Waseem Abu Sal will become the first boxer to represent Palestine at the Olympics after accepting a wildcard pick to compete at the Paris Games.
"This has been my dream since I was 10 years old," he said.
"Every day I went to sleep and woke up thinking about how I could reach the Olympics."
The 20 year old's training preparations for Paris are less than ideal, however.
Every morning he follows instructions from his Cairo-based coach Ahmad Harara, a Gazan who cannot travel to him in the occupied West Bank, sent via text message.
"I only see him when I travel" for international competitions, Waseem Abu Sal told AFP from his gym in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
"He writes my training schedule every day, and I train in the morning, and again in the evening with coach Nader Jayousi."
The Palestine Olympic Committee has been represented on the International Olympic Committee since 1995 despite a lack of statehood. Only 26 athletes have represented Palestine in Olympics history.
Four Palestinians have so far been confirmed for the Games: Abu Sal will join judoka Fares Badawi, shooter Jorge Antoni Salhe and Omar Ismail in taekwondo. The athlete entries’ deadline for Paris is July 8.
Abu Sal will take on his first Olympic fight on July 28 in the men's featherweight division (57kgs) where he will link up with his mentor Harara.
Harara has been unable to see his fighter because of "the occupation barriers between the West Bank and Gaza" as an ID holder of the latter territory.
"Since then, I have been overseeing Wassem's training remotely," Harara said.
Though Abu Sal did not make it through the Olympic qualifying rounds, he received a wildcard spot in a system that ensures representation for all countries at the Games.
The political reality of the West Bank – dotted by Israeli army checkpoints that restrict movement – means Abu Sal is fighting hurdles even before he makes history.
A lack of suitable training partners is one, with Abu Sal forced to spar with much bigger and heavier opponents to wrack up the rounds in the ring.
"This makes it hard to hold tournaments, leading to less competition in the country," he said.
Travelling abroad to train or compete comes with its own difficulties.
"Many countries deny visas to those with Palestinian passports, causing us to miss out on tournaments while waiting for visas," he said.
When Abu Sal flies for Paris in July, he will do so from the Jordanian capital of Amman, which he will travel to from Ramallah by road, as he usually does when going abroad for competitions.
Jayousi, head of the Palestinian Olympic delegation, is a mentor to Abu Sal and trains several fighters out of his Ramallah gym.
"It's a proud moment, not just for me, but for Palestine as the first-ever Palestinian boxer will represent Palestine at the Olympics," Jayousi said.
"We don't have that big number of very good boxers that I can make Waseem train with," he added.
"That's a big challenge for us because iron sharpens iron."
One of the biggest challenges to his Olympic preparation has been the war in Gaza, which started after Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 in which militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 240 to Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,718 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Among them were athletes or relatives of athletes, according to Palestinian officials.
The devastating conflict and casualty updates knocked the mental health of Abu Sal and his teammates, said Jayousi.
"This has affected our boxers big time, because we were every day getting news about athletes we are losing."
Travelling between the West Bank cities has also become more dangerous due to an uptick in checkpoints, army presence, and settler violence.
Since October 7, Palestinian officials say at least 553 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army or settlers who live in settlements the UN considers illegal under international law.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.