Alfredo Moreloswas sent off against Hibernian on Saturday after only being on the pitch for 13 minutes.
Alfredo Morelos has been omitted from Rangers’ squad for the crucial Champions League play-off second leg against PSV Eindhoven.
The Colombia forward was left out of the travelling party to the Netherlands for Wednesday’s tie by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst because of concerns about his fitness and attitude.
Senior players are believed to be in support of the decision.
Morelos, 26, was sent off in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Hibernian at Easter Road.
He has yet to start a game this season after recovering from injury and was red-carded 13 minutes after coming off the bench in the Scottish Premiership game.
Rangers have appealed against a red card shown earlier to midfielder John Lundstram but not the one shown to Morelos.
Van Bronckhorst’s side drew 2-2 with PSV at Ibrox in the first leg last Tuesday.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the economic challenges facing the country will not deter the government from accelerating investment in road infrastructure.
He noted that good roads played a critical role in accelerating socio-economic development, and that was why the government had kept faith with the Year of Roads’ mantra.
In an interview with Radio Upper West in Wa Monday at the start of a two-day working visit to the Upper West Region, the President said massive developments in the road sector showed that the Year of Roads’ mantra was not just a slogan.
“It’s been a reality and a very successful programme,†he stated.
Best in roads
The President said his administration had constructed more road projects than any other government in the history of the Fourth Republic.
“The road infrastructure that has been established since I became President, let me use this famous word, is unprecedented. We have never seen so much in the roads sector. Let’s put it as far as the Fourth Republic is concerned. The Roads Minister likes to say since independence’,†he said.
“I just want to be a little more modest and compare apples and apples and not apples and oranges. And I’m saying that the road infrastructure that has taken place under Akufo-Addo’s NPP government is without equal in this Fourth Republic,†he added.
Upper West roads
President Akufo-Addo said the Upper West Region alone had had 18 road projects completed since 2017, while 110 more road projects were ongoing.
He said for the first time in the nation’s history, the Wa-Hamile road had been tarred.
He announced the re-packaging and award of the contract for the construction of the Wa-Tumu road, and added that the Han-Tumu section of the road had been re-scoped and awarded to five different contractors and would be completed in 24 months.
“The government has expanded the road network dramatically. Obviously, when you’re starting from zero and get to four, it doesn’t look as if you’ve got very far, but from zero to four in itself is a big movement, and when you get to five or six or seven, then you realise that you’re beginning to succeed,†he said.
Difficult time
While admitting that the financial difficulties confronting the nation presented a difficult time for the government, he nevertheless pointed out that it would not go to sleep.
“It’s been a difficult time, but as I said, we are very conscious of the difficulties in the management of the economy, and it affects areas such as arrears of payments to contractors, but we are making a big effort to try and resolve these problems,†he said.
Payment to contractors
President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that “contractors are not going to be left high and dryâ€.
He said if contractors did not get paid, the development of road infrastructure would stall.
“Things are going to work out; they are definitely going to work out,†he stated.
Health issues
The President re-affirmed his resolve for the execution of the Agenda 111 projects, since he felt health issues should not be compromised.
He said the region had five of the projects, and that he would visit them to see progress of work on them to ensure that everybody had access to healthcare delivery in the country.
He explained that the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the deficiencies in the health infrastructure, hence his determination to remedy the situation, adding that it was unfair for some districts not to have hospitals, while others had them.
“As a matter of social equity, it was necessary to find a way of equalising the situation for everybody to have access to healthcare delivery,†he said.
President Akufo-Addo promised to transform the region with the provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities and thereby leave a lasting legacy.
Peace at Wa
At the Palace of the Wa Naa, where he paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of the Wala Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the President expressed his gratitude for the prevailing peace in Wa.
He promised that he would consider the various requests made and address them in due course.
He announced that he had donated 3,000 streetlights for distribution throughout the region in an effort to promote peace and security, as well as the protection of lives and properties.
Wa Naa delighted
Welcoming the President, Naa Seidu Pelpuo commended him for meeting the various requests by providing a means of transportation for the Wa Senior High School (SHS) and also naming the Wa Youth Resource Centre after the late Alhaji Butare K. Adama.
He, however, put in requests such as a fence wall and a means of transportation for the Jamiat Islamic Girls’ SHS, a multi-purpose assembly hall for the Wa SHS and a hostel for the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University.
Barcelona have enjoyed a busy transfer window as they attempt to close the gap on last season’s LaLiga and Champions League winners Real Madrid, signing Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensenand Franck Kessie, while they also hope to bring in Marcos Alonso from Chelsea.
But the Blaugrana have also been credited with a strong interest in Silva, who refused to rule out a move earlier this month when declaring City “know what I want”.
Silva could make a Camp Nou appearance on Wednesday when City take on Barca in a friendly arranged to raise funds to fight motor neurone disease, but Soriano is adamant the Portugal midfielder will not be returning to Barcelona on a more permanent basis.
Pep Guardiola has also affirmed his desire to keep Silva on multiple occasions.
Silva made 50 appearances for City in all competitions last season, a tally only bettered by Joao Cancelo (52), with the 28-year-old scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.
Meanwhile, only Kevin de Bruyne (129) and Jack Grealish (78) created more chances for City than Silva’s 76 last term, and he got off the mark for the new campaign by scoring the equaliser in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.
A study by University College London (UCL) found poor cardiovascular health could lead to a higher brain age later in life.
Men tend to have older brains than women of the same age, the data showed
Participants were all of a similar age – but there was a “very wide variation” in how old the computer model predicted their brains to be.
The research could be an important indicator for people at risk of cognitive decline or other brain-related concerns.
Lead author of the study, Professor Jonathan Schott, UCL Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said: “We hope that this technique could one day be a useful tool for identifying people at risk of accelerated aging, so that they may be offered early, targeted prevention strategies to improve their brain health.”
An established MRI-based model was used to estimate the brain age of people who took part in the Insight 46 study, funded by the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Subjects took part throughout their entire lives – allowing scientists to cross-reference their brain ages to various other factors.
The participants were all aged between 69 and 72 – but their brain ages varied from 46 to 93.
People with worse cardiovascular health at the age of 36 or 69 had poorer brain health.
People with worse cardiovascular health at the age of 36 or 69 had poorer brain health.
Dr. Sarah Imarisio, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, hailed the study for helping to develop a greater understanding of the “complex relationship” between different factors which influence brain health.
“Using machine learning, researchers in this study have uncovered yet more evidence that poorer heart health in midlife is linked to greater brain shrinkage in later life.
“We are incredibly grateful to the dedicated group of individuals who have contributed to research their entire lives making this work possible.”
Serialisation of examination questions, collaboration with the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to monitor the printing of question papers and the use of number combination padlocks in addition to ordinary padlocks for all security bags containing question paper packets, are some of the measures highlighted by the Council to check the practice.
Also, the Council is working closely with some security agencies to track and arrest dealers and operators of rogue websites.
Other measures include; the inspection of all depots nationwide and fortification of those that needed to be fortified, ensuring uninterrupted movement of question papers from strong rooms to depots and the creation of additional depots located close to schools to ensure that question papers do not arrive late and are released to candidates early.
The Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, who outlined these measures at a press conference on August 23, 2022, further noted that: “There will also be naming and shaming of schools that engage in malpractice to serve as a deterrent to others, as well as correspondence to the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service regarding reports received from concerned citizens about the collection of money and plans by certain schools to cheat.
“There will be continued surveillance of these schools by the council’s team of inspectors and security persons in the course of the examination,” Ms Teye-Cudjoe added.
About WASSCE
The WASSCE is a standardised test in West Africa spearheaded by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education.Â
The exam is written by candidates in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia and Ghana. Although Ghanaian candidates began the exam in August, candidates in the other West African countries started in May, in line with the pre-COVID academic calendar.
The 2022 WASSCE is being administered to 422,883 candidates from 977 schools in Ghana. There are 673 public schools, an increase from 651 in 2021, and 304 private schools.
However, the number of private schools has decreased from 314 in 2021 to 304 in 2022 due to the folding up of some of the schools. In all, 775 centres are being used for the examination, with 60 subjects involved, comprising four core and 56 electives for candidates to choose from.
In line with the efforts to check examination malpractices, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, noted that question papers will be issued not earlier than 45 minutes before the start of each paper and inspection at “malpractice-prone” areas will be enhanced.
She, therefore, charged supervisors and invigilators to be guided by the rules of the examination by being vigilant and also refrain from taking their mobile phones into examination halls, saying: “They should not be agents of malpractice, as unfortunately as is the case sometimes.”
She further called on the media to refrain from putting out unverified information on the conduct of the examination.
“Let us be careful not to create unnecessary fear and panic among candidates in particular and society in general. This could send wrong signals on the conduct of the examination to the international community,” Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said.
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe added that the council has made access arrangements for candidates with special needs, including Braille papers for the visually impaired, large print papers for candidates with low vision, additional time for visually and hearing impaired candidates, those with cerebral palsy and candidates with autism disorder.
There would also be computers for use by candidates with cerebral palsy and those who are not blind but cannot read, she added.
The value of the cedi had decreased by more than 20% as of July this year.
On the currency exchange market, the local money is currently trading for more than GHS 10.00 to 1 USD.
But the minister allaying the fears of citizens revealed that while 750 million dollars is expected from the Afremix Bank this week, the cocoa syndicated loan will add $1.3 billion. These monies, he said, are expected to hit the Bank of Ghana’s account.
“The Bank of Ghana introduced a number of measures in the short term to deal with it and on the back of that… the $750 million that we were expecting, all the paperwork has been concluded, and it should be hitting our accounts today or tomorrow,†he said.
“If I were you, and I was holding onto dollars, I would be selling them by now because there is a lot more dollar coming in from the $750 million and also from the Cocoa Syndicated Loan of about $1.3 billion,†the minister added.
According to Oppong-Nkrumah, the move forms part of government’s expectation of “quick stabilisation” of the economy.
A recent currency performance ranking by Bloomberg showed that the cedi was classified as the worst performing currency in the world after Sri Lanka’s Rupee.
The Bank of Ghana has assured that it is implementing measures including increasing foreign currency (FX) supplies to banks in the short term to help meet growing FX demands for external payments.
After beating Liverpool at Old Trafford, Christian Eriksen thinks Manchester United proved they have what it takes to compete against the best in the Premier League.
The 2-1 victory on Monday at Old Trafford will mean little if United loses to Southampton on Saturday, but following losses to Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion, the Red Devils produced a strong showing to demolish their formidable opponents and boost morale.
United had only 29.6 per cent of possession and their passing accuracy was a fairly dismal 65.93 per cent.
That was the worst accuracy United have had in any Premier League game since posting 65.73 per cent in a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in December 2018.
Yet they were still the better side for large parts of the game, with their energy and enthusiasm so markedly different from the game prior, the 4-0 thumping at Brentford.
Assessing the difference between the Brentford and Liverpool games, Eriksen hit on the big change against the Reds, saying: “I think our intensity compared to the Brentford game [was the biggest difference].
“Obviously, we made a few mistakes against them that gave them the advantage and [against Liverpool] we started on the front foot and were the better team in the first half.”
1 – Erik ten Hag is the first Manchester United manager to secure his first ever competitive win with the club in a match against Liverpool. Arrived. pic.twitter.com/mvtOYYvmzL
Captain Maguire would have been frustrated to be relegated to the bench, but the England defender reacted on Tuesday morning by posting a picture on Instagram of Rashford and Bruno Fernandes celebrating, adding the caption: “Things you love to see.”
United’s running caught the eye, as they covered 113 kilometres as a group, with Liverpool clocking up just under 110km.
Rashford ended a run of 997 minutes without a goal in all competitions for United and almost added another, thrashing a fierce shot just over the crossbar.
Eriksen said that for United it was a case of getting “back to basics”.
“We have some very quick players and how we played today, and how Liverpool play, suited us as well,” the Denmark midfielder said. “It’s great to play with players who want to play football and run.”
Eriksen believes the jolt of the Brighton and Brentford defeats has set United up for the rest of the season, but time will tell on that score. Two wretched performances followed by a big improvement for one game leaves them with some convincing still to do.
Former Tottenham and Inter playmaker Eriksen senses growing unity, however. Quoted on United’s official website, he said: “I think it started after losing two games.
“This has been about coming together and getting back to the basics. We needed to show that we were better doing the basics and I think we did that.”
The families of Sierra Leoneans who died in protests against the spiralling cost of living arrived at a morgue in the capital Freetown on Monday to identify their loved ones.
A small crowd gathered outside the Connaught Hospital, where officials said the remains of 31 people were waiting to be identified.
Hawa Kamara said she had come from Makeni, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the capital, “to identity the corpse of my brother who… was killed on his way home by a bullet.
“We just want the government to hand over his corpse to us for a dignified burial in his hometown,” she said.
Desmond Samai said he, too, had lost his 34-year-old brother.
“We took the body home for burial but were advised to take the corpse to the mortuary at Connaught Hospital and report to police. Since then we haven’t been allowed to bury him.”
Morgue official, Sinneh Kamara, said the “majority of the bodies had bullet wounds,” adding that five were policemen and 26 were civilians.
No official toll has been released.
Clashes occurred in Freetown and other cities, such as Makeni and Kamakwie in the north of the country, on August 10 when an economic protest descended into violence between the security forces and demonstrators.
Sierra Leone has had a reputation for relative stability since the end of a brutal 1991-2002 civil war that claimed some 120,000 lives.
Its population of eight million people live in one of the poorest nations in the world, ranking 182 out of 189 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.
The economy, heavily dependent on minerals, was devastated by the war.
Efforts at rebuilding were set back by an Ebola epidemic in 2014-2016, a fall in world commodity prices and the coronavirus pandemic — all of which have disrupted trade and investment and hit exports.
Ukrainian officials have ridiculed Russia’s accusation that its special services were behind the killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist, in a car-bomb attack.
A memorial service for Ms Dugina, 29, was taking place in Moscow on Tuesday.
Ms Dugina, a commentator on a Russian nationalist TV channel, died when her car blew up on the outskirts of Moscow.
Her influential father, Alexander Dugin, may have been the intended target of the attack. His expansionist ideas of a New Russia or “Novorossiya” on Ukrainian territory are said to have influenced President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
President Putin condemned the “cruel and treacherous” attack and posthumously awarded Ms Dugina the Order of Courage.
Her 60-year-old father paid tribute to her as a “rising star at the start of her journey”. She was brutally murdered in front of him by Russia’s enemies, he said, and he went on to call for victory over Ukraine. Ms Dugina’s memorial service took place at Russia’s Ostankino TV centre on Tuesday morning.
In Kyiv, the security and defence council secretary said Ukraine had nothing to do with the bombing: “We have more important tasks for our boys and girls… The FSB did this and is now suggesting that one of our people did it,” he was quoted as telling Ukrainian TV.
Presidential office adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, said Russian “propaganda lives in a fictional world”, adding that the car bombing was part of a struggle within Russia’s special services.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had solved the case and blamed Ukraine directly. Its claims were widely reported by state TV, and pro-Kremlin commentators called for immediate revenge.
The Russian outcry came as Ukraine prepared to mark 31 years of independence on Wednesday, which coincides with six months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
The US state department has warned that Russia is stepping up efforts to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities. Fears of an escalated Russian attack have prompted Kyiv to ban public events while the city of Kharkiv has brought forward an overnight curfew to start at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
According to the FSB’s account of Darya Dugina’s death, a Ukrainian woman linked to security services in Kyiv had moved to Russia in July alongside her young daughter.
The woman had rented an apartment in the same building as Ms Dugina for a month, preparing for the attack, it alleged. In that time, she allegedly followed her target through Moscow in a Mini Cooper – for which she used three different licence plates.
The FSB later released video purporting to show the suspect’s car entering Russia, then of her entering Ms Dugina’s building and finally leaving Russia for Estonia.
Ms Dugina and her father were attending a festival near Moscow on Saturday evening where he was giving a lecture. They had reportedly intended to leave in the same car, but changed their plans at the last minute.
Investigators said explosives had been planted underneath the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving. Video appeared to show him looking on in shock as her car burned.
Ms Dugina was a vocal supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a political commentator for her father’s International Eurasian Movement organisation. She wrote regularly for pro-Kremlin media outlets and had been placed under sanctions by the UK in July as “a frequent and high-profile contributor of disinformation in relation to Ukraine”.
“My daughter Darya Dugina was brutally murdered in front of me,” his statement on Telegram read. “She was a beautiful Orthodox woman, patriot, war reporter, an expert for central TV and philosopher.”
Russian media linked the suspect identified by the FSB to Ukraine’s Azov regiment, which Moscow says is a terrorist group. The Azov regiment flatly denied the allegation.
Estonia rejected the Russian claim that Ms Dugina’s alleged killer had fled across the border as a “provocation in a very long line of provocations by the Russian Federation”.
Independent Russian outlet Agentstvo raised several questions about the FSB version of events, surrounding the woman identified as the killer and the Mini Cooper car. It wondered why she would take a child with her on such a dangerous mission and said video of the car had been posted in the Kyiv region three days before the blast.
Exiled former Russian MP Ilya Ponomarev argued it was the work of a little-known Russian resistance group called the National Republican Army. The former MP who moved to Ukraine said the group had carried out several actions already, although there was no public reference to the group before Sunday.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was injured, has been replaced in the Pakistani team for the Asia Cup by Mohammad Hasnain.
After tearing a knee ligament during the first Test matchup with Sri Lanka last month, Afridi was declared ineligible.
Hasnain now has the chance to join the team for a tournament that gets underway in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday thanks to the left-arm paceman’s absence.
The dates for the England Test team’s trip to Pakistan three months later have now been confirmed. Earlier this month, it was announced that England would visit Pakistan for the first time in 17 years for a seven-match T20 series in September.
Since 2005, when Michael Vaughan’s Ashes-winning team lost a 3-2 series, security concerns have prevented England from visiting Pakistan.
But Brendon McCullum’s red-ball side will now face Pakistan in a three-match series before the end of the year, travelling to Multan and Karachi after playing their first ever Test match in Rawalpindi.
The contests will follow on from a camp in Abu Dhabi, which will begin on November 18 and will take in a three-day warm-up match against the Lions at the Zayed Cricket Complex.
🚨 England’s first Test series in Pakistan in 17 years 🚨
Mark the dates for the matches in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi ðŸŸï¸ðŸ—“ï¸
Clare Connor, the ECB’s interim chief executive officer, said: “The return of our men’s Test team to Pakistan for the first time since 2005 will be an historic occasion.
“The opportunity to play Test cricket in front of passionate cricket-lovers in Pakistan after such a long time is something to be cherished.
“We have been working closely with the PCB over recent months and I am grateful to them for everything they have done, and continue to do, to make our Test and T20 tours a mouth-watering prospect for all involved.”
The PCB’s director of international cricket Zakir Kahn added: “We are pleased that the Pakistan and England Test rivalry, which has historically produced close and tight matches, will return to our backyards in December.
“Both the sides have evolved since they last played in Pakistan in 2005 and have recently been playing entertaining and exciting cricket.
“I remain confident this series will live up to the expectations of the global cricket fans who want to watch and enjoy competitive and thrilling matches.”
Before England can switch their focus to the trip to Pakistan, they must find a way to overturn a 1-0 deficit in their ongoing three-match series against South Africa, having been thrashed within three days at Lord’s last week.
Shubman Gill scored his first international century on Monday as India defeated Zimbabwe by 13 runs to win the ODI series 3-0.
India entered the game seeking their hosts’ 15th straight ODI victory as well as a second straight one-day series victory over Zimbabwe, and they were unstoppable in a high-scoring affair.
Shikhar Dhawan (40), KL Rahul (30), and Ishan Kishan all contributed to the tourists’ 289-8 score at Harare Sports Club before Gill’s historic strike
Brad Evans (5-54) recorded the best figures of his fledgling ODI career and although Sikandar Raza made a brilliant 115 off 95 balls, Zimbabwe fell short on 276 all out.
1 – This is @ShubmanGill‘s first ton in international cricket; this year he has scored 450 runs in the format at an average of 112.5, no other batter has a higher average than the Indian this year. Future.#ZIMvINDpic.twitter.com/PitEISDa9Q
The wickets began to tumble when Zimbabwe threw caution to the wind midway through the innings, losing Regis Chakabva (16), Takudzwanashe Kaitano (13), Ryan Buri (8) and Luke Jongwe (14) in the space of just under 10 overs.
Raza led a terrific fightback, hitting three sixes and finding the rope nine times before he was caught by Gill off the bowling of Shardul Thakur in the penultimate over, and Avesh Khan finished off the job by cleaning up Victor Nyauchi.
Avesh took 3-66, while Axar Patel (2-30), Kuldeep Yadav (2-38) and Deepak Chahar (2-75) also made an impact with the ball.
India have now won seven consecutive ODIs away from home, their best run since a sequence of nine in a row between July 2017 to February 2018.
Hungary‘s top two weather experts have been fired over a mistaken weather forecast that sparked political uproar.
What had been billed “Europe’s biggest fireworks display” had been organized for Saturday evening to celebrate St Stephen’s Day – the national holiday,
But seven hours before the scheduled start, the government postponed the event, citing extreme weather warnings.
The weather, however, stayed calm – leading to the sackings of the head and deputy head of the weather service.
Some 40,000 fireworks were ready to be launched from 240 points along a 5km (3 mile) stretch of the Danube River in central Budapest, in a display usually watched by up to two million people.
The government postponed the event for a week due to the extreme weather warnings it received.
But the rain storm the National Meteorological Service had predicted changed direction and struck parts of eastern Hungary instead – missing the capital city entirely.
The service posted a public apology on their Facebook page on Sunday, explaining that the “least likely” outcome happened, and that uncertainty is part of weather forecasting
But it was too late.
On Monday, Innovation Minister Laszlo Palkovics sacked the service chiefs, with immediate effect.
Reaction in Hungary has been mixed.
Nearly 100,000 people had signed a petition, calling for the fireworks to be cancelled at a time of war in neighbouring Ukraine, and austerity at home.
Government supporters, however, were furious at the supposed ineptness of the forecasters, and hope the display will now go ahead as planned next Saturday.
Ben Stokeshas admitted that when taking a sabbatical from the game to prioritize his mental health last year, he worried he might never play cricket again.
The 31-year-old had previously battled after hurrying his rehabilitation from a broken figure, so he took a period of compassionate leave to spend time with his father before his dying in December 2020.
Ahead of the airing of an Amazon Prime documentary detailing Stokes’ experiences throughout that time, he recalled how his decision to step away from cricket was the culmination of a long-term battle.
“It wasn’t a case where it was a two-week thing or a couple of months thing, the whole thing was a build-up over a long, long period of time, maybe two, three, four years,” Stokes told the BBC.
“It was like I had a glass bottle I kept on throwing my emotions and feelings into. While I was doing that, the bottle was filling up to where, eventually, it got too full and just exploded. I reacted in the way I did and felt like, ‘I need to get away from here’.”
Asked whether he considered calling time on his playing career, Stokes said: “At the time, yeah, that’s where I was at. It was a very, very tough time.
“One of the more powerful things that I notice from the film, was when Stuart Broad was on camera and he said the same thing, he actually said he could see me not playing again.
“I had never spoken to Stuart about that through my time away. I spoke to him a lot through that period but just general chit-chat, nothing too serious.
“I had never said the words to him, ‘I’m not sure if I’m going to play again’, but the fact that he got that feeling was an eye-opener to me that at that time, things were quite bad.”
After assuming the captaincy in April, Stokes oversaw four consecutive victories, three against New Zealand and one against India, before England were thrashed within three days by South Africa at Lord’s last week.
“When Joe [Root] stepped down and the opportunity was there for me to take it, I was actually quite annoyed about some of the press around it, because they linked the England captaincy and my mental health break with each other,” he added.
“It felt like people were saying I couldn’t do the job because I decided to take a break for mental health last year.
“What’s that got to do with being England captain? If anything, it shows that you can do anything, even if you have decided to take a break, it’s fine.
“I did an interview where I’d give off this bravado of being a big tough northern lad with tattoos. I am tough, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t struggle mentally.
“These things, you can’t pick and choose when they’re going to hit you. It’s not like a switch in your brain, going, ‘today I’m going to feel good, tomorrow I’m going to feel bad’.”
Stokes is also keen to ensure his willingness to talk about his mental health acts as an inspiration for younger generations, adding: “We all know that as England players, we’ve got more responsibility than just going out and performing on the field.
“Young kids these days will look at us and want to play like us, they’ll want to do what we do because that’s who they look up to.
“If I was to shy away and not speak about anything that I’ve gone through, I don’t think I would be doing the responsibility that’s been set on me. Shying away is something I would never do.”
Bolsonaro once again criticized the country’s electoral system without evidence, while Lula called the far-right president “a cheap copy of Trump
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his main rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, traded blows on Monday ahead of the upcoming presidential election in October.
Although they didn’t debate face-to-face, the two politicians each gave landmark interviews where Bolsonaro’s unfounded claims of electoral fraud were a key point of contention.
Bolsonaro continues to sow doubt
During a 40-minute interview on Journal Nacional, an evening news program that has the highest ratings in the country, Bolsonaro once again made claims about electoral fraud in Brazil. He did not provide any evidence.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, also said he believes the military should have a role in deciding the transparency of the vote.
“The results of the vote will be respected, as long as the election is clean and transparent,” he said.
As the president’s speech went to air on Monday night, residents in Brazil’s largest cities could be heard banging their pots and pans outside their windows, shouting “out with Bolsonaro.”
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his main rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, traded blows on Monday ahead of the upcoming presidential election in October.
Although they didn’t debate face-to-face, the two politicians each gave landmark interviews where Bolsonaro’s unfounded claims of electoral fraud were a key point of contention.
Bolsonaro continues to sow doubt
During a 40-minute interview on Journal Nacional, an evening news program that has the highest ratings in the country, Bolsonaro once again made claims about electoral fraud in Brazil. He did not provide any evidence.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, also said he believes the military should have a role in deciding the transparency of the vote.
“The results of the vote will be respected, as long as the election is clean and transparent,” he said.
As the president’s speech went to air on Monday night, residents in Brazil’s largest cities could be heard banging their pots and pans outside their windows, shouting “out with Bolsonaro.”
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin claimed her first victory since January at Tennis in the Land on Monday.
Kenin, who has struggled mightily with illness and injury since her triumph in Melbourne in 2020, has seen her ranking drop to 415 in the world.
She had lost her last nine matches but was back to winning ways in Cleveland, where Kenin earned a 6-4 6-3 win over qualifier Dalayna Hewitt in an all-American clash.
Bernarda Pera and Madison Brengle gave the home fans plenty to cheer about with first-round victories, while Lauren Davis came up short in three sets against third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Seeds Martina Trevisan, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Alize Cornet all sealed wins, the latter thrashing Dayana Yastremska for the loss of just three games.
At the Granby Championships, top seed Daria Kasatkina had to come from a set down to beat Greet Minnen 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2 in just under three hours.
Seventh seed Kaja Juvan lost to 17-year-old Cadence Brace but seeds Jasmine Paolini, Anna Bondar, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Tereza Martincova and Marta Kostyuk all emerged victorious.
The government, on Monday, August 22 signed a a $3.2 billion agreement with South African firm, Thelo DB, to revamp the Western Rail Line.
The revamp of the Western Rail line, according to government will ensure efficient mobility of passengers and freight.
It is also expected to ease transport of mineral resources.
Per the agreement, the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) will act as the rail operator, while Thelo DB consortium will play the role of a rail manager.
The consortium will work with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) as the financier and mandated lead arranger to structure and mobilise financing for the development of the Huni Valley to Dunkwa through Awaso and Nyinahin to Eduadin sections of the Western Railway Line, a distance of 300 kilometres.
Additionally, the agreement will require the rail manager and the rail operator working together to provide operations and maintenance management of the entire Western Railway Line.
The undertaking will serve as a framework through which Thelo DB consortium is appointed as a service provider for the GRCL in relation to the rail project.
Speaking at a short ceremony to sign the agreement, Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, noted that the development of the Western Line forms part of the first phase of the railway master plan which is critical to the success of the integrated aluminium industry being promoted by the government.
“The development of the western railway line forms part of first phase of the railway master plan and is critical to the success of the integrated aluminum industry that is being promoted by governmentâ€.
“For instance, projected annual peak of the haulage on the western railway line for manganese and bauxite is about seven million and 15 million metric tonnes respectively. An additional five million metric tonnes of bauxite is estimated to be mined and transported annually from the new bauxite deposit at Nyinahin using the railwayâ€, he said.
On his part, Board Chairman for Thelo DB, Ronnie Ntuli, believed the project will be a key infrastructure for the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.
According to him, transportation infrastructure is very important to the continent considering the impact of the movement of goods and services.
President of the Afriexim Bank, Professor Benedict Oramah applauded the government for taking such a bold initiative despite the harsh economic environment.
Jose Mourinhosays he is worried about an injury Nicolo Zaniolo sustained in the win over Cremonese, but “crying about it does not help”.
In the 1-0 Serie A triumph at the Stadio Olimpico, attacking midfielder Zaniolo injured his shoulder and had to be replaced just before halftime.
The unlucky Giallorossi suffered yet another major setback just one day after new signing Georginio Wijnaldum shattered his leg in practice.
The Roma manager Mourinho is worried that Zaniolo might also have a protracted absence, but he advises his players not to be self-pitying.
Mourinho remarked, “I’m worried, but that’s life.
“Crying over it won’t make it better.
“Obviously, you have ideas and plans in place for how you want to play and then you immediately find yourself in a situation where we are a few players down. But that’s football, it can happen, and we need to look forward.”
Mourinho is unsure whether he will be able to go back into the transfer market for replacements.
He added: “Right now, everyone wants the same thing, which is to make the right decisions for the club. These decisions are down to the ownership and the general manager.
“They know before this exactly what I would have liked and now we have these new difficulties after the injuries to Zaniolo and Wijnaldum. But we are all united and together we will try to find the best possible solution.”
Chris Smalling scored the only goal of the game against Cremonese to make it two Serie A wins out of two for Roma.
Kenya‘s defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga filed a petition to the country’s top court Monday, challenging the outcome of the August 9 election in what he called a fight for “democracy and good governance”.
Odinga, a veteran opposition leader who ran with the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ruling party, has rejected the outcome of the poll that delivered victory to his rival William Ruto, branding it a “travesty”.
The 77-year-old politician lost his fifth bid for the presidency by a narrow margin of around 230,000 votes — less than two percentage points.
Hundreds of supporters cheered as dozens of boxes of evidence were unloaded from a truck outside the Supreme Court.
“We have enough evidence that it is us who won the election. We didn’t have an election we can be proud of,” Odinga told a press conference after filing the case.
The outcome of the poll represented a “continuing struggle pitting the forces for democracy and good governance against the corruption cartels that… will stop at nothing to take control of government,” he said, without giving specific details.
“The action we have taken… affirms our deep belief in constitutionalism, the rule of law and a peaceful resolution of disputes.”
Although polling day passed off peacefully, the announcement of the results a week ago sparked angry protests in some Odinga strongholds and there are fears a drawn-out dispute may lead to violence in a country with a history of post-poll unrest.
Since 2002, no presidential election in Kenya has gone uncontested, with this year’s outcome also causing a rift within the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which oversaw the poll.
According to a copy of the 72-page petition, Odinga’s team alleges that IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati failed to tally around 140,000 votes.
As a result, Ruto “did not meet the constitutional threshold of 50% plus 1 of the valid votes cast” — a requirement for him to be declared the winner.
Judges now have 14 days to issue a ruling. If they order an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.
– ‘We want justice’ –
Odinga supporters began gathering outside the court hours before his arrival, blowing whistles and waving placards reading “Electoral Justice Now!” and “We want justice now”.
“Odinga must win so that we get the 6,000 shillings ($50) promised in his manifesto,” said one man, wearing a crown made with plants who was referring to a monthly cash handout for vulnerable households.
Another man — armed with a Bible and wearing huge green glasses — knelt down in prayer as police guarded the court premises.
A court clerk said the tribunal had also received another eight petitions over the results filed by voters, politicians and non-profit organisations.
The IEBC was under heavy pressure to deliver a clean vote after facing sharp criticism over its handling of the August 2017 election, which was also challenged by Odinga.
The court annulled that election in a first for Africa and ordered a re-run which was boycotted by Odinga. Dozens of people died during a police crackdown on protests.
In a shock development shortly before the results of this year’s poll were announced, four of the IEBC’s seven commissioners accused chairman Chebukati of running an “opaque” operation and later said the numbers did not add up.
Chebukati dismissed the claims, insisting he had carried out his duties according to the law of the land despite “intimidation and harassment”.
– Divided opinion –
Legal experts are divided on whether Chebukati needed the commissioners’ backing to announce the results, with constitutional lawyer Charles Kanjama said there was “some ambiguity” surrounding the issue.
Odinga has previously said he was cheated of victory in the 2007, 2013 and 2017 elections, and the poll’s aftermath is being keenly watched as a test of democratic maturity in the East African powerhouse.
On the campaign trail, both frontrunners pledged to resolve any disputes in court rather than on the streets.
Since the results were declared, Odinga has commended his supporters for “remaining calm” while Ruto has taken a conciliatory tone and promised to “work with all leaders”.
Kenya’s worst electoral violence occurred after the 2007 vote, when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes involving rival tribes.
If the Supreme Court upholds the results, Ruto will become Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963, taking the reins of a country battling inflation, high unemployment and a crippling drought.
In their 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday at Old Trafford, Manchester United put on a performance that Gary Neville “didn’t think was possible.”
The Red Devils stopped the rot at the start of Erik ten Hag’s reign, and the former United captain stated he could not believe how the highly anticipated game played out.
With their first two Premier League losses under their new boss coming against Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, there was cause for concern.
Yet goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashfordlifted Ten Hag’s men above Liverpool, who underwhelmed and are now still waiting for their own first win of the league season.
1 – Erik ten Hag is the first Manchester United manager to secure his first ever competitive win with the club in a match against Liverpool. Arrived. pic.twitter.com/mvtOYYvmzL
Neville had fumed at United’s display in the 4-0 thrashing at Brentford nine days earlier, but he was suddenly full of optimism after the win at Old Trafford.
“I’m absolutely stunned, to be honest with you,” he said in his role as a Sky Sports pundit. “I didn’t think that was possible, tonight, what I saw, in terms of response.
“I thought the players had cemented what they do now over many months at the end of last season, the start of this season.
“What’s happened this week I don’t know, but they’ve responded. Maybe the slight changes in personnel, making brave decisions…
“The captain [Harry Maguire], the star player [Cristiano Ronaldo] have both been left on the bench. That means the manager just gains a little bit of gravitas, maybe, with other players.
“Bruno [Fernandes] has responded; I think [Lisandro] Martinez at the back has played well alongside [Raphael] Varane. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t believe what I’ve just witnessed.
“Liverpool weren’t at their best, let’s be clear, but they weren’t at their best against Crystal Palace and Fulham.
“It was just the effort difference that we saw from Manchester United; they’ve outrun Liverpool, they’ve outsprinted Liverpool.
“We’ve questioned that a number of times over the last 12 months, that they’re not capable of doing it, and they’ve shown tonight that they are capable of doing it.”
Bangladesh will close schools for one more day each week and reduce office hours to ease an electricity shortage, a government official says.
Last month, the South Asian nation started daily two-hour power cuts.
Protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks after the government raised petrol prices by more than 50%.
The war in Ukraine has driven up the cost of importing fuel and taken a toll on Bangladesh’s economy and foreign currency reserves.
On Monday, Bangladesh Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said that schools – which were previously closed on Fridays – would now also be shut on Saturdays.
Meanwhile, government offices and banks will have their opening hours cut to seven hours a day, instead of eight hours. However, private offices will be allowed to set their own operating hours, Mr Islam said.
He added that the government would continue to provide power to villages, including in the early hours of the morning when crops are irrigated.
Many parts of Bangladesh are known to go without electricity for more than two hours a day.
The country generates most of its electricity from natural gas, some of which it imports.
Officials have shut down all of the country’s diesel-driven power plants, which account for around 6% of Bangladesh’s electricity generation, because of the rising cost of fuel imports.
Delta Airlines has been warned not to operate flights to Accra using its aircraft with the registration number N-195DN by the Ghana Civil Association Authority (GCAA).
The caution comes after the aircraft with registration number N195DN was forced to return to gate due to a technical problem on August 1st, 2022.
In a letter dated August 19, 2022 addressed to the “Accountable Manager†at Delta Airlines, noted that following the incident, GCAA conducted an investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to such an occurrence.
The investigation, according to authorities revealed that:
The crew reported a fuel imbalance with the left main tank.
The inbound crew experienced this same issue on the flight leg to Accra i.e on 31st July, 2022.
This was the same aircraft that had to return to JFK on 25th July, 2022 a few hours after take-off from JFK and which was widely reported on in various media outlets.
GCAAnoted that with the negative reportage about the flight, they expected that “Delta Airlines would have thoroughly investigated the issue to arrive at the root cause of the failure before dispatching the aircraft on flights.â€
“Rather, the aircraft was flown within the United States a number of times and then dispatched again to Accra, only for the problem to reoccur,†GCAA added.
As a result, “the Authority finds this unacceptable†hence the temporary denial of Delta aircraft with registration number N-195DN entry into Ghana.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)has established a nine-member committee to look at co-payment at different medical facilities around the nation, which it regards as the scheme’s biggest difficulty.
The nationwide investigation has become necessary because the scheme has recently increased the prices of service charges and cost of medicines for service providers across the board, ranging from at least 30 per cent to about 400 per cent.
Illegal co-payment is the situation where holders of NHIS valid cards are made to pay for services and medicines covered by the scheme.
Preliminary
Swearing in the committee members, the Chief Executive of the Scheme, Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, noted that preliminary investigations revealed that some facility managers claimed that they resorted to illegal-co-payments due to the fact that the tariffs were low and that the payments also delayed.
He expressed worry about the two reasons because the tariffs had been increased by 30 per cent with some receiving as high as 400 per cent while the delays in the payment of claims had been brought under control though not totally addressed.
“As of July 1, 2022, the NHIA reviewed the tariffs that we pay facilities that offer services and I am proud to say that in some cases the new prices we pay for medicines go all the way to about 400 per cent compared to the old prices,†he added.
He said with the claims, the authority had been doing very well in settling them on time, and explained that officially the claims took more than three months to settle because of the processes in reporting, verifying and other official procedures.
He said the scheme was striving hard to reduce the time, and as it evolved ways to do that the service providers must stop the behaviour of taking money from card holders.
Miniature
He said the committee would be replicated in all the 16 regions as well as all the districts so that they would be able to cover the nook and cranny of the country to bring the issues up for quick attention and address.
Dr Okoe-Boyesaid members of the committee would not be arresting hospital management and staff for collecting the money but the expectation was to find the level of charges and get feedback from the hospitals as to why they made the charges.
The nine-member national committee is chaired by Dr Francis Asenso-Boadi. The members are Titus Sorey, Emmanuel Bukari, Daniel Adin-Darko, Albert Kwaku Ampofo, Vida Adutwumwaa Boateng, Raymond Avinu, Baba Sadique Zankawah and William Omane-Adjekum.
Dr Asenso-Boadi gave the assurance that the members would move straight into action and ensure that they worked assiduously to address the challenges for the NHIS card holders to derive the full benefits.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has come under fire from renowned broadcaster Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, often known as KKD, for failing to keep his commitment to preserve the public coffers.
In an interview with GhanaWeb-reported Onua TV, KKD questioned why the president, who appears to have genuine intentions, has surrounded himself with really dishonest people.
The president, he continued, has also broken his vow not to use his office as a means of personal enrichment.
“Ghanaians are suffering, however despite what you warned us, why will you watch?
According to what you mentioned, there won’t be any theft, corruption, or graft in your administration.
According to what you said, no one will become wealthy under your administration.
“We believed you when you said these things, and we voted for you to become president. Why is it that you speak the truth, but you have surrounded yourself with people who tell lies, are thieves and corrupt to the core,†he said in Twi.
The broadcaster alleged that SIC is being collapsed by people with selfish interests.
“Enterprise Insurance is taking over the job of State Insurance and SIC. They are collapsing SIC so that they will enrich themselves. They want state institutions that belong to all of us to collapse so that they and their families will be the only people doing well,†he added.
The German went under the knife after tearing all three of the lateral ligaments in his right ankle during his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.
Zverev will not make his comeback at the final grand slam of the year in New York, as his withdrawal was announced on Monday.
The 25-year-old reached his only major final at Flushing Meadows two years ago, losing to Dominic Thiem.
Zverevstated after his operation that surgery was “the best choice” to ensure his ligaments heal properly and he could return to competition “as quickly as possible.”
The US Open gets under way next Monday, with doubts remaining over whether Novak Djokovic will be able to play due to the 21-time Grand Slam champion opting against receiving a coronavirus vaccine.
Anthony Joshuaadmitted emotions got the better of him after he launched an impassioned rant in the aftermath of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.
While Joshua’s improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.
He responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian’s belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk’s abilities.
AJ, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: “When you’re angry you do stupid things.”
On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.
The Brit tweeted: “I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.
“Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.
“I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.
“I love this sport so so much and I’ll be better from this point on. Respect.”
Usyk, 35, declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua.
He said: “I’m sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all.”
In the Premier League, the summer transfer market is still open for business.
There have already been a lot of significant signings, with championship contenders Manchester Cityand Liverpool spending big on Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez, respectively.
Raheem Sterling just signed with Chelsea, while rivals from North London Tottenham and Arsenal, as well as teams like Aston Villa, Leeds, and Nottingham Forest, have also been active.
But there is still a lot of work to be done before the window closes on Thursday, September 1 at 11 p.m. (BST).
To be informed of all the Premier League happenings during the summer transfer window, bookmark this page.
Arsenal
In:Marquinhos (Sao Paulo, £3m), Fabio Vieira (Porto, £30m), Matt Turner (New England Revolution, £5.8m), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City, £45m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City, £30m)
Out: Konstantinos Mavropanos (Stuttgart, £3m), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon, free), Jonathan Dinzeyi (released), Joel Lopez (released), Jordan McEneff (released), Harry Clarke (Stoke, loan), Omar Rekik (Sparta Rotterdam, loan), Tyreece John-Jules (Ipswich, loan), Mika Biereth (RKC Waalwijk, loan), Jordi Osei-Tutu (VFL Bochum, undisclosed), Daniel Ballard (Sunderland, undisclosed), Nikolaj Moller (Den Bosch, loan), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille, undisclosed), Zak Swanson (Portsmouth, undisclosed), Ovie Ejeheri (Chelmsford City, loan), Auston Trusty (Birmingham, loan), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea, undisclosed), Marcelo Flores (Real Ovideo, loan), Ryan Alebiosu (Kilmarnock, loan), Arthur Okonkwo (Crewe, loan), Nuno Tavares (Marseille, loan), Mazeed Ogungbo (Crawley, loan), Bernd Leno (Fulham, undisclosed), Charlie Patino (Blackpool, loan), Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray, undisclosed), Pablo Mari (AC Monza, loan), Alex Runarsson (Alanyaspor, loan)
Aston Villa
Philippe Coutinho has joined Aston Villa from Barcelona on a four-year deal
In: Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona, £17m), Boubacar Kamara (Marseille, free), Diego Carlos (Sevilla, undisclosed), Robin Olsen (Roma, undisclosed), Rory Wilson (Rangers, undisclosed), Ludwig Augustinsson (Sevilla, loan with option to buy), Ewan Simpson (Hearts, undisclosed)
In: Ryan Fredericks (West Ham, free), Joe Rothwell (Blackburn, free), Marcus Tavernier (Middlesbrough, £10m), Neto (Barcelona, free), Marcos Senesi (Feyenoord, £12m)
Out: Gary Cahill (released), Brennan Camp (released), Ryan Glover (released), Connor Curran-Browne (released), Luke Nippard (released), Owen Palmer (released), Aaron Roberts (released), Jack Seddon (released), Gavin Kilkenny (Stoke, loan), Aji Alese (Sunderland, loan), Zeno Ibsen Rossi (Cambridge, undisclosed)
Brentford
In: Aaron Hickey (Bologna, undisclosed), Keane Lewis-Potter (Hull, £20m), Thomas Strakosha (Lazio, free), Ben Mee (Burnley, free), Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria, undisclosed), Mathias Jorgensen (Free)
Out: Ben Hockenhull (Tranmere), Hans Mpongo (released), Mads Bidstrup (Nordsjaelland, loan), Gustav Mogensen (Sarpsborg, undisclosed), Christian Eriksen (Manchester United, free), Paris Maghoma (AFC Wimbledon, loan), Dominic Thompson (Blackpool, undisclosed), Lachlan Brook (Crewe, loan), Marcus Forss (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Ellery Balcombe (Crawley, loan), Tariqe Fosu (Stoke City, loan)
BrightonIn: Julio Enciso (Libertad Asuncion, undisclosed), Benicio Baker-Boaitey (Porto, undisclosed), Simon Adingra (Nordsjaelland, undisclosed), Levi Colwill (Chelsea, loan), Luca Barrington (Manchester City, undisclosed), Pervis Estupinan (Villarreal, undisclosed)
Out: Jayson Molumby (West Brom, £900,000), Tudor Baluta (released), Adam Desbois (released), Lars Dendoncker (released), Ulrick Ella (released), Ayo Tanimowo (released), John Lucero (released), Jaami Qureshi (released), Fynn Talley (Cliftonville, loan), Yves Bissouma (Tottenham, £25m), Alex Cochrane (Hearts, undisclosed), Simon Adingra (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, loan), Carl Rushworth (Lincoln, loan), Haydon Roberts (Derby, loan), Abdallah Sima (Angers, loan), Aaron Connolly (Venezia, loan), Leo Ostigard (Napoli, undisclosed), Taylor Richards (QPR, loan), Marc Leonard (Northampton, loan), Jensen Weir (Morecambe, loan), Reda Khadra (Sheffield United, loan), Teddy Jenks (Crawley, loan), Andi Zeqiri (Basel, loan), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, undisclosed), Shane Duffy (Fulham, loan), Kjell Scherpen (Vitesse Arnhem, loan)
Chelsea
In: Eddie Beach (Southampton, undisclosed), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, £50m), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, £33m), Omar Hutchinson (Arsenal, free), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire, £12m), Carney Chukwuemeka (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Marc Cucurella (Brighton, undisclosed), Cesare Casadei (Inter Milan, £12.6m)
Out:Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, free), Andreas Christensen (released), Danny Drinkwater (released), Charly Musonda (released), Jake Clarke-Salter (QPR, free), Lucas Bergstrom (Peterborough, loan), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan, loan), Nathan Baxter (Hull, loan), Ethan Wady (Woking, loan), Ian Maatsen (Burnley, loan), Henry Lawrence (MK Dons, loan), Tino Anjorin (Huddersfield, loan), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire, loan), Levi Colwill (Brighton, loan), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig, £25m), Malang Sarr (Monaco, loan)
Crystal Palace
In: Malcolm Ebiowei (Derby, free), Sam Johnstone (West Brom, free), Cheick Doucoure (Lens, undisclosed), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich, undisclosed), Kofi Balmer (Larne, undisclosed)
Out: Martin Kelly (released), Jaroslaw Jach (released), Luke Dreher (released), Rian Jamai (released), Kanye Jobson (released), Nya Kirby (released), Joseph Ling (released), Sean Robertson (released), Sion Spence (released), Aidan Steele (released), James Taylor (released), Dylan Thiselton (released), Reece Hannam (Bromley, loan), Remi Matthews (St Johnstone, loan), Tayo Adaramola (Coventry, loan), Sean Robertson (Forest Green, free), Christian Benteke (DC United, undisclosed), Scott Banks (Bradford, loan), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (Charlton, loan), Malachi Boateng (Queen’s Park, loan), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest, free)
Out: Edinson Cavani (released), Juan Mata (released), Paul Pogba (Juventus, free), Jesse Lingard (released) D’Mani Mellor (released), Reece Devine (released), Lee Grant (released), Paul McShane (released), Connor Stanley (released), Paul Woolston (released), Nemanja Matic (Roma, free), Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest, loan), Dylan Levitt (Dundee, undisclosed), Andreas Pereira (Fulham, £8m), Alvaro Fernandez (Preston, loan), Alex Telles (Sevilla, loan), Ethan Laird (QPR, loan), Dermot Mee (Altrincham, loan)
Newcastle
In: Alex Murphy (Galway United, undisclosed), Matt Targett (Aston Villa, £15m), Nick Pope (Burnley, undisclosed), Sven Botman (Lille, undisclosed), Charlie McArthur (Kilmarnock, undisclosed), Jude Smith (East Fife, undisclosed)Â
Out: Oisin McEntee (Walsall, undisclosed), Mo Sangare (Accrington, free), Isaac Hayden (Norwich, loan with obligation to buy), Lewis Cass (Port Vale, undisclosed), Freddie Woodman (Preston, undisclosed), Dan Langley (Gateshead, loan), Jeff Hendrick (Reading, loan), Ciaran Clark (Sheffield United, loan), Dwight Gayle (Stoke, undisclosed)
Nottingham Forest
In: Ryan Hammond (Millwall, undisclosed), Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, £17.5m), Dean Henderson (Manchester United, loan), Giulian Biancone (Troyes, £5m), Moussa Niakhate (Mainz, £8.5m), Omar Richards (Bayern Munich, £10m), Neco Williams (Liverpool, £17m), Wayne Hennessey (Burnley, undisclosed), Brandon Aguilera (LD Alajuelense, undisclosed), Harry Toffolo (Huddersfield, undisclosed), Lewis O’Brien (Huddersfield, undisclosed), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United, free), Orel Mangala (Stuttgart, £12.7m), Emmanuel Dennis (Watford, £20m), Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace, free), Remo Freuler (Atalanta, £8.5m), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves, £25m)
Out: Tobias Figueiredo (released), Carl Jenkinson (released), Gaetan Bong (released), Marcelo Valencia (released), Josh Barnes (released), Baba Fernandes (released), Sam Sanders (released), Morgan Thomas-Sadler (released), Joe Watkins (released), Mohamed Drager (FC Luzern, loan), Jayden Richardson (Aberdeen, undisclosed), Ethan Horvath (Luton, loan), Brice Samba (Lens, undisclosed), Tyrese Fornah (Reading, loan), Will Swan (Mansfield, loan), Jonathan Panzo (Coventry, loan), Fin Back (Carlisle, loan), Lewis Grabban (released), Riley Harbottle (Mansfield, loan), Brandon Aguilera (Guanacasteca, loan), Nicholas Ioannou (Como, undisclosed), Xande Silva (Dijon, undisclosed), Braian Ojeda (Real Salt Lake, loan), Nuno da Costa (Auxerre, undisclosed), Richie Laryea (Toronto, loan), Baba Fernandes (Accrington, loan), Nicky Hogarth (Falkirk, loan), Joe Lolley (Sydney, free)
Southampton
In: Alex Iwumene (Sutton United), Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City, undisclosed), Mateusz Lis (Altay SK, free), Armel Bella-Kotchap (Bochum, £8.5m), Romeo Lavia (Manchester City, £10.5m), Joe Aribo (Rangers, £10m), Sekou Mara (Bordeaux, undisclosed)
Out: Harry Lewis (Bradford City, free), Fraser Forster (Tottenham, free), Caleb Watts (Morecambe, loan), Kazeem Olaigbe (Ross County, loan), Shane Long (Reading, free), Dan Nlundulu (Cheltenham, loan), Will Smallbone (Stoke, loan), Thierry Small (Port Vale, loan), Kegs Chauke (Exeter, loan), Benni Smales-Braithwaite (Barrow, free), Will Ferry (Cheltenham, undisclosed), Nathan Tella (Burnley, loan), Kayne Ramsay (Harrogate, undisclosed)
Tottenham
Croatian wing-back Ivan Perisic was Tottenham’s first signing of the summer
Following Usyk’s points victory over Joshua in Jeddah on Saturday night, Fury posted on social media to say he would adore the opportunity to compete against the WBA Super, WBO, IBF, and Ring Magazine world heavyweight champion.
That would imply that the Gypsy King, who has been given till Friday to decide on his destiny, will inform the WBC that he does not intend to give up their championship.
And Warren, the 34-year-promoter old’s in the UK, is convinced that the highly anticipated fight can be signed and sealed with the least amount of controversy
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “There were talks before the [AJ] fight and Tyson had to make his mind up.
“But he’s made his mind up and he wants the fight. Usyk wants the fight and we’ve got to work out a way to make it happen.
“They both know the fight’s worth a lot of money. So it’s whether it’s going to go back to Saudi or somewhere else.
“But there’s no problem in making the fight — both camps get on very well with each other.”
Fury relinquished the Ring title and announced his retirement in the build-up to the Usyk-Joshua rematch.
But it appears his time away from the spotlight will be shortlived and Warren firmly believes his man has what it takes to dethrone Usyk.
Asked how Fury would beat the Ukrainian, he said: “Being Tyson Fury!”
Speaking last week, Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum also suggested the WBC champion would return.
The Top Rank supremo said: “Once this fight is over we’re going to put together a total unification match between the winner and Tyson.
“If Usyk wins the fight, which I expect, that will be quite easy to do because we’re very close to his people. They’re the same people who manage Vasyl Lomachenko, who fights for us.”
The overall aim of the study was to understand the food consumption choices of the urban population in cities, and how these choices impact its nutrition from both the individual and systemic perspectives.
Prof.Asante said key findings from NOURICITY project revealed some of the fresh food products in the main markets in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale were not hygienically handled.
He said vegetables and fruits and other products were sold in the open, eitheron the floor, which exposed them to microbial infections.
“Most of the food items we buy have been exposed to infections, tomatoes for instance, whether crashed or near rotten have been exposed therefore not good for consumption but these are what we see on the markets, we buy them because we think they are affordable but at the end, we end up complicating our health issues,†he said.
Prof. Asante said proper measures and the enabling environment must be put in place to check and correct such behaviours.
He mentioned cleanliness, waste collection, certification and training, market storage as some of the challenges facing food security.
He said providing training on food safety issues, such as awareness campaigns and regular visits to the markets by authorities could improve food safety knowledge.
Prof. Asante said mandates of state institutions in the food sector could be further streamlined to promote collaboration to promote efficiency in monitoring, supervision and enforcing guidelines.
Dr. Nicolas Gerber, from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn, said test results from the market survey indicated that Aflatoxins were detected in all maize and groundnut samples.
However, he said the limit beyond which actions should be taken by authorities, (20ng/mL) was reached four times (out of 24): from trucks and retailers for maize and groundnut.
With regards to microbiological test results, he said total coliforms were detected in most samples for all products and all stages but no salmonella was enumerated from cabbage, tomatoes, and maize or groundnut samples collected from trucks, wholesalers and retailers.
Dr Gerber said during the research, it was noticed that the majority of traders were aware of their actions in relation to food security but behavioural change was an issue.
This comes after the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) proposed a 27.15 percent upsurge in electricity bill and a 21.55 percent increase in water bill.
Objections and support for the new tariff increment have embraced the new directive which will take effect soon.
Some residents describing the new upsurge as a ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul strategy strategy’, said the government is deliberately doing this to regain profit from the lost it incurred during the COVID-19 era, thus when it supplied water and electricity for free.
According to most of them, the addition of this current hike to the existing economic hardship faced by Ghanaians will bring a big blow, hence the need for the government to subsidize the bills instead of the increment.
“Electricity and water bills are already expensive, people can’t pay. Kindly give it to us for free, we’re suffering. We only come to work to sleep because of hardship”. Is this a strategy to retrieve the lost incurred for the free supply of utilities during the covid 19?” A resident by name Nana Addo quizzed.
“I see this as one of the ways this government is trying to get back the monies from the free water and electricity it supplied us during the covid 19 era. But we’re pleading with the government to have mercy on us because we’re really sweating”. Bismark told GhanaWeb.
“Most of the houses that were supplied with meters by various assembly members are not being forced to pay light bills. Even though there are most of them who make effort to pay their bills, but there’re no serious officials to do such follow ups. I’m pleading with the government to rather concentrate on such issues to generate more revenue than to increase tariffs,” a Buokrom resident who spoke to Ghanaweb revealed.
Some have also suggested the government stops the tariff increment and rather find other means to generate money into the the system.
“I humbly suggest the government uses the e-levy money to cater for the bills and stop the increment. We’re now in crisis, Ghanaians are indeed suffering,” Dan revealed.
“If the government wants us to leave this country to Togo, it must tell us. Things are hard, and you still want to increase utility tariffs? I see this as the government’s scheming plan to get back the money from the free water and electricity supply during the COVID-19 crisis. If that’s not the case, the government must tell us why this punishment in this time of difficulty?
Despite the numerous objections to the new electricity hikes, there were some others who called on Ghanaians to support the government by accepting the current hikes. Some of these people said it was time Ghanaians paid high utility bills to support the government in revenue generation.
“Even in America, things are difficult. Don’t blame the government for anything. This government has done well by managing things well, and it was time Ghanaians commend it by accepting the new tariffs. I support the government to the highest point. I urge Ghanaians to pay the new tariffs. Most people usually dodge tax payments and it was time the government uses these small bills to generate revenue”. Burger Nsia, a former American citizen said.
Madam Akua, a teacher who spoke to Ghanaweb said though the increment was good but the government needed to reduce the percentages.
Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has called for a new cooperative law that will instill modern business principles in the cooperative system.
He said such a law must be able to do away with the welfare mindset that governed the activities of cooperatives and focus on being seen as full-fledged business entities in their own rights.
The minister made this known in a speech read on his behalf on the occasion of the International Cooperatives Day held in Accra, under the theme “Building a better world through Cooperativesâ€.
This, he said, would focus on streamlining the existing systems and strengthening structures that would unleash the full potential of Cooperative Societies as private sectors entities while government, represented by the Department of Cooperatives, played its regulatory role in the most effective manner.
The minister said the new law was aimed at creating an enabling environment for cooperative societies to thrive, create maximum value for shareholders as well as to utilise it as a sustainable avenue for job creation.
He said it would be aimed at streamlining the existing management processes, establishing a Central Financial Facility to support cooperative facilities facing liquidity problems, strengthening the management of Reserve Fund and improving capacity building for all actors in the cooperative system.
“Whereas the new law aims to streamline functions of the Department of Cooperatives as the regulator of the sector, it also provides the establishment of an Apex Body, the Ghana Cooperative Council, to cooperative system in Ghana through the enforcement of standards and good business practices across the sectors,†he said.
He said the Apex Body would be fully owned and supported by cooperative societies to ensure that it would be successful in the performance of its mandate, adding that it was his hope that when the reforms are implemented, the cooperative system would be strengthened and positioned to play its role in national development in a more effective, efficient and sustainable manner.
Mr Kwabena Apraku, Registrar of Cooperatives, Department of Cooperatives, said the cooperative concept emerged as a means of finding solutions to socio-economic problems such as unemployment and low productivity when it was introduced by the British in 1928 to organise then cocoa farmers into cooperative societies to make it easier to engage them.
He said in order to regulate their activities, a Secretariat was established in 1944 to accelerate the promotion and development of cooperatives activities in the country, adding that the mandate at the time was to accelerate the pace of development of the emerging cooperative system.
He said by the end of the 1960s, the Cooperative Office had metamorphosed into a full-fledged Department of Cooperatives with a full complement of staff operating under NLC Decree,1968 (NLCD,252), since the cooperative system had spread into every sector of the economy operating in agricultural, industrial, financial and the service sectors of the economy.
Mr Apraku said currently, there are over 12,000 registered cooperatives operating in all sectors of the economy resulting in the tens of thousands of jobs for the labour force, thereby contributing tremendously to the reduction of unemployment in the country.
He said despite these past achievements, the cooperative system still had enormous potential that could be harnessed for accelerated economic growth, job creation and national development should the required measures be put in place.
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has bemoaned the rate at which the central bank has hiked the monetary policy rate from 19% to 22%.
According to the Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional branch of AGI, Tsonam Akpeloo, already, traders are paying huge sums of monies as interests on the loans acquired from financial institutions, therefore, this further increment in the monetary policy will cause more harm than good to traders.
He further wondered how Ghanaian businesses can compete with other countries with lower interest rates in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Akpeloo said inasmuch as local businesses appreciate that the increase of the monetary policy rate by 300 basis points by the central bank is a way to salvage the high inflation rate as well as stabilize the local currency, that is not the best way to solve the problems.
Speaking on Citi TV‘s Big Issue programme on Saturday, August 20 and monitored by GhanaWeb, he said, “Prior to the recent increase in the policy rate, there was another not long ago. We are yet to find out what benefit this brought to the country. Going ahead to increase the policy rate again, without telling us the results the previous one achieved, is not fair to us.â€
“Already we are borrowing at an extremely high rate. In this era of continental free trade, we are expected to be competing with countries that have lower interest rates. That is really insensitive to our plights. Inasmuch as we appreciate that the central bank finds a need to solve the situation, this is not the best way to go about it,†he added.
The local currency – Cedi – has in the past week witnessed a decline in value against major trading currencies, Pounds Sterling, US Dollars and Euros.
On the interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana, the Cedi is currently trading against the dollar at a buying price of GH¢8.14pesewas and selling at GH¢8.1532.
At some forex bureaus, the Cedi is currently trading against the dollar at a buying price of GH¢9.97 pesewas and selling at GH¢10.17pesewas.
Against the Pounds Sterling, the Cedi is bought at GH¢11.50 and sold at GH¢12.13.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Ghana (BoG), on the other hand, has entreated Ghanaians to remain calm as it implements pragmatic measures to resolve the cedi depreciation against major trading currencies, especially the US Dollar.
As part of the measures, the central bank said it was increasing foreign currency (FX) supplies to banks in the short term to help meet growing FX demands for external payments.
Traders bemoan increase in prices of goods and services
Ghana’s high inflation has resulted in an increase in the cost of living for Ghanaians. In this week’s edition of BizTech, traders share how costly it has become to run their businesses and the rippling effects on their livelihoods.
Mr Joseph Nsobilla, a tricycle driver, bemoaned that communication has become difficult as incoming and outgoing calls are mostly affected.
“When you are in town and you call someone, and you are speaking to the person, you hear the person, but the person will not hear you”.
He noted that there had been many instances where the poor network issues had affected his sales because customers could not reach him.
Not only that, he added, drivers also have difficulties when their tricycles break down in the middle of a trip.
“Sometimes you can drive to a far place and you have a flat tyre or your motorcycle breaks down and you are calling a motor fitter. You won’t get them, so you will just be there,” he complained.
A dealer in shoes and bags at Atanfo Nye Nyame shop indicated that the lack of a mobile network affects the mode of payment of customers, especially those who prefer payment via MOMO.
“Our customers are many. Some are in Tumu, Wa, Bawku, and all the surrounding areas. They want to always call and describe or even send pictures of what they want, and due to the internet challenge, we are not able to hear from them,” he told GhanaWeb.
A phone dealer and repairer, Mr. Osbert, lamented that the situation was affecting their business because their customers mostly called them before coming around.
He explained that whenever they called and did not get him, that meant the end of the business with them as they were not certain of getting what they wanted when they came.
“It is affecting us because our customers call and they don’t get us. When it happens like that, they won’t come and buy anything or repair anything so it is reducing our work,” he said.
A mobile money operator Mr Moses Abindau, noted that the network issue was seriously affecting their business, as they could not operate without it.
“It is affecting our business because, without a network, you cannot do any transaction and our customers are always suffering because of that,” he bemoaned.
He added that they are running at a loss due to the situation.
In a country once known for political interference in the judiciary, Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome is no pushover: she built her career defending dissidents, and this year her court torpedoed constitutional changes proposed by the president who appointed her.
But her own reputation for independence and fairness is on trial after opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a Supreme Court case on Monday seeking to overturn the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election.
The election commission is split: the chairman announced that Deputy President William Ruto won by about 233,000 votes, but four out of the seven commissioners dissented, saying results were not aggregated correctly. Kenya’s largest civil society election observation group says its count supports the chairman.
Any perceived misstep in the ruling by Koome or the six judges she presides over could damage public faith in the judiciary and imperil the peaceful transfer of power in East Africa’s richest and most stable nation.
The dispute has raised tensions in a nation with a history of deadly election disputes.
“We urge the judiciary to remain an impartial arbiter,” the Angaza Movement, a Kenyan civic and human rights consortium, said on Friday, adding the “tranquillity and peace of the nation” depended upon it.
The stakes are also high for the judges themselves: when Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified the 2017 election results, judges faced a torrent of abuse, were called “crooks” by the president and one of their bodyguards was shot and injured.
Koome, appointed in May 2021 by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, has a reputation for integrity.
Months after her appointment, she quashed broad constitutional reforms backed by both Odinga and Kenyatta, which were widely seen as an attempt to sideline Ruto. Kenyatta fell out with Ruto after the 2017 elections and formed an alliance with Odinga.
Koome’s ruling prompted praise even from critics like Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a lawyer who has frequently questioned Koome’s independence and who supports Ruto.
“On the whole, good judgment by the Supreme Court,” he tweeted, praising Koome and a second judge for being “outstanding in their reasoning”.
CHALLENGING POWER
In 2017, the Supreme Court became the first African court to scrap the re-election victory of a sitting president, after it annulled on procedural grounds results giving Kenyatta a second term. Kenyatta won the rerun after Odinga boycotted it.
Four of those judges remain on the Court. The chief justice retired and Koome replaced him.
Koome – who has 34 years of legal experience – cut her teeth representing political detainees like Odinga when he protested against state repression in the 1980s and 90s.
In Odinga’s stronghold of Kisumu, faith in the courts helps keep protesters off the streets.
“Many years ago … courts seemed to be controlled by the government. But today’s courts have come out to be more independent,” said carpenter Meshack Nyamema.
Koome, 62, is already a trailblazer: her appointment made her the first female head of any Kenyan branch of government. She often discusses her Christianity and liberal social views.
One of 18 children from a polygamous family of subsistence farmers, Koome co-founded and chaired the Federation of Women Lawyers. It campaigns for women’s rights, offers poor women free legal services and contributed to a landmark 2010 constitution that guaranteed women new rights.
In another departure from orthodoxy, in 2019 she supported a ruling that it was not illegal to identify as gay. Gay sex is punishable by 14 years in jail.
This May, Koome used a national prayer breakfast to warn against settling election disputes on the streets.
“I pray for those who might be tempted to divide our nation for their selfish reasons,” she said. “This country belongs to everyone, and not just politicians.”
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Tema Regional Command Safety Department has admonished institutions and companies to adhere to fire safety procedures to reduce outbreaks in the country.
Divisional Officer Grade III (DOIII) Nancy Amaka officer in charge of the Safety Department expressed concern about the flagrant disregard for our safety, stressing “security and safety must go hand-in-hand, it is suicidal to play security above safety, when you build a house only with security in mind, in case of emergency, you will notice that you have limited safety exit pointâ€.
DOIII Amaka stated after leading a three-member GNFS Fire Risk Assessment Audit team to Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to conduct a risk assessment, stressing that putting a fire prevention plan in place can significantly reduce the extent of damage that a fire can cause and help to avert one from breaking out in the first place.
“As part of the assessment we outline fire emergency evacuation plan details with the institution on how staff, throughout the building, can exit in a safe and appropriate manner,†she said.
Addressing the GNA Tema Regional officials after the audit which was also conducted at Plan B FM, and GBC Obonu FM, and other media houses in Tema including the Graphics Group Communication, and the New Times Corporation, she called for proactive engagement with the service.
DOIII Amaka said the aim of carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment is to remove or reduce the risk of hazards and to determine what safety measures are needed to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. There are various things to consider, including fire detection and warning systems.
“Fire risk assessment is an organized look at what, in your work activities and workplace, could cause harm to people from fire. It will help determine the chances of a fire occurring and the dangers of fire that the workplace poses for the people who use it.
“We have done this auditing over and over, recommendations have been written, reports have been sent, you go back the following year and you realize that most of the things that were recommended had not been put in place,†she said.
She said the failure of some people to adhere to safety measures, for both private and commercial facilities, to prevent fire incidences was worrying.
She noted that adhering to safety practices contributed immensely to the growth of the economy and encouraged Ghanaians to call on the Service in cases of fire outbreaks.
She said while the Service was devising measures to reduce fire outbreaks, it needed support from the public for the efforts to succeed and called on both private and public institutions to request the GNFS risk assessment, if necessary, to prevent any unforeseen occurrence.
Assistant Divisional Officer Grade II (ADOII), William S. K. Klebeti, said the audit was to identify the various fire hazards with the institutions and companies to indicate the necessary recommendations to them adding that it was also to assess knowledge on some of the workers on some equipment they use.
Ronald Frimpong has signed a new one-year contract extension at Real Tamale United until the summer of 2023.
The 30-year-old’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of this month and Frimpong had external offers from several clubs in the Ghana Premier Leagueas well as abroad.
“We are delighted to announce that Ronald Frimpong has extended his stay with us for another year. The new deal means the striker will remain with us until the summer of 2023,” the club posted in their twitter page.
We are delighted to announce that Ronald Frimpong has extended his stay with us for another year. The new deal means the striker will remain with us until the summer of 2023. ðŸ“🖊ï¸ðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ‘ðŸ¼#Rtu#prideofthenorthpic.twitter.com/gvIVtx9pO4
He was one of the standout players at RTU last season, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists with his last brace coming against Hearts of Oak in their final league game.
Frimpong has been consistent for the Tamale based side for the past two seasons.
The 2022/23 betPawa Ghana Premier League will kick off on the weekend of Friday, September 9 to Monday, September 12 across the country.
RTU will host newcomers Samartex 1996 at the Aliu Mahama Stadium in their opening game of the season.
Presidential candidate Raila Odinga has formally filed a petition challenging the election results in Kenya’sSupreme Court on Monday, according to one of Odinga’s lawyers, Daniel Maanzo.
The petition was filed online Monday morning with a physical copy expected to arrive at the court’s registry in Nairobi before the 2p local time deadline.
Odinga’s Azimio La Umoja (Aspiration to Unite) coalition claimed it had enough evidence in the petition to prove misconduct by the electoral commission after the August 9th presidential election that resulted in a narrow win for Deputy President William Ruto.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s results said Ruto, 55, won with 50.49% of the vote against Odinga’s 48.85%.
This is Odinga’s fifth time running and third time challenging his loss in presidential elections through the Supreme Court, having filed a case after the last two elections in 2013 and 2017.
In 2017, the Supreme Court ordered a re-election to be held, which was boycotted by Odinga who again lost to incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We have a strong petition and we’re hopeful that it will go through,” Maanzo told CNN on Monday. “We’re asking the court to decide if the constitution was followed in declaring the presidential results. If it was not within the constitution, then it is null and void.”
The Supreme Court has 14 days from Monday to hear Odinga’s case and deliver a verdict.
If the seven judges rule in favor of 77-year-old Odinga, they could order a recount of votes, a fresh election, or award Odinga the presidency.
Ghana is returning to the global showpiece after missing out in the 2018 edition in Russia.
The West African powerhouse will hope to make impact at the World Cup in the Asian country and has been exploring all means to deliver.
On Saturday, Black Stars assistant coach George Boateng was at the was at Selhurst Park to watch Ghanaian duo of and Jeffery Schlupp as they starred in Crystal Palace 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
Boateng was pleased with the Black Stars duo’s performances in the Eagles’ first win of the season against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa.
The Aston Villa youth coach has been scouting Ghanaian players in the United Kingdom ahead of the World Cup.
Black Stars technical team, headed by Otto Addo, is doing everything possible to assemble a competitive squad that can represent Ghana proudly in Qatar later this year.
Ghana has been paired against Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group at the World Cup.
The illegal drug was found inside military-style ammunition boxes and hidden within a three tone lathe in a shipping container. The police worry that Australia could become part of a ‘global fentanyl epidemic’.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) seized more than 5 million doses of fentanyl, a deadly opioid that is circulated illegally on the streets, on Monday. According to a press statement by the ABF, this was the largest shipment of fentanyl ever detected in the country.
The opioids were found in a shipment arriving from Canada in Melbourne in December 2021, hidden inside an industrial wooden lathe, the statement described.
At an examination of the shipping container two months later, in February, Australian police officers discovered nearly 60 kilograms of illegal substances. The powdered drugs were covered up inside of military-style ammunition boxes and hidden further within a three tone lathe.
An analysis by forensic officers proved that the substances were made up of 11.2 kilograms of pure fentanyl — which is equivalent to about 5.5 million potential lethal doses of 30 milligrams — and some 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of 27 million Australian dollars (roughly €18.5 million, or US$18.5 million).
First known large seizure in Australia
Prior to that, Australian police said they had only ever detected illegal fentanyl in amounts of less than 30 grams. They went on to say that as little as 28 milligrams of the drug can result in death.
“This was a massive amount of Fentanyl,” ABF Commander Maritime and Enforcement South James Watson said.
“Fentanyl is an extremely toxic substance to handle as well as being a lethal drug to use. There is a fentanyl epidemic in many parts of the world today, resulting in thousands of deaths of users every year,” Watson highlighted.
Australian Federal Police acting Commander Anthony Hall added that the lacing of illegal drugs with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl proved especially dangerous.
“People who use illicit drugs can never be certain what they are ingesting and this seizure highlights the potentially lethal game of Russian roulette they play. We don’t want to see Australia joining other countries in that deadly game,” he said.
Two of Africa’s representatives at the 2022 World Cup, Ghana and Tunisia, will play five-time world champions Brazil in friendlies next month.
The two countries have lined up the warm-up matches against the South Americans to help them prepare for the tournament to be played in Qatar in November.
The Black Stars will face the Brazilians on 23 September before the Carthage Eagles clash with the South Americans four days later.
The venue of the two matches has not been decided but the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) revealed on Friday that it will be in Europe.
“Brazil will face Ghana and Tunisia on the 23rd and 27th of September. Teams are also qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” a CBF statement read.
“The cities and times of the friendly matches will be announced in the future.”
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) also confirmed the agreement to play Brazil insisting it will give coach Otto Addo the chance to assess his players for travelling to Qatar.
“The match will give Coach Otto Addo the platform to continue the assessment of his players in the build up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals,” the GFA said in a statement.
The match has been made possible thanks to the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone September’s TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to allow the five African sides going to the World Cup to prepare well.
Ghana have been drawn in Group H at the World Cup to face Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.
Tunisia was drawn in Group D alongside France, Denmark and Australia.
Dutch football legend, Kees Kwakman has lauded Kudus Mohammedfor his performance against Sparta Rotterdam over the weekend.
The 21-year-old was named in the matchday squad of the group in the matchday 3 encounter of the continued 2022/23 Dutch Eredivisie.
Steven Bergwijn scored in the 37th minute to present Ajax the deserved lead.
Later in the second half, Mohammed Kudus was launched into the sport in the 73rd minute as he changed compatriot Brian Brobbey.
Before the introduction of Kudus, Ajax were poor but the Ghanaian brought stability to the side.
“Kuduscame in really well, I must say. How solid he is then, but also how he can turn away, how he makes action and provokes a free kick.,” Kwakman told ESPN.
“It was also because others didn’t show it, but Kudus showed his class in twenty minutes,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kudus has been linked to Premier League side, Everton in the ongoing summer transfer.
An exceptional monsoon season sparked flooding in the eastern Afghan province of Logar and in neighboring Pakistan. More than 50 people have been killed and several people are still missing.
Seasonal rains caused heavy flooding that killed dozens of people in Afghanistan and parts of neighboring Pakistan, officials said Sunday.
The rains lashed several areas of the eastern Afghan province of Logar, where at least 20 people died and more than 30 others were wounded.
Thousands of homes were destroyed, officials said, along with canals and about 5,000 acres of agricultural land.
A village elder said the flooding was unprecedented in the history of Khushi.
“It destroyed all the people’s animals, houses and agricultural land,” he said. “People are homeless, they have been forced to take refuge in the mountains.”
Footage posted to social media showed bodies of children as well as villages inundated by the waters.
Helicopters used to rescue trapped residents
Officials at the country’s National Disaster Management Authority told DPA news agency that they were using helicopters to try to rescue those trapped by the flooding.
Afghan government spokesman Bilal Karimi urged the international community to provide aid.
“We urgently request the international community… to join hands with the Afghans at this critical time and (to) spare no effort to help the victims,” Karimi said in a statement.
Foreign aid and disaster relief have been dramatically reduced since the Taliban stormed back to power in August last year, amid concerns that any assistance could be commandeered by the Islamist group.
The floods come as the country faces a hunger crisis, partly caused by the lack of aid and Western sanctions imposed on the Taliban.
Last week, northern Afghanistan was hit by heavy rains that set off flash floods that killed at least 31 people and left dozens missing.
Since June more than 600 people have been killed during monsoon season in Pakistan
Pakistan sees heaviest rain in decades
In neighboring Pakistan, at least 36 people were killed by flooding triggered by the heaviest monsoon rains in decades, according to the country’s natural disaster management authority.
Rescue workers and the military evacuated thousands of people, officials said. The Balochistan and Sindh provinces have been hardest hit by the flooding
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, received 305% more rain than the annual average, the disaster agency said.
Forecasters say more rain is expected this week.
Since June, 618 people have been killed during the unprecedented monsoon season.
The rains and flooding have damaged more than 69,874 houses, leaving thousands homeless and stranded in remote villages, the agency wrote in its latest report.
The Republican governor of the US state of Indiana began a visit to Taiwan Monday. The trip comes on the heels of a high-profile visit from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Holcomb’s visit comes at a tense moment for Taiwan, China and the US
Eric Holcomb, the Republican governor of the US state of Indiana, began a four-day visit to Taiwan Monday.
Holcomb met with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen who told him the US and Taiwan are key security and economic allies.
“Taiwan has been confronted by military threats from China, in and around the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai told Holcomb during the meeting at her office in Taipei.
“At this moment, democratic allies must stand together and boost cooperation across all areas,” Tsai added.
The focus of Holcomb’s visit is on economic exchange, particularly in the critical area of semiconductors.
His is the third high-profile visit from US politicians in recent weeks, and like the others, it will likely draw rebukes and condemnation from Beijing.
What is the backdrop to Holcomb’s visit?
Holcomb’s visit comes at a tense moment for Taiwan, China and the US after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this month.
Pelosi was the highest-level member of the US government to visit Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory, in 25 years.
Taiwan rejects Beijing’s territorial claims and remains democratic and self-governing.
China’s People’s Liberation Army  held several days of snap exercises following Pelosi’s visit, forcing Taipei to reroute and cancel flights. Chinese warplanes were also sent to probe across the Strait of Taiwan.
China also reacted with visa bans and sanctions on Taiwanese figures, though the effects are unclear.
Beijing accuses the US of encouraging the island’s independence through the sale of weapons and engagement between US politicians and the island’s government.
Amartey lasted the entire duration of the game as Southampton came from behind to secure their first league win in nine games.
James Maddison’s fantastic free-kick, curled around the wall and into the bottom corner from 25 yards, gave Leicester the lead.
The Saints had barely had a chance before that but the introduction of Adams for Sekou Mara after 59 minutes changed the game.
First he slotted in from seven yards out from Armel Bella-Kotchap’s ball after Leicester failed to clear a long throw-in.
Captain James Ward-Prowse lofted a cross into the box and Adams met it with an acrobatic volley which flew past Danny Ward.
Southampton’s victory was achieved after fielding the youngest Premier League starting line-up named by any club since May 2017, with an average age of 23 years and 238 days.
Amartey has made three league appearances for Brendan Rodgers side this season.
During the visit, the chancellor is set to sign a long-term deal to receive green hydrogen from Canada. German carmakers are keen to source minerals for electric vehicle batteries from the North American country.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday left for a three-day visit to Canada focused on boosting energy security in Europe’s largest economy.
Faced with the possibility of reduced or zero gas imports from Russia — in retaliation for Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine —  the chancellor is stepping up efforts to secure alternatives.
Scholz and his deputy and energy minister, Robert Habeck of the Greens, landed in Montreal late on Sunday local time and were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy, Chrystia Freeland.
Scholz praised Canada on arrival, calling it one of Germany’s closest friends outside the EU and saying that it was a country rich in natural resources like Russia, but by contrast was also a reliable democracy.
LNG and hydrogen deals planned
Up for discussion will be the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG), although it was unclear whether this would meet Germany’s short-term needs.
Canada currently has no LNG terminals for export and new facilities would take years to build.
Germany’s gas requirements are limited due to plans to phase out fossil fuels by 2035.
A longer-term deal on closer cooperation on renewable energies like green hydrogen is expected to be signed.
Canada is planning to build a hydrogen plant in Newfoundland that will use wind energy to produce the fuel, the Globe & Mail reported.
Germany is also keen to source minerals available in Canada — nickel, cobalt, lithium and graphite — which are important for the production of batteries for electric vehicles.
Scholz, who is joined on the trip by Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, will hold talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Support for Ukraine likely to dominate talks
The leaders are due to discuss the need for political, economic and military support for Ukraine’s battles against Russia, and on dealings with China.
The two German politicians will first meet Trudeau in his Montreal constituency on Monday.
The trio will then attend a German-Canadian economic conference in Toronto.
A delegation of more than a dozen business leaders is accompanying Scholz and Habeck, including the CEOs of Volkswagen and Siemens.
Before they leave, the German leaders will visit the remote town of Stephenville in Newfoundland, to spotlight the development of hydrogen technologies and hydrogen supply chains.
As Germany scrambles to wean itself off Russian gas, Habeck has already visited countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Norway on missions to diversify energy imports.
Scholz interrupted by topless protest
Earlier Sunday, Scholz found himself suddenly flanked by topless women during a press event, as part of a protest calling for an embargo on Germany’s import of Russian gas.
A dpa photographer at the scene reported that security guards immediately intervened and led the two women away.
Habeck, meanwhile, said Sunday that Germans shouldn’t panic about a shortage of gas this winter.
He said the government was helping to secure additional gas supplies, including LNG from the United States, but stressed that the country would still need to cut gas usage by 15-20%.
Ghana international, Alexander Djiku got his name on the scoresheet for Racing Strasbourg on Sunday during the home game against Stade Reims.
The highly-rated defender was expected to leave the club this summer but after a failed move to TSG Hoffenheim, he has turned all his focus on helping Strasbourg.
Today, the top centre-back was in action for his club when the team hosted Stade Reims in the French Ligue 1.
At the end of a very exciting first half, the hosts had the lead thanks to an injury-time strike from defender Alexander Djiku.
Although his team played well in the second half in hopes of securing a win, a spirited performance from the visitors saw the team equalizing through Folorin Balogun in the 81st minute.
Eventually, the match ended in a 1-1 draw as both teams shared the spoils.
Alexander Djiku has been in fine form since the start of the season and must stay fit to earn a place in the Ghana squad for the friendly matches in September.
Former President John Dramani Mahama eulogised the deceased Northern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), at the Islamic funeral rites held for him in Tamale.
As part of the funeral service, Muslim leaders prayed to Allah to have mercy on the deceased, which was led by Sheikh Abdul-Salaam, Northern Regional Chief Imam.
Mr Mahama said Alhaji Mobila was one of his key advisers during and after his 2020 presidential campaign.
Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, National Chairman of NDC, also in a tribute on behalf of the Party, said the death of the Chairman was heartbreaking not only for the party but also to the families and friends as well.
Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of NDC said the late Chairman dedicated himself to the cause of party unity in the region as well as his commitment to return the party to power.
Mr Ibrahim Hamshawu, son of the late Alhaji Mobila, who read a tribute on behalf of the family, said his father was a charitable man, who lived for others, always helping people.
He said his father was a great teacher, who always taught the family the way to God by encouraging them to practice the Islamic teaching.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament, expressed appreciation to all sympathizers for their support for the funeral.
Alhaji Ibrahim Mobila died at the age of 84 on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at the Tamale Teaching Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for a short illness.
He was also Chief of Tugu Yapalsi, a farming community on the Tamale-Yendi Road.
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