Mohammed Duba

Journalist, Comms and Policy specialist, Ford Mason Fellow (Harvard), Ford Fellow (Denver), Opinions expressed herein are my own

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

A 24-year-old Polish tennis player arrived in Paris last week ranked 114th in the world, with no sponsors, no guaranteed income, and no certainty she could even pay for her hotel room.

She had to win three qualifying matches just to enter the French Open main draw. Prize money is only paid at the end of the tournament, so a Polish sports drink brand quietly stepped in and covered her hotel bill.

Her name is Maja Chwalinska. And today, she plays in the French Open final.

Before this tournament, she had won exactly one Grand Slam main draw match in her entire career. She had battled depression so severe that in 2021 she couldn't get out of bed. She underwent knee surgery in 2022. She spent years grinding through small tournaments across Europe just to stay afloat.

Then she arrived in Paris, won three qualifiers, and kept winning. Zheng Qinwen. Elise Mertens. Maria Sakkari. Diana Shnaider. Nine straight matches. One set dropped.

She is now the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final. The last time a qualifier reached a Grand Slam final, it was Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu won.

By simply making the final, Chwalinska has earned more prize money than her entire career combined. The runner-up cheque alone is $1.6 million. If she wins today, she takes home $3.25 million.
One week ago she couldn't pay for her hotel room.

[APHRC @aphrc]

This week at the Africa Climate summit #ACS2 in Addis Ababa, #IamAPHRC joined African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Pathfinder to contribute to a High-Level dialogue on integrating health into Africa’s climate strategies, highlighting health co-benefits and policy opportunities. 

During the roundtable discussion on Climate Info Services, APHRC joined Science for Africa Foundation (SFA), Wellcome, African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and Rockefeller. The Center’s representatives emphasized the need for co-designing Early Warning Systems with communities, ensuring they are robust, inclusive, and sustainable.

We remain committed to advocating for African-led, evidence-driven strategies to ensure health is at the heart of climate action.

#Agenda2063 #APHRCresearch #WeAreAfrica

@wellcometrust @Afidep @LSHTM @ACMAD_org @RockefellerFdn @SciforAfrica @ACS2ET @SokhnaT37994755 @hkriNch @Liz_Kimani @okapuetyang @Kathina_Mwalia @dia_diama @SyllaElHadjiMa1 @joofassane @MalickS97 @RatemoJuliet @DMdiarafa @amveyange @CKyobutungi

[APHRC @aphrc]

Today, the Center’s Challenging the Politics of Social Exclusion (CPSE) team wraps up a week-long stakeholder engagement and capacity-strengthening in Rwanda with civil society organizations working in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (#SRHR) space.

The workshop strengthened participants' advocacy and policy engagement skills, offering practical tools on media engagement, coalition-building, and digital storytelling to advance SRHR advocacy in Rwanda.

#WeAreAfrica #APHRCResearch #SRHR

@sida @CKyobutungi @CwKabiru @amveyange @dmdiarafa @JumaKenneth @MangwanaVJ @isabelmutuku1 @aiajayi  @EmmanuelOtukpa @OpondoAchy @Chris_Maero @MohaDuba

[Christiane Amanpour @amanpour]

After the killings of key Hamas figures, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has said victory is near. But forensic analyses by @CNN, @criticalthreats and @thestudyofwar show a very different picture on the ground in Gaza – as @tamaraqiblawi reports.

[South Sudan Basketball @SSBFed]

It’s time!! Let’s gooooooo!

[Korir Sing'Oei @SingoeiAKorir]

There is a procedure for effecting an arrest. This is not one of them. We must resist the temptation to adopt extra legal means even in the pursuit of legitimate objectives.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🌟🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 73 international goals after turning 30 year old…

…more than anyone has ever scored at any age for Germany, France, Italy, England, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Uruguay, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, USA, Egypt, Ghana and 176 more countries, stat reported by @will_jeanes.

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

Moving more than one million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory of Gaza is under siege, is extremely dangerous – and in some cases, simply not possible.

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

Scott McTominay appreciation tweet.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ten Hag: "McTominay was fabulous”.

“When you come in with the end of the game near and you bring that mindset, that energy and that confidence, he fought for every meter, for every ball, and he was rewarded”.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🔴 Scott McTominay wins the game for Man United. Minute 93, minute 97. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🔴🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scott McTominay today…

↪️ Minute 83 — enters the pitch.
⚽️ Minute 87 — scores first goal.
⚽️ Minute 97 — scores second goal.
👟 Completes just two total passes.
🥇 Wins the game and gets MOTM.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🔴 McTominay: “At this football club you grow up knowing you are never allowed to give up”.

“I been brought up at Manchester Utd ever since I was 5 years old. I know the feeling of never being allowed to give up better than anyone”.

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

@abassmabdi Manchester United 2
Tottenham Hotspur 1
#TheHauntedCircus

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

@NazaninSAsh @welcomeus @wrcommission @SerajMahbouba @skipalska @USAmbUN @RubyAmanfu Congratulations 🎉

[(fan) Trey @UTDTrey]

🚨 If Man United reach the Fa Cup final today we’ll giveaway £100 to one person that likes and RT’s this tweet

Make sure to be following @Utd_Xtra_ and @UTDTrey so we can DM you.

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

#HappyBirthdayCardiB

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

@DownloaderBot

[Femme Tenace @femmetenace]

Hon.@RailaOdinga supporters asking @CJMarthaKoome to take her tike and go into this case and give Kenyans a genuine verdict.they also ask @WilliamsRuto to accept that he never won and the fake certificate should be nullified in the Supreme Court .
#FichuaGladysSholei

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

@lennyannez @RailaOdinga @CJMarthaKoome @WilliamsRuto @DownloaderBot

[Mohammed Duba @MohaDuba]

@maliks_88 @DownloaderBot