US tennis star Coco Gauff made a plea to end gun violence in the US after her victory over Italian Martina Trevisan to reach the French Open final.
In a message written on a court camera after her semi-final success, Gauff wrote: "Peace. End Gun Violence" next to a drawing of a heart.
Gauff, who turned 18 in March, is the youngest American to reach a Grand Slam final since Serena Williams reached the US Open final at age 17 in 1999.
"Yeah, it's a Grand Slam final but there are so many things going on in the world right now, especially in the United States, a lot of stuff is happening right now," she said in an on-court interview after the match. "I am not going to stress over a tennis match."
Gauff said she wanted to spread the message to Europe and across the world, "and now I heard there's been like — I don't know how many mass shootings in the past two weeks".
The US has experienced a string of high-profile mass shootings in recent weeks, including one on Wednesday in a Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital that killed four people.
A racially motivated attack at a Buffalo supermarket killed 10 last month, and 19 children and two teachers were killed at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas last week.
Gauff, a native of Florida, added that she "had a couple of friends" who experienced the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018 that resulted in the deaths of 17 people, 14 of whom were pupils.
The rising tennis star, who celebrated her high-school graduation during the French Open, added that the US needs "some reform, some change" following the recent shootings.
"I also want to use this moment to encourage people my age to vote locally cause those are the people that can really affect your community," Gauff said.
A bipartisan group of US senators was expected to continue work on a package of firearms legislation on Thursday as Congress faces increasing pressure to get tougher on gun control.
Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said the group was making "rapid progress". Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said he had "never seen more Republicans at the table willing to talk".
School security, mental health services and "red flag" laws have reportedly been at the centre of the nine-member group's conversations.
The US has already experienced 233 mass shootings in 2022, more than one per day this year, data from the Gun Violence Archive shows.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
