用户，还可以通过搭载workflow功能的社交系统进行线上线下沟通。"第二城市"日后将分步公开代币经济及生态系统信息。官网 https://secondcity.io/index_chiMedia ContactBrand: Second CityContact: Louis KimEmail: admin@secondcity.ioPhone: +821028485848Website: https://secondcity.io/SOURCE: Second City Copyright 2022 亚太商讯. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Tennis: Britain beat Czechs to reach quarter-finals; Germany, Croatia through

PARIS (AFP) - Britain booked their place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a come-from-behind victory over the Czech Republic on Sunday (Nov 28), while Germany, Kazakhstan and Croatia also reached the last eight. Dan Evans' surprise 6-2, 7-5 loss to world number 143 Tomas Machac left Britain needing to fight back to secure a second straight win and take top spot in Group C. But Cameron Norrie overcame a second-set blip to see off Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, before Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski teamed up to beat Machac and Jiri Vesely 6-4, 6-2 in Innsbruck. "It's great. Today was tough. A lot of people look at the rankings but it's never like that," British captain Leon Smith, whose side will next play Germany on Tuesday, told the BBC. "We've been underdogs and managed to get wins. The Czech team played well - very young team. Machac turned into a top 20 player overnight!" The ties in Austria are being played behind closed doors due to new coronavirus restrictions in the country. France, after winning against the Czechs and losing to Britain, are out of the tournament. Germany backed up their shock victory over Novak Djokovic's Serbia by fighting back to edge out hosts Austria and go through as Group F winners. Serbia had to settle for second place and must now wait to see if they progress as one of the two best runners-up. Dominik Koepfer lost 6-1, 7-5 to Jurij Rodionov to put the Germans in trouble, but Jan-Lennard Struff levelled the tie by cruising past Dennis Novak 7-5, 6-4. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz completed the job in the doubles, as they did against Djokovic and Serbia on Saturday, winning 6-3, 6-4 against Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald. Angry crowd Croatia just needed to win one rubber against Hungary to wrap up first place in Group D and the 242nd-ranked Nino Serdarusic did just that in the opening match against Fabian Marozsan in Turin. His 6-4, 6-4 success helped avoid a nervy finish to the tie for the two-time winners, as Marin Cilic lost the second singles 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to impressive Hungarian youngster Zsombor Piros. Kazakhstan also moved into the knockout stage by downing 2019 runners-up Canada in Madrid. The tournament was postponed last year because of the Covid pandemic. Kazakhstan, who beat Sweden on Saturday, emerged victorious again thanks to singles wins for Mikhail Kukushkin and Alexander Bublik, over Brayden Schnur and Vasek Pospisil respectively. Bublik drew the ire of the Spanish crowd for delivering an underarm serve at 4-4 in the second set, but that only seemed to spur him on. "As one legend says, when you go to sleep guys, know that I won because of you," he said to the crowd, referring to US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. Later on Sunday, the Russian Tennis Federation, the favourites for the title, take on depleted reigning champions Spain in a winner-takes-all encounter. Italy became the first team to make the quarters on Saturday and will face Croatia in Turin on Monday.

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Football: Man City up to second in Premier League as Leicester make Ranieri suffer

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City beat West Ham 2-1 in swirling snow on Sunday (Nov 28) to return to second in the Premier League and Watford manager Claudio Ranieri endured a miserable return to Leicester. Free-scoring Liverpool laid down the gauntlet by hammering Southampton 4-0 the previous day to move to within one point of leaders Chelsea, who host Manchester United in Sunday's late kick-off. But reigning champions City stayed in close touch with victory at home to high-flying West Ham as the Premier League increasingly resembles a three-horse race. Riyad Mahrez had a strike ruled out for offside at the Etihad but the hosts eventually claimed the lead shortly after the half-hour mark when a Mahrez ball into the box was deflected into the path of Ilkay Gundogan, handing the German a simple finish. Declan Rice forced a good save from Ederson as West Ham threatened late on but substitute Fernandinho made it 2-0 to City in the closing minutes. Manuel Lanzini pulled one back but it was not enough for David Moyes's team to avoid a second successive defeat. Leicester's Jamie Vardy reminded Ranieri of his enduring quality even in his mid-30s, scoring twice at the King Power Stadium in a 4-2 win against Watford. Ranieri, who famously won the Premier League title with unfancied Leicester in 2016, received a rapturous reception on his emotional first return to the stadium as an opposition manager since leaving the club early the following year. Midfielder James Maddison gave Leicester an early lead when he capitalised on a mistake by William Troost-Ekong, only for Josh King to level from the penalty spot in the 30th minute after Wilfred Ndidi brought down Emmanuel Dennis in the area. Leicester regained the lead four minutes later when Vardy lifted the ball over goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann from an angle and the former England striker grabbed his second three minutes before the break when he glanced in Maddison's corner. Dennis pulled a goal back just after the hour when he robbed Timothy Castagne to race through and chip over Kasper Schmeichel but Ademola Lookman scored from close range to restore the home side's two-goal cushion. Brentford heaped the pressure on Rafael Benitez by beating Everton 1-0 to secure their first Premier League win since early October, courtesy of a first-half penalty from Ivan Toney. Everton have now taken just two points from their past seven league matches and are sinking fast. The game between Burnley and Tottenham was called off a little under an hour before kick-off because of heavy snow at Turf Moor in northwest England. Attempts to clear the pitch proved in vain as the undersoil heating struggled to cope and snow fell as quickly as it could be removed. Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for a place on the bench as temporary Manchester United boss Michael Carrick made four changes to their starting XI to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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Football: Irresistible Liverpool thrash Arsenal 4-0 to go second

LIVERPOOL (REUTERS) - Imperious Liverpool extended their Premier League home winning streak against Arsenal to six on Saturday (Nov 20) with an easy 4-0 victory that lifted them to second in the table. Sadio Mane met a perfect free kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 39th minute to plant a header across Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for Liverpool's opening goal. Ramsdale produced a string of spectacular saves to keep Juergen Klopp's silky strikers at bay. But he could do nothing to stop Diogo Jota skipping past him in the 52nd minute after a dreadful misplaced pass from Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares. Inevitably, Mohamed Salah got in on the act with a close-range volley from a Mane cross in the 73rd minute, before Takumi Minamino came off the bench to turn in a cross from Alexander-Arnold with his first touch in the 77th. Arsenal showed a few flashes of resistance and attacking spirit in the first half - not least from manager Mikel Arteta who squared up angrily with Klopp over a foul in an ugly touch-line exchange that earned both yellow cards. But Liverpool totally deserved the victory and it could have been even bigger were it not for England international Ramsdale. The win put Liverpool on 25 points, four points behind leaders Chelsea after 12 games. Arsenal are fifth on 20. 'All over them' Right-back Alexander-Arnold was delighted with his double assist and Liverpool's improvement after defeat at West Ham United in their last Premier League outing. "A team of our quality shouldn't be losing games. We bounced back today in the best way we could. A very good performance. It was exactly what we needed," he said, singling out Liverpool's pressing and fluency after halftime. "We were all over them, they were just seeing red blurs all over the place, and that's exactly what we wanted to do. That second half was outstanding." Arsenal did put the ball in the net in the first half but Alexandre Lacazette's effort was offside. Arsenal have not beaten Liverpool away in the Premier League for nine years, conceding at least three goals in the last half dozen defeats. "It's one of the toughest places if not the toughest to come," said Ramsdale. "We made mistakes but that's life and football. We got punished and that's what the top teams do."

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Tennis: Muguruza wins all-Spanish clash with Badosa at WTA Finals

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO (REUTERS) - Garbine Muguruza advanced to the championship match of the WTA Finals with a 6-3 6-3 win over fellow Spaniard Paula Badosa in Guadalajara, Mexico on Tuesday (Nov 16). In their first career meeting, Muguruza's superior firepower put Badosa on the back foot from the outset and she broke the Indian Wells champion for a second time with a forehand winner to take the first set. Badosa's frustration boiled over during the change over and she was unable to hold serve in the lengthy second game of the second set, giving the former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion another early break. Muguruza fended off Badosa's three break point chances in an 11-minute third game to take a 3-0 lead and rolled on from there, firing an ace to go up 5-2 and sealing the win when Badosa hit a backhand into the net on match point. Muguruza, who will end the year ranked world number three, will face either Maria Sakkari of Greece or Estonian Anett Kontaveit, who play later on Tuesday, in Wednesday's final. The season-ending WTA Finals were not held last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and were originally scheduled to take place in Shenzhen before being moved because of pandemic-related travel restrictions in China. More on this topic   Related Story Tennis: Medvedev edges Zverev in ATP Finals thriller   Related Story Tennis: Djokovic is the 'GOAT' for Sampras

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Formula One: ‘Angry’ Wolff demands review of Verstappen incident in Brazil

PARIS (AFP) - Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said "diplomacy" had ended as he demanded on Tuesday (Nov 16) a review of an incident from last weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix when Red Bull's Max Verstappen appeared to force Lewis Hamilton off the track. Mercedes are convinced that Verstappen, then leading the race, defended too aggressively on a corner during the 48th lap as title rival Hamilton was attempting to overtake him. The defending champion Hamilton was driven off the track but stewards decided at the time to take no action against the Dutchman. "I've always been very diplomatic in how I discuss things. But diplomacy has ended today," said Wolff. Mercedes now believe they have fresh, incriminating evidence in the shape of footage from on board Verstappen's car, which may suggest a voluntary swerve from the driver. Wolff complained the absence of any punishment for Verstappen was unfair, especially in light of the penalty handed out to Hamilton earlier in the weekend. The seven-time world champion was disqualified from qualifying and relegated to the back of the grid after stewards upheld a Red Bull complaint his DRS system (the flap mounted on the rear wing of the car which opens to gain top speed) exceeded allowed limits. "We've just had many, many punches in the face this weekend with decisions that could have swung either side, against us or for us," said Wolff. "When always the decisions swing against you, it's just something that I'm just angry about." Hamilton eventually won the race at Interlagos in one of his greatest drives after starting from 10th on the grid. Championship leader Verstappen was second, just ahead of Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes, and with three races of the season remaining holds a narrow 14-point lead. More on this topic   Related Story In the Driver's Seat: Stewards' decisions baffle at Sao Paulo Grand Prix   Related Story Formula One: Hamilton wins in Brazil after all-time great drive, Verstappen second

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Tennis: Kontaveit crushes Pliskova to reach semis at WTA Finals

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO (REUTERS) - Estonian Anett Kontaveit handed Czech Karolina Pliskova a 6-4 6-0 drubbing to become the first player to qualify for the semi-finals at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara on Friday (Nov 12). The number eight seed dominated the round-robin stage match and closed out the opener with a drop shot to break Pliskova's serve, having saved three break points in the third game. The third-seeded Czech could not get a foothold in the second set as Kontaveit dropped only one first-serve point, while Pliskova struggled with her second serve. It was Kontaveit's first win in four meetings with Pliskova. The WTA Finals divides the players into two groups of four, with each player competing in three matches. The top two from each group advance to the semi-finals. Kontaveit beat world number three and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova on Wednesday and is now guaranteed to finish in the top two in the group. She came into the match on a career-best 11-match winning streak, having won the Transylvania Open and Kremlin Cup while reaching the quarter-finals at Indian Wells last month. The Estonian has 28 wins in her last 30 matches. The evening session will see Czech second-seed Krejcikova take on Spanish sixth-seed Garbine Muguruza. More on this topic   Related Story Tennis: Sakkari overpowers Swiatek at WTA Finals   Related Story Tennis: Kontaveit beats Krejcikova to kick off WTA Finals

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Football: Inter go second with comfortable Champions League win at Sheriff

TIRASPOL (REUTERS) - A ruthless second-half performance earned Inter Milan a comfortable 3-1 win away to Sheriff Tiraspol on Wednesday (Nov 3) to send them above the Moldovan debutants into second place in Group D. Inter were left frustrated as they mustered 14 attempts to no avail before the break, but the hosts' resistance eventually broke when Marcelo Brozovic fired home early in the second half. Milan Skriniar doubled the Nerazzurri's lead before substitute Alexis Sanchez powered home a third within a minute of his introduction, and Adama Traore headed in a stoppage-time consolation for Sheriff. "Now the qualification is in our hands, we are second and we knew we had to win both games against Sheriff. We were good, there are no easy games and the guys were good and lucid," Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. Inter climbed into second spot on seven points, one ahead of Sheriff in third and six clear of bottom side Shakhtar Donetsk, but two points adrift of group leaders Real Madrid. "We are masters of our destiny now. The only thing that mattered was to win today, we played well and conceded very little to Sheriff. We are all happy," Brozovic said. "During the break the coach told us that we had to have more patience and play the ball with more pace, explaining that we would have scored 100%." Sheriff began their maiden Champions League campaign by sensationally beating Shakhtar and Real before losing to Inter at San Siro, making this an unexpectedly crucial clash in the battle for a place in the knockout stages. Inter dominated the first half, boasting 67% possession and having 14 attempts on goal, although only one found the target as they failed to break down the resilient hosts. Edin Dzeko headed wide from a corner and later had an effort well saved by Giorgios Athanasiadis, while Lautaro Martinez came close five minutes before the interval when his shot from the edge of the area struck the post. Sheriff's resistance broke in the 54th minute when Brozovic feigned a shot with his left foot at the edge of the area before dragging the ball back to his favoured right and shooting into the bottom corner. Inter's corner kicks had caused problems for the Sheriff defence and were the source of the second goal, with Stefan de Vrij heading a delivery straight at Athanasiadis before Skriniar tucked in the rebound at the second time of asking. More on this topic   Related Story Football: Slick Man City close to Champions League last 16 place after Brugge rout   Related Story Football: Liverpool into Champions League last 16 with win over Atletico Sanchez needed less than a minute to make his mark after being introduced on the 82nd minute, thumping a powerful strike into the roof of the net for his first Champions League goal since February, 2017. The home crowd, who had little cause for excitement all evening, were finally given something to cheer at the death when Traore headed home a Sebastien Thill cross. More on this topic   Related Story Football: Benzema double carries sloppy Real to Champions League win over Shakhtar   Related Story Football: Leipzig frustrate PSG with last-gasp equaliser in Champions League

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Football: Messi muted as 10-man PSG draw with Marseille

PARIS (AFP) - Lionel Messi was kept quiet as 10-man Paris Saint-Germain settled for a 0-0 draw with bitter rivals Marseille in a heated atmosphere in Ligue 1 on Sunday (Oct 24). The meeting of French football's biggest rivals was briefly held up on more than one occasion as objects were thrown from the stands when PSG players went to take corner kicks. There was another interruption in the second half when one young man invaded the pitch and approached Messi before being escorted off by a legion of security staff. It was that sort of night for PSG, who could not get into their stride and were reduced to 10 men when Achraf Hakimi was sent off in the second half following a VAR review for a last-man challenge on Cengiz Under just outside the box. The game was also marked by two goals that were disallowed in the first half for tight VAR offside decisions, one an own-goal by Marseille defender Luan Peres and another at the opposite end from Arkadiusz Milik. It is a perfectly acceptable result for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who have lost just one of their opening 11 matches in Ligue 1 and are seven points clear at the top from Lens in second. However, the performance of PSG's attacking superstars will again come in for scrutiny. Pochettino selected Messi, Neymar and Angel Di Maria in a line of three behind Kylian Mbappe but that quartet was kept quiet for most of the game by a hard-working Marseille side. Messi was coming up against Jorge Sampaoli, who coached the six-time Ballon d'Or winner at the 2018 World Cup when in charge of Argentine, and who is now on the Marseille bench. The former Barcelona man scored twice for the Qatar-owned club in their 3-2 midweek win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League, but here he rarely looked finding the net. A close-range header that was tipped over by home goalkeeper Pau Lopez in the first half was the closest Messi came. All of his three goals in a PSG shirt have come in the Champions League, while he is yet to score in the French league, even if this was just his fourth Ligue 1 appearance. Hakimi sent off The visitors, who were deprived of any travelling support amid concerns about potential crowd disorder, thought they had gone in front in the 14th minute. Neymar's ball across goal looking for Mbappe was turned into his own net by Peres, but the goal was disallowed for an offside against the world's most expensive player. Milik then had a goal at the other end ruled out midway through the first half. More on this topic   Related Story Football: Messi and Mbappe lead PSG to Champions League victory against Leipzig   Related Story Football: PSG scrape Ligue 1 victory over Angers with late Mbappe penalty The Polish striker controlled a low ball into the box from the right and fired in but the goal did not stand because Pol Lirola was just offside before crossing. PSG lost Marco Verratti to injury just before half-time and had Hakimi sent off in the 57th minute for shoving over Under, a yellow card upgraded to red after another VAR review. Di Maria was sacrificed to allow Pochettino to send on another defender and Marseille had chances, with Valentin Rongier and substitute Konrad de la Fuente both missing from close range. Mbappe was denied by a brilliant William Saliba challenge at the other end, and Marseille are fourth with a game in hand. Earlier Lens beat Metz 4-1 to stay second, with Wesley Said scoring twice, while Nice are third after coming from two goals down to beat Lyon 3-2. Karl Toko-Ekambi gave Lyon the lead and Houssem Aouar doubled the away side's advantage. Youcef Atal got one back for Nice with nine minutes left before Lyon had Tino Kadewere sent off. Andy Delort equalised with a penalty in the 89th minute and 20-year-old forward Evann Guessand won it in stoppage time for the home team. There were also wins for Monaco, Rennes and Troyes.

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Football: Kane ends goal drought as Spurs beat Newcastle

NEWCASTLE (REUTERS) - Harry Kane scored his first Premier League goal of the season as Tottenham Hotspur overcame Newcastle United 3-2 at St James' Park on Sunday (Oct 17) to prolong the hosts' winless run in a match that was briefly halted after a fan collapsed in the crowd. Newcastle, spurred on by a buoyant atmosphere in their first game since being taken over by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium, flew out of the traps and went ahead after just 108 seconds when Callum Wilson headed in from a Javi Manquillo cross. But the bright start soon fizzled out as Spurs hit back in the 17th minute through Tanguy Ndombele, who lashed home from the edge of the box after being played in by Sergio Reguilon. Kane gave Spurs the lead five minutes later, scoring with a smart dink following an excellent ball from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Play was suspended for nearly 25 minutes just before halftime after a fan collapsed in the East Stand of the ground. Newcastle said that the supporter's condition had been stabilised and they were on their way to hospital. Son Heung-min added a third from close range in first-half stoppage time before Newcastle were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Jonjo Shelvey saw red for a second booking. An own-goal from Eric Dier set up a tense finish but Spurs held on. Spurs moved up to fifth in the standings with 15 points from eight games. Newcastle are second from bottom with three points. More on this topic   Related Story Football: Kane scores twice on first start of season for Tottenham   Related Story Football: Harry Kane confirms he will stay at Spurs, quelling talk over Man City move

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