Ending auction early

The ATP announced on Monday that it will give fans the chance to bid for coaching sessions with some of tennis' best coaches, in order to raise funds for trainers who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the ATP said that the private sessions will be held with the likes of Boris Becker , Goran Ivanisevic and Ivan Lendl, and will be awarded to fans through auctions and prize draws. "Funds raised will be allocated by the ATP Coaches Committee to support the members of the ATP Coach Programme, whose ability to work has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic," the statement said. "In addition, a part of proceeds will be donated to a global Covid-19 relief fund." Fans will participate in the sessions at 2021 ATP events and Grand Slams, the statement added, with spots being won between June 8-29. "The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the ability of many people to work and coaches are no exception," said ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. "The fact this … [Read more...] about ATP Announces All-star Tennis Class Auction to Help Struggling Coaches Amid Covid-19

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 WASHINGTON (AP) — The end of Roe v. Wade started in the Senate. It was the Senate Republican partnership with President Donald Trump to confirm conservative judges, and transform the federal judiciary, that paved the way for the Supreme Court's landmark ruling to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell set the strategy in motion, engineering the Supreme Court's makeover by blocking President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland and changing the Senate's rules to easily confirm Trump's picks. It was a long game that sought to lock in a conservative court majority for decades to come. Trump and McConnell couldn't have accomplished it alone, needing the backing of almost all Republican senators to reshape the bench. Now, Republicans are heading into a November midterm election that is poised to … [Read more...] about Senate confirmed justices to end Roe. How will voters react?

Click here to read the full article. Does the phrase “That’s All Right, Mama” apply to the new “ Elvis ” movie… as in, “that’s all correct, ma’am”? No one is probably expecting that ; any practiced watcher of biopics knows virtually any example will take deep liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes. And maybe it’s a given that a director who puts hip-hop and hard rock on his period-film soundtracks, as Baz Luhrmann does, might favor effect over total verisimilitude. Still, “Elvis” is right on enough counts — literally or spiritually — that it’s worth trying to separate fact from fiction in the movie’s narrative of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) and his nearly career-long manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). There may be no one better to go to who can provide the truth on both Presley and “the Colonel,” in tandem, than the latter’s biographer, Alanna Nash. Nash, a veteran music journalist, published “The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel … [Read more...] about ‘Elvis’ Fact or Fiction: Colonel Tom Parker Biographer on What’s Real and Not in Baz Luhrmann Biopic

A former member of an urban guerilla outfit and later elected as Mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro made history by winning the second round run-off in the presidential election in Colombia, securing 50.4% of the vote over his rival, a property tycoon, Rodolfo Hernandez’s 47.3% last week. Mr. Petro’s victory marks the first time that an avowedly leftist politician won the President’s post in a country which has had a right wing/ centrist establishment for decades. Yet, Mr Petro’s ascent to the presidency was no flash in the pan. A self described social democrat and a progressive, the economist had managed more than 41% of the votes in the 2018 presidential run-off, finishing second to Ivan Duque of the Democratic Center party. In this election, Mr. Petro’s victory was secured through an enhanced support from the poor in the country, especially in the most impoverished provinces (departments). The Economist reported that turnout in Magdalena and Choco departments, the poorest in the … [Read more...] about Gustavo Petro | From an urban guerrilla to the first leftist President in Bogota

Boris Johnson has won his coveted majority and, though Brexit was his mantra through the campaign, this parliament has a lot more to deliver than that. The NHS was by some distance the most important election issue after our future relationship with the European Union. Politicians across the spectrum clearly thought it would swing more “undecided” voters than anything else, with representatives of all parties tucking their ties into their shirts to wander round hospitals and promise a better future. For the Conservatives, their promise of 40 new hospitals came under great scrutiny, and professionals and patients alike now expect to see the bricks and mortar to match the press releases and warm words. My colleagues and I, as surgeons, see at first hand what a chronic shortage of capacity in the NHS is doing to the service. When the NHS was first established in 1948, it took on a waiting list of 476,000 patients. No monitoring took place until 1951, when the number had … [Read more...] about Johnson must act quickly to shore up the creaking NHS – and tackle waiting lists first

WASHINGTON -- At the end of the first full Supreme Court term with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito in place, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer said he was amazed -- and not in a particularly good way -- what President George W. Bush's nominees to the bench had accomplished. "It is not often that so few have so quickly changed so much," Breyer said in June 2007 as he dissented from a decision striking school integration programs in two cities. But it was nothing like this week. With the three nominees of President Donald Trump in each majority, the Supreme Court put a conservative shine on a greater role for religion in public life, the Second Amendment's protection of gun rights against legislatures' concerns of violence and then the biggest of them all: the long-awaited overturning of Roe v. Wade's guarantee of a fundamental right to abortion. A Supreme Court conservative majority remaking the court's jurisprudence on a number of fronts showed that it is … [Read more...] about Emboldened Supreme Court majority shows it’s eager for change

On the way into work early this morning I checked the headlines and felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Millions of women will today be feeling the same. The ricochet of the overturning of Roe v Wade can be felt globally. For, on the surface of things, while this “only” appears to affect America, in truth it affects us all. The gradual dominance of conservative ideals in the US in recent years mirrors, in many ways, what can be already seen in so-called “modern” Britain: we are living through a time which is more focused on the crackdown on civil liberties than on protecting human rights ; where we can see, clear as day, the “othering” of disenfranchised communities through odious legislation such as the Nationality and Borders Bill . We have plans from our own government to send vulnerable refugees over to Rwanda , a failure to ban trans conversion therap y , the deliberate stoking of “culture wars” and straw man arguments used to perpetuate a … [Read more...] about What does the Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling mean for British women?

Police fired tear gas to disperse anti-abortion demonstrators from outside the Arizona Capitol Friday night, forcing lawmakers to huddle briefly in a basement inside the building as they rushed to complete their 2022 session. Thousands of protesters had gathered earlier on the Capitol grounds in Phoenix, divided into groups both supporting and condemning the US Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. SWAT team members with the Department of Public Safety fired tear gas from second floor of the old Capitol building to disperse protesters in the mall between the current House and Senate buildings. KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the Senate building. Authorities said there were no injuries or arrests. The incident sent Senate lawmakers into the basement for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the building afterward, forcing the Senate to … [Read more...] about US Abortion Ruling: Police at Arizona Capitol Fire Tear Gas, Disperse Protesters

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 12 CAIRO (AP) — President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt held talks Saturday with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who visited Cairo for the first time in years. The talks focused on ties between the two nations and a set of other regional and global topics, including U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to the Middle East in July, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency. Both leaders agreed to develop mutual cooperation, especially in the energy and agriculture sectors, and boost Qatari investments in Egypt, the statement said. Al Thani arrived at the Itihadiya presidential palace in Cairo for talks with el-Sissi. Both leaders inspected an honor guard and bands played the national anthems of Egypt and Qatar, a livestream of the welcoming ceremony posted by the Egyptian presidency showed. … [Read more...] about Egypt’s president holds talks with visiting Qatari emir

Roger Federer thrashed American teenager Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday as the top seed began his week at the Swiss Indoors with a resounding first-round victory. Federer, who won in a stroll over Rafael Nadal just over a week ago in the Shanghai final, continued his top form in front of the local crowd at an event he has won seven times. The 36-year-old Swiss, who has competed in a dozen Basel finals, made quick work of his 19-year-old opponent, who had taken him to five sets in this year's US Open first round. Federer will next face France's Benoit Paire, a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) winner over American Steve Johnson. "I felt good throughout. The short match didn't matter too much because I have a day off tomorrow. Even if it had been three sets, it would have been OK," Federer said. "As long as I'm winning, it's all good. I'm just happy to win the first match. Frances was tough in the US Open. "The next round with Paire will be tough, he's a dangerous player indoors. I'm happy … [Read more...] about Roger Federer Routs American Teenager Tiafoe in Basel Opener