Brazil Football Great Zagallo Hospitalised

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August 17, 2023

Brazilian football legend Mario Zagallo, the first person to win the World Cup as both player and coach, has been hospitalised with a urinary infection, doctors said on Wednesday, a week after his 92nd birthday.

The Barra D’Or hospital in Rio de Janeiro said Zagallo had been admitted on Tuesday, adding he was “clinically stable, lucid and breathing unassisted.”

There is no date set for his release, it said.

The news comes just over a year after Zagallo spent nearly two weeks in semi-intensive care in the same hospital for a respiratory infection.

Zagallo played alongside Pele on Brazil’s 1958 and 1962 World Cup-winning teams, standing out for his unique mix of attacking flair and defensive solidity.

He then coached the Brazil squad that won the 1970 World Cup, considered by many the greatest team in history.

The only other people to win the World Cup as both player and coach are Franz Beckenbauer of Germany (1974 and 1990) and Didier Deschamps of France (1998 and 2018).

Celebrating his 92nd birthday last week, Zagallo posted a picture of himself on Instagram, smiling and surrounded by family.

“Spending my birthday in the best possible way, with my family. Thank you for all the affection,” he wrote.

Neymar Credits Ronaldo For Saudi Pro League Transformation

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John Mutiso

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August 17, 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo is responsible for transforming the Saudi Pro League, according to Brazil forward Neymar who is looking forward to facing the Portuguese international when he starts playing for Al-Hilal.

The 31-year-old Neymar signed a two-year contract with the Riyadh-based club on Tuesday after spending six years with Paris St Germain, in a deal reportedly worth about 90 million euros ($98 million).

Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined Al-Nassr in December on a two-and–half-year contract following his acrimonious departure from Manchester United.

“I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started all of this and everybody called him ‘crazy’, and this and that. Today you see the league grow more and more,” Neymar said in his first interview after the transfer on Wednesday.

The Saudi Pro League has since invested over 600 million euros to lure a host of top players and coaches from European clubs.

Notable recruits include Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City.

“It is exciting, meeting top-quality players on the other teams thrills you and motivates you to play even better. And it is a given when you face Ronaldo, Benzema, (Roberto) Firmino, that the excitement is even greater,” Neymar said.

Al-Hilal reappointed Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus on a one-year deal and signed former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves, Serbia’s Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Brazilian striker Malcom.

“I think it is very important to have quality in the squad. Obviously, it helps in some decisions you take throughout you career. It was certainly for me,” Neymar said.

“I am very excited to write a new story chasing all the objectives with the club and my teammates – winning more and more titles and fulfilling the club’s ambition.”

Al-Hilal host Al-Feiha in the next round of the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

England Eye ‘Incredible’ Chance To End 57-Year World Cup Drought

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John Mutiso

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August 17, 2023

Skipper Millie Bright said her team were embracing an “incredible opportunity” to do something an English side has not managed since 1966 – win a World Cup.

The Lionesses powered into Sunday’s final in Sydney against Spain after a ruthless 3-1 dismantling of co-hosts Australia, with their relentless energy grinding down a Matildas side that had few answers.

It set up England’s biggest game since Bobby Moore lifted the men’s trophy at Wembley 57 years ago.

“I’m really happy for the fans back home, for our nation,” said Chelsea stalwart Bright, with men’s skipper Harry Kane and even King Charles III sending congratulations.

“It’s something that we’ve all been driving towards and it’s something that’s been missing. Now the opportunity we have is incredible.”

The European champions have grown through the tournament, with their ruthless attacking football and defensive resilience proving a tall order for the opposition.

But it has been their adaptability that has driven them to the brink of history, built on the back of the tactical genius of coach Serena Wiegman who led them to the European title last year.

“You can win in many different ways and, for us, we’ve faced so many challenges at this tournament,” Bright said on Fifa.com.

“It’s hard for people to see on the outside, but as players, we know that there’s more to football than just pretty passes and connecting.

“In each game, we’ve proved something different about how we play, what we’re capable of. We’re very adaptable to what teams throw at us.

“But things are really starting to click now and we’re getting the ball in the back of the net.”

This is ominous for Spain, who have also shown resilience after their tournament preparations were thrown into disarray.

Last September, 15 players sent an email to their football federation saying they did not want to be considered for selection. The protest was aimed chiefly at coach Jorge Vilda, including complaints that he was too strict.

Vilda held on to his job and has steadied the ship, but England will nevertheless be favourites on Sunday with Wiegman at the helm.

The Dutch coach has reached four major tournament finals in a row, leading the Netherlands to the European title in 2017 then the World Cup final in 2019, where they lost to the United States.

With England, she took them to European glory on home soil last year and now has another chance to win the biggest trophy of them all.

“We made the first final in 2017 and thought this is really special, it might not ever happen again,” she said.

“Then you make the second, the third and the fourth and still think this might never happen again because there is so much competition,” she added.

“I can hardly describe how proud I am of the team.”

Manchester City Crowned UEFA Super Cup Champions

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Dan Ojumah

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August 17, 2023

Manchester City added the Uefa Super Cup to the Treble they claimed last season with victory over Sevilla on penalties in Athens.

Pep Guardiola’s Champions League winners lost the Community Shield to Arsenal in a shootout, but saw their fortunes transformed when Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj hit the bar after nine successful penalties.

City had to come from behind in an entertaining encounter to force penalties after a towering header from Youssef En-Nesyri put the Europa League holders ahead on 25 minutes.

Sevilla goalkeeper Bono and his Manchester City counterpart Ederson both excelled with fine saves before man-of-the-match Cole Palmer rose at the far post in the 63rd minute to level with a looping header from Rodri’s cross.

It set up the tense finale that resulted in another piece of silverware being added to Guardiola’s vast collection.

Worldcoin Stopped From Scanning Kenyans’ Eyeballs

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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August 16, 2023

The High Court has ruled that the cryptocurrency startup Worldcoin will not collect any more data from Kenyans awaiting the outcome of a case filed by the Data Commissioner’s office.

Justice Nixon Sifuna directed that the data gathered by Worldcoin between April of last year and August of this year be archived.

The lawsuit was initially submitted before the Milimani Constitutional Court, but was later transferred to the High Court’s Criminal Division.

In moving the file, Justice Mugambi stated that the matter is better handled in that division because the application before the court seeks preservatory instructions to allow investigations.

The State Agency said in its appeal to the Court that unless the Court intervenes, the already gathered data will be destroyed and amended.

It stated that the preservation orders are necessary to facilitate ongoing investigations into whether the processing of personal data complies with the Data Protection Act.

According to its website, the Worldcoin project is “aimed at establishing universal access to the global economy regardless of country or background, and it is designed to become the world’s largest human identity and financial network, giving ownership to everyone.”

The Agency told Justice Sifuna that they had suspended the Worldcoin project.

City tycoon seeks justice after rogue businessman, goons damage Sh3 Billion property.

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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August 16, 2023

A city tycoon who lost property worth Sh3billion after rogue auctioneer and agents of Diesel Cartel Limited used goons to invade his parcel of land and torched properties in the watchful eyes of the police will be taken legal action against the auctioneers and their agents.

This happened even after the tycoon had in his possession a court order that directed that the status quo of the property to be maintained.

Megvel Cartoons Limited and Joseph Odero had gotten an order that safeguarded their parcel of land from being auctioned by the rogue auctioneer.

The invasion is believed to have been orchestrated by Diesel Cartel Limited and Eliud Chai/A Chandoor Auctioneers despite an existing court order that had ordered the status quo of the land to remain.

The goons invaded his carton-making factory, destroyed part of the machinery and set ablaze a section of the factory on Tuesday 14.

His lawyer while responding on the same said that the court never gave a go-ahead for the structures to be destroyed.

“The court never directed that the property be destroyed, over 700 people are now unemployed, the police are working with the goons instead of helping the innocent Kenyans, we don’t know what the investors can do,” he said.

In the previous court cases, lawyer Miller Wanjala Bwire on behalf of the tycoon had raised several grounds in which he felt the tycoons’ rights were violated.

Bwire had told the court that an order restricting the invasion and attempted eviction of the respondent from the said parcel of land had been issued on June 27 by the same court.

The court heard that after the respondent learned of the court developments, the same respondents went to Machakos Magistrate court to file an application seeking the eviction of the applicants from the said parcel of land and used dubious means where the court granted them an order.

“Based on the fraud they filed at the Machakos magistrate’s court, the order of eviction was granted by the court directed that no destruction of property was to be witnessed. The respondent went ahead and invaded the said parcel with goons and bulldozers and demolished part of the buildings, burned down a go down and looted property worth Sh 3billion.” Bwire told the court.

The court heard that the destruction of property was done contrary to the order issued on June 27 and extended on July 27 and the fifth respondent and its directors were aware of the same.

American Sentenced to Six Years in Russia Over Attempt to Take Son Abroad

By

Editor

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August 16, 2023

A Russian court has sentenced a U.S. citizen to six years in prison for attempting to illegally take his young son, a Russian national, out of the country, officials reported on Monday.

In recent years, Russia has detained several American nationals on various charges, including espionage, assaulting law enforcement, theft, and family-related conflicts.

The incident took place in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, where a local court found the unnamed man guilty of kidnapping after he allegedly attempted to take his four-year-old son across the border into Poland in July 2023.

According to a statement posted by the court on Telegram, the man tried to remove the child from the country without the mother’s consent.

Authorities say he drove toward the Polish border with the child before abandoning his car and attempting to cross the frontier on foot through a forested and swampy area. He was apprehended by border guards during the attempt.

Teenager Accused Of Impersonating Ndindi Nyoro’s Assistant And Stealing An Earphone

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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August 16, 2023

A school leaver has been charged with impersonating the personal assistant of Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro and defrauding Youth Affairs PS Ismael Madey.

Paul Muga Muhoro who is scheduled to join Mount Kenya University (MKU) on September 9, 2023 was charged before Milimani Magistrate Ben Mark Enhubi with personation, stealing and handling stolen property belonging to the PS.

The Prosecution through state counsel Virginia Kariuki informed the court that Muga impersonated MP Nyoro and stole from PS Madey at KICC La Favorito Restaurant along Harambee Avenue in Nairobi county On August 14, 2023.

He is accused of stealing an earpod worth Ksh 1000 the property of Ps Madey.

Muga faces an alternative count of dishonestly handling the earpod having reasons to believe it had been stolen.

The accused applied to be released on bond saying he a person of no means who depends on his mother for upkeep.

He sought to be released on sh 10,000 cash bail saying he finished High school last year and is scheduled to join MKU next week.

The prosecutor opposed the request to have Muga freed on Ksh 10,000 saying the case is serious.

The magistrate ruled that the school leaver be admitted on Ksh 50,000 bond with one contact person.

President Ruto: Embrace Sustainable Resource Avenues To Power Devolution

By

John Mutiso

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August 16, 2023

President William Ruto has urged Counties to tame their appetite for National Government revenue allocations.

He said it is time devolved units engaged in long-and-hard thinking about sustainable and innovative resources to power their development.

Over-reliance on allocations, he explained, has the danger of limiting their plans.

“It is beginning to unfairly constrict the frontiers of productive possibility and limit their horizons of transformation,” he said.

He was speaking on Wednesday in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, during the official opening of the 8th Devolution Conference.

The President termed counties as the most sustainable drivers of prosperity and Bottom-Up Economic Transformation.

As such, he went on, they must be supported to bring about the much-desired change at the grassroots.

Even so, the President maintained, that the National Government will continue disbursing funds to Counties in a more efficient and timely way.

“Delays in disbursing allocations to Counties have tremendous negative effects. There is no excuse for this; we simply have to do better.”

It is for this reason, he told the meeting, that for the first time since the advent of devolution, the inaugural disbursement of equitable allocation to counties under the Kenya Kwanza administration was implemented in full and on time.

“We made a firm commitment to the people of Kenya to strengthen devolution.”

He listed the transfer of all outstanding functions constitutionally earmarked to be performed by counties as one of the interventions being implemented.

Others include supporting Counties in improving their capacity to generate their own income and ensuring that shareable revenue is transferred in a timely and predictable manner.

The Head of State explained that small enterprises can be supported by County Governments into sustainable pathways to higher earnings, wealth creation and poverty reduction.

The President argued that the National Government will work closely with Counties to elevate Kenya.

“If we focus thoroughly on collaboration with Counties, we can empower people and bring change at the grassroots.”

Columbia, Jamaica and Panama Unite To Combat Urban Plastic Pollution

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Editor

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August 16, 2023

Written by Lisa Murimi

Colombia, Jamaica, and Panamá have collaborated on a $42-million initiative to combat plastic pollution in urban and coastal areas.

This joint effort aims to promote circularity at the city level to address the detrimental impacts of plastic waste on human health and the environment.

Plastic pollution poses a significant challenge, with approximately one-third of plastic being single-use and a considerable amount ending up in ecosystems and oceans, exacerbating global crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Cartagena Convention Secretariat, the project seeks to implement closed-loop policies, engage the private sector, and create a network among Latin American and Caribbean cities to combat marine plastics and plastic pollution.

By adopting circular economy principles, including reducing unnecessary or toxic plastic products and implementing reuse and refill systems, the initiative aims to decrease plastic pollution and create new circular business models.

“Embracing circularity lies at the heart of our work in cities as a powerful weapon in the fight against plastic pollution.

By reimagining our approach to consumption and waste, we can safeguard our marine ecosystems, and empower others across Latin America and the Caribbean to do the same. Prevention is protection,” said Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.

“We hope this project can serve as a model for upscaling and replication throughout the wider Caribbean Region, while encouraging the commitment by Governments – under the Cartagena Convention – to control, reduce and prevent marine pollution,” said Cartagena Convention Director Chris Corbin.

The project’s focus cities, including Barranquilla, Cartagena, Kingston, Montego Bay, Panamá City, and Colón, will work together over four years to align with international best practices and emphasize the 9Rs: “reduce, reuse, recycle,” while also promoting product and system redesign for reduced plastic use.

This effort not only addresses plastic pollution but also has the potential to generate economic benefits and job creation while safeguarding marine ecosystems.

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