Serena sent crashing by Russian Petrova

World number one-elect Serena Williams has crashed out of the China Open, beaten in three sets by Russian Nadia Petrova just two days after reclaiming the top position. Second seed Williams battled back several times but was unable to overcome the 13th seed, who reached the quarterfinals 6-4 3-6 7-6 in Beijing

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Bolt wins again as Isinbayeva sets new record

Sprint king Usain Bolt overcame a slow start to beat fellow-Jamaican Asafa Powell in the 100 meters at the Golden League meeting in Zurich, while Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva banished her Berlin World Championships blues by setting a new world record of 5.06 metres. Bolt, who set new world records in both the 100m and 200m in the German capital, was trailing Powell with 25 meters to go before switching on the afterburners to ensure victory in a time of 9.81 seconds, with Powell 0.07 seconds behind.

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Bolt claims third gold in Jamaican relay win

Usain Bolt completed his hat-trick of sprint titles at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin as he helped the all-conquering Jamaican side power to victory in the men’s 4x100m relay final. Bolt ran the third leg, handing off to individual bronze medallist Asafa Powell, as Olympic champions Jamaica took gold in a new championship record of 37.31 seconds. Jamaica had rested Bolt and Powell in the heats and were always red-hot favorites to win

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Abuse highlights China’s Web addict camps

A 14-year-old boy allegedly beaten at a boot camp in China for young Internet addicts was in critical condition Thursday, less than three weeks after a youth at a different camp died, Chinese state media reported. Internet use has skyrocketed in China, especially among teens

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China vs. Rio Tinto Execs: Why Confrontation Isn’t Over

When the Chinese government announced earlier this week the formal arrest of four Shanghai-based executives of global mining giant Rio Tinto — one Australian citizen and three Chinese nationals — it seemed a deliberate ratcheting down of a case that had stunned foreign investors in the country. After all, Beijing had effectively dropped the case’s most ominous element: the charge that Rio’s Stern Hu and his three colleagues had allegedly stolen “state secrets,” in part by bribing executives of Chinese steel companies, who are Rio’s largest buyers of iron ore. Under a state-secrets charge, the four men faced the prospect of a secret trial and the possibility of lifetime sentences

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Bolt – I want to emulate Owens in Berlin

Triple Olympic champion and world 100m record holder Usain Bolt has said he wants to emulate the great Jesse Owens at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin. Owens famously won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and Jamaican Bolt is aiming to follow the American legend’s lead by claiming gold in the 100m and 200m as well as the 100m relay. Speaking on the eve of the championships, Bolt told reporters: “This is going to be a huge week.

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Swine-Flu Control: China Quarantines Come Under Scrutiny

As swine flu continues to infect people around the world, governments are weighing measures like school closures and travel restrictions to dampen its effects. But no country has gone as far as China, where thousands of people who have come into contact with the disease have been quarantined. Beijing says that such aggressive steps will help slow the H1N1 pandemic, which has killed 816 people worldwide since emerging this spring in Mexico.

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Olympic hopeful opens brothel to pay for training

A cash-strapped Olympic hopeful in New Zealand says he has been forced to open a brothel to fund his bid for taekwondo glory in 2012, but officials say his entry into the sex trade could mean his exit from international sport. Logan Campbell, who represented his country in Beijing last year, says without the financial injection from his “gentlemen’s club” he will be unable to continue his intensive training for the London Games

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