Kyrgios beats Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis showdown

In the “Battle of the Sexes,” a highly anticipated showdown with modified rules that divided tennis fans, Nick Kyrgios defeated women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

In a 1973 exhibition match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King that bore little resemblance to the era-defining encounter between Bobby Riggs and the former Wimbledon finalist, Kyrgios won 6-3, 6-3.

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There was more at stake then, with King’s nascent women’s professional tour fighting for its legitimacy and prize money that women players won still much less than men did.

King, one of the greatest women’s players of all time and at her best when she was 29 years old, defeated the 55-year-old Riggs, a top player of his day, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in Houston, Texas, US.

In an effort to restrict Kyrgios’ power and speed advantage on Sunday in Dubai, the UAE, each player received just one serve and Sabalenka’s side of the court was nine percent smaller.

After only six ATP matches in the last three years, Kyrgios dropped to 671 in the rankings, but the 30-year-old Australian had enough to defeat Sabalenka, 27, who has previously won four Grand Slam singles titles.

After going 1-3 down, the maverick Australian was drenched in sweat and appeared out of breath in the second set, while his opponent danced to the music during a clever time out. After Belarusian Sabalenka sent a long shot, he managed to hold on and make it 3-3.

Kyrgios pulled away to win the game on serve before giving Sabalenka a warm embrace at the net while cheeky drop shots and other effective variations on his serve were used to shorten the points.

“I’ll admit, it was a really difficult match,” He claimed that she is a “hell of a competitor.”

She was putting the pressure on, and ultimately, it was a really close-fought battle, I had to buckle in.

A rematch would be something Sabalenka promised to “love.”

“I felt fantastic,” he said. I put on a fantastic fight. He was struggling. He was drowsy. She said, “I was happy to see that.”

When Palestinian existence is portrayed as hate

I’m from Palestine. And more and more people view that fact as a provocation.

I’ve recently witnessed anti-Semitism, a real, lethal form of hatred with a long and horrible history, being demonized to silence Palestinians, demonize our allies, and defame Israel for its role in the genocide in Gaza. It’s not about Jewish people being protected. It’s about preserving power.

The pattern is now inexplicable.

Ms. Rachel, a Palestinian children’s educator, is referred to as “Anti-Semite of the Year” for her hateful behavior and concern for Palestinian children. Her entire public work revolves around care, learning, and empathy. for acknowledging that Gazan children are suffering from trauma, starvation, and bombings. For expressing compassion.

Even as a Palestinian, I understand that having compassion for our children is dangerous.

A protest movement called Palestine Action targets Israeli military-supplied weapons manufacturers. It is labeled as a “terrorist” organization, which is a group responsible for mass executions, sexual slavery, and genocidal violence, but it is not debated, challenged, or even attacked within a democratic framework.

This comparison goes beyond being outrageous. It is made conscious. It completely alters the definition of “terrorism” that political dissention becomes extremism. Pathology develops from resistance. A protest turns into a “terror”. Palestinians are once more seen as a permanent threat rather than a people under occupation.

Language itself is currently being made illegal. Without any significant connection to history or significance, phrases like “globalise the Intifada” are forbidden. Intifada, a term that literally means “shaking off,” is ripped from its political context as a protest against military occupation and reduced to a slur. Even the right to cite their resistance is denied to Palestinians.

International law is being actively dismantled at the same time.

For daring to investigate Israeli war crimes, the International Criminal Court’s staff and judges are disciplined and intimidated. Because she uses language from international law to describe occupation, apartheid, and genocide, Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur of the United Nations for Palestine, has been repeatedly criticized and smeared.

African leaders are honored when international law is applied to them.
It is seen as a hostility act when it is used against Israel.

This brings us to Australia, and it’s in one of the most revealing moments of all.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged the Australian government with encouraging anti-Semitism following the horrifying attack at Bondi Beach, which shocked and horrified Australians all over. Not because of any anti-Palestine rhetoric, but because Australia had begun to recognize Palestine as a state.

Reread that once more.

Even as a contributor to anti-Semitic violence, the diplomatic recognition of Palestinian statehood is portrayed as a moral failing, long held to be essential to peace and grounded in international law. The issue is presented as the Palestinian’s own existence.

Netanyahu’s assertion that he made this claim, as well as the fact that so many centers of power chose to ignore it, is what makes this situation so disturbing.

Governments, institutions, and commentators allowed the premise to remain in place rather than vehemently rejecting the idea that acknowledging Palestinian rights might “encourage anti-Semitism.” Some completely echoed it. Others remained silent. Nearly none of them confronted the perilous logic that Palestinian political recognition is inherently provocative, threatening, or destabilizing.

Not with thunder, but with acquiescence, as happens in moral collapse.

The end result is the Palestinian people’s erasure rather than Jewish people’s safety.

It is devastating to me as a Palestinian.

It means that I’ve been criminalized rather than just contested. My grief is politicised rather than simply ignored. My demand for justice is pathologized as hatred, not debated.

Anti-Semitism is a real problem. It needs to be confronted without apprehension. Everywhere, the Jewish people deserve protection, safety, and dignity. However, when anti-Semitism is expanded to include children’s educators, UN experts, international judges, protest movements, chants, words, and even the recognition of Palestine by the US, it no longer serves to defend Jews.

It shields a state from accountability.

Worse still, this weaponization puts Jews at risk by putting their Jewish identity at risk in government actions that commit atrocities in large numbers. It teaches the world that Israel represents all Jews, and that anyone who disagrees must therefore be hostile toward Jews. That doesn’t provide protection. It’s recklessness posing as morality.

The psychological strain is severe for Palestinians like me.

I’m sick of having disclaimers in the beginning of every sentence.

Watching my people starve while receiving lectures on tone deeply hurts me.

I detest the limitations of international law in some politically appropriate situations.

And I’m grieving for Gaza as well as the moral collapse that is taking place there.

Anti-Semitism does not apply to opposing genocide.

Solidarity is not “terrorism,” it is not.

Palestine is not incitement, as it is acknowledged.

Not using the name “suffering” is violence.

If the world continues to label me as an anti-Semite because I refuse to accept the annihilation of my people, anti-Semitism is not at issue.

Justifiable genocide is being committed.

And who made that possible in history will remain a mystery.

Javad Zarif: Main threat to the Middle East is Israel, not Iran

Former US ambassador to Iran asserts that Israel has destroyed every chance for peace.

Iran is once more in the spotlight as a result of Israeli pressure on US President Donald Trump over Tehran’s ballistic missiles, which came after it was attacked by Israel and the United States.

After five rounds of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, veteran Iranian diplomat Javad Zarif claims that “everyone lost any faith in diplomacy.”

Niger’s military rulers order ‘general mobilisation’ against armed groups

According to a government statement, Niger’s military rulers have authorized the general mobilization and authorized the requisition of people and goods as they intensify the fight against armed groups nationwide.

The military government’s resumption of power in a coup that ended the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, in July 2023 marked a significant escalation.

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In a statement released late on Saturday, the government said, “People, property, and services may be requisitioned during general mobilisation to contribute to the defense of the homeland, in accordance with the laws and regulations in place.

Every citizen is required to respond to any call-up or recall order, comply with the homeland’s defenses immediately, and submit to requisition, it added.

As Niger continues to be attacked by armed groups operating across various regions, the authorities claimed the measures are intended to “protect the integrity of the national territory” and “protect the population.”

More than a decade of deadly armed conflict has been sparked in Niger by rebels linked to ISIL (ISIL) and al-Qaeda affiliates. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), which tracks political violence, nearly 2, 000 people have died.

Niger’s security forces have been stretched even more by recent attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter group, the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Five years after Niger increased its armed forces to around 50 000 and raised the senior officer retirement age from 47 to 52, the mobilization order was issued. The military administration has also urged people to contribute “voluntary” financial contributions to a fund established in 2023 to help with military projects and agricultural projects since taking office.

Soon after the coup, Niger’s rulers ordered American and French troops to leave the nation after they had previously supported operations to combat rebel fighters.