Le Français Félix Lebrun, N.2 mondial, a été sacré champion d'Europe de tennis de table dimanche 18 octobre en Slovénie, après sa victoire à la belle sur le Suédois Anton Kallberg (4-3 : 7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1), après un ultime set génial. Une victoire sous forme de doublé, après son titre en double acquis samedi, qui couronne une belle semaine française.

Brighton a prolongé son début de saison génial en humiliant son ennemi intime Crystal Palace (5-0), dimanche 18 octobre en Premier League, avec notamment un but extraordinaire signé Diego Gomez. Les Seagulls occupent au moins provisoirement la deuxième place du championnat et sont la véritable sensation en Angleterre après sept journées.

Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg’s oil terminal, a fuel depot, an Ozon distribution center, and a VK data center overnight, setting off fires across the city, monitoring channels reported. Russian outlet Meduza called it apparently the largest attack on the city and Leningrad Oblast since the war began. Russian officials acknowledged fires, damaged homes and substations, and power cuts.

Russia keeps fighting along the front while bombarding Ukrainian cities and the grid behind it. Ukraine’s long-range drones, in turn, target the oil exports and logistics that fund and supply that war, and Russia’s Baltic oil ports have been hit repeatedly this year. St. Petersburg is a symbolic place: Russia’s so-called second capital and Putin’s hometown.

Oil terminal and fuel depot on fire

Ukrainian forces struck the Petersburg Oil Terminal with FP-1 drones, starting a fire, Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said. The company described the terminal as one of the region’s largest, handling 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products a year, including for export.

Piter port and oil facility in one shot pic.twitter.com/KfptwkhsDS

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) October 18, 2026

St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov acknowledged fires at the terminal and in four city districts, adding that Pulkovo airport had restricted flights. By morning, firefighters were still battling blazes at the terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot, and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district, he wrote. He claimed one person was killed and five injured. Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported that the Ruchyi depot had been burning since the night.

Ozon hub, VK data center, and a bridge

An Ozon distribution center in Kolpinsky district caught fire after the attack, the company said, Russian independent outlet Astra reported. Astra’s open-source intelligence analyst described it as one of Ozon’s busiest fulfillment centers in northwestern Russia, covering up to 79,000 m².

Ozon in St. Peterburg pic.twitter.com/tA9iwRJf7d

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) October 18, 2026

FP-1 drones also hit a VK data center in Novosergiyevka, Leningrad Oblast, causing serious damage, Fire Point said. VK acknowledged a drone attack on the site but claimed its services were working normally. Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko claimed air defenses downed 145 drones over the oblast alone. He acknowledged damage to the data center’s transformer equipment and warehouse complex, and minor damage to the Vostochnaya substation. Two other substations in Yanino went offline, cutting power to about 20,000 people, he said.

A drone also hit the cable-stayed bridge over the Korabelny fairway, part of a toll highway linking the city’s north and south, Exilenova+ reported, adding that the extent of the damage was still being clarified. The channel also reported a fire near a Russian Aerospace Forces radar company outside the village of Kaporskoye.

To reach St. Petersburg, Ukrainian drones had to cover 1,000 km across four Russian regions guarded by air defenses and electronic warfare, said Serhii Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukraine’s president on defense technology.

“And these are not cruise missiles with special systems, these are drones that fly at speeds of up to 200 km/h,” he wrote.

Strikes resume after a one-sided truce

The same night, Russia hit Ukraine’s grid again, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy counted 76 Russian strikes on energy since the ceasefire was announced. US President Donald Trump declared the truce on 11 October. Ukraine paused its refinery strikes for three days at Washington’s request, but Russia struck a Kharkiv power plant within hours and kept hitting the grid. Zelenskyy then said Ukraine was resuming strikes on Russian oil and would stop again only in exchange for more US interceptors for its Patriot systems. Trump called the renewed strikes “a disgrace” and said he found Zelenskyy “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Ukraine has hit the St. Petersburg area before. In July, drones set fire to Wildberries warehouses near the city. In August, Ukraine began striking Ozon hubs, starting in Samara Oblast. The hubs move dual-use goods such as electronics and drone components.

After trailing Strasbourg for more than 60 minutes, the Parisians called upon their substitutes to turn the game around. Following their spectacular Champions League victory over Manchester City and ahead of their clash with FC Barcelona, PSG are brimming with confidence.

RAWALPINDI – Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the opening match of the ODI tri-series, setting the stage for an important contest between the two Asian rivals.

Men in Green begin their campaign with wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig making his ODI debut. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi confirmed that the youngster would bat at number four, handing him a key role in the team’s middle order.

The hosts have included an experienced pace attack alongside a batting unit featuring several established names. Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam will lead the charge at the top, while Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha and Saad Baig are expected to contribute in the middle order.

All-rounders Arafat Minhas and Faheem Ashraf add depth to the lineup, with Shaheen, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah forming Pakistan’s pace attack.

Pakistan have been dealt a setback ahead of the opening fixture, with leg-spinners Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Muqeem ruled out due to illness.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), both players are receiving medical treatment. Their availability for the remaining matches of the tournament will be assessed later, leaving Pakistan to begin the competition without two of their spin options. The absence of the pair could place additional responsibility on Pakistan’s other bowling options as they look to restrict Sri Lanka and make the most of their home conditions.

PAKISTAN VS SRI LANKA SQUADS

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.

Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (c/wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Sachindu Colombage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.

Afridi led squad head into the contest with a commanding record against Sri Lanka in ODI cricket. The two sides have met 160 times in the 50-over format, with Pakistan recording 96 victories compared with Sri Lanka’s 59 wins. One match ended in a tie, while four produced no result.

Pakistan enter the tournament encouraged by their recent performances in ODI series. Since 2025, they have won three of their last four series, defeating South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. Their only series defeat during that period came against Bangladesh in an away three-match contest.

Green Shirts will also draw confidence from their recent 2–1 victory over Sri Lanka in the T20I series. They will now aim to carry that momentum into the 50-over format and establish an early advantage in the competition.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have struggled for consistency in recent ODI outings, winning only one of their last five matches. The Islanders will be keen to put those results behind them, respond to their T20I series loss and make a strong start against Pakistan.

ODI tri-series features Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England, with matches scheduled in Rawalpindi and Lahore. The opening encounter provides both sides with an opportunity to build early momentum, while Pakistan will look to use home advantage to strengthen their position in the competition.

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs to seal T20I series

The post Pakistan Bat first as Sri Lanka Win Toss in ODI Tri-Series Opener appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.

Trois jours après avoir livré un grand match contre Manchester City, le PSG a renversé une situation mal embarquée à Strasbourg (3-1) pour engranger trois points et rejoindre, au moins temporairement, Monaco en tête de la Ligue 1. Et peut-être finir le week-end sur le podium pour la première fois de la saison.