Sonay Kartal, the British player who defeated world number five Mirra Andreeva to reach the China Open quarter-finals, took the biggest blow of her career.
In a thrilling battle that spanned two hours and 25 minutes, the British number four defeated the Russian 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.
Kartal’s victory against a player in the top 10 marks her first appearance in the final eight of a WTA 1000 competition.
Andrea is a top-10 player for a very good reason, Kartal said.
She gave me my best tennis today, so I’m grateful for it, but I’m so happy with what I did.
Meanwhile, American 16th seed Emma Navarro shocked world number two Iga Swiatek toppled her.
Kartal, 23, fought off the fourth seed in the first set from her stand-alone break point.
Andreeva dominated the second set, breaking twice as Kartal struggled to get a first serve percentage of 60%.
Kartal, the 81-year-old world number, showed resilience in the third set as Andreeva struggled to sustain her momentum.
Kartal had a second chance after failing to take match point when Andreeva fired wide.
We all need to stay warm and comfortable during the wintertime without paying high energy bills, and this expert may have a cheap solution.
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Expert offers £23 hack for better sleep this autumn without the heating on(Image: Getty)
Many of us are resisting the urge to turn on the heating because it is autumn and the energy price cap is set to go into effect starting in October, which can make getting a good night’s sleep challenging. Sleeping can be challenging if it’s too cold, but putting on too many layers can make you feel too hot in the middle of the night.
Phoebe Street, the brand marketing manager and sleep expert at Pretty You London, comes in handy because she has a lot of advice for better sleep as the nights get colder without turning on the heating. Additionally, one item includes an inexpensive $ 23 purchase from Amazon.
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While it may seem tempting to turn up the heating and open all the windows, research has shown that cooler bedrooms actually encourage better sleep. Generally speaking, nod off is at between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.
The solution? Keep your bedroom cool while maintaining your body temperature. Before hitting the hay, Phoe recommends first inputting hot water into your bed or using an electric blanket for ten minutes. This helps you relax and warm your sheets without making your bed too hot at night due to the overheating environment.
Given that it has low running costs and an affordable price tag, this Cozytek Single Electric Blanket might be just the thing. This electric blanket adds an extra layer of warmth for cold nights thanks to its soft, luxurious polyester construction. A soft polyester finish and ultra-thin wires give it a comfortable night’s sleep.
Additionally, according to the current UK Energy Tariff, this electric blanket can run for as little as 2p per hour.
The Cozytek heated blanket quickly heats up and offers three different heat settings to help you choose the ideal body temperature. This will help you get a comfortable night’s sleep. Our small electric blanket has advanced overheat protection for your safety, and it has an easy-to-use LED controller.
The price tag for a double or king-sized blanket increases to £23.99 or £29.99, respectively, with the option for a single or king-sized blanket.
The Dreamland Intelliheat Warming Throw is available for less than £69.99 at Boots if you want to spend a little extra.
This electric blanket beams: “Heats up quite nicely and quickly,” according to one customer who received the 5-star rating. Not a bad price, either. Minimum cost, that’s beating my drum, and I can still use it in warmer weather and simply put “number one””
This customer adores the customer even more, asking, “Wait, we ever do without underblankets?” It far outshines hot water bottles. They continued, “We have been turning it off once it has settled because it was too warm for us to sleep when it was left on the highest setting even when it was minus 3°C outside,” adding, “We have been putting it on the highest setting (3) for an hour or so before going to bed. You could use it at full power for 12 hours, according to a quick calculation based on the 80-watt rating, which is currently about 50p per hour in the UK.
A third chimes in, “The cost of living crisis has stopped a lot of people from turning on their central heating as much as they did in the past, me included.” I went to bed last year with a hot water bottle, but I’m still feeling cold in the room. I’d first try to warm up my body before my feet. Because I was cold, it took me a long time to fall asleep. Fast forward a year after I said, “No way am I doing that again.” There was a need to be done. I purchased a single electric blanket for my double bed, anticipating that when I get hot, I’ll just move to the other side.
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They continue, “It takes about 20 minutes to get completely warm, but my goodness, it’s fantastic when it does.” It’s toasty when I get in bed because I apply it before brushing my teeth, etc. I find it hard to believe I never received one. This product is highly recommended. No longer do I look back. Although I’m not sure how much electricity it uses, Much superior to a hot water bottle.
Former President Joseph Kabila was charged with supporting rebels in Rwanda and given a death sentence in absentia by a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations, Bill Burr and Jimmy Carr are just two of the many comedians who have faced backlash from their respective colleagues and the general public.
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Their decision to perform is being criticised by fellow comics(Image: FilmMagic)
Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Carr are among the many big-name comedians under fire for agreeing to participate in the Riyadh Comedy festival. Their decision to perform is being criticised by fellow comics and the general public given the Saudi government’s human rights abuses.
The inaugural Riyadh Comedy festival is running from September 26 to October 9, with a lineup that features Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Bill Burr, Andrew Schulz, Whitney Cummings and Aziz Ansari among about 50 others. The comedians will all take their fees directly from the Saudi government.
The festival has been perceived by organisations like Human Rights Watch as an effort by the Saudi regime to “whitewash” its abuses – not for the first time. In a news release, the organisation wrote: “This whitewashing comes amid significant increase in repression, including a crackdown on free speech, which many of these comedians defend but people in Saudi Arabia are completely denied.”
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Those who have signed on to the festival have received public criticism from prominent fellow comedians including WTF podcast host Marc Maron and Arrested Development star David Cross.
In a video posted on Maron’s Instagram channel, the comedian took aim at his industry colleagues while citing the Saudi government’s role in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “The same guy that’s gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a f***ing suitcase. But don’t let that stop the yucks, it’s gonna be a good time!”
On Tuesday, September 30, David Cross shared an open letter accusing the festival’s headlining comedians of greed. “I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing,” wrote Cross on his website. “That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for … what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?”
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While some headliners claimed they had not received any content guidelines from the festival’s organizers, comedian Atsuko Okatsuka who turned down the festival’s offer, posted the proposed contract online, which forbade material that “may be considered to degrade, defame or bring into public disrepute” to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leadership, public figures, the Saudi royal family, or even the legal system.
After appearing at the festival on Friday’s opening night, Bill Burr claimed the festival had relaxed the limitations on what comedians could say. They “just negotiated it down to just a few things,” according to the statement, “Don’t make fun of royals]and] religion.”
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As reported by The Guardian, the event’s producers include Sela (a live events company owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) and the kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The GEA is chaired by Turki al-Sheikh, a royal adviser accused of human rights violations.
After taking a part-time position with Red Bull, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will provide advice to Newcastle regarding strategy and philosophy.
The 52-year-old last signed a contract extension last month that will keep him with Scotland until the 2027 World Cup in Australia is over.
He will work non-executively for Red Bull for 30 days a year on the company’s global rugby strategy. The only rugby team in their portfolio is Newcastle.
Townsend, who has been in charge of Scotland since 2017, had been linked with a move to Newcastle as rugby director prior to signing his contract in September.
Townsend’s 30-day shift will be spent entirely outside of all international window, so the union is confident that the additional role won’t distract him from his intended purpose.
Additionally, safeguards have been put in place to prevent Townsend’s work with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors from being in conflict of interest.
A representative for Scottish Rugby claimed that the decision was made “with Scottish Rugby’s full knowledge and support.”
They continued, “This is a fantastic opportunity for Gregor to work for one of the biggest sporting organizations in the world.”
We believe that Scottish Rugby will benefit from having high-level strategic conversations with a force at the highest level.
We see Gregor’s new position working alongside his full commitment to his position as Scotland’s head coach.
The Red Bull stable includes Newcastle, the first rugby union organization.
Football, motor racing, and winter sports are already closely allied with the Austria-based business.
Newcastle opened the new campaign with a home defeat to Saracens, finishing 10th in the Premiership last year.
“Scottish takeover of Newcastle” – analysis
The communications department for Scottish Rugby takes pains to point out that Townsend’s deal on rugby strategy is with the world-renowned brand, rather than the one rugby team that Red Bulls of Newcastle actually owns.
There was a lot of dancing on the head of a pin from some at Murrayfield, perhaps as a result of a fear of breaking conflict of interest laws.
Whom does Townsend consult on rugby strategy, philosophy, and culture if he has no involvement with Red Bull’s rugby team in the Premiership?
Although these issues are unrelated, Red Bulls of Newcastle did release more information on Wednesday.
Some fans have already referred to it as a Scottish takeover. These new additions must be a series of coincidences if Townsend isn’t advising the rugby club.
There is a tinge of hope within Murrayfield that working relationships with a sizable company like Red Bull will benefit both Townsend and the SRU.
Without any funding, the SRU could build Glasgow and Edinburgh a much-needed third professional team. They only have the resources to engage with their younger players, who need to play more games.
Although there is no direct business relationship between the SRU and the Red Bulls, it might be possible to loan out young, underdeveloped Scots to this ambitious new club and give them more game time than they might at home.
Although there hasn’t been any discussion of this kind, and perhaps not, Townsend’s entry into the Red Bull world could benefit both him and the SRU in general.
Poland’s Blaszki, a villager in central Poland, was filled with trembling as the 44-year-old mother of three sat in the bathroom of a crumbling country house.
Her heart beat beating, and her breath was shallow. Five of her Colombian coworkers and a man from the agency she was employed had waved a gun at her moments earlier. It was August 2023.
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When a man reaches for his gun in my country, Mexico, because he wants to use it, she told Al Jazeera. “I believed I would die there, that my body would be thrown into the cornfields, and that I would never see my children again,” he said.
The agency representative first reported that due to staff shortages, the Plukon chicken processing plant’s shifts would be extended to 12 hours. The group had declined and demanded money from them. Following a heated discussion, The man then made a gun grab.
The shooter was a Ukrainian, according to Al Jazeera after reviewing the video of Flores’ ordeal that one of the workers had taken. The man then worked for a contractor who collaborated with Jober24, a temporary staffing agency that provided Plukon.
The man in question enters his car and pulls a gun in the video after a physical fight with one of the Colombian workers. He threatens to call the authorities while cursing the migrants in Polish.
He claims, “If the police come, you will get the f*** out of the country.” Undocumented were four of the group’s members.
Before 2022, Polish factories, farms, and food plants were run by Ukrainians with temporary permits. However, Ukrainian refugees have had better employment opportunities since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Temporary work organizations began hiring from other places in search of cheap labor.
Latin America replaced it with new information. While already in Poland, citizens of Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and other regions of the region can enter without obtaining a visa, stay for three months, and apply for work permits.
This changed when a new law was passed in Poland in June 2025. Migrants must now submit an application for work permits in their home nations. Temporary work organizations, which used to frequently violate employment and tax laws, are now more overregulated. Additionally, penalties for violating the law have increased.
Despite the changes, it’s still not clear whether migrant workers’ conditions will improve.
Poland appears to offer a better life for Colombians who have experienced inflation, unemployment, and Venezuelan migration back home.
Local agencies that organize travel frequently begin the hiring process. Then, Polish partners are given the jobs they are offered.
People are frequently lied to right away, according to La Strada’s CEO, Irena Dawid-Olczyk. Some organizations provide them with loan funds for the ticket. They are subject to exploitative circumstances because of that debt. It resembles bonded labor.
In 2022, Poland issued just over 4, 000 work permits to Colombians, according to official data. By 2024, the number had soared to nearly 38, 000. However, many organizations do not submit work permits applications on behalf of migrants, leaving them at the mercy of employers. How many Colombians in Poland do not have legal status.
Migrants from Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Central Asia are also in danger, according to Dawid-Olczyk. However, “many don’t have enough confidence in the authorities to report abuses.”
Flores and her coworkers returned their video recordings to the neighborhood police station after the incident. Officers identified the man as a Georgian national and claimed the gun was a toy, but she claimed he was a Georgian national. Instead of pressing charges, they allegedly encouraged the migrants to reach agreement with him.
Because no one from the group had filed a formal complaint, the police told Al Jazeera that they would not pursue the case. The Plukon plant claimed in a statement to Al Jazeera that neither Jober24 nor their company were directly involved with the man who carried the gun.
Flores and the others who work for an outsourcing company eventually received their wages of 17 zlotys ($5) per hour, less than the state’s current minimum wage of 21 zloty ($6). According to Plukon, they consistently paid their employees’ wages in accordance with Polish law in their statement.
Flores had arrived in Poland to escape Mexico’s violence and poverty and live a peaceful life. When she settles down, her two daughters and son, who live with her parents, will live with her.
Poland’s economy will depend on it, according to the statement.
TikTok feeds images of Poland’s medieval castles, dense forests, and cobbled old towns to Colombians. Latin Americans can live a better life, travel, and earn well in the country, according to influential people.
People often claim that my cousin makes $6,000 [$1,650] and is traveling and dating a blonde woman. Freddy Abadia, 30, a worker for NOMADA, a Wroclaw-based organization supporting migrants, said, “It’s a dream they sell.”
They don’t mention that many agencies never apply for your work permit or that you’ll work 270 hours a month in stressful jobs.
Abadia has firsthand knowledge.
Freddy Abadia poses with a card displaying the logo of the Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska/Al Jazeera Latin American Workers’ Union, which he founded with the support of local organizations.
OESAS, a Colombian company that offered him 4, 000 zloty ($1, 100) per month for a warehouse job in Poland, hired him in 2021. Instead, he earned 1, 600 ($440) under harsh conditions. He described the situation as exploitation to La Strada.
The years that followed were turbulent. He also interned at other temporary jobs, spent time with the homeless, and earned a master’s degree there. However, his background as a social worker in Colombia and his previous experiences have helped him understand the systemic problems that migrants in Poland face.
He supports migrant workers at NOMADA and has assisted in the formation of the Latin American Workers’ Union in partnership with the local trade union The Workers’ Initiative.
Abadia was at the other end of the desperate need for assistance in August of 2023. After being threatened with a gun, five Colombians and a Mexican woman, Flores, had just fled a chicken plant. They had access to a car, but they were stuck. Some of the employees’ agencies’ careless led to undocumentation.
Abadia advised them to travel to Wroclaw, where NOMADA helped them find employment and provided lodging.
In Poland, there is a growing labor demand. The Polish Institute of Economy predicts that the country’s workforce will decline by 2.1 million by 2035 as a result of demographic decline, or 12.6 percent of the country’s current supply.
For Poland to maintain its economy, said Katarzyna Debkowska of the institute. The number of foreigners entering the Polish labor market increased by one-third between 2022 and 2024 alone.
Without adequate protections, workers are in precarious positions because of this reliance on migration.
Because we are not citizens, Flores said, “Unfortunately, we cannot have the same kind of unions as in Latin America.” However, we can still inform those who consider coming here, warn them about the dangers, and share the truth with them.
Flores is happier two years after her arrival. She has a stable job, and she has written a “survival guide” for Polish citizens with practical guidance and information on employment rights together with NOMADA.
