A toddler has died of severe head trauma on Wednesday morning after being struck by a four-inch hailstone during a fierce storm in northeastern Spain, while she was out with her parents, according to reports in the country.
The girl was with her parents in the town of La Bisbal d’Emporda in the Catalonia region when she was struck by the hailstone on Tuesday, mayor Carme Vall told Spanish Television, the national broadcaster.
The girl died of severe head trauma in hospital on Wednesday morning, Murcia Today reported.
The hailstone that struck her was four inches (10cm) in diameter, the news website added.
The name and nationality of the girl have not yet been reported.
The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth has experienced mobility problems since last autumn, and she now frequently employs a walking stick. She had to reschedule a number of public events earlier this year, which meant that she significantly missed her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The Queen will receive the new prime minister at her Balmoral estate in Scotland for the first time in her long reign.
Her Majesty will meet them on 6 September, a day after the new prime minister is announced.
She would normally appoint prime ministers from Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
However, the 96-year-old monarch has been advised to remain at her Balmoral residence in Aberdeenshire, where she is enjoying her summer holiday.
It will be from there that she will install either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss as prime minister on 6 September, breaking years of royal precedent.
It is understood the decision was taken at this stage in order to provide certainty for the prime minister’s diary.
If the Queen had experienced an episodic mobility issue next week and the plan had been to travel to London or Windsor, it would have led to alternative arrangements needing to be made at the last minute.
Since last autumn, the Queen has suffered from mobility issues and now regularly uses a walking stick.
This year, she has been forced to cut several official engagements short, and she notably missed much of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, only appearing briefly on the palace balcony.
In June, she missed Royal Ascot for the first time since her coronation, with the Duke of Kent taking her place in leading the royal carriage procession.
She also contracted COVID-19 back in February, and later spoke about how it left her feeling “very tired and exhausted”.
The winner of the Tory leadership contest to succeed Boris Johnson is set to be announced on Monday 5 September.
His successor will then travel to Balmoral to be officially appointed by the Queen the following day.
The chairman of the state oil corporation NNPC Ltd stated on Tuesday that every section of Nigerian society is involved in the theft of millions of barrels, adding that makeshift pipes and stolen fuel have even been discovered in churches and mosques.
Large-scale pipeline theft has slowed down exports, forced some businesses to halt production, and destroyed the economy of the nation.
NNPC chief Mele Kyari said he was not accusing institutions, including the government, but at virtually every level of Nigerian society, individuals were siphoning off a total of around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) from what is typically Africa’s largest exporter.
Kyari said Nigeria was building a “national reserve company” that would run the pipelines on a commercial basis and would be able to manage theft and other issues differently.
“Some of the pipelines and some of the products that we found are actually in churches and in mosques,” Kyari said, adding this meant those complicit included “members of the communities, members of the religious leaders and also, most likely, government officials”.
It was not immediately clear if the government had found crude oil, in addition to fuel, in those places.
The impact on exports is a reduction of 700,000 bpd, Kyari said, because theft had forced at least 700 “lock-ins” of oil production.
Kyari said some of the pipeline taps were so sophisticated that they ran for 3-4 kilometers and would have involved cranes, industrial equipment, and at least 40 workers.
NNPC has engaged companies, including those owned by ex-militants, to stem theft, and Kyari said the nation’s anti-graft agency was also following the cash and would prosecute those involved.
Local photographer J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije opened a small studio in the then-colonial capital Accra, a generation before the Gold Coast became Ghana, where his family would become the de facto visual historians of a nation that had not yet been born.
For 100 years, three generations of Bruce-Vanderpuijes have painstakingly amassed the world’s largest collection of 20th-century Ghanaian photographs under one roof. They believe their Deo Gratias photo studio is the oldest in West Africa.
From glass plates to digital files of nation-shaping events to intimate personal portraits, the family’s 50,000-image archive offers a unique glimpse into Accra’s transition from a colonial port into a bustling modern metropolis.
“The story they tell is that of [Ghana’s] history,” said Kate Tamakloe, Bruce-Vanderpuije’s granddaughter and keeper of the modern archive. “Without a history, you have no future.”
Virtually unchanged since opening in 1922, Deo Gratias sits on a busy street in the heart of Jamestown, the capital’s oldest district. Grainy archive photos reveal the area was once much quieter before traffic and billboards clogged the streets.
Today, the faces of local families, as well as famous musicians, politicians, and patrons adorn the studio’s walls. A black-and-white photo of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first leader on gaining independence in 1957, hangs near others of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and disgraced American president Richard Nixon.
“Pictures speak tonnes, louder than what has been written,” said Daniel Tetteh, a Ghanaian historian who volunteers with Deo Gratias as an archivist. “If we don’t preserve them, it means that the nation will lose its memory.”
Tamakloe took over Deo Gratias when her father Isaac Bruce-Vanderpuije, a lifelong photographer who inherited the studio from his father J.K., began to lose his eyesight. What began as a mission to digitise the archive has since become a full-time job, one she hopes to pass on to the next generation when the time comes.
Seated in a lush garden outside the capital, Kate and Isaac flipped through an album of their favourite prints. One showed J.K. elegantly perched atop a racehorse. Another showed a young and beaming Isaac aiming his camera towards an unknown subject.
“One must feel proud that for 100 years something has been preserved, and the coming generation will see what’s happened,” he said, gripping his cane while Kate looked on with a smile. “And I think that is not the end.”
Emma Raducanu’s attempt to defend her US Open title was unsuccessful when she was defeated by Alize Cornet of France in straight sets.
The 19-year-old Raducanu shocked the world by winning the major as a teenage qualifier, but her subsequent appearance on the court at Flushing Meadows was less noteworthy.
The British number one was out-hustled and out-scrapped by the experienced Cornet, who won 6-3 6-3 in New York.
Raducanu seeded 11th, will tumble down the rankings after losing the points she earned with the title last year.
“This one obviously hurts a bit because it’s my favourite tournament and there are a lot of emotions in the past year,” she said.
“I’m proud for putting myself out there every match, every day, knowing I’m pushing myself to be the best I can.”
The teenager has found her full-time transition to the WTA Tour a testing one, with the season punctured by niggling injuries that have contributed to inconsistent results.
Even her build-up to the US Open was not without bumps. A poor practice session on Friday was described as “one of those bad days”, although she played down the significance of a wrist injury that needed treatment.
Drawing Cornet, a wily and talented player with some notable results at the majors, in the first round was also about as tough as it could have been.
Cornet, 32, is ranked 40th in the world and narrowly missed out on a seeding.
At Wimbledon, she ended world number one Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open at the start of what could be her final year as a professional.
A warm ovation greeted Raducanu’s arrival for Tuesday’s night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium, despite the match being far from a sell-out, and she was given plenty of vocal support throughout.
There were the odd signs of Raducanu’s quality as she traded blows with Cornet, particularly in a tussle of a first set, but the reality was she made too many mistakes against an opponent simply in better form.
Raducanu had her service broken seven times and an overall tally of 31 unforced errors illustrated her current position.
That was in stark contrast to the teenager’s clean and free-swinging approach last year in New York, where she did not drop a set on the way to lifting the trophy.
A gusty wind whipping around the court made conditions tricky for both players, but Cornet initially handled them better as Raducanu struggled on serve and also to find consistent rhythm in her groundstrokes.
“Alize’s defence was pretty good. Like, I thought she was just scrapping everything back. There were junk balls in the middle of the court.
“With the wind blowing around, it was really difficult. She just kept getting it back.”
Spraying wayward returns from both sides, Raducanu fell 4-2 behind in the opener and, after breaking back, threw in another poor service game for 5-3 to allow Cornet to take the opener.
Raducanu called for the physio at the end of the set, wincing as she received treatment for blisters on her hand.
“I’ve been getting some blisters throughout the weeks in the States. But I think that’s just down to humidity and stuff,” said Raducanu, who also suffered from them during her Australian Open defeat in January.
After returning to court with more tape, things looked ominous when she was broken in the first game of the second set.
But she showed more resilience to break back and, assisted by a string of double faults by Cornet, move 3-1 ahead.
Many of the American fans leaped to their feet, showing their support for the Briton, but the atmosphere quickly dampened as Cornet rediscovered her level to swing the match back in her favour.
Department of Justice officials has announced that former president Donald Trump may have hidden and removed papers from his residence during an FBI visit to it in June.
The agency claimed in a court document that “efforts were probably made to hinder the government’s investigation.”
The document was sent in response to Mr. Trump’s lawsuit seeking the appointment of a “special master” to oversee a portion of the ongoing litigation.
Mr. Trump asserted that the materials were declassified while denying any misconduct.
In the filing released on Tuesday, the Justice Department’s counterintelligence chief, Jay Bratt, gives the clearest picture so far of the department’s attempts to retrieve documents from the former president.
Those attempts led to a National Archives team visiting his Mar-a-Lago home in January, an FBI team visiting in June, and the FBI searching the mansion on 8 August.
The FBI is investigating whether Mr Trump improperly handled records by taking them from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he left office in January 2021.
US presidents must transfer all of their documents and emails to the National Archives.
Who visited Mar-a-Lago, when, and why?
In January, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago, where they found highly classified records were “unfoldered” and “intermixed with other records” – some pages had been torn up.
Upon learning the boxes contained “highly classified reports”, the Justice Department and the FBI began investigations which found evidence that “dozens of additional boxes” likely containing classified information still remained at his property.
On 3 June, three FBI agents and a DOJ attorney arrived at Mar-a-Lago to collect materials. According to Mr Trump’s lawyers, he told them:Â “Whatever you need, just let us know.”
But agents were “explicitly prohibited” by his representatives from searching any boxes inside a storage room at Mr Trump’s property, according to the latest filing.
Mr Bratt, from the DOJ, said this gave “no opportunity for the government to confirm” that no classified documents remained at the property.
Evidence was also found that the records were “likely concealed and removed” from the storage and that efforts were “likely taken” to obstruct the investigation, officials said.
Following the June visit, FBI teams searched Mr Trump’s property again in August – where they found over a hundred classified documents.
Mr Bratt said that this “casts doubt on the extent of cooperation in this matter”.
At the time, Mr Trump rejected reports he had mishandled official records as “fake news”.
He is suing for a detailed list of exactly what was taken from his estate and is asking for the government to return any item which was not in the scope of the search warrant.
Mr Trump’s lawyers have asked that a “neutral” third-party attorney – known as a special master – be brought in to determine whether the seized files are covered by executive privilege, which allows presidents to keep certain communications under wraps.
A Canadian intelligence agent helped Shamima Begum get into Syria after she escaped the UK and joined the Islamic State.
According to documents obtained by the BBC, he claimed to have smuggled other Britons to fight for IS and given Canada Ms. Begum’s passport information.
The loss of Ms. Begum’s citizenship is being contested by her attorneys on the grounds that she was a victim of trafficking.
Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls – Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase – traveled to Syria to join the IS group in 2015.
At the main Istanbul bus station, the girls met Mohammed Al Rasheed, who would facilitate their journey to IS-controlled Syria.
A senior intelligence officer, at an agency that is part of the global coalition against IS, has confirmed to the BBC that Rasheed was providing information to Canadian intelligence while smuggling people to IS.
He told authorities that he had gathered information on the people he helped into Syria because he was passing it to the Canadian embassy in Jordan.
Rasheed, who was arrested in Turkey within days of smuggling Ms Begum to IS, told authorities he had shared a photo of the passport the British schoolgirl was using.
The dossier shows that Ms Begum was moved to Syria through a substantial IS people-smuggling network that was controlled from the group’s de-facto capital in Raqqa.
Rasheed was in charge of the Turkish side of this network and facilitated the travel of British men, women, and children to IS for at least eight months before he helped Ms Begum and her two friends.
Ms Begum told the BBC’s forthcoming I’m Not A Monster podcast: “He organized the entire trip from Turkey to Syria… I don’t think anyone would have been able to make it to Syria without the help of smugglers.
“He had helped a lot of people come in… We were just doing everything he was telling us to do because he knew everything, we didn’t know anything.”
Rasheed kept information about the people he helped, often photographing their ID documents or secretly filming them on his phone.
One recording shows Ms Begum and her friends getting out of a taxi and into a waiting car not far from the Syrian border.
There were reports of an HGV trailer on fire at about 01:04 BST, and the southbound lane between junctions 3 and 2 prompted the dispatch of firefighters.
Pictures taken at the scene showed thick plumes of smoke being emitted from what was left of the vehicle.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said no injuries had been reported.
The first swimmer from Singapore to win an Olympic gold medal, Joseph Schooling, has been barred from swimming competitions after confessing to using marijuana abroad.
The 27-year-old became a local sporting hero when he won the country’s first Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games.
But the scandal has now divided opinion in a country known for its strict drug laws.
Many expressed sympathy for the national swimmer, noting that his father had died last November and he was facing immense pressure as an athlete.
“Every young person makes mistakes,” one person commented in an article about the case. Another wrote: “This is a nothingburger. Many have tried it overseas.”
However, there were also those who condemned Mr Schooling.
“It is totally unacceptable as a top sportsman who is supposed to be a national role model,” a Facebook commenter said.
Singapore regulates the consumption of controlled drugs – such as cannabis – not only within the country but outside of it as well. Citizens or permanent residents who fail urine tests for illegal drugs on entering the country face up to 10 years in prison and a S$20,000 ($14,300; £12,300) fine.
It also has a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, which has become increasingly controversial as more young Singaporeans begin to speak up against capital punishment.
“I gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life,” he said.
Another national swimmer, 29-year-old Amanda Lim, also admitted to consuming cannabis. She was given a warning by the Central Narcotics Bureau after an investigation.
“There is no excuse, and I will take the warning given to me seriously and reflect on my mistakes,” she said in a statement.
Singapore’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that Mr Schooling passed the urine drug tests, but the 27-year-old confessed that he consumed cannabis while he was on a break from his military service to train and participate in the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May.
Given the “abuse of disruption privileges”, Mr Schooling will no longer be able to take leave or disrupt his military service to train or compete, the ministry said.
He will also be put on a supervised urine test regime for six months and could be sentenced to up to nine months of detention in military detention barracks if he tests positive.
All male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents have to serve about two years of full-time military service, usually starting when they are 18 unless they are exempted.
The start date for Mr Schooling’s military service was deferred multiple times so he could compete in international competitions before he enlisted in January this year
Research has revealed that the Home Secretary should utilize their power to restructure “failed” police forces and, if necessary, appoint a new chief constable.
According to Policy Exchange, a center-right research organization, policing has “lost its way” and some ordinary infractions are “in essence almost totally decriminalized.”
A serious intervention, according to the report’s author, former detective chief inspector David Spencer, is required.
Making Britain safer, according to Boris Johnson, has always been a top goal.
The report said that the public feels police officers are “more interested in being woke than solving crimes”.
It said police should avoid acts that may be intended to show solidarity against discrimination, such as taking the knee or wearing a badge on their uniform.
These acts could be interpreted as having “a partisan political view” and “has the potential to be hugely damaging to public confidence,” the report said.
Mr Spencer said the police’s ability to solve common crime is “woefully low” with only 3.5% of residential burglaries, 6.3% of robberies, and 4.1% of thefts solved during the last year.
He said tackling online crime should be a priority for law enforcement and the government.
“Less than 2% of all police officers in the UK are dedicated to the investigation of fraud or the sexual abuse of children online,” Mr Spencer said.
“The threats to individuals, the public and wider society from online child abusers, computer hackers and online fraudsters are huge and growing.”
He said the government’s aim to recruit 20,000 more police officers in England and Wales by 2023 “will fail to make any real contribution to tackling the online threat” because they are mostly “uniformed police officers deployed to do traditional policing”.
“As a result, these offenses are in essence almost entirely decriminalized.”
The report said regulations should urgently be amended to allow police chiefs to dismiss officers found guilty of criminality or serious misconduct.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption,
Boris Johnson will meet new front-line officers on one of his last visits as prime minister
Mr Johnson will meet new police officers on the frontline on Wednesday as part of one of his final visits as prime minister.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr Johnson said: “Making our streets safer has always been central to my mission to level up this country because everyone should have the security, confidence, and opportunity that comes from having a safe street and a safe home, wherever they live.”
He said the government is cracking down on “vile gangs” and putting dangerous offenders behind bars for longer.
He said the government’s plan to recruit 20,000 new officers will provide the “firepower for years to come in the fight against crime”.
The government says more than 13,790 extra police officers have been hired across England and Wales as part of Mr Johnson’s pledge to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets.
Due to the need for maintenance, Russia has fully stopped supplying gas to Europe through a major pipeline.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline will be restricted for the next three days, according to Russian state-owned oil company Gazprom.
Russia already considerably cut back on pipeline-based gas shipments.
It also denies claims that energy supplies were used to penalize Western countries for enacting sanctions in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline stretches 1,200km (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany.
It opened in 2011 and can send a maximum of 170m cubic metres of gas per day from Russia to Germany.
The pipeline was shut down for 10 days in July – again for repairs, according to Russia – and has recently been operating at just 20% capacity because of what Russia describes as faulty equipment.
European leaders fear Russia could extend the outage in an attempt to drive up gas prices, which have already risen by 400%.
The steep rise threatens to create a cost of living crisis over the winter months, potentially forcing governments to spend billions to ease the burden.
On Tuesday, French Energy Minister Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher accused Russia of “using gas as a weapon of war”.
She was speaking after Gazprom said it would be suspending gas deliveries to the French energy company Engie.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s spokesman has rejected the accusations and insisted that Western sanctions have caused the interruptions by damaging Russian infrastructure.
He insisted that “technological problems” caused by Western sanctions are the only thing preventing Russia from supplying gas via the pipeline, without specifying what the problems were.
The most recent controversy has been over a turbine that arrived in Germany after being repaired in Canada and which Russia refused to take back, arguing it was subject to the Western sanctions.
Germany, however, denies this.
Earlier this month, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the pipeline was fully operational and said there were no technical issues as claimed by Russia.
Earlier this week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to intervene in energy markets, telling a conference in Slovenia that they are “no longer fit for purpose”.
“We need a new market model for electricity that really functions and brings us back into balance,” she said.
The majority of the players are also scoring goals to support their teams and attain personal aims.
Here are the top scorers in the 2022/2023 Spanish premier division:
On the first spot we have Robert Lewandolski of Fc Barcelona, he is leading the Spanish premier division top scorers to chat with 4 goals in the 3 matches played.
The player in the 2nd spot we have Borja Iglias of Real Betis, he has also scored 4 goals in his first 3 games for Real Betis in the Spanish premier league.
On the 3rd spot we have Iago Aspas of Celta De Vigo, he has scored 3 goals in the 2022/2023 Spanish premier division.
In the fourth spot we Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, he has also scored 3 goals in the laliga.
So these are the top scorers in the 2022/2023 Spanish premier division, they hope to score more to double their tally before the end of the season.
The Black Princesses and Hasaacas Ladies’ forward, Doris Boaduwaa, believes her team’s loss in the CAF Women’s Champions League final was a very hard lesson learnt.
In the 2021 CAF Women’s Champions League final, Hasaacas Ladies lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC of South Africa.
Doris Boaduwaa played an instrumental part in that campaign, and in an interview with Ohene-Bampoe Brenya on Happy FM, she said the team got the exposure needed and they are looking forward to representing Ghana again.
“I really cried on that day of the finals because during our campaign in the competition, we had not tasted defeat and to lose in the finals, was a very painful one.
“The entire country and even our loved ones were looking up to us to win the trophy so it was really disappointing to let everyone down and I think we have really learned from it but in a painful way,†she added.
Sadio Mane honors his Muslim principles by refusing to hold a beer in the team photo for Bayern Munich, which is sponsored.
Bayern Munich has made images from their usual photo shoot available in honor of their collaboration with the Munich-based brewery Paulaner.
The photoshoot featured all members of the Bayern Munich first team in traditional German outfits called Lederhosen, posing in orderly sitting and standing positions.
All but two of the 31 players in the team photoshoot was holding a tall glass of Paulaner beer each, most notably Sadio Mane.
Sadio Mane empty-handed
Mane was one of seven players sitting in front but while the other six could be seen visibly holding up their glasses of beer, the Senegalese forward was with his hands down held together.
The ever-smiling Mane is an openly practicing Muslim and his religion forbids the consumption or association with alcohol of any form which is presumably why he was without a beer in the photo.
The Bayern Munich new signing is one of two openly Muslim players in the current Bayern Munich squad, the other being Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui who was also empty-handed.
Paulaner is a German brewery, established in 1634 in Munich and is one of the six breweries that provide beer for Oktoberfest, an annual German celebration in which Bayern are heavily involved.
Bayern stars uphold traditional Twitter
Both Munich-based institutions have established a relationship over the years and the annual photoshoot is one of the ways they celebrate their alliance.
The famous 3-liter beer glasses 3-liter beer glasses have become a part of Bayern Munich’s history over the years.
Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Boateng, who just quit his position as Aston Villa U2-assistant 3’s coach, has been scouting Ghanaian talents in the UK.
The Black Stars technical staff, led by Otto Addo, is making every effort to put together a strong team that can honorably represent Ghana in Qatar later this year.
As part of his scouting mission, the Black Stars assistant trainer met with the former England youth star who has switched allegiance to play for the West African powerhouse.
The Brighton defender is among the five Europe-born Ghanaian players who have switched nationality to represent the four-time African champions.
George Boateng has already met Jordan Ayew and Jeffery Schlupp who plies their trade for Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
He is expected to visit other national team players ahead of the 2022 World Cup tournament.
On a fun night in New York full of hope and excitement, Serena Williams extended her US Open farewell with a tough opening victory.
Williams defeated Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, winning 6-3 6-3. Williams will retire after the competition.
A fairly full 25,000-person Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd yelled at their hero, who reacted with trademark tenacity.
Williams, 40, will play Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round on Wednesday.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who is one short of Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record, is also playing in the doubles alongside older sister Venus, adding another exciting element to what she hopes will be a long goodbye this fortnight.
Her first assignment was beating Kovinic, ranked 80th in the world, and there was a thunderous noise when she took the first of three match points to ensure her singles career was not over yet.
Williams jumped on the spot when Kovinic’s backhand return hit the net, then twirled ecstatically in the center of the court before blowing kisses to her adoring fans when she had returned to her seat to soak in the occasion.
“The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there. That’s a tough feeling to have, and to leave knowing the more you do it, the more you can shine.
“But it’s time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing. I think it’s important because there are so many other things that I want to do.”
Williams thrills the crowd on a night of celebration
Williams’ announcement about her retirement plans led to a surge in ticket sales and a record 29,402 fans turning up at the opening night session of the tournament
Williams has long been more than a tennis player and it was a sign of her status – as an American icon and one of the world’s most recognizable sports stars – that she announced her retirement in an essay for glossy fashion magazine Vogue.
Although the former world number one did not use the word retirement itself, preferring to say she was “evolving away” from the sport, there is no mistaking her intention is to end her glittering career this fortnight at her home major.
Suitably, for what could have been her final match, it was a night of celebrity and glamour.
Williams – wearing a glittery, figure skating-inspired dress and diamond-encrusted trainers to add further theatre to the occasion – unsurprisingly arrived on the court to a rapturous reception, moments after the stadium watched a video montage in celebration of what she has achieved as a player and a person.
“When I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling,” she said.
“It’s a feeling I’ll never forget. It meant a lot to me.”
Kovinic had already come out to the court, leaving her with a long – and what must have been nervous – wait next to her chair.
Film director Spike Lee, who called Williams his “little sister” in a video released earlier on Monday, took part in the coin toss, while Vogue editor Anna Wintour, another close personal friend, was sat in her support box behind the player’s family.
Other famous faces picked out by the stadium cameras included former US President Bill Clinton, soul singer Gladys Knight, boxer Mike Tyson and model Bella Hadid.
The outcome of the checks by the Athletico Bilbao medical team will determine whether he will be available for the friendly matches in September or not.
The MTN FA Cup winner and the Ghana Premier League champion compete in the cup match during the off-season.
Accordingly, victors of the two competitions, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko were billed to lock horns in the Super Cup as a curtain raiser for the 2022/23 football season.
Amid talk that both clubs are considering pulling out of the Super Cup, the Executive Council of the Ghana FA has met to discuss the matter.
At the end of the meeting, the GFA Exco decided to call off the Super Cup.
The decision is to give both clubs enough time to prepare adequately for the upcoming season.
Ayew’s posters have been noticed on well-traveled streets in the Arab nation with less than three months till the start of the world event, which will be watched by millions.
Former captain of the Black Stars, Stephen Appiah, has denied rumors that he may leave retirement to represent Ghana at the World Cup.
The former Juventus player fueled speculation that he would play for the Black Stars again at the 2022 World Cup after posting a photo of himself working out recently at a stadium.
“This was an advert I shot in Thailand for Vitamilk oooo… Retired 10 years ago and I am not turning back… Just ignore any such news,†Appiah tweeted.
Stephen Appiah was part of Ghana’s team that qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and scored against the USA to help Ghana qualify to the round of 16 where they were eliminated by Brazil.
He said: “It has to improve for the future because it would be really bad if somehow a championship was dictated by a financial regulation and not technical or sporting.”
His comments come in the wake of claims Red Bull will introduce a lighter car in forthcoming races.
It is a widespread belief in F1 that Red Bull will introduce a new chassis that is 4kg lighter than its existing one as it seeks to close off Max Verstappen’s second world drivers’ title and the constructors’ championship.
The Singapore Grand Prix at the beginning of October, in three races’ time, is said to be the target event, although it could be sooner.
Red Bull has said a number of times this season that they have been working on reducing the weight of their car this year and 4kg would amount to a lap-time gain in the region of 0.14 seconds.
Asked whether this was Red Bull’s plan, team principal Christian Horner said: “No, there is no [lighter chassis]. These chassis will run for the next few races.”
Asked about the governing body’s monitoring budget cap procedures, an FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA is committed to robust monitoring processes and will continue to strengthen, develop and refine all areas of its activities in this new era of Formula 1.”
Red Bull is widely expected to introduce a new, lighter chassis before the end of the season
Binotto said: “I cannot know what they are doing if they have a [lighter] chassis or not, but the budget cap is always a concern.
“The financial regulations can make differences between teams in the way they are interpreting and somehow executing it.
“And we know we need a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable.
“And if they are, it is back to the regulation itself – is it fair enough, is it equitable enough, is the policing sufficient?”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “We wouldn’t be able to introduce a chassis at that stage of the season. We are massively overweight, which we haven’t been able to sort out because we are trying parts on the car in order to solve our various issues, so can’t afford that, full stop.
“So what was aimed for by introducing the cost cap absolutely hit the target. It is what they wanted to achieve. The big teams can’t just throw money at it.”
The budget cap was introduced in 2021 and was set at $140m (£119m) this season, but teams have been permitted a 3.5% overspend because of the rise in inflation.
Inaki Williams of Athletic Bilbao claims that the offseason was the ideal time to switch allegiance to Ghana after playing for Spain and that he won’t regret his choice. The 28-year-old, whose parents are Ghanaians and who were born in Bilbao, played for Spain’s Under-21 squad and also had one senior team appearance in a friendly match against Bosnia in 2016.
The attacker feels firm that he is wasting his prime years waiting for his next call-up to the international team after six years of being ignored by Spain, and he may now play at this year’s World Cup. Williams declared, “I have my African ancestry and Ghanaian blood while being born in Europe.
“I think this is the best moment to make that decision. I don’t think I will regret it, because these opportunities only come once. I wasn’t going to have this opportunity again, and I think I made the right choice. I will enjoy the moment, and my roots and repay the chance Ghana has given me. I think I will enjoy it on the sporting side and personally,†he explained
Williams was among five players who declared their allegiance to Ghana last month, and the decision by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to bolster its World Cup-bound squad through its diaspora has met with some backlash from followers of the Black Stars. Wary supporters are worried that this trend – snapping up eligible players of Ghanaian heritage – might disturb the harmony of the squad that qualified for the finals, which began on November 20.
Some of the newcomers are seen as opportunists who just want a chance to play in Qatar, where the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists will face Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay in Group H. However, Williams revealed he thought about committing to the four-time African champions for “many months before switching allegiance to Ghana.â€
“My family helped me make the decision, and GFA president (Kurt Okraku) made the most effort for me to be with the national team,†he added.
“Many factors have influenced this decision. They proposed to me that I represent Ghana, as I had a pending trip to visit my family in the country.â€
“I had nothing clearly figured, but the trip helped me see what my grandparents thought about. It was then easier when you see the people and your family also support you to be a Black Star.â€
He also believes that Ghana can be competitive, and has, therefore, vowed to give his all once he makes his debut.
“There are many good players in the national team and we have a good squad. We will try to do our best all the time. Pressure or no pressure, I will give back the affection received through effort, work, and goals if they come. No one will be able to reproach my effort to make them feel proud of me,†he said.
Skeptics have, however, insinuated that Williams could follow the path of Kevin-Prince Boateng, another European-born player who decided to represent Ghana at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup. The former Germany U21 international rarely showed up for fixtures in far-flung corners of the continent and never appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I will be available for the Nations Cup, that’s why I made the choice. We valued that the next editions will be in the winter, but at the end of the day, many European clubs lose their best players,†Williams said
“Representing the country my parents are from, and the country where I feel very loved, I will try to give everything for Ghana,” He revealed.
Asked if his decision would have been different if he had to choose between Ghana and Spain, Williams replied: “I don’t know. The choice I made is Ghana, for my family, for myself and for everything they have shown me in the last few months.”
After eight seasons at Athletic, Williams holds the record for the most consecutive appearances in La Liga – 234 games – after bettering the previous mark of 202 last October. He became the first black player to score in the club’s 117-year history when netting against Torino in February 2015, and Williams has the support of the club in his quest to pursue an international career outside of Spain.
“The current President, Aitor Elizegi, always wanted me to make that choice because he felt it would’ve made me happy,” he said”, adding:I think he feels happy and proud I have made that decision. Aitor sent me an emotive message as soon as I released the statement. I will always be grateful to him for being so supportive and understanding of my feelings.”
Williams’ younger brother, Nico, also plays for the Basque side, but he is unsure if the 20-year-old will follow in his footsteps and choose Ghana over Spain. “Despite being brothers, that question isn’t for me,” he said. That’s his decision, and that answer is down to him. I will, however, be there to support and help him.”
For star striker Sasa Kalajdzic, Wolves have agreed to pay Stuttgart 18 million euros (£15.4 million) plus add-ons.
After yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle, manager Bruno Lage expressed his desire to add another forward to the lineup to challenge Raul Jimenez.
Austria striker Kalajdzic, 25, has been on Wolves’ radar for a number of weeks.
He asked to be left out of Stuttgart’s Bundesliga game with Koln at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Willy Boly’s likely move to Nottingham Forest is understood to be edging closer.
Boly opted not to turn up for the Newcastle game despite being asked to by Lage in order to push through the transfer. There is still no agreement on the fee.
Meanwhile, striker Patrick Cutrone has secured a move away from Molineux. The 24-year-old has joined Italian Serie B side Como, his hometown club, on a permanent deal.
The Italian, who joined Wolves in 2019 from AC Milan, has had loan spells at Fiorentina, Valencia, and Empoli since the start of 2020.
The most costly addition to Chelsea’s team this summer may be the “most prodigiously talented young central defender in the world,” according to reports.
The Blues are prepared to pay up to £70 million to sign Wesley Fofana, 21, from Leicester City, bringing their total investment for this transfer window to more over £200 million.
“Gutted to lose him but wish Wesley Fofana well,” tweeted former Foxes striker Gary Lineker after it was reported a deal was done. “Every player wants to play Champions League football so it’s understandable.
“Chelsea fans, you’ve got the most prodigiously talented young central defender in the world. Yes, I believe he’s that good.”
So what is it about Fofana that has convinced Chelsea to splash serious cash on a young talent who has only made 37 appearances in the Premier League?
Thomas Tuchel’s defense was one of the stingiest in the league after he became Blues boss in January last year, conceding just 17 goals in his first 30 top-flight games.
But they have shipped more than double that – 35 – in the 31 league games since, and Tuchel has had to remodel his backline this summer.
“Chelsea needed a center-back and would be nowhere near competitive if they didn’t get one,” said former Blues winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Fofana is a very good answer. Chelsea’s need has probably put another £10m on his price tag, but Chelsea needed to add.”
With Antonio Rudiger leaving for Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen joining Barcelona, Chelsea was left needing defensive reinforcements but was unable to do business until a consortium led by Todd Boehly completed its takeover.
That was in May, and former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green believes a lack of planning has left them “over a barrel” as the deadline approaches.
Fofana would follow Marc Cucurella through the door after the Spaniard’s £60m move from Brighton earlier this month.
“They are playing catch-up and have to pay the money,” Green told 5 Live. “They will get a great player. He immediately ticks the boxes and is also one of the future.”
Chelsea has used Reece James as a right-sided center-back in two of their opening four Premier League games, and Green says the signing of Fofana would allow Tuchel to keep the England full-back in his more natural position.
“Reece James’ quality is on the ball,” added Green. “Fofana ticks a box for the center-half position but also strengthens elsewhere as James can go forward.”
Fofana joined Leicester two years ago in a deal worth up to £36.5m – a hefty outlay for someone who had made only 30 senior appearances for Saint-Etienne.
But he has impressed, playing 38 times in his debut campaign before being voted the club’s Young Player of the Season by their supporters.
He would no doubt have been an integral part of Brendan Rodgers’ side last term, too, but for a broken leg in pre-season that ruled him out until March.
The France Under-21 international signed a new five-year deal at the King Power Stadium that same month.
But after playing in Leicester’s first two league games of this season, he has been left out of the following two and has not been training with the first team recently.
“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, which I understand,” said Rodgers earlier this month. “It’s a difficult moment for him. He’s a good kid. He’s been great for us.”
Since Fofana’s debut, Leicester has won 43.2% of the league games he has featured in, compared with 38.5% of those without him. They have conceded 1.6 goals per game when he has been absent, compared with 1.4 with the defender in the team.
“Wesley Fofana is one of those players Leicester have been so good at finding over the past few years,” said BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.
“Admittedly, a fee of up to £36m for a 19-year-old indicated the Foxes knew what a talent Fofana could be. Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers has nurtured him and ensured he is now a very modern central defender – quick, comfortable carrying the ball out of defense, and adept at playing in a two-man defensive unit or a three.
“The money has to be reinvested, which is something else Leicester has been good at over the past few years. The issue is, they don’t have a lot of time.”
Striker Felix Afena-Gyan of the Black Stars has informed AS Roma of his impending exit.
Felix Afena-Gyan thanked Alberto de Rossi, manager of Roma’s Primavera team, and AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho at the Stadium Olympico for guiding him through his development.
Afena-Gyan didn’t announce his next destination but it was earlier reported that AS Roma has agreed on a deal with Serie A newcomers, US Cremonese for a fee worth €8 million.
“I’m grateful to AS Roma, the technical team, and staff for the precious opportunity and support I have enjoyed in the last one and half years. My uttermost love to the manager Jose Mourinho. The last seven months with you have totally changed my life. Thank you for believing in me.”
“To my former teammates and the Roma fans, I cherished the wonderful moments we shared together. Thank you Mr. Alberto De Rossi for the role you played in my growth. It was a huge honour to put on the Roma shirt,” the statement from Felix Afena-Gyan read.
Felix Afena-Gyan scored twice for AS Roma in 17 appearances since making his senior debut in 2020.
It would be challenging for Nigeria to recover from their 2-0 loss to Ghana in the second leg of their CHAN 2023 Qualifiers, which would be contested in Abuja, according to Black Galaxies coach Annor Walker.
After the game, Annor Walker acknowledged that the Nigerians’ attack lacked intensity, making it challenging for them to defeat Ghana in the second leg.
“It would not be possible because I have not seen any threat in their attack. In fact, since I have seen the way they play, we will also strategize for it and when we get to Nigeria it will be a different strategy that we will use to approach the game,†the Black Galaxies coach stated.
“We are not coming back such that we will not be able to qualify, we are going to Nigeria and for sure we will qualify for CHAN next year,†Annnor Walker said.
Hearts of Oak striker Daniel Afriyie Barnieh struck the first goal for Ghana from the spot after a barren first half.
Seidu Suraj later doubled the lead to seal a convincing victory with four minutes to end the game.
Nigeria will host Ghana in the return leg at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on September 3, 2022.
“I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf,” McIlroy said of LIV.
A number of high-profile players have left the established tours for the £1.6bn LIV Golf series which is holding eight invitational events in 2022 with a prize fund of £200m before turning into a league from next year.
Major winners Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson are among those to have joined, and the PGA Tour responded by indefinitely banning those players.
Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, and Ian Poulter are among the LIV players expected to feature at the DP World Tour’s flagship event from 8-11 September.
McIlroy added: “I hate it. I really do. It’s going to be hard for me to stomach going to Wentworth in a couple of weeks’ time and seeing 18 of them there. That just doesn’t sit right with me.
“So yeah, I feel strongly. I believe what I’m saying are the right things and I think when you believe that what you’re saying is the right thing, you’re happy to stick your neck out on the line.”
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are set to compete at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth
McIlroy captured his third FedEx Cup following a thrilling final-round duel with world number one Scottie Scheffler at East Lake in Atlanta.
Scheffler started the week with a six-shot advantage over the four-time major winner as players began the season-ending event on staggered scores, determined by their respective positions in the FedEx Cup standings.
McIlroy also started the final round six adrift of Masters winner Scheffler but carded a closing four-under 66 to beat the American and South Korea’s Sungjae Im by one shot.
“Look, it’s been a tumultuous time for the world of men’s professional golf in particular,” said McIlroy, 33.
“I’ve been right in the middle of it. I’ve picked a great time to go on the PGA Tour board.
“But yeah, I’ve been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I’m trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world.
“It’s in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different.”
After one of their own, Suleiman Kangangi, passed away in the US, the cycling community in Kenya has been rocked by grief.
On Saturday in Vermont, Kangangi tragically perished during the Overland gravel race. The Kenyan took part in the event until his tragic passing.
His team Amani mourned their late star in a statement.
Sule is our captain, friend and brother. He is also a father, husband and son. Gaping holes are left when giants fall. Sule was a giant.
Before his death, Kangangi was the Kenya Riders captain, which is the national team. The Standard reports that he represented the country in numerous races, including the All Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games.
Cycling Kenya Federation confirmed the incident and condoled the family.
Kenya has lost one of the best cyclists to ever fly the Kenyan flag for cycling. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family of Suleiman Kangangi and the enitire cycling community. Safiri salama ndugu.
Veteran Sports journalist Carol Radull tweeted,
Our heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of Kenyan Cyclist Suleiman Kangangi, who died in a crash on Saturday while competing in a gravel race in Vermont, USA.
Full-back Renan Lodi of Atletico Madrid has been hired by Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan.
Brazilian player, age 24, is the newly promoted team’s 18th acquisition of the summer.
Lodi joined Atletico in 2019 and has since played 118 games, winning La Liga in 2021 and participating 27 times in the Champions League for Diego Simeone’s team.
He has won 15 caps for Brazil since making his debut in 2019.
Forest are 14th in the Premier League after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Tottenham.
Speaking before the game, Forest manager Steve Cooper said: “We want to get to a point when the window closes that we have good cover for every position but also a challenge for every position as well.
“I would rather get questions about how many players we have signed than not signing enough, because it shows we have the right ambition.
“We are still going through the process, when the window shuts hopefully we have enough players in our squad to cover each position, so we have a competitive environment on the training pitch.”
India and Pakistan played each other in the opening game of the Asia Cup, with India winning in a thrilling final over.
Hardik smashed the fourth ball of the last over for six to secure a five-wicket victory with India needing to score 148 runs off of 20 overs.
The all-rounder struck three fours in the 19th over to reduce the equation from 21 runs from 12 balls to seven from six, before Ravindra Jadeja was bowled at the start of the last over.
Hardik finished 33 not out from 17 in reply to Pakistan’s 147 all out.
Virat Kohli also made 35 from 34 balls before he was caught off left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who took 3-33 and bowled the final over in Dubai.
After Jadeja fell for 35, new batter Dinesh Karthik took a single and Nawaz bowled a dot ball but, with six needed from three, Hardik cleared the long-on boundary.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 43 from 42 balls for Pakistan, while India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4-26 as Babar Azam’s side was dismissed in 19.5 overs.
It was the great rivals’ first meeting since the T20 World Cup last autumn, an encounter Pakistan won by 10 wickets.
The win puts India top of Group A in the Asia Cup – which is being played in the Twenty20 format in this edition – above Pakistan and Hong Kong. Afghanistan thrashed Sri Lanka in the Group B opener on Saturday – a group that also includes Bangladesh.
The top two teams in each group go into the Super Four phase, which is then played in a round-robin format before the top two meet in the final on 11 September.
Victor Osimhen won’t be moving this summer, according to Luciano Spalletti, the head coach of Italian club Napoli, despite rumors linking him to Manchester United.
According to a number of rumors, the Nigerian international might be moving to Old Trafford as Cristiano Ronaldo’s agency is allegedly putting the finishing touches on a potential trade.
With United not qualifying for the Champions League, CR7 is said to be desperate to leave United and Napoli is a considered destination for the Portuguese.
It was gathered that United could offer €100million to Napoli for the Nigeria international, Complete Sportsreports.
“Osimhen gave his response, via his agent, saying he wants to play the Champions League and he wants to play it with this squad.
“He cares about his teammates, he chases down opposition players to help out and is a very strong focal point in attack. Having him at our disposal with that mentality is the best we could ask for.â€
The 23-year-old has scored two goals and recorded one assist in three league appearances for the Partenopei this season.
After Richarlison infuriated supporters on Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte jumped to the striker’s defense.
For the third match in a row, Richarlison made his debut from the bench. Late in the game, the Brazilian gave Harry Kane an assist to put the game beyond Nottingham Forest’s control.
Spurs had to work hard for the victory because Forest predominated for extended stretches. Although they played well, the freshly promoted team was unable to penetrate Hugo Lloris’s net.
The game was full of highlights, with Conte forced to comment on Richarlison’s piece of showboating towards the tail-end of the game.
The former Everton man received the ball close to the touchline. He then proceeded to do some keepy-uppies before eventually releasing the ball. He ended up misplacing the pass and in his attempt to win it back, was fouled by Forest’s players.
Speaking after the game and as quoted by the Guardian, Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper was livid.
I wouldn’t want my players to do what Richarlison did. It wouldn’t be accepted here.
Conte, on his end, said,
I think he juggled with the ball. It is a game and you are under pressure. I repeat it is OK. I don’t think Richy wanted to show disrespect to Nottingham Forest as quoted by Football London.
Richarlison is not new to controversy. Apart from his impeccable football ability, he is known for winding up the opposition. He will be pushing to start more games after impressing off the bench in recent games.
It is reported that Gabonese striker, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was robbed at gunpoint in his apartment in Barcelona in the early hours of Monday, August 29, 2022.
According to a report by El Pais, at least four men broke into his house in Castelldefels and threatened him with firearms and iron bars. The report also indicates that the robbers made away with jewels.
The striker was reportedly assaulted in the course of the robbery in front of his wife Alysha Behague.
Perrie Emerick Aubameyang was an unused substitute in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Real Valladolid on Sunday, August 28, 2022.
He has been linked with a move to England with Chelsea showing keen interest in bringing the Gabonese to English Premier League after departing Arsenal in January 2021.
GHANASoccernet.com can reveal that the Foxes are set to open talks with the wantaway Ajax star after a slow start to their season.
Leicester City is yet to win a game after three matches, losing two and drawing one in the new campaign.
And with reports linking star midfielder James Madison to Arsenal, Mohammed Kudus seems the ideal replacement for Brendan Rogers’ team.
Mohammed Kudus wants to leave after playing just 24 minutes of the season in the Dutch Eredivisie and with Leicester showing interest, the midfielder could make a dream move to the English Premier League.
Former captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan backed Cristiano Ronaldo when he received criticism for a lackluster cameo appearance in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Southampton on August 27, 2022.
Ronaldo, who came on for the final 22 minutes, was unable to make much of an impact on the team’s attack, leading some fans to believe the wantaway 37-year-old has nothing to offer the club.
While some Man United fans and rival fans criticized the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Gyan pointed out reasons why Ronaldo struggled in the game.
“Massa Massa he came on in the difficult moment of the game. He when winning the air duels for the team. He should have done better in the last counter-attack but he fought today to make sure day secure the winner. U just want to talk about him cos u have to comment,” Gyan tweeted.
Nonetheless, Manchester United managed to pick up the scrappy win, which was their second of the season as they continue to build their momentum.
Six-time British time trial champion has declared his retirement from professional road racing.
Before fellow Briton Sir Bradley Wiggins beat his record, Dowsett, 33, held the illustrious UCI Hour record for a month in 2015 with a ride of 52.937 kilometers.
But Dowsett said: “This isn’t a retirement from cycling, this is a retirement from the World Tour.”
He confirmed his future would still be “on two-wheels”.
In a YouTube video, Dowsett added: “I’m going to step out of the World Tour, step out of pro cycling from now.
“I think what’s changed is this year I’ve gone through a period where they want to win something bigger than I’ve previously won or be better than I’ve previously been has wavered.
“I have achieved everything I can within the World Tour, within professional cycling at this level, but also I’ve witnessed life outside pro cycling and that’s filled me with excitement.”
A two-time Giro d’Italia stage winner, Dowsett rode for Trek-Livestrong, Team Sky, Movistar, Katusha-Alpecin, and most recently Israel Premier-Tech over the course of his career.
He won gold at the 2014Commonwealth Games time trial, improving on the silver he claimed four years earlier.
Dowsett believed to be the only able-bodied athlete to have hemophilia, a condition that stops the blood from clotting properly, said he was most proud of the progress he has been able to make during his career within the haemophiliac community.
With Ajax, Manchester United has reached an agreement to acquire Brazilian winger Antony.
United will reportedly pay an initial fee of £80.75 million plus a further £4.25 million in add-ons.
Within the next 48 hours, the 22-year-old is expected to travel to Manchester to get a medical.
Antony would become Manchester United’s joint-second most expensive signing alongside defender Harry Maguire – the £89m paid for Paul Pogba remains the club’s record.
Antony scored 25 goals and provided 22 assists in 82 appearances for Ajax, having joined the Dutch side from Sao Paulo in 2020 and played under current United boss Erik ten Hag.
He made his international debut for Brazil in October 2021 and has two goals in nine appearances.
Antony, who contributed to seven goals in his 11 Champions League appearances for Ajax, would also become the joint-fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history.
Only Pogba’s move to United, Chelsea’s signing of Romelu Lukaku, and Manchester City’s deal for Jack Grealish would be more costly.
United travel to Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture on Thursday, 1 September, but Antony would need to receive a work permit before making an appearance.
The attacker would become United’s fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of his former Ajax team-mate, defender Lisandro Martinez, midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid, full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, and playmaker Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.
Speculation also remains as to whether Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club following concerns about how the 37-year-old’s mood is affecting morale in the camp.
During FC Utrecht’s 2-0 victory on Sunday morning, their vile monkey chants were directed at Ghanaian attacker Brian Brobbey, who is Dutch by birth.
After Stephen Berghuis gave his team the lead early on in the game, the striker added a second goal for the Dutch champions.
Berghuis then switched roles, supplying Brobbey with a cross that the striker turned in to make it 2-0 for Ajax.
But the player in an interview with ESPN after the match says he did not hear it but does not care as his side won the game.
“Monkey chants? I didn’t hear it, but after the game, I looked at my phone and my brother said they did. They might get fined. I don’t care. Of course, it’s not a nice thing to hear, but we were up 0-2. Let them talk. In the end, we won and they lost.â€
The KNVB football association has since responded to the misconduct.
“The professional football prosecutor is investigating whether the club can be blamed,” a statement read. “It is also taken into account whether they track down the perpetrators and nominate them for a national stadium ban.
“Previously, perpetrators of discriminatory chants went free too often because the available images in combination with sound were not sufficient as evidence. Hopefully, that will not happen again in the future.”
FC Utrecht director Thijs van Es speaks has blasted the behavior of supporters, who also briefly halted the game after a firework was set off.
“We have identified the fireworks thrower, he has now been arrested,” he said. “We also have the individuals who have shouted in the picture. We will go after that. It may be small numbers, but they screw up.”
“Today…11 years ago!!! This can only be God. Thanking God for his Mercies, Provisions, and Protections. HAPPY TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY TO US. ,†Prince Okojie.
The colorful tins piled high around Belgian collector Yvette Dardenne used to contain goods ranging from chocolates, toffees, coffee, and rice to tobacco, talc, and shoe polish and came from as far away as India.
Yvette Dardenne, 83, has accumulated almost 60,000 vintage tin boxes from all over the world since starting her collection some 30 years ago.
The collection, which now occupies four houses, all began with a Cote d’Or chocolate box illustrated with a painting of a blonde girl in a blue hat, Dardenne told Reuters, standing amid the carefully arranged tin boxes in the medieval watermill she owns next to her home.
Later, the tins just came to her, she said.
“I haven’t been anywhere. I was not traveling. People still think I have traveled a lot. It quickly became known (that I collected boxes). Sometimes, right after my husband left for the office, someone would show up to offer me something,” said Dardenne, who lives in Grand-Hallet in Belgium’s Liege province.
One of Dardenne’s greatest treasures is an intricately patterned box from 1868 showing an emblem with two horses on top, built to hold biscuits made by Huntley & Palmers of Reading, England.
It is considered to be the first box to have been lithographed, according to Dardenne, whose collection can be visited by appointment.
“They do inspire a certain kind of awe don’t they on the streets?” Johnson said. “You know if you were a miscreant you wouldn’t want them biting you on the seat of your pants.”
New York state’s highest court will hear arguments from Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers and prosecutors and then decide whether to uphold the conviction or order a new trial
Harvey Weinstein has been given permission to appeal his rape and sexual assault conviction.
The written decision was sent to Weinstein’s lawyers and according to Reuters, it contained no details on what grounds may have led to the decision.
It means New York state’s highest court will hear arguments from Weinstein’s lawyers and prosecutors and then decide to uphold the conviction or order a new trial.
In June, a lower appeals court upheld the conviction, rejecting arguments that the Manhattan trial judge made several errors that tainted the trial.
In a 45-page ruling, the appellate court said trial Judge James Burke properly exercised his discretion in allowing prosecutors to bolster their case with testimony from three women who accused Weinstein of violating them but whose claims did not lead to charges in the New York case.
Weinstein, 70, is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in California, where he was extradited in 2021 as he awaits trial on charges that he sexually assaulted five women in Los Angeles and Beverley Hills from 2004 to 2013.
A filmmaker, Samuel Whyte Agyapong, thanked Ghanaians on Thursday at the satisfying premiere of the film “Trinity,” in which he had a part.
Despite receiving relatively little publicity, the film had a great opening weekend at the Silverbird Cinemas compared to other high-profile Ghanaian films. The director thought it was a show that deserved commendation.
Samuel Whyte stated he was grateful for the success of the film “Trinity” since this showed that the risk he and the entire team took was worthwhile after working on what he characterized as an unexpected set in 2019.
“My movie which I coordinated called ‘Trinity’ did so well. The numbers were so impressive. Thanks for the love and thanks for always supporting us. I’m so glad because ‘shooting’ at Konkomba came with a lot of pressure and risk.
One time when we were filming, a resident of Konkomba just came on set, seized our camera, and wanted us to pay some money before we got it back. It was stressful but, also a unique experience,” he said.
As a well-known production coordinator in the film community in Ghana, Samuel Whyte said working on the movie ‘Trinity’ was one of the biggest challenges in his career. “In fact, coordinating such a crowd in such an area was big but, also fun.
Imagine asking a group of macho men in the ghetto who don’t know you to keep quiet because you are about to film a scene. In short, it was a stressful project but, I don’t regret the experience because, overall, it was worth it,” he explained.
Konkomba was regarded as one of the most dangerous slums in Accra with lawlessness and all sorts of social vices occurring. At a point, it was labeled as a hideout for criminals. But currently, it has been demolished as the Government of Ghana plans to erect new buildings on the premises.
The movie ‘Trinity’ highlights the kind of life many lived in the popular ghetto ‘Konkomba’ with a captivating story of betrayal, murder, and ambition. The movie featured popular actors namely Jessica Williams, Omar Krupp, Kofi Adjorlolo, Kalsoume Sinare, and other natives of Konkomba. It premiered with an impressive turnout last week Saturday at the Silverbird Cinemas inside the Accra Mall.
Still on the victory lane, on Saturday in Kumasi at the ‘Media and Entrepreneurship Prominence Awards‘, Samuel Whyte won the award for Best Production Coordinator of the Year. This is another achievement the young and passionate filmmaker has added to his collection of awards.
Local officials remained at the site of the mine in Chile for 48 hours during which the cloud disappeared.
A mysterious purple cloud appeared over a town in Chile on Sunday, baffling locals and officials, according to a report in Philadelphia-based news outlet Al Dia. Locals posted the images on social media platforms like Twitter showing the vibrant purple clouds hanging low over Pozo Almonte, while the sky appears to be clean.
Local authorities launched an investigation to understand the phenomenon, which generated fear in the community, the outlet further said. The cloud cover originated at the Cala Cala mine, very close to the town.
“We are carrying out an inspection process, which shows us that this fact is due to the failure of a motor of the booster pump,” Al Dia quoted Deputy Regional Director of Tarapaca, Christian Ibanez, as saying.
Environmental official Emanuel Ibarra said the pump failure had caused iodine at the plant to change from a solid to a gaseous state, according to the outlet.
As per Meaww, the mine site is owned by the Saltpetre and Iodine Company (Cosayach).
“Until now, there have been no medical consultations or affectations as a result of the situation we are experiencing,” it quoted Tarapaca Region, Representative Daniel Quinteros, as saying.
“We are also in contact with the Superintendency of Environment so that tomorrow we can evaluate the filing of a complaint for non-compliance with the regulations and the commitments made by the company in environmental matters,” Quinteros further said.
Local officials remained at the site of the mine for 48 hours during which the cloud disappeared.
Actor Brian Cox, star of Succession, speaks to Sky News at the Edinburgh TV Festival, telling us why he disagrees with his co-star Kieran Culkin and what’s in store for the Roy family in season four of the hit series.
Brian Cox has told Sky News that playing Logan Roy – the terrifying head of the Waystar family empire in the drama Succession – has had “a terrible effect” on him.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the 76-year-old star, whose career has taken him from Dundee to Hollywood, said: “I was not really a swearer until I played this role. And now I swear all the time. It’s catching, it’s infectious.”
The Sky Atlantic show about the Roys and their affair with politics, power, and money has been a hit both with fans and critics, and the third season leads this year’s Emmy nominations, with 25 nods.
But instead of putting his feet up, he’s here in Edinburgh. And he’s pretty busy – giving a talk about his career at the TV festival, promoting the play She/Her he has produced, which stars his actress wife, and also appearing at a book festival to talk about his 2021 memoir, Putting The Rabbit Back In The Hat.
As he says, he’s “a busy lad”, but clearly pleased to be back in Scotland, calling Edinburgh his “spiritual home”.
With two Emmys and two Olivier Awards to his name, Cox has worked on more than 200 films and TV shows during his impressive career, which spans over half a century.
It’s something he’s proud of, telling Sky News: “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had a great career with such an extraordinary variety of parts, which is really what I believe acting is all about – variety.
“From playing Goering which I won an Emmy for, to Churchill, it’s a great challenge, and it’s a great way of stretching my instrument. And I’ve been very grateful and had a really good time doing it.”
While he won’t pick a favourite role to date, saying it would be like “choosing a favourite child”, he does have a soft spot for the part that has made him a household name, father from hell Logan Roy.
Cox explains: “Logan is quite a fascinating character because he’s so mysterious, we don’t really know how he thinks. We know how he acts. We don’t really know how he feels.”
As for tips on what to expect from the forthcoming fourth series of Succession, he says he disagrees with his co-star Kieran Culkin (who plays the youngest member of the dysfunctional Roy family, Roman), who has said the next season of the show “has gone in a way he didn’t anticipate”.
Cox says: “Kieran doesn’t really anticipate anything, he’s not an anticipator one way or the other, so for him to say [the show’s] going in a way he didn’t anticipate, is strange to say the least.
“I mean, we do our stuff, we’re still sorting out what we do with the children and [wondering] are they going to behave themselves and are they going to learn anything? We’re trying to secure the firm. And that’s really what we’re continuing to do. I don’t know about anticipating anything, in the way it’s all gone. I think it’s going according to plan.”
The Edinburgh Television Festival 2022 runs from Wednesday 24 August to Friday 26 August, with Sky News as its official media partner.
Stars including Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and Philomena Cunk actor Diane Morgan will appear at the festival, and on Wednesday, ex-BBC journalist Emily Maitlis gave the flagship MacTaggart lecture, calling out what she referred to as “Tory cronyism at heart of the BBC”.
The fourth season of Succession is expected to air on Sky Atlantic and NOW in early 2023.
She/Her is a multimedia performance featuring seven female performers, including actress Nicole Ansari-Cox. It runs at the Assembly George Square studios until 29 August.
Brian Cox’s autobiography, Putting The Rabbit Back In The Hat, is out now.
He said: “I think a lot of people are quite shocked to find out that I am human. To be honest, growing up in England and with my experience of having different baby mamas, the most important thing is the children Just focus on the children and let all the drama go, and most importantly have an attitude of gratitude.
“I and Funke had almost seven good years of lovely relationship so happy birthday to her, I wish her luck.â€
Recall that JJC announced separation from Funke Akindele sometime in June after attempts to resolve differences failed.
The brand-new album is a collection of 14 spirit-filled songs, each with a distinctive melody and a message inspired by the Spirit of God. The tracks range from intense single worship songs and medleys to sizzling praise songs.
The album features great music gifts such as Philip Adzale, Sheila Joy, Sandra Boakye Duah, and two Nigerians; Theophilus Sunday & Tobi Osho. It also features two of the great budding gifts of the Crafted Nation family; Vivi Adjei & Maame Ama Ackaah-Gyasi.
Illumination is the answer to our dark world and Siisi Baidoo hopes that God, through these songs, will make you a true revelation to this world.
Actor Joe E. Tata, who played Peach Pit owner Nat in Beverly Hills, 90210, has died at the age of 85, co-star Ian Ziering shared.
Nearly two weeks after the death of Denise Dowse, the Beverly Hills, 90210 families have lost another beloved member.
Joe E. Tata, who portrayed Peach Pit owner Nat on the TV series, has died, co-star Ian Ziering shared. Tata was 85.
“In the last few months we’ve lost Jessica Klein one of 90210‘s most prolific writers and producers, Denise Douse [sic] who played Mrs. Teasley, and now I’m very sad to say Joe E Tata has passed away,” Ziering wrote on Instagram Aug. 25. “Joey was truly an OG, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210. He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series.”
Ziering, who played Steve Sanders on Beverly Hills, 90210, went on to note that Tata was one of the happiest people he’s ever worked with. “He was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness,” Ziering added. “Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show.”
“The stories of days gone by that he would share, incredible experiences in the entertainment industry that he was a part of would keep us all captivated,” Ziering continued. “He may have been in the back of many scenes, but he was a leading force, especially to us guys, on how to appreciate the gift that 90210 was.
My smile dims today but basking in fond memories moves him from my eyes to my heart where he will always be.”
While a cause of death has not been publicly announced, Deadline reports that Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2018.
As Ziering’s tribute mentioned, Tata’s passing comes shortly after the deaths of fellow 90210 family members Klein and Dowse, who passed away on Aug. 13, days after she was hospitalized with severe meningitis.
“Throughout all my years working on Beverly Hills 90210, my scenes with Denise will always be remembered with the utmost respect for her talent, and fondness for the loving soul she was,” Ziering wrote on Instagram on Aug. 14. “Some of my heartiest off camera laughs were between she and I hammering out the discipline her Mrs. Teasley would dish out to my Steve Sanders.”
,†Prince Okojie.
