Tunisian star Ons Jabeur made an encouraging start at the Australian Open as she defeated Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine in a little over an hour.
The former world No 2 secured a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 win in the first-round clash to set up a match against Camila Osorio in the next round.
Jabeur was in control for much of the match, sending down five aces and converting six of her eight break points.
It was a positive sign for the Tunisian who is slowly working her way back from injuries that ruined much of the season last year.
Jabeur, 30, had to contend with serious knee and shoulder injuries in 2024, which forced her to end the season prematurely, missing the US Open and the Asian swing and dropping to No 42 in the world rankings.
Ahead of the Australian Open, Jabeur said that her main aim for the season was to play as long as possible, and hopefully without any pain.
“I’m playing without pain. I am feeling much better and just taking it one step at a time. Some things take time but I am very positive about the future,” Jabeur had told The National.
“I'm very happy with the preparation that I did, and looking forward to have more matches to play."
While Jabeur had a routine outing in Melbourne, there were fireworks elsewhere.
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca began his Grand Slam career in spectacular fashion as the qualifier defeated Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the first round.
In his first main draw match at a major, Fonseca, 18, lived up to the hype with a stunning straight sets win in front of a late-night crowd on Margaret Court Arena.
He clinched the opening set with another thundering forehand winner and raised his level even further to cruise through the second set.
Rublev dug deep in the third set and was a break ahead but Fonseca showed incredible maturity to set up another tiebreaker.
The teenager ended the contest at the first opportunity by pounding a forehand beyond his Russian opponent, his 51st winner of the match.
Roared on by Brazilian fans decked out in yellow, Fonseca set up a second-round meeting with Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
“It's the first time playing in a huge stadium,” Fonseca said.
“There are a lot of Brazilians here cheering for me and I enjoyed every moment, thanks a lot.”
“I mean, not bad, I just enjoyed every moment playing in an amazing court,” Fonseca, who last year won the Next Gen ATP title, added.
Rublev's fellow Russian and 2024 finalist Daniil Medvedev was heavy favourite against Thailand's 418th-ranked Kasidit Samrej.
However, in his first match of the season, fifth seed Medvedev nearly imploded in a fit of anger before finding some measure of calm to eke out a hard-fought win.
“Second and third set I couldn't touch the ball. I didn't know what to do,” Medvedev said after finally winning 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena.
The 28-year-old mangled his racquet as he spectacularly lost his cool in the third set, slamming it into the net camera repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz, veteran Gael Monfils and home hope Alex de Minaur also all progressed into round two at Melbourne Park.
Fourth seed Fritz eased past fellow American Jenson Brooksby 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 to launch his bid for a maiden Grand Slam crown.
“It's never easy playing that first match in a Slam, there are some nerves, so I did a really good job shaking them off early and playing really solid,” said Fritz, who took just one hour and 46 minutes for the win.
France's Monfils battled through a five-set thriller to beat young compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and continue the 38-year-old's late-career resurgence.
Monfils became the oldest singles champion in ATP Tour history when he swept to victory at the Auckland Classic on Saturday.
In the women's draw, Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina were both emphatic winners on day three, with Emma Navarro and Emma Raducanu also victorious.
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
EXPATS
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Kibsons%20Cares
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More Iraq election coverage:
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
