President Akufo-Addo will have in-camera meeting with the National House of Chiefs over illegal mining activities happening in the country.
The media will not be able to take coverage or provide information on the issues to be discussed by the President and the Chiefs.
The President visited Manhyia in the Ashanti Region today, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, for a conference to find lasting solutions to illegal mining, known in the local parlance as galamsey.
The conference comes at a time when galamsey activities have heightened in the country and many have called on the government to up its game.
“We have not got the results I’ve been looking for. My stands on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was not reckless. It was a simple truth.
It is obvious that if we are to win the fight, you and I have to take the lead to collaborate closely to do so and that is why I am here today,” he entreated.
Following his meeting with the House of Chiefs, the President will engage the other half of the local government, that is Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Areas where mining activities have been taking place.
Galamsey and those involved
In 2021, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, while delivering a speech at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology during a Regional Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining, said traditional authorities are abreast of individuals engaged in galamsey.
“30% of the people before me know those who dabble in galamsey. If we suppress the truth, we would be having nice works shops like this but it won’t lead us anywhere or end the illegal activity”, he said.
There are reports that government officials are also engaged in the canker, but evidence is yet to be provided.
Galamsey is killing the water bodies
Water bodies, forest reserves, farmlands, and homes have been given up by individuals and communities or encroached by small-scale illegal miners to draw out minerals, particularly gold.
River Ankobra, River Ofin, Afu Afu Stream, River Bonsa, Totoa Stream, Nwui, River Tano, River Bia and Amoya Stream have all been polluted due to galamsey.
The intensity of the pollution varies from river to river and from stream to stream, according to recent reports from JoyNews.
The Police Service is in search of a man who has been sighted in a viral video abusing a toddler.
The viral video sighted by The Independent Ghana showed the male adult flogging the infant with a branch under a tree.
While the child wept bitterly, a voice belonging to the individual who captured the video kept saying “you will hurt the child.”
In a Facebook post, the Police revealed that its officers are working assiduously to arrest the adult and rescue the child after coming into contact with the “horrifying video.”
To bolster investigation, the Police has offered a GH₵2,000.00 reward for anyone who is able to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of the individual.
Also, members of the public with any information on the suspect’s whereabout are advised to reach the police on 0243809991.
Ghanaians have condemned the merciless action and the said individual who took footage without rescuing the child from the abuse.
Rockhill Chapel founder, Dr. Sonnie Badu in an Instagram post said he was disgusted by the video making rounds.
“I can’t play the full video as I’m already full of tears. Please arrest all three men! The one abusing the child, the one videoing it, and the one sitting down,” he wrote on Instagram.
It is yet to be confirmed as to whether the man in question is related to the minor, who is about 2 or 3 years.
Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have expressed their willingness to adopt the child who was subjected to torture.
President Nana Akufo-Addois engaging the National House of Chiefs and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to find lasting solutions to the illegal mining activities happening in the country.
The conference is being held at Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, one of the regions worst hit by illegal mining.
Among matters to be discussed is quarterly allowance for chiefs.
This meeting comes at a time when reports have it that some MMDCEs are involved in Illegal mining activities in their jurisdictions
Illegal mining, also known as “galasmey” has deprived many communities of good drinking water and forest vegetation.
Luke Norris scored twice as Stevenage maintained their 100 per cent home record in League Two with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sutton.
The result lifted the Boro up to second in the table, with just goal difference separating them and leaders Leyton Orient after their fifth win in six games.
Dan Sweeney livened up a previously quiet game by opening the scoring for the hosts after 29 minutes when his header from Alex Gilbey’s free-kick found its way into the bottom corner.
The home side then doubled their lead three minutes into the second half as Lewis Ward could only push Danny Rose’s header into the path of Norris, who slammed in the rebound.
It was game over with 20 minutes left when Sutton were caught on the break, with Norris having time to bend in a brilliant shot from just outside the area.
Unfortunately, the game was marred by Norris suffering facial injuries after a high boot by Sutton’s Louis John, whose team-mate Jon Barden later had to be carried off on a stretcher with a nasty-looking ankle injury.
Craig Johnston’s late double helped secure Montrose a 4-2 home win against Airdrieonians and lift them up to third in the cinch League 1 table.
Johnston scored twice in the final 11 minutes after the visitors had fought back from 2-0 down through second-half goals from Calum Gallagher and Lewis Jamieson.
Lewis Milne and Adam Mackinnon had put Montrose in control with efforts in the opening 13 minutes.
Milne crashed home the opener from outside the area and Mackinnon struck from close range after a corner.
Gallagher headed Airdrieonians back into it in the 54th minute and Jamieson hauled them level in the 68th minute following a swift counter-attack.
Jamieson was then denied by a brilliant save from Montrose goalkeeper Aaron Lennox before Johnston headed the home side back in front and converted his second from close range in the 84th minute.
Xavi was “outraged” as his Barcelona side saw a goal disallowed and a stoppage-time penalty not given in their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter Milan.
After Hakan Calhanoglu put the Nerazzurri in front in first-half stoppage time at San Siro, Barcelona thought they had levelled when Pedri turned home from close range in the 66th minute.
However, the goal was disallowed after replays showed Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana had tipped Ousmane Dembele’s cross onto Ansu Fati’s arm before Pedri tapped in.
Inter were again fortunate late on, when VAR initiated a penalty check after the ball appeared to strike Denzel Dumfries’ arm in the box. Much to Barcelona’s anger, a spot-kick was not awarded.
Yet all of his frustration was saved for the officials, with Xavi telling reporters: “I am outraged.
“First they explain to us that Ansu Fati handled but another team-mate scored, then with the other incident, it is not clear what happened.
“It is my opinion, I would have liked to speak to the referee, because he did not blow the whistle. At the moment, I am outraged, it is an injustice and it makes no sense.
“Now we still have three finals left, we have already lost in Munich and we start again. But there is indignation.
“In general, it was a great injustice. I can’t hide and say I’m not outraged, it’s a great injustice. The referee should give explanations, instead he goes away and nothing happens. He has to come here and explain.”
Despite what he perceived as poor refereeing from Slavko Vincic, Xavi acknowledged that officiating alone was not to blame for the defeat.
“We struggled in rhythm, in the circulation of the ball and in the last half hour we played better, we found good areas on the wing,” he added.
“We tried, we want to attack and we paid for the first half, we lacked a bit of rhythm. We need to be self-critical, beyond referee decisions.
“The first half was not up to the Champions League. We talked about it at half-time, we needed more rhythm in the exchange of the ball and I think the second half was positive.”
Jurgen Klopp believes the criticism that has come Liverpool’s way in recent weeks has been justified, as he quipped he is relishing the chance to read a newspaper again.
Liverpool have had an underwhelming start to the season and sit ninth in the Premier League following Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.
They bounced back in the Champions League on Tuesday, beating Rangers 2-0 at Anfield thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and Mohamed Salah’s penalty.
Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor pulled off a string of excellent saves to keep the scoreline respectable, with Darwin Nunez frustrated in his search for a first Anfield goal, but the Reds got the job done with a minimum of fuss to claim a second straight win in Group A following their 2-1 defeat of Ajax last month.
When it was put to him in his post-match news conference if Liverpool had used criticism of their performances as additional motivation, Klopp said with a smile: “I cannot wait for the moment when I can read newspapers again!”
He continued: “No, I have no clue. The criticism was completely fine. We are not over the moon about our situation, let’s put it like this.
“We’ve still been playing some really good games, it’s not like [success] was 10 years ago. Champions League nights at Liverpool are always quite enjoyable, usually.
“I don’t think it had too much to do with the situation. I saw tonight a team fully committed, that’s what I like about it.”
Captain Jordan Henderson, who started alongside Thiago Alcantara in a two-man midfield as Klopp tweaked his side’s formation, told BT Sport: “It can be difficult. You try to not listen to social media especially when you go through a tough period as an individual or a team.
“You’ve got to switch off the noise and focus on what you do day-to-day and stay focused on what we’re trying to achieve as a team. That’s not easy. It can hurt players at times but you’ve got to try and find a way to use it as fuel and energy on the pitch.”
Alexander-Arnold has been one of the players to face the most scrutiny, but delivered an excellent performance.
His stunning free-kick seven minutes in opened the scoring and he finished with more touches (96) and more successful passes in the opponent’s half (40) than any other player, while he also produced a joint-high four tackles.
He has now scored more free-kicks (six) than any other Liverpool player since the start of the 2016-17 season, while the England international – who was left out by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions’ final match before the World Cup against Germany – is the first Reds player to net such a goal in the Champions League since Steven Gerrard against Basel in 2014.
“It’s a wonderful goal. What can I say?” Klopp said.
“He played a good game, defensively especially. It is not that he has had a defensive problem it’s that we have had a defensive problem, because our line was not right.
“If the timing is not right, you open gaps and these gaps are very often on the back of Trent but not because of him, but because of the situation where we put our right-back.”
Henderson added: “You’ve got to give Trent a license to get forward and produce what he can produce up the pitch. I thought he was good defensively tonight, he did the basics really well. I didn’t have to cover too much.”
The European Union has mobilised 200,000 euros to help the Ugandan Red Cross in the face of a fresh Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak has already left more than 40 people dead in the country.
The European Commission in a statement on Tuesday in response to an urgent appeal for help launched by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Uganda declared an Ebola outbreakon 20 September after confirming a case in Mubende district in central Uganda, where a 24-year-old man died from the Ebola virus after contracting the rare strain from Sudan.
This strain is not only less transmissible but also has a lower mortality (40-100%) than the Zaire strain (70-100%).
There is currently no approved vaccine against this Sudan strain, unlike the Zaire strain, which has been recorded in epidemics of the disease in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which on 24 September announced the end of its last Ebola outbreak.
Countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Somalia are on the alert to prevent the possible spread of the virus.
“We played a match with great intensity; we didn’t allow them to play their football or press a lot in every area of the pitch,” he told BT Sport.
“At the same time, we have to be more clinical. We created many chances to score. At the end, we are talking about a draw. It is a good draw because it is not easy to play away with the atmosphere. We played a good game but if you don’t score, you don’t win.
“There are moments you are more clinical, there are moments like in the game against Arsenal and today; you create chances, but make a mistake with the last pass.
“It is important to create chances; the game was good for us and we played with a great personality.”
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was left disappointed by his team-mates’ failure to turn positive build-up play into a breakthrough, but the midfielder highlighted the maturity on display as they ended a run of three successive away defeats in the Champions League.
“We are not 100 per cent happy, I thought we prepared until the penalty area well,” Hojbjerg said. “We tried to get in behind them, but the opportunities we had, we didn’t use them. It’s disappointing. The last bite needed a bit.
“I thought we took the game well, we tried to be dominant. We tried to find the spaces and tried to overcome the first pressure.
“If you cannot win, you don’t lose the game. The team presented themselves as very mature. We are here, we are competing and every game, we want to win.”
Spurs are second in Group D, two points behind Sporting CP and level on points with Eintracht.
Uganda’s defense ministry announced Tuesday that President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, was being replaced by another military officer as head of the country’s ground forces, hours after a tweet by the son caused an uproar in Kenya.
Lt. Gen. Kayanja Muhanga “has been appointed commander of the ground forces,” according to a ministry statement, replacing Kainerugaba.
The ministry also announced that President Museveni had promoted his 48-year-old son to the rank of general, a move seen by analysts interviewed by AFP as cosmetic.
The Defense Ministry’s decision came shortly after Kainerugaba sparked an outcry by tweeting that he was ready to invade Kenya.
“It wouldn’t take me and my army two weeks to capture Nairobi,” he said in the tweet Monday night, before doing an about-face in a second.
“I will never beat the Kenyan army because my father told me never to attempt it! So our people in Kenya should relax!”
The outcry on social media prompted Uganda’s foreign ministry to issue a statement saying its “commitment to good neighborliness (and) peaceful coexistence” with Kenya.
Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, may again run for president in the 2026 election.
Luciano Spalletti declared “even Diego Maradona will have been proud” after Napoli thrashed Ajax 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Despite falling behind to Mohammed Kudus’ ninth-minute opener in Amsterdam, Spalletti’s side responded with goals from Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Piotr Zielinski putting them 3-1 up at the break.
The visitors’ task was made easier after Dusan Tadic’s second-half dismissal; Raspadori and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia increasing the advantage, before Giovanni Simeone sealed an emphatic victory.
Spalletti referenced the late Maradona after Napoli scored six times in a European game for the first time in their history, whileAjaxsuffered their heaviest defeat in all competitions since November 1964.
“When you go into a stadium like this, with that roar there, it’s not easy to immediately regain the conviction in pressing and recovering after going a goal down,” the Napoli coach told reporters.
“It could have disturbed us a lot, but the team did the things it had to do; they never let themselves be influenced and won a great match.
“More than the result, it is beautiful as the performance shows us our qualities; the boys played important football and will benefit because they have all seen it. They played very good plays, even Maradona will have been proud tonight.”
The record tally of goals in a single #UCL group stage is held by PSG, who scored 25 in 2017-18.
Napoli are 52% of the way to replicating that tally with 50% of their group stage campaign completed. pic.twitter.com/JCcCYgnw0B
Continuing their perfect start to the competition after making it three wins from three, Napoli are three points clear of Liverpool at the halfway point in Group A, and in the driving seat to reach the knockout stages.
“With this victory, we have excellent chances [to qualify], but we have to achieve other results,” Spalletti added. “What gives context is the quality of the opponents who we produced this performance against, they are a great club.”
“Your presence here simply instils hope in the hearts of our people. Your presence is a strong message to the victims, and you say it out loud: ‘You are not forgotten”. (…) “Your presence is also a powerful message to the perpetrators that the crime will not go unpunished forever”, said Dr Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize 2018.
The British Royal was accompanied by Lord Tariq Ahmad, Baron of Wimbledon and UK representative for the prevention of sexual violence.
“This means investing in people, investing in the legal profession, but also investing in the institutions that bring justice for the victims and survivors of sexual violence”, said Lord Tariq Ahmad.
This was the first time a member of the British Royal Family visited the DRC.
The purpose of the visit is to prepare for an international conference dedicated to the prevention of sexual violence in conflicts taking place in London in November.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is suffering from a “serious lung infection”, the band has announced, forcing them to cancel upcoming shows in Brazil.
In a statement released on the Coldplaysocial media sites, the band said they would postpone shows in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo until early next year but are “optimistic” that Martinwill recover after a break.
They had been due to play eight shows in the South American country between 11 and 22 October as part of their Music Of The Spheres world tour.
“With deep regret, we’ve been forced to postpone our upcoming shows in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo until early 2023,” the band said.
“Due to a serious lung infection, Chris has been put under strict doctor’s orders to rest for the next three weeks.”
Promising fans they were “working as fast as possible to lock in the new dates”, they said more information would follow in the next few days.
“To everyone in Brazil who was looking forward to these concerts, we’re extremely sorry for any disappointment and inconvenience, and we’re so grateful for your understanding at this challenging time where we need to prioritise Chris’ health,” the statement continued.
“We’re optimistic that Chris will return to good health after the prescribed medical break and look forward to resuming the tour as soon as possible.
“To everyone affected, please accept our sincere apologies, and thank you as always for your love and support.”
The band urged fans to hold on to tickets as they will remain valid for the rescheduled shows, but also said they would honour all requests for refunds.
Following the Brazil shows, Coldplay are due to start a run of 10 shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 25 October. These shows are still scheduled to go ahead, according to the tour details on the band’s website.
The next gigs after these are due to take place in 2023, when the band tour in Europe, including dates in the UK.
After previously voicing concerns about the environmental impact of touring, Coldplay pledged to make the Music Of The Spheres tour as sustainable as possible, using 100% renewable energy in almost all locations, and featuring power bikes and kinetic dancefloors allowing fans to help power the show.
Delegates from over 50 countries participated in a Pre-COP27 meeting held in DRC’s capital, Kinshasa.
The purpose of the event was to prepare for the COP27 summit taking place in Egypt in November.
Climate activists praised the progress made and want to make sure that previous promises are kept.
“We can say thank you for the efforts, especially on the issue of loss and damages, on which progress was made, as we heard from the representative of Norway of the European Union, which is good. the question of adaptation however depends, on whether will we be able to reach 40 billion by 2025. Will we be able to set up a new protocol for loss and damages?
As the Executive Secretary said: “The devil is in the detail”. That’s why as citizens we are here to make sure that what has been said here is carried out”, said Sena Alouka, Togolese activist from the NGO “Young environmental volunteer”.
“From 2025 onwards, we will have to come up with a new figure, and developing countries and Africans no longer want it to be just a political figure, a round figure like the 100 billion that Hillary Clinton launched in 2009 in Copenhagen, but a figure that truly reflects the needs of developing countries”, said DRC’s senior climate negotiator, Tosi Mpanu Mpanu.
As the host country of COP27, Egypt has pledged to make fighting global warming the priority of the November summit.
Jurgen Klopp says it will only be a matter of time before Darwin Nunez gets his first Liverpool goal at Anfield after the striker failed to find the net against Rangers.
Liverpool ran out comfortable 2-0 victors against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in the Champions League, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah on target.
The former Benfica striker’s six efforts were the most a Liverpool player has had without scoring in a Champions League group stage game since Sadio Mane against Salzburg in December 2019 (also six).
Despite just the sole strike to Nunez’s name in the Reds’ first Premier League game of the season at Fulham, Klopp insists the 23-year-old will soon get off the mark at home.
Liverpool 2-0 Rangers
A comfortable evening for Liverpool and a redemptive one for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“I think you can see that. The way the boys moved together up front today was extremely good for just one [training] session,” Klopp said of his attackers responding to a change in shape against Rangers.
“We only had one session, low intensity because we only played recently, so it showed how good a striker he is, getting into these situations. Everybody saw tonight, this will happen.”
Liverpool trail Group A leaders Napoli, who hammered Ajax 6-1 on Tuesday, by three points ahead of a return trip to Rangers next week after visiting Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid must have “peace of mind” despite their poor Champions League campaign to date following a 2-0 defeat to Club Brugge.
Kamal Soweh and Ferran Jutgla were on target as the surprise Group B leaders made it three wins out of three and left Atleti bottom with three games to play.
Fellow rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Porto also sit on three points alongside the LaLiga club, with Brugge holding a six-point advantage at the summit.
Simeone took the positives out of the loss to the Belgian champions at Jan Breydel Stadium, where Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty.
“It was a game well played,” the Atleti head coach told Movistar. “I think we controlled the game we wanted to play. I’m left with a lot of good things.
“There are a lot of Champions League games left to play. You have to have peace of mind, you don’t have to get anxious. Everything is open.”
We didn’t get the win we were looking for for the Atleti fans who cheered us on from Bruges and from their homes. It’s time to get up and keep working to achieve those victories we all wish for. pic.twitter.com/2wuek0WllG
The ECOWAS mediator for Burkina Faso has ended his visit to the country following last Friday’s coup, the second in eight months.
Mahamadou Issoufou met with the country’s new strongman Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, the ECOWAS mediator reaffirmed his commitment to the Burkinabe people.
“We will report on our mission to the current president of ECOWAS and to the heads of state. But I can already assure you that ECOWAS will remain at the side of the Burkinabe people.
…We will continue to accompany the Burkinabe people in this very difficult ordeal they are going through”, said Mahamadou Issoufou, ECOWAS mediator for Burkina Faso.
During the meeting, the new leader of Burkina Faso promised to keep the commitments made in July by the previous leadership regarding the organisation of elections and a return of civilians to power by July 2024 at the latest.
Under pressure Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghiis optimistic that Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona “marks the beginning of something”.
The Nerazzurri boss has come under fire following his side’s inconsistent start to the season, with Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Roma leaving them with 12 points from eight Serie A games. Inter have conceded 13 goals in those eight games too.
Defeat on Tuesday would have left Inter perilously placed in third in their Champions League group, having lost to Bayern Munich 2-0 at home on the opening matchday.
Instead Inzaghi, amid a school of thought he may lose his job if Inter lost to the Blaugrana on Tuesday, is looking for a new beginning for the Nerazzurri.
“We’d been waiting a long time for this, I am happy for the fans and the club, but we’ve achieved nothing yet, it needs to be a wonderful night that marks the beginning of something,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.
“I wouldn’t say it was unexpected. I said yesterday it was a great opportunity against one of the best teams in the world. We played with aggression, determination, as it’s the only way to beat these opponents.”
Inzaghi, who took over after Antonio Conte’s split with the club following their 2020-21 Serie A title, lifted two trophies last season, the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, but ultimately fell short in the race for the Scudetto to Milan.
“I continue my work, there are moments that happen and I keep my head held high, because my staff, players and the club have done some great things over the last 15 months,” he said.
“I saw a squad that is solid and fights together, otherwise you don’t get a result like this. I am happy, but these lads are the same ones who gave me two trophies just a few months ago and they know more than anyone we now have ground to make up.”
Inter forward Lautaro Martinez promised Tuesday’s result would usher in charge.
“Tonight is a special evening because it was a victory we needed,” the Argentine told Inter TV. “Because of the way it arrived we enjoy it even more.
“We were in a period when the results were not coming, today we needed a win and it has arrived. From here on, things will change.”
Goal scorer Hakan Calhanoglu, who netted his first Champions League goal since September 2016, added: “This game can really shake us up and change our season, because we want to build on it.
“As for qualification, we’ve got to stay calm and take it one game at a time.”
Barcelona’s injury woes have worsened with defender Andreas Christensen suffering a ligament sprain in his ankle in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter Milan.
Christensen was substituted out of the game in the 58th minute after struggling for a few minutes with the issue and Barcelona have since confirmed the left ankle injury.
Christensen’s injury comes ahead of tough games, taking on Celta Vigo in La Liga this weekend, before the reverse fixture with Inter on October 12 and the Clasico against Real Madrid on October 16. The Blaugrana take on Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga after that.
The ex-Chelsea defender was replaced by veteran Gerard Pique, who will likely come into starting calculations.
Christensen has started three LaLiga matches and all three of Barcelona’s Champions League matches this term.
The 26-year Denmark international joins Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay, Hector Bellerin, Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo on the sidelines at Camp Nou due to injury.
LATEST NEWS | Andreas Christensen has a ligament sprain in his left ankle. Further tests will be carried out tomorrow to find out the exact extent of the injury. pic.twitter.com/GC9HkHftJX
Gonzalo Higuain will retire from professional football at the end of the 2022 MLS season, he announced on Monday.
The veteran striker, a 75-cap former Argentina international who was a member of the squad that came second at the 2014 World Cup, will bring the curtain down on a glittering 17-year career.
Higuain played over 100 games for each of Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus, having began his playing days with River Plate, while he also had brief spells with Milan and Chelsea before joining Inter Miami.
A six-time domestic league champion – with three LaLiga crowns and three Serie A triumphs – he signed for the MLS club in September 2020.
Higuain has been in top form for Miami in the second half of this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further two in the past 14 games.
Phil Neville’s side are seventh in the Eastern Conference, clinging to the final playoff place with two games of the regular season remaining.
Victories over Orlando City on Wednesday and CF Montreal on Sunday would extend Miami’s season and Higuain’s career.
Gracias Totales 🖤💗
The Argentine striker, Gonzalo Higuaín has announced today that he will retire and conclude his stellar career at the end of the 2022 MLS season.
Xaviwill not be on a revenge mission when Barcelona face Inter in a “very important” Champions League showdown at San Siro on Tuesday.
Head coach Xavi was in the Barca side knocked out of the Champions League by Inter at the semi-final stage in 2010.
The Blaugrana were beaten 3-1 in the first leg in Milan and failed to overturn that deficit, crashing out after winning 1-0 at Camp Nou against Jose Mourinho’s men, who went on to lift the trophy.
Xavi returns to San Siro with the two sides both having picked up three points from their opening two Group C games, with Barca beaten 2-0 at leaders Bayern Munich last month.
And the former Spain midfielder is motivated by the prospect of qualifying for the last 16 rather than having a score to settle.
He said: “I have no feeling of [wanting] revenge. I come here as a coach this time. I remember that we had to travel by bus [to Milan] because of the volcano, but they were a great team.
“It was difficult for us in the first leg. We lost it here. It was a controversial tie, but this is how it is. It’s a bitter memory for us, unfortunately.”
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is under pressure with his side ninth in Serie A following back-to-back defeats to Udinese and Roma.
But Xavi is not reading anything into the Nerazzurri’s poor form, as he knows they have the quality to turn things around.
“It’s not significant,” he said. “It’s Inter, a very strong team. They have a different system to anything we’ve come across so far.
“They play with two strikers, something you don’t see too much in Spain. They’re a tough opponent, with good dynamics, but that has to be shown.”
Xavi added: “I have it quite clear. Despite the size of the rival, we are clear that we want to dominate. It is an important rival. It is the Champions League. It is not a definitive match, but it is very important for the future of the group.”
Inter have won just two of their 14 European matches against Barcelona, a 2-1 victory in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in January 1970 and that 3-1 Champions League triumph in April 2010.
However, Barca’s only two away wins against the Nerazzurri came 60 years apart, winning 4-2 in the Fairs Cup in September 1959 and 2-1 in the Champions League in December 2019.
Brendan Rodgers breathed a sigh of relief and piled the pressure on Steve Cooper as Leicester ended their winless start to the season at the eighth attempt with a fine 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
In a meeting of two under-pressure managers and their struggling teams, Rodgers celebrated at full-time after Leicester hit three in 10 first-half minutes – two from the outstanding James Maddison either side of Harvey Barnes’ curling strike.
Maddison then turned provider in the second half, teeing up substitute Patson Daka for the final blow.
It was enough to lift Leicester off the foot of the table at the expense of their East Midlands rivals, a much-needed success for Rodgers as Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha jetted in to watch his first match in person in six weeks.
The outlook for Cooper is far less certain after a fifth straight league defeat – Forest’s worst run since January 2004.
It is a year and 12 days since Cooper took the job, performing miracles in lifting Forest from the Championship relegation zone to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
But having signed 22 players in a huge overhaul this summer it is not clear if Cooper knows his best XI, or if Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis will afford him the time to work it out.
There was little sense of the perilous position both clubs found themselves in before kick-off as fans filled the King Power Stadium with noise, the only calls for Rodgers to go being heard from the Forest fans in the corner of the ground.
Jamie Vardy, back in Leicester’sstarting line-up, scuffed an early shot wide before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall miraculously missed the target with a free header in front of goal.
Vardy then got clear of the Forest defence to head wide from Maddison’s free-kick before shooting straight at Dean Henderson after being played in by a midfielder in the mood to stake his England claim.
Forest were unable to get on the ball, their pressure coming through a succession of early set-pieces, but they created a superb chance in the 22nd minute when Morgan Gibbs-White played in Taiwo Awoniyi, who skipped beyond Wout Faes but saw his shot bounce back off the post.
It was a let-off for Leicester, and one they quickly took full advantage of.
Jesse Lingard mis-hit a clearance straight to Maddison, whose shot deflected off Scott McKenna to beat Henderson in the 25th minute.
Barnes has it wide left and he drifts inside, before swerving home an absolute peach into the far corner. What a strike that is! 🍑 ⚽#LEINFOhttps://t.co/1LPwIRPFCr
Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Barnes cut in off the left and bent a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
Forest were imploding, and Leicester were happy to pile it on. After Cheikhou Kouyate was booked for bringing down Dewsbury-Hall on the edge of the D, Maddison added to the punishment as he curled a free-kick beyond the stationary Henderson.
Serge Aurier came on to make his Forest debut at the break, one of three changes as Cooper also sent on Remo Freuler and Ryan Yates.
Six minutes after the restart Awoniyi looked offside as he ran through on goal, but Danny Ward would have taken confidence from the save he made regardless.
Instead it was Leicester who pushed on. Barnes struck a shot which deflected off the arm of Steve Cook, who looked relieved when only a corner was awarded.
The fourth arrived in the 73rd minute as Maddison added an assist to his two goals, crossing for Daka to beat Henderson with a neat flick at the near post.
At the other end, Ward saved well from Brennan Johnson at his near post, then from Gibbs-White’s header, to preserve Leicester’s first clean sheet of the season on a fine night for the Foxes, and an ominous one for Forest.
Antonio Conte has told Tottenham fans “I’m not stupid” and “I can teach football to many people” in a strong defence of his decision to overlook Djed Spence.
Spence has made only one very brief substitute appearance for Spurs following his move from Middlesbrough in July.
Some Tottenham fans called for the right-back to be given his chance after Emerson Royal was sent off for a reckless challenge on Gabriel Martinelli during a 3-1 north London derby defeat to fierce rivals Arsenal on Saturday.
But Conte made it crystal clear he is not impressed with questions being asked about his approach ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Spurs head coach said: “If we were able to exploit the situation, especially last passes, we would have been able to score many goals against Arsenal.
“Instead, we made really bad mistakes for the last passes because we had the opportunity to go one-to-one, but every team has to think and understand the way to play different games.
“Last season we won 3-0 [against Arsenal], and when you win, the opponent has to explain, but for me it’s important to have a plan, to put my players in the best possible situation to exploit their characteristics.
“Otherwise it can happen that you can concede six, seven or eight goals – in England, that happens a lot of times.
“In my career, it never, never happened because I don’t like to play open, concede a lot of space and concede six, seven or eight goals. I won in England, I won in my past and I think I can teach football to many people.”
He said of Spence: “The fans have to be fans. They can think anything, but I see every day the training sessions. If I don’t decide to pick a player, it’s because maybe he’s not ready.
“We are talking about a young player with a good prospect, but I try to pick the best team. I’m not stupid, I don’t want to lose.
“I try to pick the best team. If they trust me it’s okay, if they don’t trust me then I’m the coach and I need to take the best decision for Tottenham.”
National Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Opare Addo, has asked Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to tender his resignation as president of the country.
He holds the view that the president has failed woefully in his fight against illegal mining otherwise known as galamsey.
In two separate Twitter post, Opare Addo who is seeking reelection as National Youth Organizer of NDC observed with concern the state of water bodies which has been polluted by illegal miners.
He suggested that the government ought to be blamed for the state of the water bodies which Nana Akufo-Addo put his presidency on the line to fight the menace.
“State of rivers in GH now. If this doesn’t provoke you as a young person, then I understand why this gov’t takes us for granted. Resist this gov’t before they plunge this nation into a point of no return. Protest and let your voice be heard, protest, don’t defend,” Opare Addo tweeted on October 3.
“You claimed to put your presidency on the line to fight the destruction of our environment, yet failed woefully to combat illegal mining. Where’s the honour? Akufo-Addo must resign if he can’t keep his word to solve simple challenges. Resign now, Mr President,” he added.
Background
The conversation on galamsey resurfaced following the rearrest of Chinese galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang and her accomplices.
She has been remanded into police custody as she faces her prosecution. Again, many civil society organizations have expressed concerns over the heavy pollution of water bodies which has compelled the Ghana Water Company Limited to threaten to shut down mining communities.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, has urged President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency in mining areas as the country wage war on illegal activity.
The President, it will be recalled placed his presidency on the line in the galamsey 2017 however many hold the view that the fight has not been a success as a result of the discoloured nature of water bodies and some top officials found complicit in the fight.
Nana Akufo-Addo opines that he paid a political price for his fight as he lost votes and in some cases, NPP MPs were unseated in mining areas.
Founder and CEO of the Atta-Mills Institute, SamuelKoku Anyidoho, has stated that the current General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketiah, is unfit to be the chairman of the opposition party.
In a series of Twitter posts, Anyidoho opined that it will be a mistake on the part of NDC to allow Asiedu Nketiah to become chairman, stressing that it will mark the ‘burial date’ of the party.
He labelled the NDC chief scribe as a danger to democracy who has only succeeded in undermining past national chairmen of the umbrella party.
“The day the NDC makes a sacrilegious mistake and allows Asiedu-Nketiah, to become Chmn and Leader of the NDC, that will be the END of the NDC. Asiedu-Nketiah is NOT fit to be Chmn of the NDC.
“Asiedu-Nketiah, has undermined every NDC Chmn he has worked with: Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Kofi Portuphy; Mosquito cannot perfidiously manipulate Ofosu Ampofo, so mosquito wants to become Chmn. Torfiakwa,” Anyidoho tweeted.
Do you know how Asiedu-Nketiah orchestrated the defeat of the NDC in 2016? And he made sure we lost the TAIN seat? The day Asiedu-Nketiah becomes Chairman of the NDC, that would be the burial date of the NDC
The founder of the Atta Mills institute continued: “I will soon hold a press conference and tell the nation why it would be dangerous for the democracy of Ghana to all a perfidious character like Asiedu-Nketiah, to become Chmn & Leader of NDC.
“Do you know how Asiedu-Nketiah orchestrated the defeat of the NDC in 2016? And he made sure we lost the TAIN seat? The day Asiedu-Nketiah becomes Chairman of the NDC, that would be the burial date of the NDC.”
The Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo per reports, is likely to come up against General Secretary Asiedu Nketiah in the race for Chairmanship in the party’s internal election slated for December 17.
The NDC is also hoping to recapture power from the governing New Patriotic Party, which is also bent on breaking the eight-year rotational power cycle between itself and the opposition party.
Founder of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has labelled the menace of illegal mining activity popularly known as galamsey as an ‘environmental terrorism’ which is far worse than the coup d’état in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
In an interview on Accra based Okay on October 3, he lamented that generations yet unborn will bear the brunt of the havoc galamsey activities are causing.
He accused the Asian powerhouse, China, of being responsible for the destruction because it wants to economically colonize the country.
He described China as ‘satanic people’ who were bent on crippling economies by taking over a country’s main source of revenue or completely destroying it.
In the case of Ghana, he said China was destroying the country’s cocoa bean as a result of the Asian country’s venture into the same space.
“Our cocoa which used to be of high quality and the backbone of the economy is now being rejected by foreign countries as a result of cyanide in the bean. China has committed to colonizing Africa. When they come into your country, it is either they take over what generates wealth for the country or they destroy it.
“China is destroying the cocoa industry because it is now cultivating some. They were the ones who informed the international community that Ghana’s cocoa contains cyanide meanwhile they brought it. If you look at their conduct and that of Aisha Huang, it is clear they want to bring the country’s economy to its knees in order to take over economically and be dependent on them.
“Chinese are the most satanic and evil people. If I become president, I won’t tolerate them except those who are bringing serious and viable business into the country,” an unhappy Odike said.
He added that “if you look at the number of Chinese nationals who have been arrested and shown on TV, it is only a minimum of three who are languishing in prison”.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah recently warned that Ghana cocoa and coffee could be banned from the EU under new rules.
He said however that measures are being put in place to avert the ban on Ghana’s biggest foreign exchange earner.
“In Europe, there is a new legislation that could soon make Ghanaian cocoa and coffee unexportable to many international markets.
“The Ghana Embassy in Belgium under the leadership of Ambassador Sena Boateng has moved swiftly to bring this to the attention of the Government of Ghana. It has also commenced work on realigning Ghanaian and European interests in cocoa and coffee,” parts of the post shared on Facebook read.
Background
The conversation on galamsey resurfaced following the rearrest of Chinese galamsey kingpin Aisha Huangand her accomplices.
She has been remanded into police custody as she faces her prosecution. Again, many civil society organizations have expressed concerns over the heavy pollution of water bodies which has compelled the Ghana Water Company Limited to threaten to shut down mining communities.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, has urged President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency in mining areas as the country wage war on illegal activity.
The President, it will be recalled placed his presidency on the line in the galamsey 2017 however many hold the view that the fight has not been a success as a result of the discoloured nature of water bodies and some top officials found complicit in the fight.
Nana Akufo-Addo opines that he paid a political price for his fight as he lost votes and in some cases, NPP MPs were unseated in mining areas.
Former New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Kpone Katamanso, Hopeson Adorye, has stated that Alan Kyerematen and former President John Dramani Mahama will lead the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress respectively into the 2024 elections.
According to him, the contest between the two will see NPP ease past its longstanding political rival NDC by garnering 54% of votes cast – a result which will manifest the NPP’s ‘break the 8’ agenda.
In an interview with Accra-based Okay FM on October 3, Adorye stressed that Alan Kyerematen was the only candidate amongst candidates interested in the flagbearership slot who will deliver victory for the NPP.
He said that the Trade and Industry Minister appealed to the middle class, grassroots, people in the academia as well as persons on the other side of the political divide.
This he believes will inure to the benefit of NPP going into the 2024 elections.
“NDC’s candidate for 2024 is obviously Mr Dumsor John Dramani Mahama. Alan will defeat him cool. Alan is the only person who is politically careful when speaking. He sticks to facts. You won’t get Alan’s voice in which he is contradicting himself. There’s none like that.
“The academia, middle class and grassroots like him because of this. It is the polling station officers who are bringing Alan as flagbearer. They are always asking him when he is stepping down from his role as minister.
“The people on the grounds are mounting pressure for him to step down. NDC’s candidate is automatically John Mahama. John Mahama facing Alan…you will see NPP garnering 54% of votes cast. I’m sure on that,” Adorye said.
The New Patriotic Party, is bent on breaking the eight-year rotational power cycle between itself and the opposition party NDC.
Ahead of that, it is billed to elect a flagbearer next year. Some of the names which have popped up besides Alan Kyerematen include Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, and Former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong amongst others.
Political analysts however predict that the contest is going to be a two-horse race between Alan Kyerematen and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Being one of the most celebrated Ghanaian presidents in Ghana’s current republic, John Agyekum Kufuor has naturally been a more popular person.
At least in relation to his family and what people know about them publicly, the above narrative makes better sense.
And then there is his brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the other popular member, who served as Minister of Defence under his presidency in the early 2000s.
But what more do people know about his extended familyand, even so, his siblings?
GhanaWeb chanced on the following details in a book authored by Kwame Addo-Kufuor, titled “Gold Coast Boy (A Memoir).”
In the book, the brother of the former president details who his siblings are, as well as a little information on what they do.
In all, there were 10 children born to their mother, Nana Ama Ampomah Dapaah. Their father was Nana Kojo Agyekum III, the Oyokohene of Kumasi.
Here is an excerpt from the book that highlights who and who are siblings of the former president, John Agyekum Kufuor:
“Mother had 10 children. The oldest is Nana Akua – wife of King Prempeh II, otherwise known as Otumfuo Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, the Asantehene. He assumed the throne in 1931 and passed away in 1970. Though brilliant academically, Nana Akua left school after standard seven to marry the Asantehene.
“She led a secluded life at the Manhyia Palace and in effect became like an aunt or second mother to her younger siblings. She is therefore called ‘mama’ by the rest of us.
“Francis comes after Nana Akua. He was educated at Achimota School and Bristol University, England. He did so well at Bristol that after his first degree in Chemistry, he was permitted to proceed straight to read a PhD programme without going for the masters. He is now a retired professor of KNUST, and former Chairman of the University Council.
“Rebecca comes third in the family. She was the wife of the late E.O. Dodoo – former Registrar of the University of Ghana. She was educated at Achimota School and the Nursing College at Plymouth in England. She subsequently became a Senior Nursing Officer.
“The fourth child, Kofi Boakye died in his infancy. Marian, the fifth, was educated at St. Monica’s Secondary School and University of London, and later qualified as a barrister; the fifth or sixth woman to do so in Ghana’s history. She retired as Chief State Attorney, and died in 1997. Rather a popular figure in Accra and Kumasi, she was mourned by many people upon her death.
“The sixth sibling is Cecilia – (Mrs. Campbell). Also a trained lawyer, she attended Achimota School and the University of London. Her husband Mr. Val Campbell, a Jamaican, was at one time the Solicitor General of Ghana. She retired as the Chief Legal Officer at the Lands Department of Ghana.
“The seventh is John who was educated at Prempeh College, Oxford University and Lincoln’s Inn, London. He has had an illustrious political career. The President of the Republic of Ghana, from 2001 to 2008, John was once a Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Progress Party Government of Professor Busia from 1969-1972.
“I, Kwame, the writer of this book, is the eighth of mother’s children.
“George, of blessed memory, is the ninth sibling. He passed away in 2011. He was educated at Prempeh College and the University of Belfast and obtained BSc. in Economics and Masters in Business Administration. He worked as Senior Manager of Unilever and KBL and later set up his own Business KEYEDMAP Services; he was also the CEO of Atlantis Royal Company.
“The last of the siblings is Josephine – (Mrs. Josephine Kankam), also of blessed memory. Josephine was educated at St. Louis Secondary School in Kumasi, and Secretarial College in London.
“Her husband was the late surgeon Dr. Kwaku Kankam. Her first son, Kojo Kankam, an architect, is the current Apagyahene, Nana Owusu Afriyie IV.”
A number of residents in Weija and its environs in the Weija/Gbawe Constituency have been displaced following the spillage of the Weija Dam by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
Most homes within the catchment area have been flooded.
Some residents who spoke to media on the condition of anonymity say they were not informed by GWCL of the spillage that occurred early Monday, October 3, 2022.
The maximum level of water the dam is built to hold is about 46 feet, but the level came up to 48 feet, thereby threatening its safety, hence the decision to spill.
Meanwhile, the GWCL has indicated that the recent spillage was brought about following the recent heavy rains but “it is in control”.
GWCL said, the situation has gravely affected its operations leading to “considerable havoc to some water treatment plants” across the country.
The management of the GWCL assured the public that despite the challenges, it is in control and has put in measures to ameliorate the situation to minimize the impact on consumers.
The management explained further, “the Weija dam is currently at a level of 49.5ft as against the maximum operating level of 48ft. Spillage normally begins when the level gets to 46.5ft. As a result, four (4) spill gates have been opened to safeguard the integrity of the dam, save the dam from collapse, and save lives and properties.”
Liverpool face Rangers in a battle of Britain and Barcelona will attempt to apply more pressure on Inter boss Simone Inzaghi with a Champions League victory on Tuesday.
An army of Gers fans will travel south of the border to descend on Merseyside for a Group A clash that will give them another opportunity to secure a first point, with the Reds in second spot behind Napoli.
Bayern will be expected to maintain their 100 per cent record at the expense of Viktoria Plzen, and Serie A table-toppers Napoli travel to Ajax looking to continue their brilliant start to the season.
Ahead of another mouthwatering set of matches, Stats Perform trawls through the Opta data to highlight the most noteworthy facts for each contest.
This will be the first European meeting between Liverpool and the Glasgow giants in a European competition.
The Gers have only won one of their seven away games in England, that being a 2-1 Champions League victory at Leeds United in November 1992 courtesy of goals from Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist. They have suffered six defeats and drawn twice.
Liverpool’s last meeting with Scottish opponents in the European Cup was back in the 1980-81 campaign, winning 5-0 on aggregate against Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen (1-0 away, 4-0 home). The Reds went on to win the competition that year.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have won 13 of their past 15 home Champions League group stage matches (D1 L1), scoring 36 goals in process. Their solitary defeat was against Atalanta in November 2020
Rangers have failed to score in their two group games so far. Indeed, only Plzen (2) and Sevilla (3) have had fewer shots on target than the Scottish club (4) in this season’s first two matchdays.
Inter v Barcelona
Interhave won just two of their 14 European matches against Barcelona (D4 L8), a 2-1 victory in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in January 1970 and 3-1 Champions League triumph in April 2010.
Barca’s two away wins against the Nerazzurri came 60 years apart, winning 4-2 in the Fairs Cup in September 1959 and 2-1 in the Champions League in December 2019.
Inter have lost six UEFA Champions League matches against the Catalan giants, their most against a single opponent. Barca have only beaten Celtic (8) more times in the competition.
Barca have lost three of their past four away Champions League group stage matches (W1), as many as in their previous 25 matches on their travels in the competition (W15 D7). Xavi is only the second manager to lose his first two away Champions League matches in charge of Barcelona, along with Louis van Gaal in 1997.
Inter have lost their past two Champions League games at San Siro (0-2 v Liverpool and Bayern). Only once previously have they suffered three consecutive home defeats in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (a run of three between February-September 2011).
Bayern have won all four of their European matches against Plzen, beating them twice in the 1971-72 Cup Winners’ Cup and the Champions League in 2013-14.
Plzen’s two away European matches against Bayern have seen them concede at least five goals on each occasion, losing 6-1 in September 1971 in the Cup Winners’ Cup and 5-0 in the Champions League nine years ago.
Bayern are out to record three wins at the start of a Champions League campaign for a fourth consecutive season. In their opening three games in the previous three seasons and their two games this year, they have won all 11 matches by an aggregate score of 41-7.
Plzen have conceded seven goals in their two Champions League games this season and only kept one clean sheet in their 20 matches in the competition.
Leroy Sane has been directly involved in 14 goals in his past 11 Champions League starts for Bayern (8 goals, 6 assists). The winger could become only the second player to score in Bayern’s first three Champions League games in a season, with Robert Lewandowski (in 2019-20 and 2021-22) being the other.
Napoli have never won away from home in the Netherlands (D2 L3) in any European competition.
Ajax have failed to win any of their past 11 home European matches against Italian opposition (D6 L5) since winning 2-1 against Roma in this competition in December 2002.
Napoli will be looking to win their first three Champions League group stage games for the first time. They are unbeaten in eight matches in the group stage of the competition (W5 D3).
Ajax have won their past four home games in the group stage of the Champions League, scoring four goals in each of the previous three (4-0 v Borussia Dortmund, 4-2 v Sporting CP and 4-0 v Rangers).
Napoli are the top scoring side in the Champions League this season with seven goals. Luciano Spalletti’s side have had more shots (43) and shots on target (19) than any other team.
Other fixtures:
Marseille v Sporting CP
6 – Marseille have lost six of their eight European Cup/Champions League matches against Portuguese opponents (W1 D1).
16 – Marseille have lost 16 of their past 17 Champions League matches (W1), failing to score in 11 matches in this run, including both games this season.
Porto v Bayer Leverkusen
7 – Porto have won seven of their eight home Champions League games against German opposition (D1), winning five in a row.
2 – Leverkusen have only won two of their past 13 away matches in the Champions League (D5 L6), with three of the previous four ending in defeats without scoring.
Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid
3 – Brugge are unbeaten in all three home meetings with Atleti in European competition (W2 D1).
7 – Atleti have never won a European match against a Belgium club in seven attempts (five away, two neutral). They have played more major European games on Belgian soil without winning than in any other country.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Tottenham
4 – Tottenham have lost their past four Champions League matches against German opposition by an aggregate score of 14-3, losing twice to Bayern Munich (2-7 and 1-3) and twice to RB Leipzig (0-1 and 0-3).
3 – Eintracht have won three consecutive European games against English teams (one versus Arsenal, two v West Ham), as many as in their first 14.
James Maddison not going to the World Cup with England would be “a shame for the country”, said Brendan Rodgers after the Leicester City midfielder scored another two goals on Monday.
The 25-year-old has earned only a single England cap, in November 2019, and appears to face an uphill battle to gain favour with Southgate before Qatar 2022 kicks off next month.
Yet Maddison has started the Premier League season in outstanding form. After scoring two and assisting another in Leicester’s 4-0 win over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, he has seven goal involvements in seven appearances.
Going back to the start of the previous campaign, Southgate‘s captain Harry Kane is the only English player with more Premier League goals (24) or goal involvements (34) than Maddison (17 goals, 10 assists).
“It’s such a shame for the country and for James himself,” manager Rodgers told Sky Sports. “You see his talent, and his performance level for the last 18 months I think everybody is clear on.
“I think it’s only Harry Kane who has created and scored more goals than him, so to not even be in the squad…
“Even if he’s not going to start, to have a player of that quality and not only in that, in international football, to have the personality to take the ball, be creative, take the ball and change the game, James is all of that. He’s an absolutely brilliant player.
“I really hope over these next few months he can continue the form he’s shown for 18 months and somehow get into the team, because if you’re wanting creativity, you’re wanting personality – he’s improved his defensive side of his game, and he can play in a couple of positions.
“For me, he’s an absolutely outstanding player, and he’s up there.
“I love Phil Foden, Mason Mount, those boys who play there – Jack Grealish is different, Jack plays from the side – but Madders can play in a number of positions to a high level, and he showed that tonight.”
Maddison, who said suggestions he would not be a good character within the group if not starting were “insulting”, added: “It’s been a weird position for me.
“We [Leicester] have been bottom of the league, and results have not been going our way, but I’ve almost been as confident as I’ve ever been in my career.
“I don’t remember over the last 12 months playing better than I have and feeling as well as I have.
“It’s obviously hard to answer this question [on his England hopes], because you want to say the right thing, you don’t want to say the wrong thing, but that’s an ambition of mine, a goal of mine.
“I’m a football man, I watch all the games, I watch international football, and an opportunity at that level would be something I desire. I almost know I’d have an impact.
Kwame Karikariscored in Chennaiyin FC’s friendly win over fellow Indian Premier League side Odisha.
Chennaiyin FC thrashed Odisha 5-1 in the encounter at the SRMC Ground here on Saturday.
Chennaiyin FC captain Anirudh Thapa scored in the 4th minute, Rahim Ali made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Chennaiyin kept on attacking and added a third in the 55th minute via Petar Sliskovic, Ghana’s Kwame Karikariscored in the 83rd minute and Suhail Pasha netted the last goal for Chennaiyin, who absolutely dominated the second half.
Diego Mauricio scored the only goal for the visiting Odisha team in the 33rd minute.
Ghana international, Edmund Addo has rejoined his teammates at Sheriff Tiraspol for training following his return to Moldova from Serbia.
In the summer, there was a lot of interest from clubs to secure the signature of the talented midfielder.
Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade won the race and came close to signing the Ghana midfielder.
Although he would travel to Serbia, the deal could not be completed due to some reasons.
As a result, Edmund Addo has returned to Moldova where he is already training with his Sheriff Tiraspol teammates.
The club is delighted to have the top midfielder back and looking forward to seeing him feature in games in no time.
He only recently recovered from an injury and is working on getting back into top shape to start playing for Sheriff Tiraspol in the domestic league and Europa League as well.
Jonathan Taylor’sknee injury is reportedly not thought to be serious, though the Indianapolis Colts’ star is a doubt for their clash with the Denver Broncos on Thursday.
Taylor was injured as the Colts’ uneven start to the season continued with a 24-17 defeat to AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The defeat dropped the Colts to 1-2-1, with Indianapolis once again struggling to justify considerable offseason hype.
An extended absence for Taylor, who last year led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, would deal another substantial blow to the Colts’ hopes of returning to the postseason.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport calmed fears of Taylor being out for the long term, but pointed out that the tight turnround could make it difficult for him to feature in Week 5.
The Colts are only half a game back in the AFC South race, but another defeat to a conference opponent in the Broncos would leave them in a potentially much more significant hole.
For Taylor’s part, he was unsure whether he would be healthy to feature in Denver.
He told reporters of his ankle injury: “It just tweaked up a little bit, but I’m feeling good now.
“It was a lot of commotion going on. Things just happen so fast on the field. It’s crazy.”
Asked about his status for the meeting with the Broncos, Taylor replied: “I’m not sure yet, but we’ll see how things are tomorrow [Monday] morning.”
David Miller’s stunning century proved to be in vain as India earned a 16-run victory over South Africa to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their T20I series.
India cruised to an eight-wicket win in the low-scoring opener on Wednesday, but the runs flowed in Guwahati on Sunday as Suryakumar Yadav (61) and KL Rahul (57) helped the hosts post an imposing 237-3.
Suryakumar and Rahul both hit half-centuries in the first match, and they were at it again as South Africa’s bowling attack failed to get control of the match, with only Keshav Maharaj (2-23) picking up wickets as the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi struggled.
India’s score was their fourth-highest in T20Is, aided by important innings from captain Rohit Sharma (43) and Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 49. Yadav’s runs, meanwhile, came from just 22 balls, five of which he despatched for six.
South Africa’s chase started woefully, as captain Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw were both dismissed for nought by Arshdeep Singh in the second over.
Quinton de Kock and Miller fought to keep South Africa in the game, as former captain De Kock made a snappy 69 not out while Miller hit 106no from 47 balls.
Despite those efforts, the Proteas never truly threatened to chase the challenging total as they lost the series with a game left to play, finishing on 221-3. The third match takes place on Tuesday in Indore.
Suryakumar became the fastest player to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced, as he hit five fours and as many maximums to post his second half-century in a row.
He reached 1,000 T20I runs in 573 balls, 31 fewer than the previous record-holder Glenn Maxwell required, and helped India to set a huge target as the Proteas bowlers were carted to all parts.
Rabada struggles to make a dent
A key member of South Africa’s pace attack, Rabada failed to make a significant impact as he finished with figures of 0-57 in his four overs.
The most expensive of the visitors’ bowlers, Rabada was hit for 10 boundaries as India stormed to a total out of South Africa’s reach.
Their first match in charge will be Wednesday’s home game against Birmingham City.
Wilder won 18 of his 45 matches as boss at the Riverside, and saw his side just miss out on the play-offs last season after finishing seventh in the table. Boro also enjoyed famous FA Cup successes over both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
But Wilder, who led Sheffield United to the Premier League in 2019, was expected to lead a promotion challenge back to the top flight this season, but it has not materialised.
Instead, the Teesside club are in the bottom three and already 13 points behind Norwich City in the second automatic promotion spot.
The promotion specialist brought to Boro
Wilder took over from another former Blades boss Warnock in what many believed to be a coup for Middlesbrough and chairman Steve Gibson last November.
In Wilder, Boro believed they were getting a promotion specialist as they tried to end five years outside the Premier League.
He had achieved the feat with Alfreton Town and Oxford United in non-league, Northampton Town in League Two and then his boyhood Blades as he took them from League One to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League in 2019-20.
When he arrived, Middlesbrough were in 14th place in the Championship, but a run of 19 points out of 21 from late November to mid-January moved Boro up into the play-off places.
He then brought national headlines to Teesside as Boro went on a memorable FA Cup run.
Under Chris Wilder, Middlesbrough knocked both Manchester United and Tottenham out of last season’s FA Cup
First they knocked Manchester United out 8-7 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the fourth round backed by 9,000 travelling supporters, and they then stunned Antonio Conte’s Spurs with an 1-0 extra-time win at the Riverside.
The run ended with a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea in the quarter-finals but those added games had them playing catch-up in the league.
A bad run of two points from five games in April saw them fall out of the top six, before a 4-1 loss at Preston on the final day finally ended their hopes of a play-off spot.
This season, with the side tipped to be among the promotion challengers, Boro have not got going.
It took them six matches to record their first win and they are yet to record successive victories.
Becoming the first team to lose to Coventry all season proved to be the end of Wilder’s reign, with Middlesbrough announcing his departure in a short statement on Monday.
Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan wants the Black Stars to identify a defined style of play ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ghana lost 3-0 to Brazil and recovered to beat Nicaragua 1-0 on Tuesday in Spain through a strike from Abdul Fatawu Issahaku.
According to Gyan, the Black Stars must identify the right system to propel the team to glory at the World Cup.
“Ghana needs to identify one strong system and master it. We have good players but we need to find the right system and be very good at it. We can make tweaks when necessary but we need one system that one system that we are very good at,” he said.
The Black Starsis returning to the global showpiece after missing out in Russia 2018.
The Black Stars has been paired against Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
The biggest soccer mundial will be staged in Qatar between November and December with 32 countries set to battle it out for the ultimate.
The Black Stars will tackle Portugal in the opening game of the Group before facing Asian and South American giants South Korea and Uruguay respectively.
Inter head coach Simone Inzaghibelieves his team need to play with “aggression and determination” against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Inzaghi is under fire after a run that has seen Inter lose four of their last six in all competitions, with a 2-1 home defeat to Roma at the weekend leaving the Nerazzurri ninth in Serie A, already eight points behind joint-leaders Napoli and Atalanta.
And Tuesday’s match will see them host a Barcelona side in red-hot form, top of LaLiga and yet to lose a league match this season under the leadership of former midfielder Xavi.
In his pre-match press conference, Inzaghi outlined just how tough a task the game was going to be, while explaining how his team need to play at the San Siro if they are to get a result.
“Tomorrow is a great opportunity, knowing that we meet a very strong team, probably one of the best in Europe,” Inzaghi told reporters.
“It is a complete, strong team with a lot of quality. They know how to do everything, they have pressing and ball recovery. It is a team that knows how to do everything in possession and non-possession.
“Barcelona are a very strong team, complete in all departments. They have a lot of quality, plus they have [Robert] Lewandowski.
“We will have to play a game of aggression and determination.”
Inzaghi also had positive news about striker Lautaro Martinez’s availability for the fixture, adding: “This morning Lautaro made an exam where no injury was evident.
“He finished the game [against Roma] fatigued, today he will do a partial training and we will see what his condition will be.”
Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) has downgraded the Government of Ghana’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa2 from Caa1 and placed the ratings on review for downgrade.
Moody’s has also downgraded the senior unsecured MTN programme ratings to (P)Caa2 on review for downgrade from (P)Caa1.
The rating downgrade to Caa2 reflects the recent macroeconomic deterioration, further heightening the government’s liquidity and debt sustainability difficulties and increasing the risk of default.
Despite Ghana’s tightening of monetary policy in response to the global price shock, inflation continues to rise from high levels and the currency has been under very significant pressure.
Combined, a sharp rise in interest rates, high inflation and a rapidly weakening currency exacerbate the government’s debt challenges.
Without external support, the government’s policy levers to arrest a worsening macroeconomic backdrop and heavier debt burden are extremely limited; the government’s small revenue base, largely and increasingly absorbed by interest payments, further intensifies the policy dilemma between competing objectives, including servicing debt while meeting essential social needs. As a result, the risk of an eventual default has increased.
The initiation of the review for downgrade is prompted by the ongoing negotiations between the government and the IMF over a funding programme that may include a condition for debt restructuring to ensure debt sustainability. Such a restructuring would likely be considered a distressed exchange and thereby a default under the rating agency’s definition.
The review will evaluate the likelihood of a debt restructuring being a prerequisite to secure sufficient and durable financing from official sources to avert a fiscal and balance of payments crisis that is already unfolding.
Concurrent to the rating downgrade, Moody’s has also downgraded Ghana’s bond enhanced by a partial guarantee from the International Development Association (IDA, Aaa stable) to Caa1 from B3, reflecting a blended expected loss consistent with a one-notch uplift on the issuer rating.
The rating has also been placed on review for downgrade given the review initiated on all unsecured debt ratings of the government.
Finally, Moody’s has lowered Ghana’s local currency (LC) and foreign currency (FC) country ceilings to respectively B2 and B3, from B1 and B2. Non-diversifiable risks are captured in a LC ceiling three notches above the sovereign rating, taking into account relatively predictable institutions and government actions, limited domestic political risk, and low geopolitical risk; balanced against a large government footprint in the economy and the financial system and external imbalances.
The FC country ceiling one notch below the LC country ceiling reflects constraints on capital account openness and fiscal policy effectiveness against robust foreign exchange reserves buffers and average monetary policy effectiveness.
Global and domestic rate hikes result in higher interest rates for the government while the loss in purchasing power induced by high inflation is a drag on economic activity.
Higher government borrowing costs have rapidly increased its interest spending, which consumed almost half of the government’s revenue in 2021, a proportion Moody’s forecasts to rise to 58% in 2022, one of the highest globally.
Further monetary policy tightening is likely, with negative effects on already extremely weak debt affordability. The Bank of Ghana recently reported that the inflation rate climbed to 34% at end of August 2022 despite previous monetary tightening; the highest reading in Ghana since July 2001.
In the meantime, the local currency, the cedi, has depreciated by around 40% against the US dollar since the start of the year, exacerbating the challenges from an already high debt burden.
Because foreign currency-denominated debt accounted for 37% of GDP at end of 2021, Moody’s forecasts that the currency depreciation over 2022 will be the main contributor to the rise in the debt-to-GDP ratio this year to more than 100% of GDP (104%, 26 percentage points higher than in 2021).
Meanwhile, Ghana’s balance of payments position is deteriorating. Significant outflows in the first half of 2022 led to a fall in foreign exchange reserves to $5.9 billion as of the end of the second quarter of 2022 (covering 4.5 months of imports as of first quarter of 2022, which is the latest data available), down from $8.4 billion at the beginning of the year.
The deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, in particular the deep inflation shock, have further complicated the policy trade-off for Ghana’s authorities: limiting government primary spending to prioritise paying interest to creditors is difficult to reconcile with economic and social development objectives, fueling risks of further social discontent and damaging Ghana’s economic and social outcomes in the medium term.
LIMITED FISCAL POLICY LEVERS AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS INTENSIFYING DEBT SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES
Against the backdrop of higher inflation and larger interest payments, the government is left with very limited fiscal policy levers to reverse the deteriorating trend in debt burden and affordability and restore liquidity and external stability. Moody’s expects the government not to achieve the reductions in fiscal deficits targeted in its 2022 budget and instead to run stable deficits.
Notwithstanding the government’s intention at the start of the year to broaden its tax base, its capacity to raise its revenue intake (16% of GDP in 2021) is constrained by the weak macroeconomic environment.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s room for manoeuvre on the spending side is also limited. The interest bill, over which the government has little control in the short- to medium-term, constrains budget flexibility, especially amid large gross borrowing requirements (around 30% of GDP in 2022) and likely no access to international capital markets nor sizeable support from the donor community.
Moreover, there is a limit to the extent to which the government can lower primary spending: while the government had announced large cuts in its main primary spending items earlier this year implying a reduction of 4% year-on-year in total primary spending, budget execution over the first half of 2022 shows that spending rose by 26% instead, reflecting strong spending pressure amid severe economic and inflation shocks.
RATIONALE FOR THE REVIEW FOR DOWNGRADE
The review for downgrade reflects the risk that some form of debt restructuring may be required as part of an IMF funding programme currently under negotiation between the government and the IMF.
The review period will allow Moody’s to assess the risks of a restructuring involving private sector creditors both in the near and more medium term. The rating agency will focus on the government’s strategy to improve the macroeconomic backdrop and reverse the current negative feedback loop between high and rising inflation and interest and foreign exchange rates that are exacerbating the government debt burden and interest bill.
The debt sustainability analysis conducted as part of the IMF programme formulation and the government’s 2023 budget, among other policy decisions, will be important milestones.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Ghana’s ESG Credit Impact Score is highly negative (CIS-4), reflecting its high exposure to social risks. Resilience to environmental and social risks is weak, constrained by low wealth and high debt levels.
Ghana’s credit profile is moderately exposed to environmental risks (E-3 issuer profile score). The cocoa sector is a large contributor to GDP, exports and employment and being demanding in water, it exposes the country to climate changes and especially droughts.
More generally, the size of the agricultural sector exposes the economy to weather-related disruptions and the effects of climate change. Ghana is also exposed to water management risks stemming from a lack of access to potable water in some areas.
The exposure to social risk is highly negative (S-4 issuer profile score), driven by limited access to quality housing and education, especially in rural areas. Risks related to health and safety and access to basic services are moderately negative.
While the government has put in place measures aimed at reducing poverty and inequality and strengthening social safety nets, its fiscal challenges constrain its scope for meaningful reduction in social risks given more than half of government revenue is consumed by interest payments.
Governance is highly negative with a G-4 issuer profile score. Overall, Ghana’s institutions have shown some effectiveness, however domestic revenue mobilisation challenges and significant constraints on fiscal policy effectiveness manifest in very weak debt affordability. The authorities have undertaken some institutional reforms on the revenue and competitiveness front, which will invariably take time to produce results.
The publication of this rating action deviates from the previously scheduled release dates in the EU sovereign calendar published on https://ratings.moodys.com. This action was prompted by the further acceleration in macroeconomic deterioration to which the sovereign’s credit profile is highly sensitive to.
GDP per capita (PPP basis, US$): 6,194 (2021) (also known as Per Capita Income)
Real GDP growth (% change): 5.4% (2021) (also known as GDP Growth)
Gen. Gov. Financial Balance/GDP: -8.8% (2021) (also known as Fiscal Balance)
Current Account Balance/GDP: -3.3% (2021) (also known as External Balance)
External debt/GDP: 46.1% (2021)
Economic resiliency: ba3
Default history: No default events (on bonds or loans) have been recorded since 1983.
On 28 September 2022, a rating committee was called to discuss the rating of the Ghana.The main points raised during the discussion were: The issuer has become increasingly susceptible to event risks.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Moody’s would likely downgrade Ghana’s ratings if the likelihood of a debt restructuring that involved private sector creditors increased, with the extent of the rating downgrade depending on the rating agency’s expectations for financial losses.
Conversely, Moody’s would likely confirm Ghana’s ratings at their current levels if the government’s strategy to restore debt sustainability without a debt restructuring looked likely to be effective.
Sergio Perez labelled the Singapore Grand Prix victory as his “best performance” after holding off Charles Leclerc on a soaked Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Ferrari driver Leclerc started on pole on Sunday ahead of Perez, who breezed into the lead at the first corner as Formula One racing returned to Singapore for the first time in three years.
The wet conditions that caused the race to be delayed by an hour were a problem throughout, with numerous safety cars deployed as five drivers failed to finish.
Perez held his nerve despite late pressure from Leclerc to claim his second victory of the season and fourth of his career to end Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen’s five-race winning streak.
“It was certainly my best performance,” Perez told Sky Sports after the conclusion. “I controlled the race.
“The last three laps were so intense – when I got out of the car, I felt it. I gave everything.”
While Perez celebrated on the podium, stewards investigated a possible infringement behind the safety car – a misdemeanour that Ferrari deemed worthy of a 10-second time penalty.
“I have no idea what’s going on, they just told me I was under investigation and to increase the gap,” Perez added after finishing seven seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Leclerc.
Leclerc’s colleague Carlos Sainz settled for third after battling with Lewis Hamilton on the opening corner, with the Briton finishing in ninth after another frustrating outing.
“It was very tough out there,” Sainz said. “I never really got into a rhythm in the wet and then couldn’t challenge the top two guys.
“I had to settle for P3, but the good thing is I didn’t do any mistakes and could bring the car home and be quick towards the end of the race.
“It’s a good result for the team in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Fernando Alonsosays he has lost “about 60” points due to mechanical issues across the Formula One season, describing Alpine’s problems as “unacceptable” after retiring from the Singapore Grand Prix.
Alpine suffered their first double retirement of the 2022 campaign on Sunday, as suspected power unit issues ended the races of Alonso and team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Alonso was defending sixth place against the advances of Max Verstappen when the problem first struck, forcing him out of the race after 21 laps. Ocon, meanwhile, followed six laps later.
“Again eight or 10 points are gone and there were already about 50 points lost this year,” Alonso said. “So there are already about 60, which is unacceptable.
“I am very upset because there had been a good performance in this race on my part throughout the weekend.
“Yes, it was the two [Alpine] cars, but one was behind and out of the points, and it was not as serious as in my case for the points.
“This year, this changes everything. If you gave me 60 more points in the standings and reduced those of the rest – because they are points that the others would not have added – my championship would seem much better, even compared to Mercedes.”
Alonso has retired from four of his 17 races in 2022, including back-to-back outings at Monza and Singapore.
The two-time world champion, who is set to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin next year, sits ninth in the drivers’ championship standings, seven points behind team-mate Ocon.
Christian Horner remains confident Red Bull did not breach Formula One’s budget cap rules last season ahead of the results of an FIA investigation.
The constructor faced reports both they and Aston Martin spent more than the $145million during Max Verstappen’s title-winning campaign in 2021.
As Sergio Perez stormed to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, clamour over the findings reached fever pitch, with Mercedes principal Toto Wolff claiming the breach was an “open secret”.
But Horner has reiterated his belief the team remain inside budget constraints, while continuing to linger the threat of legal action against his rival over comments he considers defamatory.
“We’re absolutely confident in our submission,” he said. “Our audit was signed off by our auditors. We believe we are comfortably within the cap.
“We will consider all of our options. It was totally unacceptable to make a completely unfounded allegation – and on the basis of what knowledge? Where is this source of information?
“It was a confidential submission between the team and the FIA. I have no idea of the compliance of any of our rivals. So where does that information supposedly come from?”
In a workshop in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a group of artisans are turning discarded and dirty flip flops into beautiful artwork.
They are part of the team at Ocean Sole, a social enterprise whose mission is to clean polluted beaches and provide careers to people in high-impact communities.
Flip flops are worn around the world, and millions are produced annually. But a large amount of the synthetic rubber sandals are also discarded each year, many of which end up in the ocean.
Ocean pollution
In the 1990s, marine conservationist, Julie Church, was shocked by the amount of flip flops she found washed up on a beach in Kenya. Inspired by the toys children were making out of them, she encouraged their mothers to collect, wash, and cut them into colourful products to sell at local markets.
Ocean Sole was launched in 1999 and today positively impacts over a 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment, providing a steady income to nearly 100 people.
After collection on the beaches, they are first washed and put out to dry thoroughly in the workshop, before being used by the artists.
Different production processes
Joe Mwakiremba, the sales manager at Ocean Sole, says there are two types of sculpture.
‘The smallest are all flip flop. The bigger sculptures are made from another material called polyurethane. So we cover the insides of the big sculptures using this material, and then pad around with flip flops,’ he said.
This method gives the biggest sculptures have a contour or a patchy look versus the stripey look of the smaller pieces.
‘Ninety per cent of our production is for export; We normally sell to zoos, aquariums, museums, and gift shops all over the world. We also partner with organizations that want to make or commission a life-size sculpture, like an elephant or giraffe for example, that they want to put in their lobbies or atriums,’ he says.
Expansion plans
The organisation is planning to export the idea to other countries that have a ‘flip flop problem’ over the next five years, says Mwakiremba. Ocean Sole has already received numerous inquiries from countries such as Indonesia, India and Brazil, who have asked them to go there and set up workshops.
The initiative currently upscales 579,000 kilogrammes of flip flops annually into beautiful works of art, both large and small, that portray an important message about the state of the world’s oceans.
And in the process, the work is both creating jobs and helping save the planet. It also contributes 10 to 15 per cent of its revenue to beach clean-ups, vocational and educational programmes, and conservation efforts.
‘We use our social enterprise to pay bonuses to employees, invest in a welfare programme that allows a zero return in funds to all employees to help facilitate payments for educating their children, buying land and other means,’ said Mwakiremba.
Sadly, there is little chance that Ocean Sole’s artisans will run out of raw material any time soon, as long as the world continues its flip flop habit.
Somali authorities say a top leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been killed in a joint operation by the Somali National Army and international partner forces.
Abdullahi Nadir had a $3 million bounty on his head by the United States and the Somaligovernment described him as “one of the most important members of al-Shabab.”
He was killed Saturday in Haramka village in the Middle Jubba region, said the government statement issued Monday.
He had been close to the former emir of al-Shabab, Ahmed Abdi Godane, and current leader Ahmed Diriye.
“His death is a thorn removed from the Somali nation, and the Somali people will be relieved from his misguidance and horrific acts,” the statement said, adding that Nadir had been in a position to succeed the current al-Shabab leader.
Somalia’s president recently declared “total war” against al-Shabab, which has thousands of fighters and controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.
The group supports itself in part by “taxing” or extorting residents, businesspeople and travellers, according to residents.
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua’s proposed fight with Tyson Fury will not go ahead as things stand, insisting he will not “play a game” with the WBC heavyweight champion.
Fury initially offered Joshua the chance of a December bout last month, with Hearn subsequently revealing positive talks had been held with the Gypsy King’s team.
However, Fury then set Joshua’s representatives a deadline of September 26 to get the fight signed off, and declared discussions were “officially over” when that was not met.
Hearn now appears convinced the fight will not take place, and has hit out at Fury for repeatedly insulting Joshua on social media.
“As far as we’re concerned, the fight’s off. We’re happy to continue the discussions,” Hearn said in an interview with Matchroom Boxing.
“In our mind, he’s not fighting Anthony Joshua. We’re more than happy to continue those conversations, but what we’ve been told is the deadline has passed, and so have the entire country.
“We have sent the final version of the contract back, they’ve come back with points and we were told that the fight is off by the man himself.
“They gave us terms, ultimately, and a date they thought we wouldn’t accept. We did accept that. We were ready to go.
“If they were to sign the contract on Monday [September 26], they had a fight. We were asked to agree the deal by Monday, then we were asked to agree it by Wednesday.
“We got the comments back on Wednesday. We were never going to sign the fight [then], and we were told the fight’s off.
“It’s still there. It’s still open for discussion. But we’re not going to play a game with a bloke that’s just coming out telling AJ it’s off, and then that he’s a ‘dosser’, that he’s got to sign it, etc.
“Have your fight if you fight someone else, and we’ll do our thing and we’ll see what happens.”
Center Steven Adams has signed a multi-year extension with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Though terms were not officially disclosed when the agreement was announced on Saturday, a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN stated it to be a two-year, $25.2million deal.
The 29-year-old New Zealander has altered his role in recent years, having previously averaged 13.9 points per game in consecutive seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder between 2017 and 2019.
Last season, he averaged just 6.9 points for the Grizzlies, but had his best campaign ever for both rebounds (10.0 per game) and assists (3.4 per game).
In fact, his 349 total offensive rebounds and 4.6 offensive rebounds per game were the best numbers in the league, breaking the single-season franchise records set by Zach Randolph during the 2009-10 season.
The Grizzlies begin the 2022-23 season at home to the New York Knicks on October 19.
.@RealStevenAdams has agreed to a multi-year contract extension.
The Miami Heat signed reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro to a four-year contract extension on Sunday.
The Heat announced the deal, but per club policy terms were not disclosed. According to reports, the contract – which begins with the 2023-24 season – includes $120million in guaranteed money and could be worth as much as $130million with incentives.
“Tyler is an impact multi-faceted player and we are excited to have him signed for the next five years,” Heat president Pat Riley said.
“His improvement every year since we drafted him has led to this day. We believe he will continue to get better.”
Miami selected Herro with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after he spent one season at the University of Kentucky.
Herro then put up 15.1 points, 5.0 boards and 3.4 assists per game in 2020-21 before having a career year last season.
Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists en route to being the runaway selection as the league’s top sixth man.
He received 96 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters after 1162 of his team-leading 1367 points came as a reserve.
Some schools in Pot A include; St Thomas Aquinas SHS, Abuakwa State College, Ghanata SHS, Achimota School, Archbishop Porter Girls’ SHS, St Hubert Sem. School and Bishop Herman College.
Those in Pot Bare; Notre Dame Girls’ SHS, Okuapemman School, Ofori Panin SHS, Aburi Girls’ SHS, West Africa SHS, among others.
Schools that are in Pot C include; OLA Girls’ SHS, Wesley SHS, Bekwai, Tarkwa SHS, Kintampo SHS, Bueman SHS and Nalerigu SHS.
There will be 39 contests in the prelims and the winners together with the 15 top runners-up will progress to the one-eighth Stage of the contest.
In total, over 135 schools are competing to bring down reigning champions Prempeh College to be crowned 2022 champions of the NSMQ.
Barbora Krejcikova claimed her first title of the year by beating top seed Anett Kontaveit in the inaugural Tallinn Open final on Sunday.
Krejcikova had not won a singles title since her third triumph of 2021 in Prague last July, but ended her drought with a 6-2 6-3 defeat of the top seed.
She drew first blood to go 4-2 in the first following precise groundstrokes off both wings, then broke for a second time to seal an opening set in which Kontaveit made 13 unforced errors.
World number four Kontaveit responded with a break in the opening game of the second set, but failed to back that up with a hold.
Kontaveit had the initiative again at 3-1, but there was a sense of deja vu as her opponent broke straight back and served out the match after moving 5-3 in front with another break.
