Another day at Chelsea and another injury worry. Mykhailo Mudryk is the latest to go down and worry fans after he was taken off early during Ukraine’s 2-0 win over North Macedonia yesterday.

He joins Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja as doubts added to Mauricio Pochettino’s growing list. It has, unfortunately, been injuries that have once more dominated the conversation during the international break so stay tuned for some positive news if it’s out there!

Elsewhere at Chelsea, there is an eye being cast towards Manchester United after the latest takeover news emerged on Saturday night. It is said that Sheikh Jassim’s bid has been rejected once more after fresh talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to buy a 25% stake in the club with the aim of becoming a majority shareholder in the future.

Just what will all of this mean for Chelsea? We’ll once more be right over this as one of the biggest news stories during the break. Outside of that there’s build-up ahead of England’s clash with Italy at Wembley on Tuesday as well as any early transfer tidbits we can bring you.
Mudryk worry
Mykhailo Mudryk has worried Chelsea fans after being taken off in the late stages of Ukraine’s 2-0 win over North Macedonia on Saturday. The 22-year-old played 88 minutes of the game and helped his side earn the lead in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifying match.

The victory leaves Ukraine second in Group C, which contains England, and crucially three points ahead of Macedonia as well as Italy in third, though Luciano Spalletti’s side have two games in hand. Starting alongside Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mudryk impressed with some sharp moments.

His afternoon was cut short though after he went down and received treatment with 10 minutes left to play. He did go on to play five minutes more before being taken off ahead of stoppage time. Oleksandr Karavayev replaced him before then scoring the second goal with just minutes to play.

Last week the UK’s Prime Minister and Transport Secretary announced a new plan that would protect drivers from what they have described as “over-zealous traffic enforcement”, such as a reduction in speed limits and schemes that are seen to impact negatively on motorists.

“Councils want to work with the government to make our roads safe and attractive for everyone who uses them,” said Councillor Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association.

“However, it is councils – who know their communities best – that should be trusted to make local transport decisions with their local residents, not Whitehall.

“They must continue to have the ability to work with local residents on any measures which can help improve road safety and air quality and reduce congestion.

“Removing the ability of all councils to enforce moving traffic violations would be a backwards step that will risk creating a two tier transport system between London and the rest of the country.”

What will change?
A review on the guidance surrounding 20 mph limits will be launched, as the UK government looks to prevent their use in areas “where it’s not appropriate”. Guidance around low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) will also be amended to ensure a new focus on local consensus.

The review into LTNs is ongoing, but the government is already examining how to stop the implementation of “15-minute cities”.

Speaking last week, UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Too often the private car is vilified when it has been one of the most powerful forces for personal freedom and economic growth.

“That’s why the government is taking the long-term, necessary decision to back the motorists who keep our country moving.

“We’re introducing a plan to ensure drivers can enjoy smoother journeys, park more easily and no longer face unfair and oppressive traffic enforcement measures.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also commented on the proposed changes, saying: “For too long politicians have focused on the short-term decisions with little regard for the long-term impact on hardworking families.

“We’ve seen this consistently with people’s freedoms on transport. The clamp down on drivers is an attack on the day to day lives of most people across the UK who rely on cars to get to work or see their families.”

15-minute controversy
The 15-minute city – an urban planning concept aimed at providing people in cities with access to basic services within a quarter of an hour’s walk or bike ride of where they live – has become the subject of controversy in the UK.

Over the past year in particular, conspiracy theories have circulated on social media incorrectly claiming that such plans will limit people’s freedom of movement.

A poll in March from market research firm YouGov found that 62 percent of Britons would support their local authority adopting a target to make their area a ’15 minute neighbourhood’.

Several UK councils – including Canterbury, Ipswich and Bristol – have incorporated 15-minute cities into their policy plans, as well as cities across Europe including Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen and Milan.

Carlos Moreno, Associate Professor at the Paris IAE – Panthéon Sorbonne University and creator of the 15-minute city concept, issued a statement, saying: “The recent statements from the British government, especially those from the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, regarding his long-term assistance plan for motorists, raise deep concerns.

“They signify a baffling step back for a nation facing, like all others, the major challenges of this century, primarily the climate emergency.”

“Whether it’s about urban speed restrictions, dedicated bus lanes, low traffic neighbourhoods, leniency towards road infractions, or decisions urging cities to stop adopting the 15-minute city model, these stances overlook the pressing issues of a ‘boiling world’.”

Moreno urged the Prime Minister to reconsider his stance, and drew on his personal experience of the backlash against the concept.

“Last spring, my family and I faced harassment, including death threats, from conspiracy theorists fuelled by false information, promptly debunked by reputable media outlets.

“Associating the ’15-minute city’ again with so-called ‘liberty-restricting’ measures is tantamount to aligning with the most radical and anti-democratic elements of this movement.”

Police were called to a home on Hazelton Drive around 10 a.m.

When they arrived, they found a deceased man inside the residence, says a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service.

Police have identified the man as Sukhdool Singh Gill, 39, and say family have been notified.

An autopsy is pending, the police news release said.

On Thursday afternoon, police had taped off a duplex at 230 Hazelton Drive. A forensics van was parked nearby the home.

Yellow evidence markers were also around the building.

Two yellow evidence markers on the ground at a crime scene.
Police had placed several evidence markers at various locations around a building on Hazelton Drive Thursday. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
No arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon.

Anyone with information, or video surveillance footage, that could help investigators is asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service homicide unit at 204-986-6508. Tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS or online.

Despite these many strengths, however, Brazil is also a country on the front line of the climate crisis, fighting deforestation in the Amazon Basin. It is also a nation that is home to communities riven by hunger and poverty.

With both of these aspects in mind, the Latin American giant is an ideal choice to take on the G20 presidency for 2024 and host the next leaders’ summit, when representatives of the world’s biggest economies come together to address the shared challenges of the day.

Marking the conclusion of the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi on Sunday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially handed over the ceremonial gavel to Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who thanked India for giving voice to the concerns of emerging economies throughout the year.

“I thank India for its efforts,” Lula told assembled delegates. “We want greater participation of the emerging countries in the decision-making process of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The unbearable foreign debt of the poorest countries needs to be addressed.”

This year’s summit saw the addition of a new permanent member — the 55-member African Union. Leaders also reached agreements around global debt, reforms to multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, climate financing and the adoption of a global “green development pact,” with the latter two expected to be key features of the G20 presidency in 2024.

In a world where sustainable development is threatened and millions of people still go hungry, Lula said that the international community looked to the G20 with “hope” and a desire for leadership.

Indeed, the bloc accounts for 85 percent of global economic output, 75 percent of international trade and about 60 percent of the world’s population.

“Therefore, the Brazilian presidency of the G20 has three priorities,” Lula told delegates. “The first one is social inclusion and the fight against hunger, energy transition and sustainable development … and thirdly the reform of global governance institutions.

“All these priorities are part of the Brazilian presidency motto, which says: ‘Building a fair world and a sustainable planet.’ Two task forces will be created — the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Mobilization Against Climate Change.”

Known for his programs designed to eradicate hunger in Brazil and significantly reduce extreme poverty, the Brazilian president, who returned to office in January this year, also has ambitious climate action goals.

“For example, he reversed (former-president) Jair Bolsonaro’s massive Amazon-deforestation policies and now deforestation is 50 percent lower in Brazil than last year,” Dr. Agus Sari, CEO of environmental advisory Landscape Indonesia and a former senior adviser to the UN Development Program, told Arab News.

“Deforestation is the most strategic sector in Brazil’s climate and emissions profile, and it affects the world. The Amazon is ‘the lung of the world,’ and after having been destroyed by Bolsonaro, Lula had the responsibility, but also the willingness, to fix it. And he is doing it.”

Sari expects that under Brazil’s presidency, pressure on rich countries to step up climate action and commitments will be stronger.

“Brazil is also a respected country in the world of climate diplomacy. In some ways, they are a balancing voice against the western countries, especially the US,” he said.

“The Amazon will be the key factor in the world’s fight against climate change, and cooperation between forested countries — especially Brazil, Indonesia and the Congo Basin — will be stronger.”