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JAPAN FARM MINISTER KOIZUMI GETS 164 VOTES IN LDP LEADERSHIP RACE, SHORT OF MAJORITY

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MANDALIKA, Indonesia, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi seized a dominant pole position in qualifying for the Indonesian Grand Prix after demolishing the lap record at Mandalika on Saturday, while newly-crowned 2025 MotoGP champion Marc Marquez qualified a lowly ninth. Bezzecchi's blistering lap of one minute and 28.832 seconds was enough to comfortably finish ahead of Spanish duo Fermin Aldeguer, riding for Gresini Racing, and Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse, who will line up second and third, respectively. "It's true that I'm quite quick, but the pace was pretty close with many other riders that are super quick, and you know in MotoGP you can never relax," Bezzecchi said. "I'm happy for the qualifying for sure because it (is) also great for tomorrow, not only today and this is important. "Now we still have to do the main part of the weekend that are the races. So, let's keep ourselves focused and give our best." The session also marked a significant milestone for Aldeguer, the 20-year-old rookie securing his first-ever front row start in MotoGP. "We put different goals for this race – try to improve the Friday's, the qualifying," Aldeguer said. "Super happy because we are working on ourselves, without looking at other riders, we are super focused … Starting at second position is a good opportunity to look at our potential and try to judge." Yamaha's Alex Rins and KTM's Pedro Acosta rounded up the top five. Meanwhile, two-times MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia struggled to maintain the momentum from his flawless Japanese Grand Prix weekend. The Ducati rider missed out on Q2 and will start a disappointing 16th on the grid for Saturday's sprint and Sunday's race. (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

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Oct 4 (Stats Perform) – Results from the NBA games on Saturday (home team in CAPS) Phoenix 103 LA LAKERS 81

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* Koizumi would be youngest modern PM, Takaichi first woman * Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi also seen as contender * Next leader will head LDP without parliamentary majority * Investors wary of spending pledges designed to win back voters * Vote likely to go to runoff, result around 0630 GMT * Read our Live coverage here (Recasts with start of voting, adds timing for parliamentary vote in paragraph 5, background on candidates in paragraphs 11, 14-17) By Tim Kelly and Joseph Campbell TOKYO, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Japan's ruling party began voting on Saturday to choose the country's likely next prime minister, hoping to regain trust from a public angered by rising prices and drawn to opposition groups promising big stimulus and clampdowns on foreigners. Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, who would be Japan's youngest premier in the modern era, and conservative nationalist Sanae Takaichi, who would be its first female leader, are the frontrunners to lead the Liberal Democratic Party, according to opinion polls. Also considered a contender is Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, a centrist party veteran who has held the weighty foreign, defence and agriculture portfolios. LDP 'ROTTING FROM WITHIN' Voting among lawmakers and rank-and-file party members nationwide began at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT), with the ballot expected to go to a runoff and conclude around 0630 GMT. A vote in parliament to choose a prime minister to replace Shigeru Ishiba is expected to be held on Oct. 15. The new LDP president is likely to succeed Ishiba as leader of the world's fourth-biggest economy because the party, which has governed Japan for almost all the postwar period, is the biggest in parliament. But this is not assured as the party and its coalition partner lost their majorities in both houses under Ishiba in the past year. Various other parties, including the fiscally expansionist Democratic Party for the People and the anti-immigration Sanseito have been steadily luring, especially younger voters, away from the LDP. Whoever succeeds Ishiba will inherit a party in crisis. "The LDP is rotting from within, so it's about time for a reset," said Takaichi supporter Osamu Yoshida, 70, speaking outside Shimbashi commuter train station in Tokyo. Takaichi offers the starkest vision for change, and potentially the most disruptive. An advocate of late premier Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" strategy to jolt the economy with aggressive spending and easy monetary policy, she has previously criticised the Bank of Japan's interest rate increases. Such a policy shift could spook investors worried about one of the world's biggest debt loads. Koizumi and Hayashi say they would hew closely to Ishiba's economic policies. Both promise to boost wages and provide relief to households struggling with inflation – but within the fiscal restraints set by Ishiba and other recent administrations. Takaichi has also raised the possibility of redoing an investment deal with U.S. President Donald Trump that lowered his punishing tariffs in return for Japanese taxpayer-backed investment. Cabinet ministers Hayashi and Koizumi have defended the deal. Her nationalistic positions – such as her regular visits to the Yasukuni shrine to Japan's war dead, viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of its past militarism – may rile South Korea and China. She also favours revising Japan's pacifist postwar constitution and suggested this year that Japan could form a "quasi-security alliance" with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China. If elected, Takaichi said she will travel overseas more regularly than he predecessor to spread the word that "Japan is Back!" SECOND-ROUND DYNAMICS The LDP election will be decided by 295 LDP lawmakers and an equal number of grassroots votes. With five contenders, no one is expected to win outright in the first round. That would mean a runoff between the two top candidates in the first round, where the 295 LDP lawmakers cast ballots again. The rank-and-file vote share, however, drops to 47, favouring the candidate with the stronger backing among the parliamentary party. Polling suggests Koizumi or Hayashi would have an advantage over Takaichi in a second round. If selected, Koizumi would be a few months older than Hirobumi Ito when he became Japan's first prime minister in 1885, under the nation's prewar constitution. The winner is expected to hold a press conference around 0900 GMT. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Joseph Campbell; Editing by William Mallard)

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LAS VEGAS — Olympians and All-Stars headline the Las Vegas Aces' roster, but the team turned to the bench for a hero in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Reserve guard Dana Evans tallied a 21 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, leading Las Vegas on a furious rally en route to a come-from-behind 89-86 victory against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday. Evans finished 8-for-13 from the field overall and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. She became the first player in WNBA history to record five treys and four steals in a Finals game. "She's a pro," Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Evans. "She's consistent, she stays ready. She does the work, whether she's going to play 25 minutes or 15 minutes, she just stays locked in. … You feel her when she comes into the game, and you feel her on both ends." While A'ja Wilson is consistently lauded as the Aces' dominant presence, the four-time MVP made it clear that Evans is playing a crucial role in her first year with the organization. "I've said often that Dana's our battery," Wilson said. "She makes us play at a different pace. I told her that we go when she goes, and that's a quick pace. We're going to always try to follow her. We know she's very hard to stop in this league, very hard to keep in front of, and so when she's able to get downhill and get good looks, it plays in our favor." Wilson also finished with 21 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field in addition to grabbing 10 rebounds. While the Aces did lots right in their fourth-quarter comeback, they were helped by some Mercury missteps. Las Vegas was up 87-86 with 24.6 seconds remaining when Alyssa Thomas missed a pair of free throws that could have given Phoenix the lead. After the Aces' Jackie Young sank two free throws, Las Vegas closed the game with a defensive stop on the final possession. Momentum shifted early in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas trailed 76-70 with 8:23 remaining when Phoenix's Satou Sabally was assessed a technical foul for spiking the ball after being whistled for her fifth foul of the night. That incident kick-started a 17-6 Aces run. "We have to play better defense," Sabally said. "Just going back to what we do best, and then I think the results will show that we are the better team. I'm really not too down on myself." Evans sank a 3-pointer that put the home team ahead for good, 85-82 with 3:37 remaining. Wilson capped the run with a 10-footer with 2:41 left, giving the Aces a five-point edge. While Evans led the charge off the Las Vegas bench in the second half, Jewell Loyd did so in the first. Loyd finished with 18 points, 13 of which came before halftime, helping keep the Aces within five points at halftime despite a slow start from their usual scoring core. Phoenix's Kahleah Copper had a game-high 19 points in the first half and made five 3-pointers, tying former Mercury point guard Diana Taurasi's WNBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a half. However, after the Aces made the timely decision to switch their defense, Copper was held to two points in the second half. "They went from man to zone, and then we rushed some shots, didn't really execute," Copper said. "… We should have slowed down a little bit." Sabally ended the night with 19 points, while Thomas compiled 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Sunday in Las Vegas. "We'll go back, we'll practice tomorrow, we'll walk through our mistakes and find better solutions for some things, and then we'll just come back on Sunday," Sabally said. The Mercury stretched their lead to a game-high nine points in the third, but the Aces managed to claw within 71-67 by the end of the quarter. The Aces tied the game at 57 all with a trio of Gray free throws after a flagrant-1 violation was called due to Copper encroaching in Gray's landing area on a 3-point attempt. Gray was injured on the play and went to the locker room. Immediately after, DeWanna Bonner and Monique Akoa Makani hit triples to regain a 63-57 lead with 4:30 remaining in the third. After a streaky start for each side, Phoenix and Las Vegas began the second quarter with a mutually torrid shooting display. Vegas began the quarter 8-for-11 from the field but still found themselves trailing, because Phoenix began the frame 10-for-11 from the field itself and had an answer at every turn. Copper led the scoring outburst for the Mercury, scoring 12 points in the second quarter while making all four attempts from behind the arc. –Will Despart, Field Level Media

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