Rafael Nadal earned a straight-set win over Frenchman Gilles Simon to open his bid at bringing Spain his second men’s tennis singles gold medal. But an even greater honour than that is the one bestowed up on him by The National’s sports team – as the cover boy for our Friday, August 12 edition.
Read about Rafa's victory.
Nadal, a 14-time major winner who won the Olympics men’s singles gold medal in 2008, played Thursday in his first tournament in two months. The win helps ease any concerns over his wrist injury precluding him from winning a tournament that’s now wide open with the early elimination of top seed Novak Djokovic.
Also, Diego Forlan tells us why he thinks the Premier League, beginning this weekend, is the greatest football league in the world.
“So why is the Premier League so popular? The stadiums in England are always full and the stands are right by the pitch, with no athletic tracks like you see elsewhere. The games are more equal, the football is aggressive and referees let the game flow more than in other countries. There is always goals, you do not see teams holding out for a goalless draw because fans won’t accept it. The games last for 90 minutes, there’s no killing a side off and relaxing after 60 minutes.”
Read Diego's full column.
Stick with The National for more Olympics and Premier League coverage.
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if you go
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.