BEIJING // China has won the gold medal in men's gymnastics that it has long craved. China's score of 286.125 was more than seven points ahead of the defending Olympic champions Japan.
The Americans, with a roster that had to be patched together at the last minute when both Hamm brothers were sidelined with injuries, were in the running for the silver medals until their last two events and ended up with the bronze.
The Chinese were already parading for the cameras with one of their gymnasts still to go on the last event. When little Zou Kai's feet hit the mat with a thud, his teammates jumped up and down. They stood behind a large Chinese flag, tears flowing down several of their faces. The Chinese have won seven of the last eight world titles, including the last three.
For all that, though, they were still considered underachievers. There was just one Olympic title during this reign, and their collapse four years ago was one of epic proportions. Not only did they not win the gold they were supposed to, they didn't get close to the podium, and crawled home with a measly two medals, only one of them gold.
But instead of imploding, the failure fuelled China. They strutted onto the floor, waving at their cheering fans and pumping their fists as if to remind everyone that this was their party.
* AP
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
