Carlos Alcaraz survived a Jannik Sinner match point before going on to clinch his maiden grand slam semi-final berth with an epic five-set victory in more than five hours at the US Open.
The Spanish third seed triumphed 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-3 in the latest-ever finish at the US Open, officially ending at 2:50am Thursday local time.
The match was within nine minutes of being the longest ever in US Open history, the record held by Michael Chang and Stefan Edberg from 1992 of five hours and 26 minutes.
The 19-year-old fought back from a Sinner match point in the fourth set, rallying to force a fifth, where he broke the Italian 11th seed in the eighth game before serving it out for victory.
Alcaraz blew opportunities too, including five set points in the second set, while he failed to serve out the third set before Sinner won the tie-break 7-0 to take all the momentum into the fourth.
But the emerging Alcaraz showcased his doggedness even after falling a break behind in the fourth, to set up a semi-final date against 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe, who has beaten Andrey Rublev and Rafael Nadal in his past two matches.
The win also means Alcaraz is a step closer to claiming the world number one ranking for the first time, which will be achieved if he wins the title, or even if he makes the final and fifth seed Casper Ruud does not.
Data slam: Alcaraz cannot help Nadal comparisons
Alcaraz, 19, is not fond of comparisons to compatriot Rafael Nadal, but his victory means he becomes the youngest grand slam semi-finalist since the 22-time major winner in 2005.
Little separated Alcaraz and Sinner who will both have won huge admiration, but the Italian’s 63 unforced errors compared to the Spaniard’s 38 was an outlier.
Carlos Alcaraz believes New York provides a perfect stage for the first grand slam semi-final of his career after the Spanish teenager edged a late-night thriller with Jannik Sinner.
In the last of the men’s singles quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz prevailed in the latest finish on record at the tournament, sealing a 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-3 victory at 02:50 local time on Thursday.
Sinner was left crestfallen, saying the defeat was in his “top list” and would hurt “for quite a while”. He had served for the match in the fourth set but could not see it out, the 21-year-old seeing Alcaraz exact revenge for defeat in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
At the age of 19, Alcaraz is leading the men’s tour for wins this season, one short of reaching 50 for the year, and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowds have taken him to their hearts.
He is the youngest men’s grand slam singles semi-finalist since Rafael Nadal marched to the 2005 French Open title, and the youngest man to reach the last four at the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, also on a run to the trophy.
The clash with Sinner was an epic that spanned five hours and 15 minutes, yet Alcaraz said afterwards: “During the whole match, I feel great physically.
“I feel great to be in my first semi-final in a grand slam. I feel better reaching the semi-final here in the US Open. This tournament is amazing. The crowd is amazing, I would say the best in the world.
“The energy I receive in this court at 3am, it was unbelievable. Probably in other tournaments, other places, everybody would have gone to their house to rest. But they keep in the court, supporting me. It was unbelievable.
“I feel great to have a semi-final here in the US Open.”
Frances Tiafoe awaits him, after the American took down Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Wednesday, following up his fourth-round win over Rafael Nadal with another accomplished display. The crowd will likely have split allegiances for that semi-final on Friday.
“It’s going to be really, really tough,” said Alcaraz. “Everybody knows the level of Frances. He has beaten Rafa Nadal, Rublev in three sets. He’s playing unbelievable right now, high in confidence.
“He loves the crowd. He loves this court. I’m going to have to play my best. But right now I’m thinking about this match. I’m enjoying this moment. I have a day of rest to think about the semi-final.”
Alcaraz also said the possibility of becoming world number one did not cross his mind during the Sinner battle. He would hit the top spot by winning the title, and would also be assured of number one by reaching the final if Casper Ruud loses to Karen Khachanov in the other semi-final.
Sinner can only dream of reaching such heights for now, although his time may come.
He has a 9-20 losing record against top-10 opponents after this setback, but wins over Alcaraz at Wimbledon and later at a smaller event in Umag, Croatia, suggest his game is developing nicely.
The Italian had a strong tournament in New York but was left with regrets after failing to see this one through.
“I’ve had some tough losses, for sure. This is in the top list,” Sinner said. “I think this one will hurt for quite a while.
“But tomorrow I wake up, or today I wake up, trying to somehow take only the positives, trying to take away the other part.
“But it’s tough, for sure. In my next tournament I will play Davis Cup. Before, I want to practise again in the best possible way, trying to improve. Maybe next time I can win this, no?”
Adam Zampa took five wickets as Australia skittled New Zealand for 82 to win the second ODI in Cairns by 113Â runs, clinching a series victory with a match to spare.
The hosts made light work of the team at the top of the ICC rankings to get their hands on the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
After rallying in the closing overs to reach 195-9 in their innings, Australia rattled through a New Zealand batting line-up experiencing a collective off-day.
This was the second contest of a three-match series being staged in Cairns, and Australia were in early disarray at 26-4 after Matt Henry and Trent Boult each struck twice with the ball. Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis both departed for ducks, while David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne made five runs each.
Alex Carey followed for 12 as Mitchell Santner got in on the wickets, before Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell put on the first substantial partnership, a cautious alliance of 49 for the sixth wicket.
Maxwell (25), Sean Abbott (7) and Smith, whose 61 was the key contribution, fell in quick succession, and when Boult had Zampa caught on the drive by James Neesham, Australia were tottering on 148-9, with six overs remaining.
Mitchell Starc (38no) and Josh Hazlewood (23no) rescued that dicey situation by adding an unbroken 47 for the final wicket, turning the momentum in Australia’s favour, and it had swung decisively when New Zealand made their own dismal start with the bat.
The visitors’ top order offered feeble resistance, crumbling to 38-5, with captain Kane Williamson top-scoring among those early victims with 17 before being dismissed lbw by a full toss from spinner Zampa.
It was 46-6 when Neesham clipped Stoinis to Finch at midwicket, and 54-7 when Starc had Michael Bracewell caught by a diving Maxwell at gully. Zampa wiped out the tail to complete figures of 5-35.
Mitch Starc: “That’s probably as clinical as I’ve seen our group with the ball for a long time.”
Boult’s bowling in his 98th ODI appearance had Australia tied up in knots again, after he took 4-40 in a losing cause in the first match. This time, figures of 4-38 mean he has taken hauls of four or more wickets in consecutive ODIs for the first time in his career.
Again, it was a performance that went unrewarded, with New Zealand left to seek a consolation win in Sunday’s final match of the series.Z
Beating the benchmark
Starc took 2-12, while Abbott remarkably finished with 2-1 from five overs, but it was Zampa who brought home the win, prising out Tim Southee, Henry and Boult to complete his five-for. The 30-year-old Zampa posted ODI career-best figures, having previously managed four four-wicket hauls.
Zampa told Fox: “It was a nice night. I didn’t bowl my best to be honest. The full toss to Kane, the ball didn’t come out as well as I’d have liked, but sometimes it’s like that.”
Playing down his own performance, he said he “reaped the rewards” after the likes of Starc and Abbott made early inroads, but considered it a victory worthy of celebration.
“It feels good to win any series, but particularly against the number one team in the world,” Zampa said. “They’re the benchmark at the moment, so it feels good.”
A typical household energy bill will be capped at £2,500 annually until 2024.
The huge support scheme could cost up to £150bn, but Ms Truss refused to put a figure on it, saying “extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures”.
The help will be for everyone in England, Scotland and Wales with equivalent help for Northern Ireland.
But there are concerns the measures are not targeted enough, with no additional support for the most vulnerable. As a result, millions are still expected to be in fuel poverty this winter.
The energy price cap – the highest amount suppliers are allowed to charge households for every unit of energy they use – had been due to rise to £3,549 in October.
To limit the amount customers’ bills go up by, the government will compensate energy firms for the difference between the wholesale price for gas and electricity they pay and the amount they can charge customers.
What the new energy plan means for you
How much are energy bills rising under the new plan?
Where does the government borrow billions from?
The final cost of the scheme will depend on the cost of energy on the international energy markets, which can be extremely volatile.
The money to cover the support will be borrowed by the government, adding to the UK’s already large debt pile. This comes after Ms Truss rejected calls to extend a windfall tax on gas and oil company profits to pay for the package.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the refusal to fund it with a windfall tax showed she was “driven by dogma” and “it’s working people who will pay for that”.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey accused the government of bringing in a “phony freeze”.
“This will still leave struggling families and pensioners facing impossible choices this winter as energy bills almost double,” he said.
“Liz Truss and the Conservatives are choosing to allow this huge hike to people’s heating costs, while refusing to properly tax the eye-watering profits of oil and gas companies.”
“We are supporting this country through this winter and next, and tackling the root causes of high prices so we are never in the same position again,” Ms Truss told MPs.
“This is the moment to be bold, we are facing a global energy crisis, and there are no cost-free options.”
Gas prices have soared this year, largely due to the conflict in Ukraine which has reduced supplies of Russian gas.
Experts and charities warned that without help with soaring energy bills, lives would have been at risk this winter, with people struggling to afford basic day-to-day living costs.
The government’s new Energy Price Guarantee will limit the price suppliers can charge people for units of gas – although Number 10 is not saying what that unit cost will be.
The government will also scrap green levies – which add £150 to bills each year – which the £2,500 cap accounts for.
A previously announced £400 energy bills discount for all households will go ahead. Taken together, the government said this “will bring costs close to where the energy price cap stands today”.
Researchers found the buried 31,000-year-old body of a young person that shows evidence of leg amputation.
The find pushes back the origin of this complicated surgery by more than 24,000 years.
After the procedure the person was cared for by their ancient community for years until their death, archaeologists say.
Dr Melandri Vlok, who examined the body, said it was “quite clear” surgery had been carried out.
A detailed examination of the ancient body, details of which are published in the journal Nature, took place when the person was a child. Growth and healing of their leg bone suggests they recovered and lived for another six to nine years, probably dying in their late teens or early twenties.
The grave itself was excavated in a cave called Liang Tebo, in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, a place that has some of the world’s earliest rock art.
One of the three researchers who found and excavated the grave, Dr Tim Maloney from the Griffith University in Australia, said he was simultaneously “excited and terrified” to reveal the ancient bones.
Image source, Tim MaloneyImage caption, As well as the left foot being absent, the leg bones show signs of healing
“We very carefully brushed away the deposits and recorded the lower half of the remains. We could see that the left foot was absent, but also that the remaining bone fragments were unusual,” he told BBC News.
“So we were excited at the range of possibilities, including surgery, that had caused this.”
The excavation team subsequently asked Dr Vlok, who is based at the University of Sydney, to examine the remains. “With a discovery like this”, she said, “it’s a mixture of excitement and sorrow, because this happened to a person.
“This person – a child – experienced so much pain, even if it was 31,000 years ago.”
Dr Maloney explained that, because this person showed signs of having been cared through their recovery and for the rest of their life, the archaeologists are confident that this was an operation, rather than any kind of punishment or ritual.
“To allow them to live in this mountainous terrain, it’s highly likely that the rest of their community invested in their care,” he explained.
Durham University archaeologist Prof Charlotte Robertson, who was not involved in the discovery but reviewed the findings, added that they challenged the view that medicine and surgery came late in human history.
Image source, Jose Garcia/Griffith University Image caption, An artist’s impression of the person during their life 31,000 years ago
“It shows us that caring is an innate part of being human,” she told the BBC. “We can’t underestimate our ancestors.”
Amputations, she pointed out, require a comprehensive knowledge of human anatomy and surgical hygiene, and considerable technical skill.
“Nowadays, you think about amputation in western context, it’s a very safe operation. The person is given anaesthesia, sterile procedures are used, there is control of bleeding and pain management.
“Then you’ve got 31,000 years ago, someone is performing an amputation on this person and it’s successful.”
Dr Maloney and his colleagues are now working to investigate what kind of stone surgical tools could have been used at that time.
The Minority says it will not approve the 2023 budgetary allocation for the Communications Ministry should the Sector Minister not heed calls to slow down on the SIM card re-registration exercise.
The caucus says the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful will be made to suffer the consequences of her actions.
This is according to the Deputy Ranking on the Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George.
Ghana card and SIM card for registration
When asked if this does not amount to blackmail, the Ningo-Prampram lawmaker answered in the negative.
The MP says the Minister has refused to listen to reason on the matter. He said her actions were akin to that of a recalcitrant child.
A series of extreme heatwaves and a long running drought saw June, July and August shatter the previous high mark for temperature.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the data showed August in Europe was the warmest on record by “a substantial margin.”
Globally, the researchers say August was the third warmest yet recorded.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who experienced this summer’s intense heat across the continent that the temperature record across Europe has been broken by a large margin.
The summer was 0.4C warmer than the previous record, only set last year.
August was a whopping 0.8C warmer than the same month in 2018.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Fires were common in many places including here in Portugal
“An intense series of heatwaves across Europe paired with unusually dry conditions, have led to a summer of extremes with records in terms of temperature, drought and fire activity in many parts of Europe, affecting society and nature in various ways,” said Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist with the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“The data shows that we’ve not only had record August temperatures for Europe but also for summer, with the previous summer record only being one year old.”
In the UK, temperatures reached a new high of 40.3C, recorded in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19. It was a significant leap over the previous record of 38.7C set in 2019.
These extremes were also seen in many other countries with 64 different areas of France experiencing record highs, while temperatures in Portugal reached 47C in July.
Around the globe the high temperatures in August persisted widely, with drought conditions also affecting China.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Drought across Europe was the worst in 500 years
But it wasn’t a uniform picture – many areas had significant downpours resulting in flooding.
As we’ve seen most recently in Pakistan, wetter than average conditions have triggered huge floods, leading to loss of life and property.
The satellite data also shows that it was wetter than average over most of Scandinavia and in parts of southern and south eastern Europe, where a “derecho” storm brought extreme winds and rain.
Climate scientists say that both extreme heat and wet conditions are to be expected in a warming climate where emissions of warming gases from human activities have driven up temperatures by over 1.1C at present.
Nothing feels better than a new pair of shoes. Nothing feels worse than getting those shoes dirty. But just as nothing stays new forever (unless you never wear your sneakers), dirt stains aren’t permanent, either. Learning how to clean your sneakersis a badge of honor. Just like watering your plants or getting exercise and following a diet, it’s healthy to maintain your sneakers over time.
While some sneakers do look better with a bit of wear, no sneaker looks good with food stains or mud on them. To get a better idea of how to clean your sneakers and keep them in tip-top shape, we talked to sneaker cleaning guru and co-founder of sneaker cleaning brand SneakersER Rob Stewart.
Below are his techniques to clean every part of your shoe. From a quick wipe down, to waterproofing, and more advanced process like unfogging an Air bubble or making sure your midsole doesn’t crumble. In a day and age where you see people wearing cooked Air Force 1s, this is how you can avoid that plague.
All illustrations by Naomi Otsu
How to keep your sneaker laces white
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
Take the laces out before cleaning. Stick them in a bowl of warm to hot water with a couple of capsules of solutions while you clean the shoe, which should take 20 to 30 minutes. Take them out, give them a scrub with your hands, then run them through a microfiber cloth. If there are more stubborn laces, put solution on the microfiber cloth and then use the edge of your nail.
How to get the odor out of an insole
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
A clean should take some of that out. Deodorizers have antibacterial properties in them, and you can also use an insole that has silver ions in it. The inside of a shoe can be harder to reach. Get as much as you can with the hot water and solution. Brushes can be too big, so you can use a cloth instead.
How to clean a suede sneaker
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
With suede, there are a few things you need to take into account. First off, I would see what color’s the suede. If it’s a deep color, like navy or burgundy, you have the risk of a color bleed. Choose your product, warm water, a soft brush. The best technique is to do as dry of a clean as possible. Before using water on the shoe, scrub the shoe with a dry brush. There are also rubber erasers you can use as well. If you do need to do a wet wash, do it as dry as possible.
Once you have your solution and water on the brush, place it against your microfiber cloth and take as much of that moisture out as possible. Then go into the suede and take the stains or dirt out. Be very careful if there’s a navy panel next to a lighter panel, as the colors will bleed. The drying process with suede is more important than the actual washing. After you’ve finished your clean, get as much moisture out of the suede with a microfiber. Pat the suede and twist the cloth on it, so it puffs up the nap on the suede. It might take three hours for the shoe to dry, but I’ll go back every half hour and do that technique on the shoe. If you just leave it and don’t babysit it, that’s when you can get problems. If the suede gets hard, you can work it with a series of brushes.
How to clean an outsole
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
You can use a stiffer brush. Since it’s rubber, you can go hotter with your water. A couple swishes of cleaning solutions, then scrub. Deglazer works if there’s something super hard to remove—put it on a cloth and work your way at it.
How to clean a midsole
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
Midsoles are made out of foam or rubber, so you can use a stiffer brush. Once again: cleaning solution and scrub. If something isn’t getting out, you can use a “neat” solution on a microfiber cloth. If that doesn’t remove it, you can use a bit of deglazer on a microfiber cloth. If that doesn’t work, the last move would be to use paint or a midsole pen. That’s what we’d recommend for a Boost material. You can spend 12 hours scrubbing it and it still won’t look white.
How to stop a shoe from creasing
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
This is a temporary measure. We can take it out with shoe trees, but, naturally, as you bend your foot again, it’s going to come back unless you use one of those plastic toe crease devices. I’ve never used them. You should expect creases; shoes can’t stay brand new forever.
How to get gum off a sole
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
Pick what you can out yourself with tweezers first]. [Use] hot, hot water, almost to the point where it’s boiling, [and rub it in with] microfiber cloth. [The gum] softens over time. Rubber erasers [can] grab the glue or sticky residue until it’s a ball and you can pick it off. It takes quite a long time.
How to waterproof a shoe
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
There are two types. If you’re after a quick fix, an aerosol protector will do the job. It will be done in 10-20 minutes. For an all-leather shoe, you can use a wax. The best performing is a super hydrophobic nanoprotector. It creates a layer of breathable glass around the shoe. Coat the entire shoe. You work it in with a brush. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then you do a second layer on the shoe. Then it takes 24 hours for it to cure. There’s more work, but in terms of performance, it’s night and day.
How to get yellowing off a sneaker
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
It’s possible to get it off a shoe. You’re going to be exposed to pretty harsh chemicals—it’s a peroxide bleach. You’ll need good gloves and access to a ventilated space. You’ll need either a huge lamp or access to a very sunny climate, because that’s where the activation of the peroxide happens. You’ll also need to wrap the shoe up in a see-through plastic.
How to fix cloudy Air bubbles
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
Use a normal hairdryer, don’t have it on its highest setting, it might warp the plastic bubble. The hair dryer has enough heat in it. Hold it six inches from the bubble, back and forth, you’ll see the mist magically disappear.
How to fill in a scratch
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
If you scratch a leather shoe, there are leather fillers you can use. It will bend and be flexible. You can sand it down and paint over it. There are products out there that are being developed for furniture, and they’ll have a flexible filler. You just have to be smart and savvy.
How to keep a midsole from crumbling
Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu
It’s an age-related problem with polyurethane foam. We’re seeing midsoles on certain brands that are 18 months old that are not very wear-resistant. To prevent it, a lot of problems originate where the moisture is high. If you buy shoes from Asia, sometimes there’s problems with that due to the climate. Keep your shoes in a room with low humidity. If you wear your shoes, the effects can be less, compared to leaving your shoes in a box for years.
Young Ghanaian musician Black Sherifhas been spotted wearing an interesting-looking outfit that showed he had a unique sense of fashion.
In a photo that popped up on social media, the young superstar wore a tattered jean outfit and some cowboy boots.
His jeans top was sleeveless, while the jeans shorts he wore had its edges ripped. The heavy-looking black cowboy boots he sported complimented the look perfectly. Black Sherif, on multiple occasions, has worn unconventional clothes that people either loved or hated, and this one is no different.
His jean attire stirred mixed reactions on social media. Many peeps were in love with it while others were indifferent about it.
Everything about the budding young musician screams unique, from his voice to his style of music, to his clothes. It is no surprise Blacko has captured the hearts of Ghanaians as he stands out amongst his peers.
I hope this guy ain’t on medicine. His dressing be weird paa oh
Danny Blinks also reacted:
Mmaa boot paa nie, if it was to be me who wear it,I wouldn’t have even been allowed on stage koraa mpo but because he is a popular music,this is not nice
“Renewable and nuclear generators will move on to contracts for difference, to end the situation where electricity prices are set by the marginal price of gas,” Truss told Parliament.
The price paid to these companies is often set by the most costly generator.
Moving nuclear and renewable generators onto lower-priced contracts “will mean that generators are receiving a fair price reflecting their cost of production, further bringing down the cost of this intervention,” Truss said.
The government will ask renewable and nuclear generators to take up new 10 or 15-year contracts at fixed prices well below the current rates, sources familiar with the discussions say.
Liz Truss says she won’t introduce a windfall tax on energy companies, but she will need to address the issue of their huge profits.
The energy market consultancy Cornwall Insight estimates energy prices are likely to be more than £40bn higher because of the fact that some electricity generators are being paid based on the hugely inflated gas price.
That is a particularly pressing issue when the government is planning to spend tens of billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money subsidising the nation’s energy bills.
Paying renewable energy companies less than the market price for gas would mean a very significant reduction in revenues for them, at least in the medium term.
Yet RenewableUK, the industry body which represents most of the wind power companies in this group, has accepted this approach in principle.
“We’re keen to work collaboratively with the government” on the issue, RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail said.
“It makes no sense to allow the exorbitantly expensive cost of gas to set the price for the whole of the electricity market”, he said.
RenewableUK represents most of the biggest renewable businesses in the UK including Orsted, Scottish Power, SSE, RWE and EDF.
It confirms its members have had a “series of discussions” with the government on the issue and says it is waiting for the government to “take a position”.
So, why might they accept this huge potential hit to profits?
RenewableUK says it is because the companies recognise it isn’t fair for consumers to face such high prices at a time of national crisis.
Those close to the discussions say they are probably also being offered a generous long-term price to reflect the short-term loss of profits.
Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday that such long-term fixed-price contracts would have the effect of ensuring huge profits for electricity companies for years to come.
“This is a proposal from (energy industry trade association) Energy UK, and let’s be clear about this proposal: This would lock in massive windfall profits for these electricity generators.
“Let me explain why: what Energy UK have said is we’ll accept slightly lower prices now, so we can have much higher prices over the following 15 years.
“This would be a terrible deal for the British people, a terrible deal for billpayers.
“It is much better – if there are these unexpected windfalls, and there are – the right thing to do, the fair thing to do, is not to do some dodgy deal with these companies, but to do a windfall tax.
Liz Truss may be ideologically opposed to windfall taxes but paying private companies billions of pounds in excess profits from the public purse is also a political liability.
The companies know that if a solution isn’t found she might deicide she has to hold her nose and impose such a tax, and that if she does, she might go after the billions of profits the companies have already made.
According to an Aviation Ghana report, the decision has firmly been finalised with Ashanti Airlines working to complete the final stages of its financial arrangements.
The airline, which is owned by Ghanaian business moguls, Osei Kwame Despite and his partner, Dr. Ernest Ofori Sarpong, first acquired an Air Carrier Licence (ACL) and is subsequently in the final stages of securing an Airport Operator Certificate (AOC) required to commence operations.
The portal, however, added that Ashanti Airlines is currently on the market in search of potential employees ahead of its operations.
The decision by the owners of Ashanti Airlines to operate in Ghana comes after they made presentations in January this year to the committee established by the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah.
The presentation was to vet all proposals from potential investors seeking to partner government in its bid to establish a home-based carrier.
Following the collapse of Ghana Airways in 2004, Ghana has been without a national airline for international travel activities.
Despite several attempts to re-establish a new national carrier in the past, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the 2022 budget statement hinted at plans to kickstart operations this year [2022].
The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has disclosed that Ghana’s presidential jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX-Easy is currently undergoing long overdue repair works in France.
This disclosure was in response to a Facebook post made by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa regarding the use of the presidential jet. Mr Arhin said the only persons who flew the jet to France were the crew made up of pilots from the Ghana Air Force.
In a post on his verified personal Facebook page, Mr Arhin suggested that as a result of the repairs, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo could not have used the Presidential jet for an official visit to the Netherlands.
“Contrary to the insinuations being cast by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, no one “used the Presidential Jet to Franceâ€, and no one is using the Presidential Jet in France. The only persons who flew the jet to France are the crew made up of pilots from the Ghana Air Force,” he posted.
Mr Arhin further disclosed that the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on August 30, 2022, for major repair works and will be out of service for four months. He added that it will be available for use in December.
“Indeed, the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on 30th August to France for major repair works to be carried out on it – repair works which are very much long overdue. The Air Force has indicated that the Presidential Jet will be out of service for a total of four (4) months, and will return to Ghana and be available for use in December. It will be recalled that in May this year, the Minister for Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, alerted Ghanaians to the fact that the Presidential Jet would be flown to France for major repair works to be undertaken on it”.
He further urged Mr Ablakwa to “minimize his penchant for engaging in propaganda regarding the Presidential Jet, to avoid further embarrassments to his person”.
What MP Ablakwa said
The MP who has tracked presidential travels since last year, claimed in a Facebook post claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa flew commercial on September 3 for an official visit to the Netherlands and later to France.
“President Akufo-Addo left Accra on the night of September 3, 2022, aboard KLM after delaying the commercial flight,” Mr Ablakwa posted yesterday on Facebook.
The MP also expressed concern about why and how the Presidential Jet had been flown to France days before the President left Accra, he asked who had used it for the non-stop journey to Paris.
His post referenced an explanation by the Presidency about the ability of the jet to make long-haul flights.
“It is instructive to note that contrary to what Director of Communications at the Presidency. Mr. Eugene Arhin, would want us believe as per his earlier claims that the Presidential Jet is no longer fit to fly direct beyond 6 hours-a dubious claim which now stands discredited, the Presidential Jet on this latest trip was flown direct or non-stop for Ghours and 24minutes to Paris, France.” the post added.
Read Mr Arhin’s entire post below;
My attention has been drawn to a Facebook post made by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa regarding the use of the presidential jet, and my responses are as follows:
1. Contrary to the insinuations being cast by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, no one “used the Presidential Jet to Franceâ€, and no one is using the Presidential Jet in France. The only persons who flew the jet to France are the crew made up of pilots from the Ghana Air Force.
2. Indeed, the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on 30th August to France for major repair works to be carried out on it – repair works which are very much long overdue. The Air Force has indicated that the Presidential Jet will be out of service for a total of four (4) months, and will return to Ghana and be available for use in December. It will be recalled that in May this year, the Minister for Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, alerted Ghanaians to the fact that the Presidential Jet would be flown to France for major repair works to be undertaken on it.
3. In view of this, how Hon. Ablakwa expects President Akufo-Addo to return to Ghana on Saturday, 10th September, from his current trip to the Netherlands and France on board the Presidential Jet, which is undergoing major repair works and is scheduled to return to Ghana in December, beats my imagination.
4. I would urge Hon. Ablakwa to minimize his penchant for engaging in propaganda regarding the Presidential Jet, to avoid further embarrassments to his person.
Ghana’s Amapiano ‘King’, DJ Azonto, says he is far bigger than Sarkodie even before his ‘Fa Ne Fom’ hit song gained massive traction.
DJ Azonto’s assertion comes after he made comments about charging Sarkodie $200, 000 for a possible feature.
This comment from DJ Azonto who is touted as one of Ghana’s richest musicians has drawn massive backlash in the showbiz circles with some fans saying that Sarkodie was way bigger than him.
But DJ Azonto in an interview said: ” I am a big personality in Ghana’s showbiz industry and Sarkodie can even attest to that. I was far bigger than him before my ‘Fa Ne Fom’ single.
“I’m here to stay in the music industry with some massive tunes for music lovers so they should watch out,” he said.
DJ Azonto who is arguably Ghana’s Amapiano King is currently promoting his “Add Wale” music video which comes with some danceable vibes.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, minister of communications and digitalization, has urged increased cooperation between security services to safeguard Ghana’s cyberspace, stating that a terrorist strike on the nation’s vital information infrastructure is “absolutely imminent.”
“Countries are now at war with hackers online, critical data is being stolen, and many institutions are facing ransomware attacks on a daily basis. In addition to these, violent extremists and terrorism actors are exploiting the various vulnerabilities of the Internet and networks to engage in acts that seek to undermine our personal and civil liberties,†Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful bemoaned when she spoke at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT)/Tech Against Terrorism (TAT) Multi-Sector Workshop on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Online in Accra on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
“As more activities move online, more opportunities will be created for anti-social elements to also utilise that same infrastructure to attack us. And, it is incumbent on all of us to work together to secure our cyberspace and digital infrastructure against attacksâ€.
According to her, online terrorist activities are a concern for every nation, and Ghana is no exception, hence, there is, therefore, a need for collaboration among nations and groups to expedite information-sharing, responses and coordination to counter such acts.
Need for cybersecurity cannot be overemphasised
She said accelerating and strengthening knowledge-sharing and best practices among tech companies, law enforcement and other relevant partners in cyberspace will place more attention on the issue of online terrorism and violent extremism, channeling more efforts into securing the Internet, deterring terrorism online, and protecting digital infrastructures in the process.
Ghana has, over the past five years, made strides in cybersecurity with the passage of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) with specific provisions for the protection of critical information infrastructures.
In addition, Act 1038 grants specific powers to law enforcement and intelligence agencies to resort to judicial processes to obtain the needed electronic information to assist with investigations and prosecutions of serious crimes, which include terrorism.
Prior to the passage of Act 1038, government had put in place several initiatives including the ratification of the Convention on Cybercrimes, also known as the Budapest Convention, and the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, also known as the Malabo Convention, to aid in international collaboration efforts in the fight against cybercrime.
Collective security is at stake here
Acting Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, said the digital revolution has led to the development of a number of Internet technologies which has made it possible for individuals and groups to communicate effectively across borders with increasing anonymity and speed to an almost limitless audience.
“The Internet remains the most equitable technological innovation for mankind with its full benefits to individuals and economies yet to be fully realised. However, the Internet technology has also created the platform for undesirable and dangerous activities.
“The use of the cyberspace and digital platforms for violent extremism and terrorist-related activities is an area of grave concern, not only to governments and its law enforcement agencies, but also the very organisations which own or deploy such technologies to users,†he said.
He said with the increasing dependency on networks and digital systems for socio-economic developments, malicious actors including terrorist groups are focusing on bits and bytes, rather than just bullets; and that any disruptive attacks by terrorist organisations against computer systems and networks could undermine socio-economic activities.
“Our collective security is at stake here,†he warned.
National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah described the workshop as timely, given the current state of events in sub-Saharan Africa where there has been a steady rise in terrorist-related activities, saying: “Terrorist situation in the sub-region is direâ€.
He said since the turn of the 21st century, the Internet has proven to be an efficient and a dynamic way of communicating which keeps expanding its reach to all corners of the world; but the very features that made the Internet the preferred mode of communication today are the same features the terrorists are exploiting to embark on their nefarious activities.
Shatta Wale went live on Instagram on Wednesday evening to demonstrate to his over 3.9 million followers how to undergo proper facial treatment for clearer and even skin tone.
According to Shatta, he constantly receives compliments from individuals who have for years wondered how he’s been able to keep a smooth face like a white man.
In a comic demonstration, the celebrated dancehall singer, who has a huge following across all social media platforms, poured a small amount of handwashing soap into his left hand and gently rubbed it on his face.
“So you people are here. I don’t have much time, but I just want to show most of you how to do this facial thing. A whole lot of people have been asking me, Shatta, what have you been using on your face that you look so beautiful like a white man?
“Please, I have some things I have been using that you guys don’t know. People think that to do a facial job is an easy thing but it is not really an easy thing,” the musician stated in the viral video sighted by GhanaWeb on September 7.
The said video has generated over 2,000 comments with friends and colleagues describing Shatta Wale as a comedian.
Reacting to the 8-minute and 43-second clip, his fans laughed their hearts out at the video that captured Shatta wrapped in a white towel around his waist and head.
In November 2021, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta remarked that the Akufo-Addo led administration had been managed to stabilize the local economy from the shocks of the global coronavirus outbreak.
As he delivered the 2022 budget on the House floor, Ken Ofori-Atta said, “Mr. Speaker, we know we can finish the job.
It is commonly known that between January 2017 and March 2020, we stabilized and recovered the economy before the pandemic.
We had put the nation on a course toward budgetary sustainability and growth by turning around the unsettling economic trend we had inherited.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has averred that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was able to stabilize the economy during the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, between January 2017 and March 2020, the local economy witnessed a turn around from its wobbling state.
Presenting the 2022 budget before parliament on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the Finance Minister said the economy has been put on the path of fiscal stability.
He said, “Mr. Speaker, we know we can get the job done. It is well-known that prior to the pandemic, we had stabilised and turned around the economy between January 2017 and March 2020. We had reversed the worrying economic trend we inherited and placed the country on a path of fiscal sustainability and growth.
“We doubled the economic growth rate from 3.4 percent to an average of 7.0 percent between that period. It is undisputed that we brought down the fiscal deficit below the 5 percent threshold, we improved our gross international reserves from US$4.9 billion (2.8 months of imports) to US$9.9 billion (4.7 months of imports), we provided free SHS for 1.2 million Ghanaian students,” he added.
The budget presentation is in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
However, some economists have share contrary views saying Ghana is broke and needs to be revamped.
2022 Budget: We have turned the economy around – Finance Minister
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2022 Budget: Ken Ofori-Atta arrives in Parliament
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2022 budget: We are already burdened, reduce fuel prices – Ghanaians to government
Some Ghanaians have shared their expectations with GhanaWeb ahead of the 2022 budget reading in parliament by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. The Finance Minister will present the budget statement and economic policy of government on Wednesday, November 17. Some Ghanaians who spoke to GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante highlighted the increment in fuel prices as their major concern.
The giggling preacher posted a 360-degree video booth on Instagram with pictures and videos of himself and his wife.
He complimented his wife in the kind caption he added to his post.
“Happy 36th wedding anniversary to the wife @mamaritak of my youth,†Reverend Ankrah shared, while the 1st Lady of the Royal House replied to him on her Instagram page with a blushing post.
Mrs Ankrah, in a video post spotted sharing a kiss with her husband, captioned, “And this is what 36 years in marriage with the man of my dreams looks like.
“I will choose you again and again. Happy Anniversary @samkorankyeankrah. The Grace of God and the Wisdom of Christ has kept us this far.â€
A statement by the police revealed that the five suspects were picked up during a special operation undertaken on the night of September 7, 2022.
This follows the retrieval of one of the excavators and the arrest of five other people, including the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh.
He is expected to appear before the Takoradi Habour Circuit court later today.
The charges he has been slapped with are assault, conspiracy to assault, resisting arrest and two others.
He was granted bail on Wednesday. His other four accomplices also arrested were however not granted bail.
Below is the full statement from the police on the arrest of the five Chinese nationals:
POLICE UPDATE ON THE ARREST OF FIVE CHINESE SUSPECTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ELLEMBELLE EXCAVATORSÂ
As part of ongoing investigation into the Ellembelle excavators, the Police have arrested five Chinese suspects for their involvement in the case.
An intelligence-led operation through the night of 7th September till the dawn of 8th September, 2022 led to the arrest of Shi zhong Qix, Wei Lin Xi, Huang Qian Xi, Li Jian Wen and Huang Qian Sheng, at their hideout at Asiama, in the Ellembe District of the Western Region.
The Ghana Immigration Service has been contacted for details of their immigration status and their Ghanaian sponsors to assist with the investigation.
As investigation continues, we would like assure the public that all other accomplices, both Ghanaian and foreigners will be arrested and brought to face justice.
Meanwhile the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo has been granted police enquiry bail.
We would like to commend the Regional and all the teams involved in the operations for their continues selflessness and patriotism.
The announcement came today Wednesday, 7 September, 2022, made by the organiser of the music festival, Culture Management Group (CMG).
At the two-day event, accompanying the Nigerian (Burna Boy) and Ghanaian (Stonebwoy) headliners are Fireboy DML, Kidi, Ayra Starr, Medikal, DJ Juls, DJ Loft and others.
Afrochella 2022 is under the theme “AfroFuturism.â€
According to Abdul Karim Abdullah, CEO & Co-Founder of Afrochella, “Afrochella will bring “Afrofuturism†to life through our core elements of music, art, fashion and food. We will explore the endless possibilities of what “Afrofuturism†could look like in 2022 and beyond.â€
Ghana’s Amapiano ‘King’, DJ Azonto, says he is far bigger than Sarkodie even before his ‘Fa Ne Fom’ hit song gained massive traction.
DJ Azonto‘s assertion comes after he made comments about charging Sarkodie $200, 000 for a possible feature.
This comment from DJ Azonto who is touted as one of Ghana’s richest musicians has drawn massive backlash in the showbiz circles with some fans saying that Sarkodie was way bigger than him.
But DJ Azonto in an interview said: ” I am a big personality in Ghana’s showbiz industry and Sarkodie can even attest to that. I was far bigger than him before my ‘Fa Ne Fom’ single.
“I’m here to stay in the music industry with some massive tunes for music lovers so they should watch out,” he said.
DJ Azonto who is arguably Ghana’s Amapiano King is currently promoting his “Add Wale” music video which comes with some danceable vibes.
President Akufo-Addo and Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday joined thousands of mourners to pay their last respects to Daasebre Oti Boateng who was the Paramount Chief of New Juaben and the Queen, Nana Yaa Daani.
Former President Kufuor, past and present Ministers of State and government officials also paid their last respects.
The President and the Vice President signed the book of condolence opened at the Yiadom Hwediem Palace in memory of the late Paramount Chief and queen as the week of traditional rites and burial of the two begins today.
Daasebre Oti Boateng, aged 83, reigned from 1992 until August, 2021, when he joined the ancestors while the queen Nana Yaa Daani 67 reigned from 2000 until her demise early this year.
Mourners from all walks of life clad in red and black thronged the Yiadom Hwediem Palace and funeral grounds to mourn the late chief and queen according to tradition.
Daasebre Oti Boateng, a former government statistician and UN official and the queen would be laid in state from Friday until Monday when they would be laid to rest.
Meanwhile the entire Koforidua is in a mournful mood as shops have been closed as part of arrangements to give the late Paramount Chief and queen a befitting burial.
In view of the huge crowd expected in Koforidua on Monday and the observance of Asante funeral traditions, the Regional Directorate of Education has ordered closure of all schools on Monday.
The Tema Regional Police Command is on a manhunt for a gang of six armed robbers who shot a victim in Tema.
Reports say the robbers on Tuesday snatched from the victim, a bag believed to contain some amount of money.
The victim is currently receiving medical attention at a health facility and is in stable condition.
“The pursuit of these criminals continues and we want the public to be assured that we will surely get them and deal with them in accordance with the law,†the Police assured.
For many years, the main road system between Takoradi, the headquarters of the Western Region, with the municipality’s capital, Agona Nkwanta, has been in poor condition.
As a result, the locals urge the government to step in and take the appropriate action.
Commuters stated to JoyNews’ Ina-Thalia Quansah that because of the nature of the road, they frequently had to get off and walk the remaining distance of their journey.
“Our leaders hardly ever consider us; they only do so when they require our support. It’s been ignored for such a long time. One traveler yelled, “We need assistance.
For car owners, they indicated that they spend more on fuel and car maintenance due to the poor road network.
However, the woes of the drivers have worsened during the rainy season.
Visiting some parts of the stretch, Ina-Thalia Quansah reported that at least three vehicles, consisting of a truck, a bus and a van were stuck in various potholes when the JoyNews team got there.
“Anytime I drive from Tarkwa to Takoradi and back I get home with so many issues with my car. If its not my tyre, it will be my shock absorber,†a driver said.
The residents are making a fervent call on government to fix their roads.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Assembly, John Agyare says the road has been awarded to a construction company.
Speaking to JoyNews on Wednesday, Mr. Agyare said government is committed to fixing the roads.
For the time being, the MCE said his outfit has engaged some contractors to undertake some temporary projects that will make the road plyable.
The former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid forward, 33, has agreed a deal until next summer after signing as an out-of-contract player.
Costa was initially denied a work permit because he did not fulfil the points criteria.
He last played for Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in January.
Wolves had made a special application, which has now been approved.
Costa is due to fly into England on Wednesday evening before completing his move to join Bruno Lage’s side.
With Raul Jimenez and new signing Sasa Kalajdzic set to miss Saturday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool through injury, Wolves could be without a recognised striker at Anfield.
It remains to be seen whether Lage picks Costa in his squad after so long out.
Wolves play Manchester City at Molineux immediately before the international break on Saturday, 17 September.
Brighton’s home Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, 17 September has been postponed because of a planned rail strike.
The Premier League says the fixture has been “regrettably” called off after receiving a request from Brighton.
The league added in a statement that industrial action on the rail network means there will be “no public transport available for supporters”.
A new date for the game at Amex Stadium is yet to be announced.
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Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said: “While we fully appreciate this will be of huge disappointment to both sets of fans, and causes disruption to both teams’ fixture schedules as well as those of supporters, the safety of fans of both clubs, our matchday staff, players and officials must be the priority.
“We have taken into consideration how difficult it would be for fans of both clubs to attend the match without access to the rail network and we looked at a number of options and various contingency plans.
“This included additional travel options or moving the match to earlier or later in the same week, with Sunday afternoon the latest the fixture could be played on that weekend due to the international break.
“But it simply was not possible to play the match with a full capacity crowd in attendance.”
The monarch remains at Balmoral and the latest advice does not involve a hospital stay.
She had been due to hold the Privy Council virtually on Wednesday evening, during which Ms Truss would have taken her oath as First Lord of the Treasury and her new cabinet ministers would have been sworn into their roles.
In a statement a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “After a full day yesterday, Her Majesty has this afternoon accepted doctors’ advice to rest.
“This means that the Privy Council meeting that had been due to take place this evening will be rearranged.”
During her 70-year reign the Queen has typically had an audience with her new prime minister at Buckingham Palace.
It is understood the decision for Ms Truss and Mr Johnson to travel to Scotland was taken to provide certainty for the new prime minister’s diary.
Photographs of the monarch, carrying a walking stick, and Ms Truss were published shortly after their meeting on Tuesday.
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
As head of state it is the Queen’s duty to appoint the prime minister
As head of state, it is the Queen’s duty to appoint the prime minister who leads the government.
The Queen has been taking her traditional summer break in Scotland with family and guests. She usually stays at the estate from August to October.
As well as ongoing mobility issues in recent months, the monarch had Covid in February.
In the past seven months, Buckingham Palace has tended to confirm the Queen’s attendance at public engagements on the day, depending on how she is feeling.
During this period she has missed several high profile engagements, including the State Opening of Parliament, the Platinum Jubilee Concert and the commemorative Derby.
It seemed on a frenzied January night in Kansas City as though the AFC title would be decided by the toss of a coin.
The Kansas City Chiefs were the beneficiaries, coming up the field one last time to beat the Buffalo Bills, but Patrick Mahomes and Co. were not to make the Super Bowl.
That the Chiefs were stunned by the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game said a great deal for the strength in depth of the conference.
And that has been ratcheted up to another level over the course of the offseason, with Russell Wilson and Davante Adams among the notable names traded into the AFC.
The NFC may still have the defending Super Bowl champions, but there are no shortage of contenders here including as many as four in one wild division out west.
The favourites
The Chiefs and the Bills would both have been hugely disheartened by the manner in which their seasons ended. Kansas City had the fortune that deserted Buffalo but were unable to make the most of their reprieve against the Bengals.
But that will merely make Mahomes and Josh Allen two of the more motivated superstars heading into the new season.
Mahomes is now without Tyreek Hill, yet the Chiefs’ offensive line went from strength to strength as last season wore on, ranking third in pass protection win percentage by the year’s end. Stats Perform AI data projects a 26.0 per cent likelihood Kansas City make the Super Bowl the most probable outcome in the AFC.
Meanwhile, Allen showed in that playoff blockbuster he can be every bit a match for Mahomes at his best. He threw nine touchdown passes across his two playoff games; no player had previously thrown more than seven while playing two games or fewer in a single postseason.
Allen will hope not to get the chance to better that record, this year targeting a run that goes far beyond the Divisional Round. The Bills have an AFC-leading 88.7 per cent chance of making the playoffs and trail only the Chiefs in terms of their potential for a run to the Super Bowl (18.7 per cent).
In the mix
The Bengals of course have to be considered after pushing the Los Angeles Rams all the way, while the Tennessee Titans actually matched the Chiefs for the best regular season record in the AFC despite Derrick Henry being limited to eight games, although the trade of receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles may restrict their ceiling on offense and their ability to compete this year. Stats Perform AI gives the Titans just a 30.7 per cent hope of reaching the postseason.
Deshaun Watson’s suspension will give the Cleveland Browns work to do just to make the playoffs, but they may well be a serious threat if they get there hence their 13.3 per cent shot at coming out of the AFC as conference champions.
A conference packed with quarterback talent also includes former MVP Lamar Jackson, who is fit again and looking to set the Baltimore Ravens back on course after a difficult 2021 in which they finished bottom of the AFC North.
But if the Chiefs are the team to beat, perhaps one of their division rivals can cause an upset. Each of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders have reasons to be optimistic.
Four contenders in the wild, wild AFC West
The Chiefs have won the AFC West six years in a row, but there is no guarantee that will become seven. The scale of the challenge before Kansas City represents a big boost to their AFC rivals and to the neutrals, licking their lips at a must-watch season-long tussle.
Justin Herbert has long looked like making the Chargers contenders, with just the 14th 5,000-yard passing season in league history helping his offense finish fourth in the league in yards per game (390.2) and fifth in total points scored (747) last season. Crucially, the Chargers have added defensive help in the form of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson now, too.
Yet their offseason work perhaps pales next to that of the Broncos and the Raiders.
Wilson left the Seattle Seahawks for Denver, who promptly handed him a huge contract, clearly feeling he and Nathaniel Hackett can be the QB-coach combo they have been missing to return them to the postseason.
Support for that belief comes from Wilson’s performance in quarterback Efficiency Versus Expected (EVE), which measures a signal-caller’s performance in expected passing situations against the league average. Despite playing only 14 games on a Seahawks team who finished in the NFC West cellar, Wilson was still 13th in EVE, just behind Tom Brady.
Meanwhile, Adams has reunited with former Fresno State team-mate Derek Carr on the Raiders, with Stats Perform’s positional rankings subsequently considering Las Vegas to have the most talented skill players in the NFL.
The Chiefs will undoubtedly now be made to work for the division after years of dominance. Of the seven AFC teams considered most likely to make the Super Bowl, four come from the AFC West.
Lamar out to right last year’s wrongs
With half of the conference potentially in contention for a Super Bowl run, there is perhaps no true sleeper pick, but the Ravens will expect to go from worst to first in their division, and only the Chiefs and the Bills have more realistic hopes of a meeting with the best the NFC has to offer next February (16.0 per cent).
Much will depend on a return to form for dual-threat superstar Jackson.
Baltimore were firmly on course for the playoffs at the time of the ankle injury that kept Jackson out of the run-in in 2021, collapsing thereafter. However, it had already been by far the QB’s worst season as a regular starter.
After 3,127 passing yards and 36 passing TDs and 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs in his MVP season of 2019, Jackson had regressed slightly in 2020 and struggled further last year both through the air and on the ground.
In 12 games, Jackson threw just 16 TDs to 13 interceptions, while his 767 rushing yards saw him finish second among QBs to Jalen Hurts a category he had dominated in the previous two campaigns.
Everything the Ravens do when they are good goes through Jackson, so his performance level will make or break their season.
Can Tua turn his fortunes around?
With the wealth of talent at the top of the AFC, there must also be some dregs at the bottom. The Miami Dolphins might fear they belong instead to that category, given only the New York Jets (6.9) and the Houston Texans (4.8) are projected for fewer wins (7.0).
The Dolphins made their own big move this offseason, taking elite receiver Hill out of the AFC West to give Tua Tagovailoa little excuse in his third season.
Hill got open on 82.7 per cent of his targets last season, with those skills of separation sure to come in useful when attempting to link up with a passer in Tagovailoa who threw to an open target just 73.8 per cent of the time.
The Dolphins are not expecting Tagovailoa to be Mahomes, but they need him to be much better than he has been thus far for this project to work.
Any one team can beat another, and that means at this stage of the season, with the first snap still to be taken, every team can have Super Bowl aspirations.
The idea of “any given Sunday” is what makes the NFL so compelling.
The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, may have been slightly surprising contenders in 2021, but there remain some teams whose title hopes are so remote as to be non-existent.
For some, this is because they have missed their shot at glory in recent years; for others, the plan is to challenge in seasons to come.
So, this leads us to draw up a preseason tier system, ranking all 32 teams by their Super Bowl windows with the help of AI predictions…
Nowhere near
This is unlikely to be a season to remember for the teams grouped in this category, for a variety of reasons.
The Houston Texans won the AFC South in 2018 and 2019, but the Deshaun Watson saga and two down years have them looking at a rebuild, with the data forecasting just 4.8 wins this year. That at least ranks them ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (3.6 projected wins) and the New York Giants (4.2), while the Texans did gain draft assets in the Watson trade.
The Chicago Bears are the fourth and final team projected to earn fewer than six wins (4.9), with second-year quarterback Justin Fields receiving little help on offense and playing behind an offensive line ranked 31st in pass protection.
Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders rank 31st in terms of skill players better only than the Falcons with faith in Carson Wentz long since having diminished. In Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the Carolina Panthers have two high-draft-pick QBs unlikely to trouble the postseason. The New York Jets are in a similar boat, even if Zach Wilson is still young.
The Detroit Lions might argue they do not deserve to keep such company after a 3-3 finish to last season, but nobody could seriously argue they are title contenders.
Entering contention
If that first group was a mixed bag, so too is the second.
Anyone who has paid any attention to the New England Patriots’ preseason would suggest they are very fortunate to be given any hope of success in the near future, but they finished with 10 wins in 2021 even if that number is projected to shrink to 7.7. Despite a trade for Tyreek Hill, that still ranks the Patriots comfortably ahead of the Miami Dolphins (7.0), although the losing team in their Week 1 meeting will face a long slog of a season.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Philadelphia Eagles are forecast to have 11.9 wins the second-most in the NFL after a very strong offseason. But Jalen Hurts, for now, is unproven in the postseason, so Philly fans may have to stay patient.
The San Francisco 49ers are even younger at QB after promoting Trey Lance to a starting role, which explains why the prediction model looks so unfavourably on a team many consider contenders right now. Just 7.1 projected wins speaks to the potentially low floor Lance brings.
NFC West rivals the Arizona Cardinals have to be considered among this group of future hopefuls, with Kyler Murray hugely talented and now committed long term but frustratingly inconsistent, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will hope Trevor Lawrence can follow in the footsteps of the Bengals’ Joe Burrow the number one pick the year before him.
The Los Angeles Chargers, with 9.8 projected wins, have Justin Herbert to lead their charge, while the Cleveland Browns might have been contenders already if not for Watson’s suspension, which is enough to limit them to a still strong 9.3-win forecast.
In their prime
The Chargers may have Herbert, but they also have three division rivals who intend to win and intend to win now. Indeed, all four AFC West teams rank in the top half of the league in terms of projected wins, with the Chargers second behind the Kansas City Chiefs (11.5) and just ahead of the Denver Broncos (9.7) and the Las Vegas Raiders (9.2).
The Chiefs lead the AFC in this regard, although their playoff win over the Buffalo Bills last season came down to a coin flip, and the two are set to be similarly tough to separate this year. Buffalo are down for 11.1 wins.
The two teams coming off a Super Bowl run are of course prominent among the contenders, even if the model has far greater optimism for a Los Angeles Rams repeat than for another Bengals charge. The Rams are backed for a league-leading 12.4 wins and given a 15.3 per cent shot at defending their title, while the Bengals are actually projected to dip below .500 with 8.2 wins.
The Bengals’ route to the Super Bowl will be complicated not just by the AFC West and the Bills but also by any return to form for the fit-again Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens, who are counted among nine teams on course for 10 or more wins (10.4).
Also in that group are NFC pair the Dallas Cowboys (11.0) and the Minnesota Vikings (10.9), who may not even be the best teams in their divisions but might be nearing a point when they must seriously challenge or start again, which brings us to…
Last chance saloon
As long as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the QBs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers, those teams are in with a chance. The question is how long that will remain the case.
Brady is 45, briefly retired this offseason and then missed a chunk of the preseason. Rodgers is 38, has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Green Bay and lost top target Davante Adams ahead of the new season. Still, the Buccaneers rank eighth for projected wins (10.7), with the Packers up in third (11.5).
They are not the only ageing teams in the NFL, however.
The Indianapolis Colts hope they have upgraded in moving from Wentz to Matt Ryan, yet the former MVP is now 37 and last played in the postseason in 2017 when Wentz’s Eagles took the title.
Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is a little younger at 34, but of greater concern would be Derrick Henry’s durability after the injury that limited to eight games last regular season. The Titans need to make the most of any seasons they have left of the superstar running back going at full tilt.
Missed their chance
Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees won Super Bowls with the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints respectively, but with all three having now moved on, it is difficult to see those teams plotting a path to the title.
For the Seahawks and the Steelers, this will be their first year without their stalwart QBs, even if things had already gone stale in 2021. Wilson dipped below the .500 mark for a season for the first time in his career, while Pittsburgh were attempting to stay competitive in spite of Roethlisberger rather than because of him.
Still, with both gone Wilson to Denver and Roethlisberger to retirement there is a void under center that has not been suitably filled. Seattle also rank 32nd in pass protection, likely leaving Geno Smith hopelessly exposed.
The Saints have had another 12 months to come to terms with Brees’ exit, albeit they spent it juggling Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill at QB. Winston’s season-ending injury doomed the Saints’ hopes of contention last year, and New Orleans’ outlook for 9.5 wins with the entertaining but erratic former number one pick is at least far more positive than that of the Seahawks (6.2) or the Steelers (7.0).
Regardless, each of these three teams have provided an example in how not to do succession planning. They all could have won additional honours with their departed veterans and now face long waits for further title tilts.
Despite gripping public attention, shark attacks are exceedingly rare.
Bahamian police spokeswoman Chrislyn Skippings told reporters that the woman was on an excursion with a local tour company, which took her to the popular snorkelling area.
The victim was declared dead by authorities after being taken to shore.
Her cruise ship, the Harmony of the Seas, was docked in Nassau at the time of the attack. It had just begun its seven day cruise of the western Caribbean from Port Canaveral in Florida on 4 September.
Cruise operator Royal Caribbean International said in a statement that they are “providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
The incident is the first fatal shark attack in the Bahamas since 2019, when a 21-year-old woman from California was attacked by sharks near Rose Island, about half a mile (0.8km) away from Tuesday’s attack.
In another recent incident, an eight-year-old British boy was injured after being attacked by three sharks in another part of the Bahamas. His father later told The Sun that the attack “was like a scene out of Jaws”.
In total, statistics from the Florida-based International Shark Attack File show that only about 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, the highest number in the region.
Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, told the Associated Press that the relatively high number of shark attacks in the area is likely due to the high number of people in the waters, which are home to a vibrant marine ecosystem.
Globally, there were 73 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in 2021, including nine which resulted in death.
The Buffalo Bills are a team who have come to be defined by the agony they have suffered.
Though they are responsible for one of the most dominant stretches of offensive football in NFL history in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have more recently re-emerged as one of the most exciting teams in the league, the Bills are still yet to experience the ultimate glory of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Buffalo finished in the top seven for yards and points every year between 1989 and 1993 as the Bills’ K-Gun offense illustrated just how devastating a no-huddle attack could be. Yet Marv Levy’s star-studded group is best remembered for losing four successive Super Bowls between 90 and 93.
And Bills fans would be forgiven for pessimistically thinking the Josh Allen era is doomed to end without a first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Allen has silenced critics who doubted his ability to improve his accuracy to become one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the modern NFL, and the Bills have been in the top five in offensive yards and points in each of the last two seasons.
However, those campaigns have both delivered heartbreaking playoff losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills on the wrong end of one of arguably the finest postseason game in NFL history, losing 42-36 having allowed the Chiefs to drive for a game-tying field goal in the final 13 seconds of regulation.
The Four Falls of Buffalo, as they were labelled in a 30 for 30 documentary about the Super Bowl losses, and ’13 seconds’ will forever live in franchise infamy.
But the Bills head into 2022 with a case for being the strongest team in the league.
So as they prepare to face the defending Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams in Thursday’s mouth-watering season opener, how can Allen and Co soothe the wounds of those missed opportunities by finally getting over the hump this season?
Taking the pressure off Allen
It may be a perplexing statement to read given Allen is fifth in passing yards (8,951) and fourth in passing touchdowns (73) over the past two seasons, but the Bills could maximise the impact of having the luxury of a quarterback of his talents by taking some of the pressure off his shoulders.
Buffalo’s front office appeared to realise that this offseason, selecting running back James Cook in the second round of the draft.
Cook’s burst through the running lane and up to the second level makes him an ideal fit for an offense that has found success with outside zone run concepts.
The Bills called outside zone on 21.26 per cent of their run plays last year, above the NFL average of 19.1. They put up 4.51 yards per play on such runs, again better than the league-wide average of 4.32.
Cook is a home-run hitter who can weaponise the threat of such runs in a way Devin Singletary and Zack Moss cannot. The Bills had 60 runs of 10 yards or more in 2021, the seventh-most in the NFL, but 28 of them came from QB Allen (Singletary had 20 while Moss delivered only six).
Should Cook’s 4.4 speed translate to the pros, the Bills would have a back with the skill set to allow them to increase their menu of wide zone runs and make the zone-read more of a weapon. Despite the threat of Allen as a runner, the Bills averaged just 3.67 yards per play on zone-reads last season.
The Bills turned to run game on only 34.7 per cent of offensive snaps in 2021 and, when they did, the ball frequently remained in the hands of Allen, who has carried the ball 422 times since entering the NFL in 2018, a number second only to that of Lamar Jackson (615) among quarterbacks. Last season accounted for 122 of thsoe, with Jackson (133) and Jalen Hurts (139) the two signal-callers to attempt more runs.
Cook’s arrival can take some of the onus off Allen as a runner, while the former Georgia back will hope to give his QBÂ a few more easy buttons in the passing game.
His average of 10.9 yards per reception in a college career that spanned from 2018 to 2021 was seventh in the Power 5 in that time and first in the SEC, while Cook also racked up 11 receptions of at least 10 yards in 2021, tied for 12th among Power 5 backs.
Playing in an offense that has seen Allen consistently push the ball downfield — Derek Carr (72) and Russell Wilson (70) were the only two quarterbacks to attempt more passes of at least 21 air yards last year than Allen’s 68 — Cook should have substantial space in underneath areas to exploit as a receiver.
If Allen takes advantage of those high-percentage throws when they come available, it will decrease the pressure on him to make the highlight reel passes to which the NFL universe has become accustomed, yet potential improvements in his accuracy could also have a massive bearing on his and the Bills’ success in 2022. Allen’s extra 1%
Across the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, in which the Bills did not punt and scored a touchdown on every drive against the New England Patriots, and his equally remarkable performance in the ’13 seconds game’, Allen completed 77.4 per cent of his passes for 637 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.
He averaged 10.27 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 149.0 in an incredible finale to a campaign that makes talk of finding areas for improvement seem bizarre.
Yet the best athletes are always striving to find that extra one per cent and Allen looks to have indentified where his potentially lies.
“I think, myself especially, making sure I’m on time, making the right reads and giving our guys good enough balls to get some some more RAC [run after catch],” Allen said during the offseason.
“That’s one thing I think, on offense, run after catch was wasn’t very high last year, but again, that’s me putting the ball where it needs to be and allow our guys to catch in a good position to make a run after the catch.
“So working on that, that’s been been one of my biggest takeaways in this offseason and trying to work on just ball placement and allowing our receivers to do that.”
Allen’s assessment is backed up by the numbers. Among 31 qualifying quarterbacks, Allen was last in yards after catch per reception with an average of just 4.5 in a season where his well-thrown percentage dropped significantly.
In his breakout 2020 season, Allen produced an accurate, well-thrown ball on 80.5 per cent of his pass attempts, the seventh-best ratio among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. Last season, his well-thrown rate fell to 77.2, below the league average of 78.1Â for signal-callers to reach three figures in attempts.
Though the difference in his YAC per reception was negligible — Allen averaged 4.6 per completed pass in 2020 — there is no doubt the Bills’ offense would benefit from him rediscovering the accuracy of two seasons ago.
Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley have departed, but Stefon Diggs and the emerging Gabriel Davis represent two top two pass-catching weapons for Allen, and he also has two new targets for 2022 who should each thrive if he can do a better job leading his receivers.
Veteran Jamison Crowder has averaged 4.6Â yards after catch per reception since 2019, almost a full yard more than Diggs (3.7) and rookie fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir possesses the vision, fluidity and love of contact to excel with the ball in his hands.
Allen improving his anticipation will go a long way to helping the Bills meet the expectations they face in 2022, but he could still use a helping hand from a loaded defense that was not without its own imperfections last year. A more prolific pass rush
The Billls’ headline addition of the offseason was that of Von Miller, the veteran edge rusher who arrived after displaying the plentiful amount of fuel he still has in the tank during a sojourn with the Los Angeles Rams that ended with his second Super Bowl title.
Miller finished the season with a stunt-adjusted pass rush win rate of 43.4 per cent, which was the fifth-highest among edge rushers with at least 100 one on one matchups.
Between Week 15 of the regular season and the Rams’ Super Bowl triumph, Miller racked up nine sacks. Only in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers did he fail to bring down the quarterback.
No surprise then, that Miller’s acquisition sees the Bills pass rush enter the season fourth in Stats Perform’s postional rankings.
Justifying that ranking is another matter, however.
The Bills did an excellent job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks last season, in which they were sixth in pass rush win rate. Yet there is clear room for improvement in converting those pressures into sacks. Buffalo registered 42 sacks in 2021, 39 of them for negative yardage – that latter number good enough for 12th in the NFL.
Buffalo will look for Miller to vastly improve the Bills’ ability to turn pressures into negative plays, though the former Denver Bronco cannot do it alone. Gregory Rousseau, Carlos ‘Boogie Basham’ and A.J. Epenesa all had pressure rates below 17 per cent last season as the trio of edge rushers selected highly by the Bills over the course of the last two years struggled to justify their respective draft statuses. On the interior, Ed Oliver has never had more than five sacks since being picked in the top 10 in 2019.
It was in the Divisional Round where the Bills need for extra pass-rush help was encapsulated. Buffalo pressured Patrick Mahomes 23 times but registered just two sacks.
Any kind of disruption is production when it comes to the pass rush. Pressure often leads to critical mistakes, but the likes of Mahomes and his contemporaries have grown so adept at dealing with it – Mahomes threw just five interceptable passes on 194 attempts under duress last season – that is simply not enough to get into the backfield and expect bad results for the offense.
Simply put, the Bills must do a better job of ensuring their successful pass rushes pay dividends and consistently put opposing aerial attacks in disadvantageous situations
Success in doing so would improve the odds of an extremely talented secondary surviving cornerback Tre’Davious White’s early-season absence and create more chances for an opportunistic defense to produce turnovers going up against offenses working from behind the chains.
The Bills’ inconsistency in turning pressure into sacks, their need for more YAC and perhaps a less Allen-centric run game are all minor blemishes for arguably the most complete team in the NFL.
Yet small issues can quickly become significant problems in the spotlight of the postseason, and it would grealy behove the Bills to iron out the imperfections that could impact their hopes of finally ending their tortuous wait for a title.
The 2022 NFL season is finally here and it could hardly begin in any more mouth-watering fashion.
Having seen their season end in bitter defeat last campaign, the Buffalo Bills head to SoFi Stadium to take on the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.
It promises to be a fascinating contest between one of the league’s most dynamic young stars at the quarterback position in Josh Allen and a veteran who finally climbed the mountain last year in Matthew Stafford.
The Bills and the Rams are two teams expected to go deep into the playoffs once more and challenge for Super Bowl glory, but as the Cincinnati Bengals proved last year, contenders can emerge from the most unexpected of places.
So who will lift the Lombardi Trophy come February 12 in Arizona. Our team of NFL writers make their selections for Super Bowl LVII and the NFL’s individual honours.
Ben Spratt
AFC Champion: Buffalo Bills
NFC Champion: San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl Champion: Buffalo Bills
MVP: Justin Herbert
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson & Nick Bosa
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year: George Pickens & Aidan Hutchinson
The Bills might have been entering this year as Super Bowl champions already if not for the coin flip that prematurely ended their 2021 season. A rule change means they cannot get so unlucky again, and Buffalo might well benefit come January from several of their rivals having thrashed it out in the AFC West in the regular season.
The 49ers look a good bet to meet the Bills in Arizona, with a switch at quarterback bringing a new dynamic to their offense, but Trey Lance would surely be no match for a highly motivated Allen in a straight shoot-out.
Nicholas McGee
AFC Champion: Kansas City Chiefs
NFC Champion: San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl Champion:Â San Francisco 49ers
MVP:Â Josh Allen
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year:Â Nick Chubb & Nick Bosa
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year:Â Romeo Doubs & George Karlaftis
Do you believe in unlikelihoods?! Trey Lance heads into his first season as 49ers starter with just two full games as a pro under his belt, but such is his upside as a downfield thrower and as a red-zone threat on the ground that he can weaponise what is already one of the elite offenses in football and lead team that boasts arguably the NFL’s most complete defense to the biggest stage.
The Chiefs boast the quarterback and the coach to thrive despite losing Tyreek Hill, but Niners defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has previously shown he can shackle the game’s best (see: Rodgers, Aaron) and it’s not difficult to envisage his scheme and the talent at his disposal frustrating Patrick Mahomes as Lance does enough to finally get the Niners over the top.
David Segar
AFC Champion: Â Kansas City Chiefs
NFC Champion: Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl Champion: Â Kansas City Chiefs
MVP: Â Patrick Mahomes
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year: Â Cooper Kupp and Myles Garrett
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year: Â Kenny Pickett and Ahmad Gardner
It is tempting to back Sean McVay and the Rams again given their outstanding run all the way last season, but it is difficult to do so given it has been 17 years since the last time the Lombardi Trophy was retained. The Rams lost Von Miller and have yet to re-sign Odell Beckham Jr, who both made key contributions after arriving midway through the 2021 season, while there is lingering doubt over Matthew Stafford’s troublesome elbow.
The absolute brilliance of Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald will no doubt give them a fighting chance again, but seeing the devastation on the face of Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs were pipped by the Bengals in overtime of the AFC Championship game gave the feeling of a redemption story on the way. Losing Tyreek Hill is a blow, but they have brought in capable replacements on the face of it and a strong balance coupled with a point to prove could see them back on top come February.
Liam Phillips
AFC Champion: Â Baltimore Ravens
NFC Champion:  Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl Champion:  Los Angeles Rams
MVP: Â Lamar Jackson
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year: Â Justin Jefferson &Â Micah Parsons
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year: Â Kenny Pickett &Â George Karlaftis
The Ravens were about as snakebitten with injuries as you could possibly get last year and they still finished 8-9.
Lamar Jackson is now three years removed from his MVP season in 2019, but he is still only 25 and has continued to improve as a passer and add nuance to his quarterback play every year, becoming much more than just a threat as a runner. Jackson is such a unique force that when complemented with a strong defense — which the Ravens figure to have this season — the team immediately should be a lock for the playoffs.
Jackson has plenty to prove in playoff situations, but having four games of playoff experience this early into a quarterback’s career should not be viewed as a negative, and they profile as the sort of team who will thrive late in the year as the weather gets cold and the games turn into a grind.
Yet a Super Bowl in the desert with a retractable roof is not likely to produce a grind, and the Rams boast the firepower to work their way through the NFC again and outgun the Ravens to retain the title.
Josh Challies
AFC Champion: Â Buffalo Bills
NFC Champion: Â Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl Champion: Â Buffalo Bills
MVP: Â Josh Allen
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year: Â Jonathan Taylor &Â Micah Parsons
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year: Â George Pickens &Â Aidan Hutchinson
Regarded by many to have to have the best roster in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills have strengthened with several astute additions such as Von Miller, Rodger Saffold and Tim Settle.
The Bills may well benefit from the lack of development elsewhere in the AFC East, with the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins not quite ready to mount a serious challenge, giving Buffalo a seemingly clear path to a division title and at least one home playoff game.
Possible meetings with the likes of the Chiefs and the Bengals in the AFC Championship will be the biggest threat but the strength across the Bills roster justifies their position as pre-season favourites.
Chris Myson
AFC Champion: Buffalo Bills
NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers
Super Bowl Champion: Buffalo Bills
MVP: Tom Brady
Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor & Myles Garrett
Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year: Skyy Moore & Kayvon Thibodeaux
The Bills were 13 seconds away from reaching the AFC Championship Game last season, where they would have been favoured to beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home.
They go into the 2022 season with the best all-round roster in the NFL, which has now been supplemented by the arrival of star pass-rusher Miller.
Quarterback Allen has produced back-to-back excellent seasons, including a fantastic performance in that heart-breaking playoff loss to the Chiefs.
This year, he can get the Bills over the hump even if there are a host of impressive AFC candidates who will have to be seen off before reaching the Super Bowl.
On the NFC side, back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers can overcome the loss of Davante Adams to secure a return to the grandest stage, supported by an impressive Packers defense and exciting rookie Romeo Doubs.
The Youth Employment Agency (YEA), has reached a consensus with Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) on its new community health worker (CHW) programme.
It follows a closed-door meeting between officials of the two parties last Wednesday, August 24, to address areas of contention with regard to the CHW programme, an initiative seeking to engage 5,000 Senior High School (SHS) graduates to support healthcare delivery services across the country.
The YEA officials were led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kofi Baah Agyepong, while the GRNMA team was also led by its President, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo.
Misconceptions cleared
Briefing the Graphic Business immediately after the meeting on August 24, Mr Ayepong said a consensus had been reached between the two institutions after the misconceptions were cleared.
He said persons engaged under the module will not provide direct nursing services but rather serve as a link between the community and the health centres by educating rural folks on health-related issues.
He said this was against a prior erroneous notion that the new CHW personnel will help nurses with services such as recording of medical history or symptoms, conducting physical examination and providing bedside care to patients.
Mr Agyepong said the CHW personnel were not nurses and for that reason should be referred to as community health workers engaged to support the health delivery system in the communities.
Instead of replacing nurses, he explained that the CHW personnel were volunteers who would be deployed to assist and be paid a monthly allowance of GH¢400.
“We are happy that the GRNMA has understood our point. We have no plans to substitute nurses trained for three years with SHS graduates trained for a month.
“Our mandate is to create jobs for the youth and not to deploy nurses. And so, as part of our discussions today, we want to help by pushing for the unemployed nurses to be deployed,†he said.
He said the newly recruited CHW would be involved in distributing mosquito nets and educating rural folks on preventable diseases and not come in contact with patients.
He said the 5,000 personnel would be recruited nationwide to provide assistance at all Community Health-Based Planning Services (CHPS) compounds in the rural communities.
Fruitful discussions
For her part, Mr Ofori-Ampofo said discussions in the meeting were fruitful and brings to rest the concerns raised by the GRNMA.
“We were invited by the YEA to have a discussion on the disagreement with regard to the community health worker programme. But we have had fruitful discussions.â€
“What we have been told is that the information we heard as being the job criteria for the new recruits was a misinformation and that those who will be deployed would not go anywhere near patients,†she said.
For that reason, he said the GRNMA had requested a detailed document on the module comprising content of the training and job criteria for the new recruits.
The context
YEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) under the Community Health Worker Programme, involving the recruitment of 5,000 SHS graduates to assist with basic healthcare delivery at CHPS compounds.
Jake Paul will return to the boxing ring to face UFC legend Anderson Silva at Phoenix’s Gila River Arena on October 29.
Paul has not fought since his sixth-round knockout of Tyron Woodley in December 2021, his second of two wins against the former UFC welterweight champion.
Before that, Paul had knocked out Ben Askren and after overcoming Woodley for a second time was meant to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. before both fights fell apart in August.
YouTube star Paul has made somewhat of a name for fighting former professionals from the octagon, with the next challenge coming against former UFC middleweight champion Silva.
While holding the record for most consecutive victories in UFC (16), 47-year-old Silva boasts a 3-1 tally as a professional boxer, beating the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
He retired from mixed martial arts in 2020Â after five losses from his last six fights, albeit against world-class opponents.
The bout will be contested at 187 pounds over eight three-minute rounds, the weight Paul claims Anderson’s team requested.
“The plan is for me to fight at 185 [pounds] going forward and that’s what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever,” Paul told ESPN.
“Anderson’s team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated, and of course I agreed to his request.”
Paul hailed the capabilities of Anderson with a statement to announce the clash, pointing to his victory over Chavez as proof of his boxing ability.
“Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva is the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen,” the statement said. “Just a year ago he outclassed boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and showed the world why he is often referred to as the greatest fighter of all time.
“Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said Jake Paul won’t fight Anderson Silva. They said Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva, and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva.
“Well, to all the non-believers  Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time.
“On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate ‘The Spider’.”
Upsall House said the “very difficult decision” had been made to move residents to new homes.
Inspectors last year found the home had employed seven workers without criminal background (DBS) checks.
They also said fire safety at the 30-bed home was “very unsafe”.
The new report found some action had been taken but staff had still not received fire warden training before it was flagged up again, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
One member of staff had neither recruitment records nor a DBS certificate and other staff did not have appropriate induction, support or training for their roles.
Image source, Google
Image caption,
Upsall House had 27 residents when inspectors visited in November
Inspectors said the “quality of the environment had started to impact upon people’s dignity”.
Rooms which needed to be locked for safety reasons still did not have locks.
Accidents and incidents were recorded but no analysis was carried out to determine any patterns and trends so lessons could be learned, the report said.
It found medicine records were not always accurate and two people had received incorrect doses.
Inspectors did find residents reported receiving good care from “friendly, kind” staff and that there were always enough people on duty.
Infection control measures had improved significantly, they said.
‘Heartbroken’
The CQC gave the home near Swans Corner an overall inadequate verdict.
It said the home’s owner had voluntarily cancelled its registration, meaning it would close. As a result the CQC did not continue with enforcement action.
Upsall House director Kathryn Stonehouse said the business had been struggling financially and the situation had been made worse by the pandemic.
But the care given in the home had been “second to none” and residents and staff were “heartbroken”, she said.
Management of the Company says claims that it padded the contract sum to $78 million are not only misinformed, but also lack intellectual honesty.
The Minority in Parliament had hinted at a procurement scandal at BOST to the tune of $39 million.
The caucus alleged that, a contract sum for the construction of a single unit tower estimated at US$ 39 million has been inflated and approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) at $78 million, indicating a100 percent inflated price.
But speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV, Edwin Alfred Provencal, Managing Director of BOST said:
“The conclusion is based on a lot of misinformation and some intellectual dishonesty. The contract was signed but based on some circumstances, my predecessor thought that it should be looked into again. My philosophy on this matter is the fact that, we do not have to mix politics and business.â€
The twin-office space was initially procured at $39 million under the previous administration, but had to be halted in 2017 after allegations of inflated cost.
A value of money audit was subsequently carried out, resulting in a new value of $49.6 million for the office space.
However, BOST could not afford $49.6 million due to financial constraints and thus had to negotiate for a single block.
“Because we are not into the real estate business, and we have liquidity challenges, we have decided that due to cash flow constraints, we can not afford the two towers so we opted for one which the contractor agreed. We went to the PPA, they said there was a procurement irregularity that we needed to rectify before we go ahead to vary the contract to a single block.â€
“It is that ratification request that we sent to PPA and the response that people saw and said we are buying a single block at $39 million.  But the final cost of the single building is $31 million and not US$ 39 million or $78 millionâ€, Mr. Provencal added.
Man Utd 3-1 Arsenal: Red Devils’ spirit and mentality has ‘really improved’ – Erik ten Hag
Casemiro could make his first Manchester United start and Cristiano Ronaldo may return when they face Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Midfielder Casemiro has made three substitute appearances since joining from Real Madrid, while Ronaldo has made just one start this season.
But with United at Crystal Palace on Sunday, United boss Erik ten Hag is set to make changes for the Group E game.
Club captain Harry Maguire may also feature against the Spanish side.
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Ten Hag was asked on Wednesday about trying to keep all his players happy.
“Maybe I cannot keep them all happy every game but everyone gets their game-time if they perform well, it’s quite clear,” added the Dutchman.
“But what I say, we need everyone – we have a lot of games to cover. There is a lot coming in front of us, and the national teams of course – the World Cup – but also all of the cups in England.
“The Europa League where we are now getting in and, of course, the Premier League.”
United, who have won their past four games to climb to fifth in the Premier League, knocked Real Sociedad out of the Europa League at the round of 32 stage in 2020-21.
Sociedad have won two of their opening four games in La Liga and sit ninth in the table.
The triple-header to follow the resumption of the 2022 Formula One season concludes in Italy this weekend, with Max Verstappen aiming to inflict another stinging result on Ferrari.
Back-to-back wins in Belgium and the Netherlands have seen the Red Bull ace strengthen his grip on the title, with Verstappen remarkably securing 102 out of the last 104 available only missing out on the fastest lap in France and Hungary.
Perhaps surprisingly, Verstappen’s plethora of victories in F1 have not yet included triumph on Ferrari’s home soil in Italy which has seen four different winners in each of the last four races (Lewis Hamilton in 2018, Charles Leclerc in 2019, Pierre Gasly in 2020 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2021).
While the title race looks done and dusted, Ferrari will be determined to secure bragging rights at Monza to provide a boost to a team that has sustained persistent problems this season most recently with Carlos Sainz’s woeful pit stop last weekend.
Ferrari have taken 21 pole positions in the Italian Grand Prix, more than any other team, and have won on 19 occasions most recently with Leclerc three years ago.
The Monaco-born driver will have fond memories of that triumph and will hope it presents a platform to propel better results in the remainder of the season to at least apply some pressure to Verstappen.
Mercedes mess
Mercedes looked on course for a first victory of the season in the Netherlands last weekend, Lewis Hamilton leading the way with George Russell tucked in behind and Verstappen sitting third before a questionable call.
Russell requested a pit stop and a change for soft tyres, something that was approved and resulted in Verstappen, having also taken softs, finding himself in striking distance of Hamilton and having no problems leapfrogging his former title rival.
Hamilton was understandably furious after the race, with Mercedes fumbling what may well be their best chance of a win in 2022.
In his farewell stint with Alpine ahead of his move to Aston Martin for next season, Fernando Alonso is set to equal Kimi Raikkonen’s record of 350 races in Formula One with nobody else having raced in more.
That record is destined to fall Alonso’s way in the future, and he could snatch another off the Finn, as his next race finish would be his 279th in Formula One putting him ahead of Raikkonen.
Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Keira Walsh from Manchester City on a three-year deal, the club announced on Wednesday.
The deal is reported to be in excess of £350,000, the highest fee ever paid in women’s football.
The previous record was set in 2020, when Chelsea signed Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for a fee reported to be in excess of £250,000.
The Spanish giants had two previous bids for Walsh rejected, but stepped up their efforts to sign the midfielder in the final days of the transfer window.
The 25-year-old, who started every game for England in their victorious Euros campaign in July, had one year remaining on her contract at City.
The departure of Walsh follows several other City players who have left the club, including Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Caroline Weir and Janine Beckie, while Ellen White, Jill Scott and Karen Bardsley have retired.
She will join her England and former City teammate Bronze, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer this summer.
Barcelona were looking to strengthen their midfield after a serious injury to Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
Walsh, who was named MVP of the Euros final against Germany, will travel to Barcelona in the coming days.
Ghanaian rapper Tulenkeyhas announced that his EP named ‘Cassanova’ will be out soon but for starters, he has released a single that highlights how some entertainment personalities have been wrongly judged for various reasons.
The song, ‘Point of View,’ released on Wednesday, September 7, has already made it to YouTube’s trending music in Ghana.
Tulenkey proved how versatile he can be when it comes to music with his narration of various stories in a single song.
This latest release focused on the life stories of Abena Korkor, Asamoah Gyan, NAM1, Shatta Wale, Afia Schwarzenegger, Wendy Shay, and Pappy Kojo, having been tagged as controversial for just living their lives.
Also, Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was captured in the new tune.
According to the rapper, Nkrumah will be so disappointed in how the country is currently being run.
The celebrated rapper known for his 2018 hit single ‘Child Abuse’ lamented how he has been tagged as a ‘womanizer’ for the kind of songs he produces.
Popular songs among them include ‘Your Girlfriend’ and ’50’.
Rapping in Twi, he narrated what he suffered in the music industry.
“Why you no dey post ndwom no we gyae or you pause? Cause we still dey wonder if you go drop a song…Used to be on Twitter trending number one but now I’m in a box. Everybody quick to spread a rumour when you hit a brick. Ghanafo ne misinformation.”
Neighbours told local paper La Nación that a number of local families had packed food and camping mats and set off into the mountains on what they described as a four-day spiritual retreat.
In his Sunday sermon, the priest warned of the dangers of believing in “fanatics” who made claims about the end of the world being nigh.
Yesnardo Canal of the local civil protection authority said a newborn and a number of children were among the missing.
On Tuesday, a search team combed through the area where locals had reported seeing the group but found nothing.
La Grita is located at a height of 1,440m (4,725ft) but the surrounding moorlands reach a height of 3,000m.
The mayor of the area said that the families’ disappearance was “very suspicious”. “There are several theories [of what may have happened] but we won’t know what really happened until the investigations have been concluded,” the official added.
The United States said it strongly condemned the cyber-attack on a Nato ally and vowed to hold Iran accountable for actions that threatened Albania’s security and “set a troubling precedent for cyber-space”.
Mr Rama said in a televised statement that the goal of the hacking groups had been “the destruction of the digital infrastructure of the government of the Republic of Albania, as well as the theft of data and electronic communications of governments systems”.
But he added: “The said attack failed its purpose… All systems came back fully operational and there was no irreversible wiping of data.”
The prime minister nevertheless said the Albanian government’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran was “proportionate to the seriousness and danger posed by the cyber-attack”.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said American experts had also concluded that Iran “conducted this reckless and irresponsible cyber-attack” and that it was “responsible for subsequent hack and leak operations”.
Iran’s conduct, she warned, “disregards norms of responsible peacetime state behaviour in cyber-space”, including one on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure providing public services.
Earlier this month, US cyber-security firm Mandiant said it had concluded “with moderate confidence” that “one or multiple threat actors who have operated in support of Iranian goals” were involved in the attack.
Mandiant noted that the disruption had come days before the start of a conference in Albanian town of Manez that was affiliated with the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK). The event was subsequently postponed following warnings of “terrorist” threats.
The firm likewise cited a video featuring the Albanian residence permits of purported MEK members that was posted on the Telegram channel used by a group named “HomeLand Justice” to claim credit for the cyber-attack.
It said a ransomware sample also included the text: “Why should our taxes be spent on the benefit of DURRES terrorists?” Manez is a town in Durres County and is the location of a camp where about 3,000 MEK members have been allowed to live since 2013 at the request of the US and United Nations.
“This is possibly the strongest public response to a cyber-attack we have ever seen,” John Hultquist, Mandiant’s vice-president of intelligence, said following Albania’s announcement.
He added that the attack was “a reminder that while the most aggressive Iranian cyber-activity is generally focused in the Middle East region, it is by no means limited to it”.
Mr Hultquist also warned that it showed major critical government systems in Nato countries were “vulnerable and under attack”.
Locals described Wes Petterson as a “lovely” man who was devoted to his community in Weldon, a quiet farming town of about 200 people in Saskatchewan province.
Sunday’s attacks left another 18 people with injuries of varying severity, and police say one suspect in the attack may also have been injured.
Neighbour Ruby Works said she had been left devastated by Mr Petterson’s death.
“I couldn’t even catch my breath,” she told the Canadian broadcaster CBC, saying she was still in shock.
“If someone needed a hand, he helped. He was a kind-hearted man,” Ms Works added about the man she had known since childhood and had looked on as an uncle.
“He didn’t deserve this,” she said. “Both communities are destroyed. All lives are shattered.”
Weldon resident Robert Rush described Mr Petterson as a gentle man who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.
Another of the deceased was identified by family members as 62-year-old Gloria Burns.
A former first responder, she had worked at the James Smith Cree Nation health clinic and her brother, Darryl Burns, said she “had devoted her life to helping people”.
Gloria Burns had been a first responder and was killed while helping victims of the attack
Ms Burns was killed in the attack after responding to initial calls for aid and while trying to help others in her home, her brother said.
“For her to go into a situation like this where [she was] helping people, even though it cost her life … that’s who she was,” Mr Burns told CBC.
“She died helping people. And we have to pick up that torch and carry it.”
Ms Burns’ nephew, Gregory Burns, 28, and her sister-in-law, Bonnie Goodvoice-Burns, were also killed.
Gregory’s father and Bonnie’s husband, Brian, wrote on Facebook: “It’s hard when my boys cry at night for their mom.”
Another victim, mother-of-two Lana Head, has been identified by her former partner, Michael Brett Burns.
He told local media that she had worked as a security guard at Northern Lights Casino and had also been a commissionaire officer.
The 49-year-old lived in James Smith Cree nation and leaves behind two daughters, Sable, 31, and Sage, 30. Just hours before the attack she had posted on social media that she had “so many good memories to cherish”.
Friends and family paid tribute to Ms Head. In a post to her Facebook page, one friend recalled her “sweet demeanour and caring ways”.
In a tribute to Ms Burns, Michael Brett Burns wrote that she will be “missed dearly”.
“I just hurt and tonight I cry alone,” he added.
Image source, Reuters
The Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Association also confirmed on Facebook that one of its members, Earl Burns, was one of the victims killed in the brutal attack.
“The SFNVA is sending out our most sincere condolences to the Burns Family on the loss of our Veteran late Earl Burns,” the group wrote.
It noted that the veteran had been a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Mr Burns’ son appeared to confirm his death late on Sunday evening, writing on Facebook that his “heart is broken”.
Police are still identifying many of the victims and the manhunt for one of the suspects continued overnight.
Numerous First Nation communities enjoy a degree of self-government that can include decision-making powers on issues such as education, health and land management
Chakastaypasin Chief Calvin Sanderson – one of the region’s elected leaders – told the Regina Leader Post that everyone in the community had been affected.
“They were our relatives, friends. Mostly we’re all related here, so it’s pretty hard,” Mr Sanderson said. “It’s pretty horrific.”
Indigenous rights groups in Canada have urged the federal government to provide support to the communities.
Darryl Burns echoed that call, telling reporters that the local community was in chaos as it tried to come to terms with the “massacre”.
“I know deep down we need healing and forgiveness. That’s one of the things my sister taught. And that’s one of the things I will carry out in her name,” he said.
Iran will have a familiar face back at the helm for the 2022 FIFA World Cup following the reappointment of former Carlos Queiroz.
Queiroz, who originally gained prominence for being Sir Alex Ferguson’s righthand man at Manchester United but then had a spell in charge of Real Madrid, remains Iran’s longest-serving coach from his previous stint between 2011 and 2019.
After his departure in January 2019 following Team Melli’s disappointing semifinal exit at the most recent edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the Portuguese has had spells in charge of Colombia and Egypt — parting ways with the latter back in April following a failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
Nonetheless, it has now been confirmed that Queiroz will be at Qatar 2022 following his return as Iran coach — where he will lead his side against England (Nov. 21), Wales (Nov. 25) and United States (Nov. 29).
The move, which was heavily speculated since Mehdi Taj was elected as president of Iranian Football Federation on Tuesday, was confirmed by Team Melli media officer Jamaat Mohamad and will see Queiroz replaced Dragan Skocic.
“Thanks to Dragan Skocic’s efforts to advance to the World Cup,” tweeted Jamaat.
“Based on the decision of the Football Federation’s Executive Board, Carlos Queiroz will be the head coach of Iran’s national football team in the Qatar World Cup.”
While Skocic successfully guided the Iranians to World Cup qualification with an impressive 25-point haul from ten matches, his two-and-a-half year reign was constantly blighted by reported conflict with key players.
Most notably, Porto striker Mehdi Taremi was dropped from the squad for two qualifiers back in November, although both parties were said to have buried the hatchet since.
Still, the return of Queiroz is likely to be widely welcomed given his standing among players and fans alike.
Food scientistsare calling for a stronger collaboration between government, producers, and consumers to help ensure a more resilient food system.
In Ghana, it is estimated that 2.5 percent of the population suffer from food-borne illness each year.
This is according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and a World Bank report.
Recently, a restaurant in Accra was closed down when consumers experienced food poisoning after taking food served.
This is not an isolated case as some foods sold on the Ghanaian market are sometimes aflatoxins contaminated with food sellers often times oblivious of the effects of unsanitary conditions under which these foods are prepared and served.
At a conference organised by the Northern regional chapter of the Ghana Science Association on the theme “The Role of Food Safety for Health,†scientists expressed concern about the phenomenon and called for urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.
In a presentation at the conference, Professor Francis Zotor, a Public Health Nutritionist and a lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, said, “there is the need for Champions in promoting safe food handling through systematic disease prevention and awareness programmes through the WHO five keys to safer food message and training materials.â€
He further called for a strong collaboration between all relevant stakeholders to ensure food safety.
The President of the Northern branch of the Ghana Science Association (GSA), Professor Gideon Helegbe said the conference is “significant as it offered the opportunity for members to discuss topical issues of national and regional concern and how to bring GSA closer to the general public in other words, demystify scienceâ€
As part of the conference, some members of the association also presented their research works for discussion.
The association also touched on grantsmanship to equip members with the relevant skills in writing and winning research funding grants.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology Ghana (IET-Ghana) has proposed a broader mandate for the Ghana Hydrological Authority (GHA) to deal with flood control.
Consequently, the institution has suggested a change of name of the authority to Ghana Hydrological and Flood Control Authority to enable it to effectively coordinate the activities of agencies of flood control, including the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, the Department of Feeder Roads, and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
The Institution of Engineering is a licensed professional engineering body of the Engineering Council.
The President of the IET-Ghana, Henry Kwadwo Boateng, who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday, noted that since the agencies were into drainage construction, it was important to coordinate their activities rather than allow them to undertake individual works.
“When you add flood control to the authority, it means its presence must be felt even at the district level so that it will be part of the planning schemes of the various districts. It can also give technical advice because of the authority given to it,†he stated.
Parliament
On July 28, 2022, Parliament approved the establishment of the Ghana Hydrological Authority.
The essential responsibility of the authority is to undertake planning, designing, execution, operation and maintenance of flood control mechanisms, coastal engineering works and drainage improvements, among other activities, in the country.
Mr Boateng indicated that with the President yet to assent to the Bill, it was better to make a proposal for a name change for the soon-to-be-established authority.
“We are asking the Minister of Works and Housing to consider what we are proposing,†he said.
Mr Boateng noted that the institution had been following the flooding situation in the country keenly as there had been a dramatic change, with places that did not flood in the past getting flooded nowadays, hence the need for stakeholders to work together to deal with the problem.
He said although there was natural flooding that occurred even in the developed world, the situation where little rainfall caused flooding in parts of the country was unacceptable.
Mr Boateng said all was not well with the drainage situation in the country, especially with regard to designs to contain the volume of water that flowed through them.
In view of that, he said the Hydrological Department had proposed the construction of drains to a minimum size of 0.9 metres for easy desilting.
“That is their proposal, but because they do not have that power, the others can decide whether to go by it or not. So that is what I meant in terms of coordination so that the agencies do not do things differently,†he said.
English-born Ghanaian Kobbie Mainoo has been training with Manchester United‘s first team ahead of their Europa League game against Real Sociedad on Thursday.
The 17-year-old, who signed a new deal with the club in the summer transfer window, is part of an Academy trio invited by Erik ten Hag to the senior team ahead of the start of the Europa League.
Mainoo was joined by Tyler Fredricson and 18-year-old Charlie McNeil in training on Wednesday as Erik ten Hag plans to name a young team for the game against the Spanish outfit.
Meanwhile, first team players Anthony Martial (injured) and Luke Shaw were not part of training while Aaron Wan Bissaka who was not included in the squad for the Arsenal game trained with the team.
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to the start for the Red Devils, having spent most of the time on the bench.
Below is the squad that trained on Wednesday:
Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, Tyler Fredricson, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen, Zidane Iqbal, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Charlie McNeill, Anthony Elanga.
The agency said it would see how it could expand its work in the wake of the judgement.
The couple said they had felt compelled “to preserve these unique environments for future generations”.
Image source, Martin Giles/BBCImage caption, Catfield Fen is a hidden gem, according to Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and is home to some of the region’s rarest species
It set out plans last year to review the environmental impact of 240 licences in Norfolk’s Ant Valley, which runs south from Stalham and includes Barton Broad.
It said it would help protect the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – which was “facing significant water pressures, with evidence showing that current abstraction levels may be causing damage to the environment”.
Mr and Mrs Harris, who own part of Catfield Fen, near the River Ant, said the plans should have included neighbouring sites such as Hickling Broad and Smallburgh Fen.
Catfield Fen, along with nearby Sutton Fen, has 90% of the UK’s rare fen orchids and swallowtail butterflies.
They brought a judicial review, arguing that the agency “failed to do enough to protect rare wetland species and habitats of international importance from the impacts of water abstraction”.
Image source, Hugh Venables/GeographImage caption, The swallowtail is the UK’s largest butterfly and can only be found in the Broads, although it is widespread in countries such as France
Image source, Martin Giles/BBCImage caption, Tim Harris said water abstraction was causing irreversible damage in The Broads national park
The EU Habitats Directive provides for areas containing rare and threatened species and habitats to be designated as “special areas of conservation (SAC)”.
The High Court considered a legal provision in the UK’s EU-exit legislation, which said EU directives remained enforceable against UK public authorities “if those rules had been recognised by a court as being enforceable prior to Brexit”.
A lack of Environment Agency funding was not a valid justification for failing to comply with its legal duties in this case, the court ruled.
Mr and Mrs Harris have campaigned since 2009 to protect the area from damage caused by water abstraction under the agency’s licences.
Image source, Hugh Venables/GeographImage caption, Catfield and Sutton fens are home to the rare fen orchid
Environmental law partner Penny Simpson, who brought the case for the couple, said it was “an important ruling with wide-ranging implications”.
“In this case the Environment Agency regulates water abstraction activities and so it was their duty to protect the Broads’ conservation areas from damage,” she added.
“Even though the UK has left the EU, the UK has not escaped the direct influence of European directives if, prior to Brexit, those rules had been found by a court to be directly enforceable against public authorities.
“We can expect to see other cases like this come forward in other areas”.
Image caption, The Environment Agency is investigating water extraction licences in Ant Broad, Dilham Broad and Broad Fen
An agency spokesman added: “We are working to restore, protect and enhance the environment but, like every public organisation, we have limited resources, so focus our efforts on the greatest threats to the environment.”As a result of the judgment in this case we will now look at how we can expand our work to cover further protected sites whilst recognising the resource constraints.”
The spokesman added it would work with landowners “to ensure that we continue to address unsustainable abstraction”.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Hickling Broad is one of the areas not included in the Environment Agency’s plans to monitor water abstraction impacts
The National Farmers’ Union also said it would await further details before assessing the implications for members who needed to water crops.
“It’s important that any solutions to the water resource challenges we face find the right balance between food production and environmental protection,” a spokesman said.
“But the challenge of securing water for food can’t just be solved at the farm level.”Co-operation and collaboration with other sectors, such as water companies, will be crucial to achieve long-term solutions.”
Accra Lions have completed the signing of Malian forward Youssouf Simpara ahead of the new season.
The lanky forward joins the Ghana Premier League side from Malian club Association Sportive de Korofina.Â
The 21-year-old is expected to add quality to the attack of Accra Lions with the new season set to start on Friday, September 9, 2022.
“Accra Lions Football Club can confirm the signing of Malian striker Youssouf Simpara. The Lions have moved to bolster their striking options with the transfer of the lanky former Under-20 international,” wrote Accra Lions as they announced the arrival of the forward.
Coach James Francis is delighted with the latest addition to the squad.
“We are delighted to add such a smart striker to our squad. He will surely increase the quality in the team,” said James Francis.
Accra Lions begin the season with a trip to Akyim to play newcomers Kotoku Royals
Potter led Brighton to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season, the club’s highest ever top flight finish
Chelsea are set to hold talks with Brighton boss Graham Potter about replacing the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel, who won three trophies in 20 months at Stamford Bridge, was sacked by the Blues on Wednesday.
Ex-Swansea and Ostersunds FK coach Potter, 47, has been given permission by the Seagulls to talk with Chelsea.
Tuchel was dismissed after losing the confidence of Chelsea’s players and the new ownership, who took over at the club in May.
He was appointed in May 2019 and has led the club to 15th, 16th and ninth-place finishes in his three seasons in charge.
But his brand of attacking and tactically flexible football has brought him many admirers in the game.
Chelsea’s new ownership oversaw a £255.3m spending spree in the summer window, thought to be a British record, bringing in eight new players.
They were sixth in the Premier League after three wins, one draw and two defeats when they parted company with Tuchel.
The decision to sack the German would have been taken regardless of their 1-0 defeat in their opening Champions League game at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
Chelsea plan to make a swift appointment and Potter was among the bookmakers’ favourites to take over, along with former Spurs and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino, former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and current Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.
In terms of their search for a new boss, the Blues are also believed to be looking for a long-term manager who shares their vision for a collaborative culture and who will focus on development of all players in the squad.
A newly elected Kenyan governor has won praise for harsh office rules after turning away top officials from a meeting for arriving minutes later than him.
Governor George Natembeya of Trans-Nzoia county, in western Kenya, ordered doors to be closed for anyone arriving past 09:00 local time, the time set for the meeting.
The meeting with County Executive Committee members, equivalent of cabinet ministers, was meant to discuss the county’s development plan for the next five years.
“When I say we meet at 9am sharp I mean 9am sharp and not 9:01am. I personally arrived here five minutes earlier so everyone should learn to keep time. Past the said time, if you are out, remain there,†Mr Natembeya is quoted as saying by local outlets.
