LONDON // Surprising as was to hear full-throated chants echo through the Centre Court stands - 15,000 voices rising as one after last year's Wimbledon final concluded - what was most remarkable was the name the spectators chose to yell. They did not salute Roger Federer, the champion who claimed his sixth title at Wimbledon and record-breaking 15th grand slam title overall. Instead, they hailed Andy Roddick, the runner-up who dropped to 1-4 in major finals, including 0-3 at the All England Club, all against Federer.
When Wimbledon begins tomorrow, Roddick will resume his quest for a championship that would mean quite a lot to him, one that barely eluded him in 2009. He served almost impeccably and was broken only once, in the 77th and last game of Federer's 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 victory ? the longest match and longest fifth set, in games, in Grand Slam final history. "I'm always anxious going into Wimbledon. I don't think that's going to change," Roddick said. "I don't go in with any sense of entitlement or any sense of anything like that. I'm excited to get on to a surface that I actually feel that I can impose my game on a little bit more."
Roddick's fastest-on-tour serve only gets speedier and tougher for opponents to handle on the slick surface used at Wimbledon. It's a formula similar to one Venus and Serena Williams employ to dominate opponents at this tournament, divvying up eight of the past 10 Wimbledon championships. His close calls at Wimbledon have increased his intention to do well at the All England Club. "The fire, the drive, the internal flame is going to be there until he climbs the peak," his coach, Larry Stefanki, said. "But you've got to find a balance. That's the last thing you want to think about - winning a major - when you've got seven rounds to win."
* AP
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
BLACKBERRY
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UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
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
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
