Canadian oil sands carbon emissions stalled in 2022 even as output grew
Updated Wed, August 9, 2023
By Nia Williams
(Reuters) -Greenhouse gas emissions from Canadian oil sands production were flat in 2022 even as output grew, an analysis by S&P Global showed on Wednesday, suggesting absolute emissions from the carbon-intensive sector could peak sooner than previously expected.
It was the first time since S&P Global began tracking emissions in 2009 that absolute oil sands emissions did not rise, apart from periods in which major market disruption caused a decline in production, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even so, the oil sands sector in northern Alberta will still need to make significant emissions cuts to meet Canada's climate targets, said Kevin Birn, chief analyst of Canadian oil markets at S&P Global Commodity Insights.
"We expected absolute emissions to rise as they always do when there's no market disruption. The fact it stalled suggests industry may be able to achieve more than they anticipated," Birn said.
"But for industry to make large-scale absolute emissions reductions we see the need for carbon capture and storage (CCS)," he added.
A number of Canada's largest oil sands producers, including Suncor Energy and Cenovus Energy, have asked the Canadian and Alberta governments for public funding to develop costly CCS technology.
Canada is the world's fourth-largest crude producer, of which around two-thirds comes from the oil sands in the western province of Alberta.
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is targeting a 40%-45% cut in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030, but is unlikely to get there without significant reductions from the oil and gas industry, the country's highest-emitting sector.
Oil sands emissions held steady at 81 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2022, while total production topped 3.1 million barrels per day (bpd), a gain of more than 50,000 bpd, the S&P Global report showed.
It attributed the flattening of absolute emissions to industry-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity improvements such as using less steam in thermal oil sands projects and better operating efficiency.
A modest decline in carbon-intensive synthetic crude production, due to major maintenance turnarounds in 2022, and increased output from more efficient thermal oil sands projects also helped.
"The potential stalling of emissions growth in 2022 is a clear signal that oil sands absolute emissions will indeed peak and begin to decline, perhaps sooner than previously expected," Birn said, adding that S&P Global forecast it would happen around 2025.
(Additonal reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Paul Simao)
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Canada to Sell Pipeline Stake to Indigenous Groups Through Special Vehicle
Robert Tuttle and Esteban Duarte
Wed, August 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Canada plans to sell a stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline to individual indigenous communities through a special-purpose vehicle, allowing the government to balance competing groups’ requests to own a piece of the controversial project.
The groups will be provided with access to capital so they don’t have to risk their own money to participate, according to a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office seen by Bloomberg. The communities’ equity interest in Trans Mountain will provide them with cash flows and allow them to jointly exercise governing rights, according to the letter, which was dated Aug. 2.
The plan partly clears up how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will handle the sale of the pipeline that his administration saved from cancellation by buying it for C$4.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in 2018. While some indigenous groups have opposed the Trans Mountain expansion, which crosses through many of their territories, others have banded together into bidding groups to pursue stakes in the pipeline to generate revenue for their communities.
Indigenous groups that take part in the special-purpose vehicle won’t be excluded from participating in later rounds offering additional equity in Trans Mountain, the letter said. The government will soon begin discussions with indigenous groups along the pipeline’s route and shipping corridor, according to the letter.
“The Government of Canada first announced its intention to explore the possibility of Indigenous economic participation in the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in March 2019,” Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for Freeland, said in an emailed statement. “The letter sent last week represents the next step in the federal government’s commitment that Indigenous communities share in the economic benefits derived from Trans Mountain.”
The Trans Mountain expansion project was first proposed about a decade ago, back when the pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Inc. The project twins an existing pipeline running from Edmonton to a shipping hub near Vancouver, nearly tripling the conduit’s capacity from 300,000 barrels a day to 890,000 barrels a day.
Canada’s oil-sands industry lauded the project as a key new outlet for its crude and a way to ship more production to Asia, reducing its dependence on US markets. But a series of regulatory and legal setbacks, driven by environmental and indigenous groups, prompted the government to step in and buy the line after Kinder Morgan threatened to cancel the project.
Even after the government purchase, the cost of the Trans Mountain expansion project has more than quadrupled to C$30.9 billion amid repeated delays and construction setbacks. While some of the swelling costs may be passed onto the oil producers who will use the line, analysts say taxpayers also may be left to bear a hefty writedown on the project.
The government has long floated the possibility of selling some of the project to indigenous groups, a politically expedient move in keeping with Canada’s push to reconcile with its colonial past. Several groups representing indigenous communities emerged to seek ownership of the system.
Among those groups are Project Reconciliation, which is seeking a 100% stake in the line. Another, the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group, is a 50-50 partnership between Pembina Pipeline Corp. and many of the British Columbia communities along the line.
Due to the cost increases, Pembina is no longer seeking a 50% stake in the pipeline, but rather a 20% to 30% stake, Chief Executive Officer Scott Burrows said on an earnings call on Friday.
“When we do think about that asset in light of a larger potential gross investment size, we do think about keeping things largely similar from Pembina’s net investment,” he said. “So when you talk about sort of a smaller than 50% investment, I would say that’s where our heads are at.”
--With assistance from Brian Platt.
Robert Tuttle and Esteban Duarte
Wed, August 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Canada plans to sell a stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline to individual indigenous communities through a special-purpose vehicle, allowing the government to balance competing groups’ requests to own a piece of the controversial project.
The groups will be provided with access to capital so they don’t have to risk their own money to participate, according to a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office seen by Bloomberg. The communities’ equity interest in Trans Mountain will provide them with cash flows and allow them to jointly exercise governing rights, according to the letter, which was dated Aug. 2.
The plan partly clears up how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will handle the sale of the pipeline that his administration saved from cancellation by buying it for C$4.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in 2018. While some indigenous groups have opposed the Trans Mountain expansion, which crosses through many of their territories, others have banded together into bidding groups to pursue stakes in the pipeline to generate revenue for their communities.
Indigenous groups that take part in the special-purpose vehicle won’t be excluded from participating in later rounds offering additional equity in Trans Mountain, the letter said. The government will soon begin discussions with indigenous groups along the pipeline’s route and shipping corridor, according to the letter.
“The Government of Canada first announced its intention to explore the possibility of Indigenous economic participation in the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in March 2019,” Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for Freeland, said in an emailed statement. “The letter sent last week represents the next step in the federal government’s commitment that Indigenous communities share in the economic benefits derived from Trans Mountain.”
The Trans Mountain expansion project was first proposed about a decade ago, back when the pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Inc. The project twins an existing pipeline running from Edmonton to a shipping hub near Vancouver, nearly tripling the conduit’s capacity from 300,000 barrels a day to 890,000 barrels a day.
Canada’s oil-sands industry lauded the project as a key new outlet for its crude and a way to ship more production to Asia, reducing its dependence on US markets. But a series of regulatory and legal setbacks, driven by environmental and indigenous groups, prompted the government to step in and buy the line after Kinder Morgan threatened to cancel the project.
Even after the government purchase, the cost of the Trans Mountain expansion project has more than quadrupled to C$30.9 billion amid repeated delays and construction setbacks. While some of the swelling costs may be passed onto the oil producers who will use the line, analysts say taxpayers also may be left to bear a hefty writedown on the project.
The government has long floated the possibility of selling some of the project to indigenous groups, a politically expedient move in keeping with Canada’s push to reconcile with its colonial past. Several groups representing indigenous communities emerged to seek ownership of the system.
Among those groups are Project Reconciliation, which is seeking a 100% stake in the line. Another, the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group, is a 50-50 partnership between Pembina Pipeline Corp. and many of the British Columbia communities along the line.
Due to the cost increases, Pembina is no longer seeking a 50% stake in the pipeline, but rather a 20% to 30% stake, Chief Executive Officer Scott Burrows said on an earnings call on Friday.
“When we do think about that asset in light of a larger potential gross investment size, we do think about keeping things largely similar from Pembina’s net investment,” he said. “So when you talk about sort of a smaller than 50% investment, I would say that’s where our heads are at.”
--With assistance from Brian Platt.
Bloomberg Businessweek
First Nations oil and gas sector blasts Guilbeault for lack of consultation on new subsidies framework
Local Journalism Initiative
Wed, August 9, 2023
Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council of Canada (IRC), is not applauding the federal government’s recent announcement that subsidies will continue to flow to First Nations to support their economic participation in fossil fuel activities.
The continuation of those particular subsidies was one of six exemptions outlined in Canada’s framework for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The framework was released July 24 by Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault. Also identified as an exemption are subsidies that provide an essential energy service to remote communities.
The framework is in response to Canada’s 2009 commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies as part of a commitment with other G20 countries. Such subsidies, says the 2009 G20 communique, “encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change.”
Starting in 2028, the federal government will eliminate tax breaks, financing and loan guarantees for fossil fuel projects that don’t reduce emissions.
Indigenous economic participation will continue to receive federal program and expenditure support (or measures), says the framework, as long as “the main beneficiary of the funding or measures are Indigenous peoples.”
The announcement allowing those continued subsidies “scared me more than anything,” said Buffalo. “You never know what the federal government's going to do and, for the most part, they're doing this without consultation with First Nations.”
IRC was founded in 1987 by chiefs representing oil and gas producing First Nations. Its mandate is to advocate for federal policies that improve and increase economic development opportunities for its 130-plus members. While the organization has representation from across the country, the majority of its members are located in western Canada. The organization is headquartered at Tsuut’ina Nation in southern Alberta.
The government’s actions contradict the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s own United Nations Declaration Act (UNDA), which mandates Canada to consult and cooperate with Indigenous peoples, said Buffalo.
UNDA also commits the federal government to review all new legislation through an Indigenous lens.
“(This framework) is just being put before us and then that's the fear, because the government is really trying to implement policies without talking to the actual grassroots people,” said Buffalo. “It just seems we keep having these arguments over and over again.”
Larry Kaida, an IRC advisor and assistant to Buffalo, says the framework is an example of Canada’s continued patriarchal approach to interacting with First Nations.
“If asked, we could have told them that when they punish the fossil fuel industry, there will be ripple effects on Indigenous folks who have many joint ventures with industry,” said Kaida.
Buffalo points out that First Nations now have “better relationships with industry more than ever” and are benefitting beyond the usual opportunities of employment, spinoff companies, and contracts.
Deeper relationships have been realized in equity ownership in numerous oil and gas projects, as well as ownership in infrastructure, such as pipelines, he says.
At the end of July, the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) announced a loan guarantee of $103 million to Northern Lakeland Indigenous Alliance (consisting of Buffalo Lake and Kikino Métis settlements and Saddle Lake Cree, Heart Lake and Whitefish Lake First Nations) to acquire approximately 43 per cent interest in Access NGL Pipeline System operated by Wolf Midstream Canada.
“(These are) revenue streams that nations never had before…This is self-sustaining,” said Buffalo. “Those are going to get some sort of an impact,” from the framework.
Both Buffalo and Kaida also express concern with the lack of details that accompanied Guilbeault’s announcement.
“The hard part is what's the real action behind a lot of these things? They're trying to make it sound like everything's going to be good when it's going to be very difficult to access certain things,” said Buffalo.
For instance, he says, it is unclear if allowing subsidies that benefit Indigenous economic participation will give Indigenous-led groups an upper hand in ownership of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. The federal government bought Trans Mountain in 2018 for $4.5 billion with the intention of selling it.
A number of First Nations and Métis-led groups have expressed interest in purchasing Trans Mountain pipeline, which is presently undergoing a 1,150-km expansion. The Trans Mountain pipeline is Canada's only pipeline system that carries oil from Alberta to the West Coast.
“We have to pursue these opportunities to meet the needs of our people and to meet the needs that the federal government doesn't want to touch,” said Buffalo.
If Canada is serious about economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples, he adds, then the federal government would consider establishing something similar to AIOC, which recently doubled its commitment to $2 billion to backstop loan guarantees for Indigenous-led projects in natural resources and other areas like agriculture in Alberta.
“I know there's a few of us that are planting the seeds of that type of…initiative or policy that the federal government can do,” said Buffalo.
Much of Canada’s support to the fossil fuel sector comes from Crown corporations and commercially viable loans. These are not included in the new framework.
Kaida is concerned about the future of the Site Rehabilitation Program, which saw federal funding of $1.72 billion funneled through the provinces through to the oil field service contractors to undertake well, pipeline, and oil and gas site closure and reclamation work at abandoned and orphaned well sites.
“Some in Ottawa still believe this was a subsidy. We saw this as land stewardship and job creation. If industry benefited, so be it,” he said.
Buffalo said the program had First Nations “in the driver’s seat,” able to set priorities and direct companies to where they wanted land reclaimed. Approximately $131 million was spent by First Nations for work on abandoned well sites and to clean up reserve lands.
“Yes, you saw industry see some benefit as it took liability off of their balance sheet, but I think the most important thing is that the First Nations were cleaning the land themselves,” he said.
As First Nations populations are growing, more land is needed, Buffalo says, and the rehabilitation program provides for some of that additional land.
Kaida is concerned that subsidies earmarked for Indigenous projects and for remote communities that still rely on diesel and gas to power their generators will end up going to bureaucracy “as they normally do. Very little trickle down to those that need it the most.”
Buffalo views the new framework as Canada’s move to get rid of the oil and gas sector.
“No one can tell First Nations about environmentalism and protection of Mother Earth. We know. But in the same sense, we have to find ways to balance protecting Mother Earth and yet having an opportunity to make our lives better as First Nations,” said Buffalo.
Windspeaker.com
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com, Windspeaker.com
Local Journalism Initiative
Wed, August 9, 2023
Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council of Canada (IRC), is not applauding the federal government’s recent announcement that subsidies will continue to flow to First Nations to support their economic participation in fossil fuel activities.
The continuation of those particular subsidies was one of six exemptions outlined in Canada’s framework for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The framework was released July 24 by Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault. Also identified as an exemption are subsidies that provide an essential energy service to remote communities.
The framework is in response to Canada’s 2009 commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies as part of a commitment with other G20 countries. Such subsidies, says the 2009 G20 communique, “encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change.”
Starting in 2028, the federal government will eliminate tax breaks, financing and loan guarantees for fossil fuel projects that don’t reduce emissions.
Indigenous economic participation will continue to receive federal program and expenditure support (or measures), says the framework, as long as “the main beneficiary of the funding or measures are Indigenous peoples.”
The announcement allowing those continued subsidies “scared me more than anything,” said Buffalo. “You never know what the federal government's going to do and, for the most part, they're doing this without consultation with First Nations.”
IRC was founded in 1987 by chiefs representing oil and gas producing First Nations. Its mandate is to advocate for federal policies that improve and increase economic development opportunities for its 130-plus members. While the organization has representation from across the country, the majority of its members are located in western Canada. The organization is headquartered at Tsuut’ina Nation in southern Alberta.
The government’s actions contradict the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s own United Nations Declaration Act (UNDA), which mandates Canada to consult and cooperate with Indigenous peoples, said Buffalo.
UNDA also commits the federal government to review all new legislation through an Indigenous lens.
“(This framework) is just being put before us and then that's the fear, because the government is really trying to implement policies without talking to the actual grassroots people,” said Buffalo. “It just seems we keep having these arguments over and over again.”
Larry Kaida, an IRC advisor and assistant to Buffalo, says the framework is an example of Canada’s continued patriarchal approach to interacting with First Nations.
“If asked, we could have told them that when they punish the fossil fuel industry, there will be ripple effects on Indigenous folks who have many joint ventures with industry,” said Kaida.
Buffalo points out that First Nations now have “better relationships with industry more than ever” and are benefitting beyond the usual opportunities of employment, spinoff companies, and contracts.
Deeper relationships have been realized in equity ownership in numerous oil and gas projects, as well as ownership in infrastructure, such as pipelines, he says.
At the end of July, the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) announced a loan guarantee of $103 million to Northern Lakeland Indigenous Alliance (consisting of Buffalo Lake and Kikino Métis settlements and Saddle Lake Cree, Heart Lake and Whitefish Lake First Nations) to acquire approximately 43 per cent interest in Access NGL Pipeline System operated by Wolf Midstream Canada.
“(These are) revenue streams that nations never had before…This is self-sustaining,” said Buffalo. “Those are going to get some sort of an impact,” from the framework.
Both Buffalo and Kaida also express concern with the lack of details that accompanied Guilbeault’s announcement.
“The hard part is what's the real action behind a lot of these things? They're trying to make it sound like everything's going to be good when it's going to be very difficult to access certain things,” said Buffalo.
For instance, he says, it is unclear if allowing subsidies that benefit Indigenous economic participation will give Indigenous-led groups an upper hand in ownership of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. The federal government bought Trans Mountain in 2018 for $4.5 billion with the intention of selling it.
A number of First Nations and Métis-led groups have expressed interest in purchasing Trans Mountain pipeline, which is presently undergoing a 1,150-km expansion. The Trans Mountain pipeline is Canada's only pipeline system that carries oil from Alberta to the West Coast.
“We have to pursue these opportunities to meet the needs of our people and to meet the needs that the federal government doesn't want to touch,” said Buffalo.
If Canada is serious about economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples, he adds, then the federal government would consider establishing something similar to AIOC, which recently doubled its commitment to $2 billion to backstop loan guarantees for Indigenous-led projects in natural resources and other areas like agriculture in Alberta.
“I know there's a few of us that are planting the seeds of that type of…initiative or policy that the federal government can do,” said Buffalo.
Much of Canada’s support to the fossil fuel sector comes from Crown corporations and commercially viable loans. These are not included in the new framework.
Kaida is concerned about the future of the Site Rehabilitation Program, which saw federal funding of $1.72 billion funneled through the provinces through to the oil field service contractors to undertake well, pipeline, and oil and gas site closure and reclamation work at abandoned and orphaned well sites.
“Some in Ottawa still believe this was a subsidy. We saw this as land stewardship and job creation. If industry benefited, so be it,” he said.
Buffalo said the program had First Nations “in the driver’s seat,” able to set priorities and direct companies to where they wanted land reclaimed. Approximately $131 million was spent by First Nations for work on abandoned well sites and to clean up reserve lands.
“Yes, you saw industry see some benefit as it took liability off of their balance sheet, but I think the most important thing is that the First Nations were cleaning the land themselves,” he said.
As First Nations populations are growing, more land is needed, Buffalo says, and the rehabilitation program provides for some of that additional land.
Kaida is concerned that subsidies earmarked for Indigenous projects and for remote communities that still rely on diesel and gas to power their generators will end up going to bureaucracy “as they normally do. Very little trickle down to those that need it the most.”
Buffalo views the new framework as Canada’s move to get rid of the oil and gas sector.
“No one can tell First Nations about environmentalism and protection of Mother Earth. We know. But in the same sense, we have to find ways to balance protecting Mother Earth and yet having an opportunity to make our lives better as First Nations,” said Buffalo.
Windspeaker.com
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com, Windspeaker.com
CLIMATE CRISIS
No reprieve in sight for B.C.'s prolonged drought and wildfires
Nathan Howes
No reprieve in sight for B.C.'s prolonged drought and wildfires
Nathan Howes
The Weather Network.
Wed, August 9, 2023
No reprieve in sight for B.C.'s prolonged drought and wildfires
B.C. residents hoping for a turnaround in the extended period of drought and wildfire conditions won't like what's expected weather-wise for the rest of August.
SEE ALSO: Understand how B.C.'s drought is affecting communities
The province can expect to see plenty of high-pressure ridges as the month wears on, meaning heat and a lack of rainfall will prevail, according to Kevin MacKay, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
BCPRECIP
"We're going to be heading back up towards that 30-degree mark right through the middle of the month," said MacKay.
Above-seasonal temperatures and extended drought conditions have led to water restrictions and continued wildfires.
DROUGHTBC
Since April, much of southern B.C. has seen "well below" 50 per cent of the average rainfall, with some areas even dropping below 30 per cent, according to MacKay.
Looking ahead to the remainder of August, the dry areas will remain that way, so the wildfire season isn't likely to improve any time soon. To make matters worse, this is typically the province's busiest month for wildfires.
Before August even began, there had been 1,600 wildfires this year, burning more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
BCAREA
"It's been an unforgettable year and it's not over, yet," said Erika Berg, provincial wildfire information officer at BC Wildfire Service, in an interview with Mia Gordon, a video journalist at The Weather Network.
"It's been unprecedented in the way of an early start [with] the amount of area burned, the amount of fire on the landscape [and the] devastating losses in the wildfire community."
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service/Twitter.
Wed, August 9, 2023
No reprieve in sight for B.C.'s prolonged drought and wildfires
B.C. residents hoping for a turnaround in the extended period of drought and wildfire conditions won't like what's expected weather-wise for the rest of August.
SEE ALSO: Understand how B.C.'s drought is affecting communities
The province can expect to see plenty of high-pressure ridges as the month wears on, meaning heat and a lack of rainfall will prevail, according to Kevin MacKay, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
BCPRECIP
"We're going to be heading back up towards that 30-degree mark right through the middle of the month," said MacKay.
Above-seasonal temperatures and extended drought conditions have led to water restrictions and continued wildfires.
DROUGHTBC
Since April, much of southern B.C. has seen "well below" 50 per cent of the average rainfall, with some areas even dropping below 30 per cent, according to MacKay.
Looking ahead to the remainder of August, the dry areas will remain that way, so the wildfire season isn't likely to improve any time soon. To make matters worse, this is typically the province's busiest month for wildfires.
Before August even began, there had been 1,600 wildfires this year, burning more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
BCAREA
"It's been an unforgettable year and it's not over, yet," said Erika Berg, provincial wildfire information officer at BC Wildfire Service, in an interview with Mia Gordon, a video journalist at The Weather Network.
"It's been unprecedented in the way of an early start [with] the amount of area burned, the amount of fire on the landscape [and the] devastating losses in the wildfire community."
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service/Twitter.
13-year-old Da’vian Kimbrough becomes youngest soccer player to go pro in US
Wed, August 9, 2023
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Da’vian Kimbrough, a 13-year-old forward, signed a contract with the Sacramento Republic of the second-tier League Championship of the United Soccer League, which says he is the youngest athlete in American professional team sports.
Kimbrough, who joined the team’s youth academy in 2021, was 13 years, 5 months, 13 days when the deal was announced Tuesday.
After playing for North Bay Elite Futbol Club in Solano County and Woodland Soccer Club of Yolo County, Kimbrough scored 27 goals in 31 matches for the Republic’s under-13 team in 2021, when he was 11.
He played for the under-14 team last year, also joining the under-15 team for some matches. Kimbrough scored six goals this year as the New York Red Bulls Academy team won the Bassevelde Cup for under-13 teams in Belgium.
Kimbrough, born Feb. 18, 2010, is eligible to debut on Saturday against the Birmingham Legion.
Maximo Carrizo signed with Major League Soccer’s New York City on his 14th birthday on Feb. 28, 2008. He has yet to make his MLS debut.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Da’vian Kimbrough, a 13-year-old forward, signed a contract with the Sacramento Republic of the second-tier League Championship of the United Soccer League, which says he is the youngest athlete in American professional team sports.
Kimbrough, who joined the team’s youth academy in 2021, was 13 years, 5 months, 13 days when the deal was announced Tuesday.
After playing for North Bay Elite Futbol Club in Solano County and Woodland Soccer Club of Yolo County, Kimbrough scored 27 goals in 31 matches for the Republic’s under-13 team in 2021, when he was 11.
He played for the under-14 team last year, also joining the under-15 team for some matches. Kimbrough scored six goals this year as the New York Red Bulls Academy team won the Bassevelde Cup for under-13 teams in Belgium.
Kimbrough, born Feb. 18, 2010, is eligible to debut on Saturday against the Birmingham Legion.
Maximo Carrizo signed with Major League Soccer’s New York City on his 14th birthday on Feb. 28, 2008. He has yet to make his MLS debut.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
From upsets to record attendance, these are the trends that have emerged at the Women's World Cup
Tue, August 8, 2023
SYDNEY (AP) — The traditional elite have been cut down to size at the Women's World Cup.
That has been the standout theme as a tournament that has already set records for attendance and goals scored enters the quarterfinals stage, and it has made for high drama.
“It’s been absolutely incredible and a great testament to some of the work that is happening around the world,” FIFA's head of women's football, Sarai Bareman, told The Associated Press. “To see the results of this World Cup brings so much meaning to the work that we do.
"It’s really special, not only for the players and the teams, but for those of us who are working on the game day in and day out.”
Soccer's world governing body FIFA is trying to grow the women's game at pace, and it seems to be having an impact.
Established nations have fallen one by one over the past two weeks, with the back-to-back defending champion U.S. team joining No. 2-ranked Germany, Brazil and Olympic gold medalist Canada by going home early.
The tournament, being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, has produced one upset after another.
The U.S. team's penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the round of 16 ended its bid for an unprecedented three-peat of World Cup titles.
Lina Hurtig’s spot kick crossed the line by a tiny fraction and that was enough to send the pre-tournament favorites packing, and prompting questions about the future of U.S. soccer.
Two-time champion Germany opened with a thumping 6-0 win over Morocco but was beaten by Colombia and held to a draw by South Korea in the group stage. Brazil started off with a 4-0 win over Panama before losing to France and drawing with Jamaica. Both Germany and Brazil were gone before the knockouts.
Tournament newcomer Morocco, as well as South Africa, Jamaica and Colombia all advanced. The Colombians, the only team from the Americas still in contention, face England in the quarterfinals after edging Jamaica 1-0 in the round of 16.
“This World Cup has been amazing. As you can see, the gap is closing (between) the smaller teams and the bigger countries,” Jamaica's Manchester City forward Bunny Shaw said. “Women's football is growing. We've got to keep moving forward and keep pushing.”
What remains to be seen is whether the upsets are a quirk of this year's tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, or a more permanent trend.
The Associated Press takes a look at some other trends from the opening weeks:
IMPROVEMENTS IN GOALKEEPING
There have been standout performances by goalkeepers so far, with the Americans repeatedly frustrated by Sweden's Zecira Musovic in the round of 16. The Chelsea keeper produced a string of saves and was voted player of the match as the U.S dominated but couldn't find a breakthrough in the game that ended 0-0 through extra time.
Netherlands keeper Daphne van Domselaar was player of the match as the Dutch advanced to the quarterfinals by beating South Africa 2-0.
While that game saw South Africa keeper Kaylin Swart make an error to allow Lineth Beerensteyn to score, she also pulled off a string of saves to keep the Netherlands at bay.
Nigeria's captain Chiamaka Nnadozie’s made a crucial save to deny Canada's Christine Sinclair a place in history in a scoreless opening draw, earning her player of the match accolades.
“Of course everything is not perfect, but I think we are going in the right direction,” said former Germany keeper Nadine Angerer, who is part of FIFA's technical study group at the World Cup.
“What we’ve seen so far in general is that there are way better goalkeeping performances.”
Angerer said the save percentage in the group stage improved from 70% in 2019 to 77%.
IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT POSSESSION
The tactical improvement of less-established teams has been as highlight.
While teams with fewer outright stars have had to cede possession, they have still managed to be effective.
Jamaica's tactical approach saw it advance from a group that included France and Brazil without conceding a goal. It was eventually eliminated by Colombia 1-0.
“Sometimes the decision when you go into a game is ‘Do I want the ball or do I want the opponent to have the ball?’ said Jill Ellis, who coached the U.S. to two World Cup titles. “But if I want my opponent to have the ball, I want them to have it because I want them to open up because my strengths are in the transition.”
So while Japan and Spain have dominated possession, Colombia's counter-attacking threat has also been effective.
“You’re seeing the personality or the strengths of nations come to the forefront,” Ellis said. “It’s not trying to take this style for this team., it is: ‘What is my team really good at and how can I exploit that?’ I see that a lot more in this World Cup.”
TIME ADDED ON
It was a feature of the men's World Cup in Qatar last year and FIFA is continuing to clamp down on time-wasting.
Lengthy periods of stoppage time have been played, seeing games go well beyond 90 minutes during regulation time.
While that initiative wasn't continued by major domestic leagues after Qatar, the Premier League appears set to follow it up this season.
Arsenal scored an equalizer in the 11th minute of stoppage time against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday before going on to win on penalty kicks.
GROWING INTEREST
The Women's World Cup has been pulling in the fans.
Australia has twice played in front of crowds exceeding 75,000 in Sydney, limited only by the capacity of the stadium.
The attendance of 1,533,545 fans so far in the first two rounds has exceeded the previous record total of 1,353,506 when the World Cup was staged in Canada in 2015.
More than 500,000 people have attended fan zones in host cities to watch games on giant screens.
While this tournament has been expanded to 32 teams, up from 24, the fact that 14 games in the first two rounds have had crowds of more than 40,000 people points to the popularity of the event.
“This World Cup has shifted from being a team-supported tournament to a globally-followed event," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “This is why we are witnessing the greatest Women's World Cup ever — and a record-breaking one.”
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
James Robson, The Associated Press
Tue, August 8, 2023
SYDNEY (AP) — The traditional elite have been cut down to size at the Women's World Cup.
That has been the standout theme as a tournament that has already set records for attendance and goals scored enters the quarterfinals stage, and it has made for high drama.
“It’s been absolutely incredible and a great testament to some of the work that is happening around the world,” FIFA's head of women's football, Sarai Bareman, told The Associated Press. “To see the results of this World Cup brings so much meaning to the work that we do.
"It’s really special, not only for the players and the teams, but for those of us who are working on the game day in and day out.”
Soccer's world governing body FIFA is trying to grow the women's game at pace, and it seems to be having an impact.
Established nations have fallen one by one over the past two weeks, with the back-to-back defending champion U.S. team joining No. 2-ranked Germany, Brazil and Olympic gold medalist Canada by going home early.
The tournament, being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, has produced one upset after another.
The U.S. team's penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the round of 16 ended its bid for an unprecedented three-peat of World Cup titles.
Lina Hurtig’s spot kick crossed the line by a tiny fraction and that was enough to send the pre-tournament favorites packing, and prompting questions about the future of U.S. soccer.
Two-time champion Germany opened with a thumping 6-0 win over Morocco but was beaten by Colombia and held to a draw by South Korea in the group stage. Brazil started off with a 4-0 win over Panama before losing to France and drawing with Jamaica. Both Germany and Brazil were gone before the knockouts.
Tournament newcomer Morocco, as well as South Africa, Jamaica and Colombia all advanced. The Colombians, the only team from the Americas still in contention, face England in the quarterfinals after edging Jamaica 1-0 in the round of 16.
“This World Cup has been amazing. As you can see, the gap is closing (between) the smaller teams and the bigger countries,” Jamaica's Manchester City forward Bunny Shaw said. “Women's football is growing. We've got to keep moving forward and keep pushing.”
What remains to be seen is whether the upsets are a quirk of this year's tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, or a more permanent trend.
The Associated Press takes a look at some other trends from the opening weeks:
IMPROVEMENTS IN GOALKEEPING
There have been standout performances by goalkeepers so far, with the Americans repeatedly frustrated by Sweden's Zecira Musovic in the round of 16. The Chelsea keeper produced a string of saves and was voted player of the match as the U.S dominated but couldn't find a breakthrough in the game that ended 0-0 through extra time.
Netherlands keeper Daphne van Domselaar was player of the match as the Dutch advanced to the quarterfinals by beating South Africa 2-0.
While that game saw South Africa keeper Kaylin Swart make an error to allow Lineth Beerensteyn to score, she also pulled off a string of saves to keep the Netherlands at bay.
Nigeria's captain Chiamaka Nnadozie’s made a crucial save to deny Canada's Christine Sinclair a place in history in a scoreless opening draw, earning her player of the match accolades.
“Of course everything is not perfect, but I think we are going in the right direction,” said former Germany keeper Nadine Angerer, who is part of FIFA's technical study group at the World Cup.
“What we’ve seen so far in general is that there are way better goalkeeping performances.”
Angerer said the save percentage in the group stage improved from 70% in 2019 to 77%.
IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT POSSESSION
The tactical improvement of less-established teams has been as highlight.
While teams with fewer outright stars have had to cede possession, they have still managed to be effective.
Jamaica's tactical approach saw it advance from a group that included France and Brazil without conceding a goal. It was eventually eliminated by Colombia 1-0.
“Sometimes the decision when you go into a game is ‘Do I want the ball or do I want the opponent to have the ball?’ said Jill Ellis, who coached the U.S. to two World Cup titles. “But if I want my opponent to have the ball, I want them to have it because I want them to open up because my strengths are in the transition.”
So while Japan and Spain have dominated possession, Colombia's counter-attacking threat has also been effective.
“You’re seeing the personality or the strengths of nations come to the forefront,” Ellis said. “It’s not trying to take this style for this team., it is: ‘What is my team really good at and how can I exploit that?’ I see that a lot more in this World Cup.”
TIME ADDED ON
It was a feature of the men's World Cup in Qatar last year and FIFA is continuing to clamp down on time-wasting.
Lengthy periods of stoppage time have been played, seeing games go well beyond 90 minutes during regulation time.
While that initiative wasn't continued by major domestic leagues after Qatar, the Premier League appears set to follow it up this season.
Arsenal scored an equalizer in the 11th minute of stoppage time against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday before going on to win on penalty kicks.
GROWING INTEREST
The Women's World Cup has been pulling in the fans.
Australia has twice played in front of crowds exceeding 75,000 in Sydney, limited only by the capacity of the stadium.
The attendance of 1,533,545 fans so far in the first two rounds has exceeded the previous record total of 1,353,506 when the World Cup was staged in Canada in 2015.
More than 500,000 people have attended fan zones in host cities to watch games on giant screens.
While this tournament has been expanded to 32 teams, up from 24, the fact that 14 games in the first two rounds have had crowds of more than 40,000 people points to the popularity of the event.
“This World Cup has shifted from being a team-supported tournament to a globally-followed event," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “This is why we are witnessing the greatest Women's World Cup ever — and a record-breaking one.”
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
James Robson, The Associated Press
Bigger bonuses could change lives for tiny teams that advance in Women’s World Cup
Wed, August 9, 2023
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Players who reached the knockout round at the Women's World Cup got larger individual bonuses that can be life-changing for many of them.
FIFA designated $30,000 for the 732 players among 32 teams in the tournament field. The payout rises to $60,000 for players on the 16 teams that advanced out of group play.
The money grows to $90,000 for players in the quarterfinals and its a significant payday for many of the players, particularly those that have had financial disputes with their federations over pay and support.
Hildah Magaia, appropriately nicknamed the "Breadwinner” of South Africa's squad, helped the Banyana Banyana advance out of group play, into the knockout stage, and double her bonus.
She appropriately plans to use the money to care for her mother.
“I’ll be able to do everything for my mother because I’m the one who’s taking care of her," she said. “I’m the breadwinner, so I’ll be doing everything for my mom.”
Deneisha Blackwood, part of the Jamaica squad eliminated by Colombia in the knockouts, described the minimum payouts as a good start for her team. Jamaica has had financial difficulties and relied on crowdfunding to raise money for its travel to the tournament.
“Obviously we as players have a life outside of football and I think prize money like that rewards us in ways we can't imagine. A lot of us have bills to pay and family to take care of,” Blackwood said, “and I think for the younger generation, especially, football doesn't make you a lot of money. So for (girls) to see us doing what we love and realize that you can make a living off it — it's motivational.”
No one can ensure all the players will receive their guaranteed bonuses.
The global players union, FIFPRO, last year sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of players from 25 national teams asking for better conditions within the tournament. FIFA announced the individual bonuses of the $110 million prize pool in June.
But FIFA President Gianni Infantino said before the start of the World Cup that the federations would be responsible for distributing the payments. He was unable to make any guarantee that funds would reach the players.
FIFPRO said it was working to establish bank accounts for the players as well as an auditing process. But there have already been snags.
FIFPRO announced late Tuesday that it was assisting Nigeria's players in a dispute with their federation concerning bonus payments, camp allowances and expenses, some dating back to 2021. Nigeria narrowly missed the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout loss to England.
“The team is extremely frustrated that they've had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament," FIFPRO said. “It is regrettable that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.”
In the run-up to the World Cup, South Africa players boycotted a warm-up match against Botswana because the individual payments weren't included in their contracts. The dispute ended when billionaire Patrice Motsepe, the president of the African Football Confederation, agreed to contribute $320,000 to be equally distributed among the players.
Some of the Jamaican players took to social media before the World Cup to complain about a lack of support and funding for the team. That spurred two crowdfunding campaigns to raise money for the Reggae Girlz.
The Jamaican Football Federation released a statement saying reports about the team's financial struggles had taken away from the team's accomplishments. The Reggae Girlz reached the Round of 16 but fell 1-0 to Colombia on Tuesday night.
“We of course welcome anyone who wants to contribute to the development of our national football teams, which have done well and made Jamaica proud,” the Jamaican federation said in a statement.
Nigeria forward Uchenna Kanu said the money was not the team's main motivation — playing well was. Nigeria reached the Round of 16, but fell to England on penalties after a scoreless draw on Monday.
“But of course, if we get paid that much money, of course it’ll have a huge impact on our lives," Kanu said. “We have families, we have things to take care of with money. That’s important for us as well.”
Players from the United States won a contract with U.S. Soccer last year that guarantees them equal pay with their men's national team counterparts. As part of the agreement, all tournament prize money funds are split between the two teams, with a percentage going to the federation.
The total prize pool at this Women's World Cup is more than three times the $30 million prize fund that was paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. But it's still far less than the $440 million in prize money for the men's World Cup in Qatar last December.
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AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report.
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Players who reached the knockout round at the Women's World Cup got larger individual bonuses that can be life-changing for many of them.
FIFA designated $30,000 for the 732 players among 32 teams in the tournament field. The payout rises to $60,000 for players on the 16 teams that advanced out of group play.
The money grows to $90,000 for players in the quarterfinals and its a significant payday for many of the players, particularly those that have had financial disputes with their federations over pay and support.
Hildah Magaia, appropriately nicknamed the "Breadwinner” of South Africa's squad, helped the Banyana Banyana advance out of group play, into the knockout stage, and double her bonus.
She appropriately plans to use the money to care for her mother.
“I’ll be able to do everything for my mother because I’m the one who’s taking care of her," she said. “I’m the breadwinner, so I’ll be doing everything for my mom.”
Deneisha Blackwood, part of the Jamaica squad eliminated by Colombia in the knockouts, described the minimum payouts as a good start for her team. Jamaica has had financial difficulties and relied on crowdfunding to raise money for its travel to the tournament.
“Obviously we as players have a life outside of football and I think prize money like that rewards us in ways we can't imagine. A lot of us have bills to pay and family to take care of,” Blackwood said, “and I think for the younger generation, especially, football doesn't make you a lot of money. So for (girls) to see us doing what we love and realize that you can make a living off it — it's motivational.”
No one can ensure all the players will receive their guaranteed bonuses.
The global players union, FIFPRO, last year sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of players from 25 national teams asking for better conditions within the tournament. FIFA announced the individual bonuses of the $110 million prize pool in June.
But FIFA President Gianni Infantino said before the start of the World Cup that the federations would be responsible for distributing the payments. He was unable to make any guarantee that funds would reach the players.
FIFPRO said it was working to establish bank accounts for the players as well as an auditing process. But there have already been snags.
FIFPRO announced late Tuesday that it was assisting Nigeria's players in a dispute with their federation concerning bonus payments, camp allowances and expenses, some dating back to 2021. Nigeria narrowly missed the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout loss to England.
“The team is extremely frustrated that they've had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament," FIFPRO said. “It is regrettable that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.”
In the run-up to the World Cup, South Africa players boycotted a warm-up match against Botswana because the individual payments weren't included in their contracts. The dispute ended when billionaire Patrice Motsepe, the president of the African Football Confederation, agreed to contribute $320,000 to be equally distributed among the players.
Some of the Jamaican players took to social media before the World Cup to complain about a lack of support and funding for the team. That spurred two crowdfunding campaigns to raise money for the Reggae Girlz.
The Jamaican Football Federation released a statement saying reports about the team's financial struggles had taken away from the team's accomplishments. The Reggae Girlz reached the Round of 16 but fell 1-0 to Colombia on Tuesday night.
“We of course welcome anyone who wants to contribute to the development of our national football teams, which have done well and made Jamaica proud,” the Jamaican federation said in a statement.
Nigeria forward Uchenna Kanu said the money was not the team's main motivation — playing well was. Nigeria reached the Round of 16, but fell to England on penalties after a scoreless draw on Monday.
“But of course, if we get paid that much money, of course it’ll have a huge impact on our lives," Kanu said. “We have families, we have things to take care of with money. That’s important for us as well.”
Players from the United States won a contract with U.S. Soccer last year that guarantees them equal pay with their men's national team counterparts. As part of the agreement, all tournament prize money funds are split between the two teams, with a percentage going to the federation.
The total prize pool at this Women's World Cup is more than three times the $30 million prize fund that was paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. But it's still far less than the $440 million in prize money for the men's World Cup in Qatar last December.
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AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report.
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
For Nigeria's Super Falcons, a narrow Women's World Cup exit is the start of a journey, not the end
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Nigeria's goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saves a ball during the Women's World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Nigeria's players react during a penalty shootout during the Women's World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
Nigeria's goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saves a ball during the Women's World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Nigeria's players react during a penalty shootout during the Women's World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
\(AP Photo/Tertius Pick
JOHN PYE
Updated Tue, August 8, 2023
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Chiamaka Nnadozie’s Nigeria lineup had two chances hit the crossbar in a scoreless draw, and only missed out on the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals after losing a penalty shootout against England.
By taking the European champions right to the wire, the Super Falcons proved, once again, that rankings are less important than respect for rival teams under the tournament’s expanded 32-team format.
In the group stage, Nigeria held Olympic champion Canada to a 0-0 draw, upset co-host Australia 3-2 and advanced to the knockout stage after a 0-0 draw with Ireland.
A late red card for England forward Lauren James for stomping on Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie took the focus off two tight halves of football on Monday night that could have gone either way.
Ashleigh Plumptre's left-foot strike cannoned into the crossbar in the 17th minute and her right-foot shot, moments after the ball rebounded, forced a diving save from England goalkeeper Mary Earps. Uchenna Kanu's two second-half headers went within inches.
Had any of those chances found the back of the net, it's likely Nigeria would have gone on to win a knockout match for the first time in nine trips to the Women's World Cup and England would have followed the defending champion U.S. team, No. 2-ranked Germany, Canada and Brazil through the exit.
“Coming to the World Cup we had so many dreams. So sad today, but it’s not the end,” Nnadozie, Nigeria’s goalkeeper and team leader, said. “We’ve been playing tough, tough games. There’s no easy teams. We respect them all. Right now, we have to work harder and come back stronger again.”
Nigeria’s players leave this World Cup with respect well-earned on the field that they now want matched by their national soccer federation in a dispute over bonus payments and expenses dating back to 2021.
The global player’s union FIFPRO issued a statement the morning after Nigeria's exit to say it was time to speak out and work on ensuring the players’ “contractual rights are honored and the outstanding payments are settled.”
By reaching the round of 16, each player should get $60,000 from FIFA’s prize money fund according to the escalating scale of payments guaranteed by the sport's governing body.
The union said the players are “extremely frustrated” at having to chase their federation for promised pay and expenses.
“It is regrettable,” FIFPRO said, “that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.”
The federation accused FIFPRO of “shouting from far off” and said in a statement that is has “no issues with the players. It had assured them before the World Cup that they would be paid the couple of friendly matches and qualifying matches for which they were being owed appearance fees and bonuses respectively. It pledged to pay the money once the World Cup money is paid.”
Nigeria was ranked 40th the world in June but the players and coaching staff never had any doubts they could mix it with the elite teams on the biggest stage for the women's game.
“We’re not surprised to get to this stage. We believe in ourselves,” Nnadozie said. “We knew we could come here and go far. We just have to keep our heads up.”
Plumptre grew up playing as a forward in England's youth teams before making a choice to represent Nigeria, and didn't regret it for a minute.
“Football for me is more of a life journey that I’m on. I wanted to explore more of my heritage,” she said. “For me, this, even though it’s football, it’s learning. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling. I’m disappointed in the result, but grateful I’ve had the opportunity.”
Now a center back, the 25-year-old Plumptre said the Super Falcons had set a higher bar for future performances.
“We have the expectation that we should be competing with the top-ranked teams,” she said. "We should be pushing them to the very end. We can be getting results against them. Because, not only this game have we done that, but we’ve done that throughout the group stage as well.
“We’ve proven that in this tournament and I’m sure we can do that going forward.”
Nigeria's American coach Randy Waldrum silenced his pre-tournament critics by preparing a team that went within the thickness of a crossbar of reaching the last eight at the World Cup.
“I take away that we can be and probably should be one of the top teams in the world," he said. “I certainly hope that FIFA ranking goes from 42 to a better number. More importantly, I think we’ve just shown that we’re capable of playing with anybody.”
Waldrum said Nigeria's supporters should be proud of the Super Falcons and, of course, the players should be appreciated.
“We gave everything. I certainly hope that people back in Nigeria appreciate the job that they’ve done while they’re here and I would hope that they’re happy, not upset,” he said. “I think we made the country proud and hopefully, around the world.”
JOHN PYE
Updated Tue, August 8, 2023
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Chiamaka Nnadozie’s Nigeria lineup had two chances hit the crossbar in a scoreless draw, and only missed out on the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals after losing a penalty shootout against England.
By taking the European champions right to the wire, the Super Falcons proved, once again, that rankings are less important than respect for rival teams under the tournament’s expanded 32-team format.
In the group stage, Nigeria held Olympic champion Canada to a 0-0 draw, upset co-host Australia 3-2 and advanced to the knockout stage after a 0-0 draw with Ireland.
A late red card for England forward Lauren James for stomping on Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie took the focus off two tight halves of football on Monday night that could have gone either way.
Ashleigh Plumptre's left-foot strike cannoned into the crossbar in the 17th minute and her right-foot shot, moments after the ball rebounded, forced a diving save from England goalkeeper Mary Earps. Uchenna Kanu's two second-half headers went within inches.
Had any of those chances found the back of the net, it's likely Nigeria would have gone on to win a knockout match for the first time in nine trips to the Women's World Cup and England would have followed the defending champion U.S. team, No. 2-ranked Germany, Canada and Brazil through the exit.
“Coming to the World Cup we had so many dreams. So sad today, but it’s not the end,” Nnadozie, Nigeria’s goalkeeper and team leader, said. “We’ve been playing tough, tough games. There’s no easy teams. We respect them all. Right now, we have to work harder and come back stronger again.”
Nigeria’s players leave this World Cup with respect well-earned on the field that they now want matched by their national soccer federation in a dispute over bonus payments and expenses dating back to 2021.
The global player’s union FIFPRO issued a statement the morning after Nigeria's exit to say it was time to speak out and work on ensuring the players’ “contractual rights are honored and the outstanding payments are settled.”
By reaching the round of 16, each player should get $60,000 from FIFA’s prize money fund according to the escalating scale of payments guaranteed by the sport's governing body.
The union said the players are “extremely frustrated” at having to chase their federation for promised pay and expenses.
“It is regrettable,” FIFPRO said, “that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.”
The federation accused FIFPRO of “shouting from far off” and said in a statement that is has “no issues with the players. It had assured them before the World Cup that they would be paid the couple of friendly matches and qualifying matches for which they were being owed appearance fees and bonuses respectively. It pledged to pay the money once the World Cup money is paid.”
Nigeria was ranked 40th the world in June but the players and coaching staff never had any doubts they could mix it with the elite teams on the biggest stage for the women's game.
“We’re not surprised to get to this stage. We believe in ourselves,” Nnadozie said. “We knew we could come here and go far. We just have to keep our heads up.”
Plumptre grew up playing as a forward in England's youth teams before making a choice to represent Nigeria, and didn't regret it for a minute.
“Football for me is more of a life journey that I’m on. I wanted to explore more of my heritage,” she said. “For me, this, even though it’s football, it’s learning. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling. I’m disappointed in the result, but grateful I’ve had the opportunity.”
Now a center back, the 25-year-old Plumptre said the Super Falcons had set a higher bar for future performances.
“We have the expectation that we should be competing with the top-ranked teams,” she said. "We should be pushing them to the very end. We can be getting results against them. Because, not only this game have we done that, but we’ve done that throughout the group stage as well.
“We’ve proven that in this tournament and I’m sure we can do that going forward.”
Nigeria's American coach Randy Waldrum silenced his pre-tournament critics by preparing a team that went within the thickness of a crossbar of reaching the last eight at the World Cup.
“I take away that we can be and probably should be one of the top teams in the world," he said. “I certainly hope that FIFA ranking goes from 42 to a better number. More importantly, I think we’ve just shown that we’re capable of playing with anybody.”
Waldrum said Nigeria's supporters should be proud of the Super Falcons and, of course, the players should be appreciated.
“We gave everything. I certainly hope that people back in Nigeria appreciate the job that they’ve done while they’re here and I would hope that they’re happy, not upset,” he said. “I think we made the country proud and hopefully, around the world.”
Marta, Sinclair and Rapinoe among the generational talents retiring after Women's World Cup
The Canadian Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Generational talents Marta, Christine Sinclair and Megan Rapinoe have all played in their final Women's World Cup and are leaving the game in a much different place than when they started.
Joining them in the group of players ending their international careers is Estefania Banini of Argentina, who said it's time to make way for younger players. Caroline Seger of Sweden is still playing in the tournament, but she has already said that it will be her last.
“It's emotional. Those are some of the greatest football players of all time, players that I've looked up to,” said United States captain Lindsey Horan as her eyes filled with tears. “Pinoe, Sinc, both of them I got to play with. Marta, one of the GOATs. It's hard as a football player to see these guys exiting like this, but look at how much they did for women's football. Them on the field, their character, everything. They're the reason we're all here today.”
Marta, the Brazilian player once dubbed “Pele in Skirts” by the legendary Pele himself, raised the profile of women's soccer in her home country with her dazzling play that she learned from boys on the streets of Dois Riachos.
The 37-year-old was tearful when Brazil was surprisingly eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. It was her sixth World Cup and she fell short of becoming the first player — male or female — to score in all six.
At the team's final match she looked across the field at young teammates Laurinha and Bruninha, and realized that there's more work to be done for the Brazilian national team.
“Women’s football doesn’t end here. Women’s football in Brazil doesn’t end here. We need to understand this,” she said.
Marta has scored 115 goals for Brazil, including a record 17 goals at the World Cup. She has been named the FIFA women's player of the year a record six times.
Rapinoe, 38, announced before the World Cup that it would be her last. She will play out the season with her club team, OL Reign, before retiring from the game.
She finishes as one of the most decorated U.S. players ever. In addition to two World Cup titles, and Olympic gold and bronze medals, she won the prestigious Ballon d'Or as well as a FIFA best player award. She was also awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her social justice work.
Rapinoe was among the players who fought for, and won, equal pay with the men's national team.
Rapinoe's World Cup career ended with a missed penalty. The United States were sent out of the tournament in a shootout in the Round of 16 with Sweden after a scoreless draw. It was the team's earliest ever exit.
“It's been an honor,” Rapinoe said, her eyes welling with tears.
Sinclair's future with the Canadian national team is unsettled, although at 40 this was assuredly her final World Cup. Canada is set to face Jamaica on Sept. 26 in Toronto for a spot in the Paris Olympics next year, and Sinclair hasn't said whether she'll play.
Sinclair has scored a record 190 international goals, most among men and women. As captain of the team, she was dogged throughout the World Cup by questions about an ongoing contract dispute between the players and Canada Soccer.
The women's team has been playing without a contract for more than a year, demanding better pay and treatment.
After Canada was eliminated in the group stage, Sinclair called on her federation to support the team to avoid future early exits.
“I think more of it is like a wake-up call for our federation — the lack of a professional league, the lack of support for our youth national teams," she said. "I think you’re just going to continue to see teams reach our level, surpass us, whatever you want to call it, if things don’t change.”
Seger, 38, has been struggling with a calf injury at the World Cup. Sweden advanced to the quarterfinals, by defeating the United States on penalties after a scoreless draw, and will face Japan on Friday in Auckland. It is Seger's fifth World Cup.
Seger’s 235 appearances for Sweden are the most for any female player in Europe, and although she has two Olympic silver medals and two World Cup third-place finishes, Sweden has never won a major tournament.
“For me to be here with this national team and trying to do that, it’s my last chance. I mean, I’m not going to play any more World Cups so for me that’s the end," she said. "To be able to hopefully help the team in every way I can to bring home the gold would be of course a dream come true.”
Banini was in tears following Argentina's final match at the World Cup against Sweden. Known as the “Mendoza Messi" in reference to her hometown, she returned to La Albiceleste last year after a lengthy absence over what she said was the poor treatment of the women's team.
“I was able to fulfill what I wanted: play in the United States, play on a great team and play in a World Cup with the national team, that was my great dream. I’m living what I always dreamed of," she said. "I think I achieved everything I fought to improve, and now I have to step aside. I hope they continue fighting for women’s football."
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Generational talents Marta, Christine Sinclair and Megan Rapinoe have all played in their final Women's World Cup and are leaving the game in a much different place than when they started.
Joining them in the group of players ending their international careers is Estefania Banini of Argentina, who said it's time to make way for younger players. Caroline Seger of Sweden is still playing in the tournament, but she has already said that it will be her last.
“It's emotional. Those are some of the greatest football players of all time, players that I've looked up to,” said United States captain Lindsey Horan as her eyes filled with tears. “Pinoe, Sinc, both of them I got to play with. Marta, one of the GOATs. It's hard as a football player to see these guys exiting like this, but look at how much they did for women's football. Them on the field, their character, everything. They're the reason we're all here today.”
Marta, the Brazilian player once dubbed “Pele in Skirts” by the legendary Pele himself, raised the profile of women's soccer in her home country with her dazzling play that she learned from boys on the streets of Dois Riachos.
The 37-year-old was tearful when Brazil was surprisingly eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. It was her sixth World Cup and she fell short of becoming the first player — male or female — to score in all six.
At the team's final match she looked across the field at young teammates Laurinha and Bruninha, and realized that there's more work to be done for the Brazilian national team.
“Women’s football doesn’t end here. Women’s football in Brazil doesn’t end here. We need to understand this,” she said.
Marta has scored 115 goals for Brazil, including a record 17 goals at the World Cup. She has been named the FIFA women's player of the year a record six times.
Rapinoe, 38, announced before the World Cup that it would be her last. She will play out the season with her club team, OL Reign, before retiring from the game.
She finishes as one of the most decorated U.S. players ever. In addition to two World Cup titles, and Olympic gold and bronze medals, she won the prestigious Ballon d'Or as well as a FIFA best player award. She was also awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her social justice work.
Rapinoe was among the players who fought for, and won, equal pay with the men's national team.
Rapinoe's World Cup career ended with a missed penalty. The United States were sent out of the tournament in a shootout in the Round of 16 with Sweden after a scoreless draw. It was the team's earliest ever exit.
“It's been an honor,” Rapinoe said, her eyes welling with tears.
Sinclair's future with the Canadian national team is unsettled, although at 40 this was assuredly her final World Cup. Canada is set to face Jamaica on Sept. 26 in Toronto for a spot in the Paris Olympics next year, and Sinclair hasn't said whether she'll play.
Sinclair has scored a record 190 international goals, most among men and women. As captain of the team, she was dogged throughout the World Cup by questions about an ongoing contract dispute between the players and Canada Soccer.
The women's team has been playing without a contract for more than a year, demanding better pay and treatment.
After Canada was eliminated in the group stage, Sinclair called on her federation to support the team to avoid future early exits.
“I think more of it is like a wake-up call for our federation — the lack of a professional league, the lack of support for our youth national teams," she said. "I think you’re just going to continue to see teams reach our level, surpass us, whatever you want to call it, if things don’t change.”
Seger, 38, has been struggling with a calf injury at the World Cup. Sweden advanced to the quarterfinals, by defeating the United States on penalties after a scoreless draw, and will face Japan on Friday in Auckland. It is Seger's fifth World Cup.
Seger’s 235 appearances for Sweden are the most for any female player in Europe, and although she has two Olympic silver medals and two World Cup third-place finishes, Sweden has never won a major tournament.
“For me to be here with this national team and trying to do that, it’s my last chance. I mean, I’m not going to play any more World Cups so for me that’s the end," she said. "To be able to hopefully help the team in every way I can to bring home the gold would be of course a dream come true.”
Banini was in tears following Argentina's final match at the World Cup against Sweden. Known as the “Mendoza Messi" in reference to her hometown, she returned to La Albiceleste last year after a lengthy absence over what she said was the poor treatment of the women's team.
“I was able to fulfill what I wanted: play in the United States, play on a great team and play in a World Cup with the national team, that was my great dream. I’m living what I always dreamed of," she said. "I think I achieved everything I fought to improve, and now I have to step aside. I hope they continue fighting for women’s football."
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
Journalists seek regulations to govern fast-moving artificial intelligence technology
NEW YORK (AP) — Several news organizations, writers and photographers groups are pushing to be involved in creating standards for the use of artificial intelligence, particularly as it concerns intellectual property rights and the potential spread of misinformation.
In an open letter sent on Wednesday, they outlined priorities for setting rules on the technology, which is developing faster than regulators can keep up with.
“We ... support the responsible advancement and deployment of generative AI technology, while believing that a legal framework must be developed to protect the content that powers AI applications as well as maintain public trust in the media,” the organizations said.
The letter was signed by The Associated Press; Gannett; the News Media Alliance, which represents hundreds of publishers; Getty Images; the National Press Photographers Association; Agence France-Presse and others.
The organizations want to make sure intellectual property owners maintain their rights when AI operators use material for training. The AP last month made a deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to license the news agency's archive of news stories.
The letter also calls for artificial intelligence companies to take specific steps to eliminate bias and misinformation in the material it produces. In particular, photographers are concerned about the ability of artificial intelligence to create false images.
Seven U.S. companies that are leading AI developers agreed in July to voluntary safeguards set by President Joe Biden's administration for building their technology, but the commitments aren’t enforceable and don’t touch on intellectual property concerns.
Wed, August 9, 2023
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Several news organizations, writers and photographers groups are pushing to be involved in creating standards for the use of artificial intelligence, particularly as it concerns intellectual property rights and the potential spread of misinformation.
In an open letter sent on Wednesday, they outlined priorities for setting rules on the technology, which is developing faster than regulators can keep up with.
“We ... support the responsible advancement and deployment of generative AI technology, while believing that a legal framework must be developed to protect the content that powers AI applications as well as maintain public trust in the media,” the organizations said.
The letter was signed by The Associated Press; Gannett; the News Media Alliance, which represents hundreds of publishers; Getty Images; the National Press Photographers Association; Agence France-Presse and others.
The organizations want to make sure intellectual property owners maintain their rights when AI operators use material for training. The AP last month made a deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to license the news agency's archive of news stories.
The letter also calls for artificial intelligence companies to take specific steps to eliminate bias and misinformation in the material it produces. In particular, photographers are concerned about the ability of artificial intelligence to create false images.
Seven U.S. companies that are leading AI developers agreed in July to voluntary safeguards set by President Joe Biden's administration for building their technology, but the commitments aren’t enforceable and don’t touch on intellectual property concerns.
Wed, August 9, 2023
The Associated Press
Researchers are shocked to find 2 great white sharks have become 'buddies' since the predators are typically solitary creatures
Grace Eliza Goodwin,Jenny McGrath
Wed, August 9, 2023
A great white shark off the coast of Cape Cod in 2022.
Grace Eliza Goodwin,Jenny McGrath
Wed, August 9, 2023
A great white shark off the coast of Cape Cod in 2022.
Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images
Researchers were shocked to find out that two great white sharks have become friends.
The sharks, named Simon and Jekyll, have travelled 4,000 miles together up the Atlantic Coast.
Great white sharks are usually solitary creatures so finding these shark "buddies" was a surprise.
Turns out, even chronically single apex predators may need companionship sometimes.
Researchers were shocked to discover that two great white sharks — which are typically solitary creatures — have seemingly become friends, traveling thousands of miles together.
Scientists at OCEARCH, a nonprofit research organization, first tagged Simon and Jekyll with location trackers in December off the coast of Georgia, according to the group's website.
OCEARCH has learned that since then, the sharks have traveled practically side-by-side for over 4,000 miles, all the way up the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the organization said in a video posted to Facebook.
During the summer great whites travel over hundreds of miles north from Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in search of gray seals. Canda's rebounding seal population attracts the predators, Live Science reports.
Why are these two great white shark sticking together?
"This is potentially groundbreaking," Bob Hueter, chief scientist at OCEARCH, said in the Facebook video, later adding, "We've never seen anything quite like this before."
Heuter continued, "White sharks lead a very solitary existence. We don't really expect to see these white sharks staying together, but Simon and Jekyll, they seem to be buddies in the sense that they're going in the same place at the same time."
Heuter said in the video that OCEARCH plans to conduct genetic analyses on samples of the sharks' DNA to determine if the pair are brothers or half-brothers.
They're both juvenile sharks, with Simon weighing in at 434 pounds and 9 feet 6 inches long and Jekyll at 395 pounds and 8 feet 8 inches, according to their profiles on OCEARCH's website.
Gray reef sharks, sand tigers, and hammerheads all form social groups to some degree. While great whites are generally solitary, Yannis Papastamatiou, a professor at Florida International University, found that it varies from shark to shark. Some are friendly and others prefer to be alone.
Researchers were shocked to find out that two great white sharks have become friends.
The sharks, named Simon and Jekyll, have travelled 4,000 miles together up the Atlantic Coast.
Great white sharks are usually solitary creatures so finding these shark "buddies" was a surprise.
Turns out, even chronically single apex predators may need companionship sometimes.
Researchers were shocked to discover that two great white sharks — which are typically solitary creatures — have seemingly become friends, traveling thousands of miles together.
Scientists at OCEARCH, a nonprofit research organization, first tagged Simon and Jekyll with location trackers in December off the coast of Georgia, according to the group's website.
OCEARCH has learned that since then, the sharks have traveled practically side-by-side for over 4,000 miles, all the way up the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the organization said in a video posted to Facebook.
During the summer great whites travel over hundreds of miles north from Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in search of gray seals. Canda's rebounding seal population attracts the predators, Live Science reports.
Why are these two great white shark sticking together?
"This is potentially groundbreaking," Bob Hueter, chief scientist at OCEARCH, said in the Facebook video, later adding, "We've never seen anything quite like this before."
Heuter continued, "White sharks lead a very solitary existence. We don't really expect to see these white sharks staying together, but Simon and Jekyll, they seem to be buddies in the sense that they're going in the same place at the same time."
Heuter said in the video that OCEARCH plans to conduct genetic analyses on samples of the sharks' DNA to determine if the pair are brothers or half-brothers.
They're both juvenile sharks, with Simon weighing in at 434 pounds and 9 feet 6 inches long and Jekyll at 395 pounds and 8 feet 8 inches, according to their profiles on OCEARCH's website.
Gray reef sharks, sand tigers, and hammerheads all form social groups to some degree. While great whites are generally solitary, Yannis Papastamatiou, a professor at Florida International University, found that it varies from shark to shark. Some are friendly and others prefer to be alone.
A busted Russian warship may not have seen an exploding Ukrainian drone boat coming, hinting at problems that have plagued Russia throughout its war
Ryan Pickrell
Wed, August 9, 2023
Russian Navy's landing vessel Ropucha-class Olenegorsky Gornyak 012 cross the Bosphorus strait en route to the Black Sea on February 09, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Commenting on the video of the drone attack, prominent pro-Russian milblogger Rybar, per a CNN translation, observed that "it is interesting that the drone approached the large landing ship freely," assessing "the crew probably did not anticipate an attack and therefore did not take any action to destroy the drone."
Ukrainian drone boat attacks have been occurring much more frequently since they were first used last year. Just a few days before this attack, Russian vessels were fighting off drone boats in another incident. Experts told Insider it's odd that these threats are seemingly not being given higher priority, especially considering other Black Sea Fleet losses, like the Russian flagship cruiser Moskva that was sunk after being struck by Ukraine's shore-based anti-ship missiles.
Due to their size, design, and low profile in the water, the drone boats are hard to detect both visually and by radar, especially at night, but it's still a known threat, making the apparent lack of a more robust defense and heightened vigilance surprising.
Since the deadly suicide bombing of the US Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000, US ships have taken greater precautions in less-than-friendly waterways, such as extra watch standing, added surveillance, and weaponry at the ready, Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer and defense expert at the Hudson Institute, told Insider. Actions can include steps like manning topside gun crews and closely tracking radar providing targeting data for the deck guns and rotary cannons.
"You should've seen some of that activity. I didn't see any of that," he said of Russia's Olenegorsky Gornyak, adding that "it seemed like there was really no response."
"It just seems very strange they didn't respond at all to the incoming drone boats," Clark added. At the very least, crew-served weapons like machine guns might have stopped the attacking drone boat. Russia has had some reported successes repelling drone boat attacks on its corvettes and intelligence vessels.
One of three Russian navy vessels, a Ropucha class large landing ship "Olenegorsky Gornyak" sails through the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea past the city of Istanbul on February 9, 2022.
If the Russian warship, previously described as "one of Russia's best," did, in fact, fail to take necessary precautions within range of attack, it certainly wasn't a first for the Russian military in its war in Ukraine, as it has made costly errors of this nature in the past.
At the start of the year, a few dozen, if not actually a few hundred, Russian troops were killed in a New Year's Day strike on their barracks in Makiivka.
The Kremlin blamed complacency and cellphone usage, but Russian milbloggers argued their commanders negligently stationed Russian forces in a vulnerable position near ammunition storage within firing range of Ukraine's US-provided HIMARS, a powerful and proven rocket artillery system.
Months later in June, more Russian service members were killed in a rocket artillery strike after reportedly being forced to stand in one spot in Kreminna for hours listening to a commander's speech, again within range of Ukraine's HIMARS.
And more recently, a large number of Russian troops gathered last week out in the open on a beach on Dzharylhach island, a position that also turned out to be within reach of Ukraine's rocket artillery, and suffered significant casualties as a result. An expert told Insider's Erin Snodgrass at the time that Russia failed "military operations 101," and that's been happening throughout this conflict.
Other questionable actions, for instance, involve things like storing ammunition next to medical facilities and Russian generals foolishly strutting along the front lines, moves that appear to stem from a lack of appreciation for their enemy in this fight, which may have been the case with the Olenegorsky Gornyak.
A sea drone shows the silhouette of Olenegorsky Gornyak ship near the port of Novorossiysk, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from social media video released on August 4, 2023.
"We have seen that video," Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider, referring to the video footage of the drone attack.
"You don't see any obstacles, you don't see any nets, you don't see any patrol boats or shooting or anything like that that would indicate an active defense."
The video suggests the landing ship took no apparent action in response to the drone boat beyond possibly turning on a searchlight.
Cancian acknowledged that there may have been defensive actions but said that going off the video of the attack, "it certainly looks like they assumed that the Ukrainians were not able to strike at that distance."
The Russians "were not as attentive and didn't have the surveillance up that they should have," Cancian said, and they paid the price. Russia also seems to have discounted Ukrainian cleverness, which is damaging Russian ships in the Black Sea even without a navy.
The thing to watch, he noted, will be whether or not Russia adapts in response to this incident.
If they do, it shows Russia learns, albeit the hard way, but if they don't, it indicates "that not only are they sort of complacent and sloppy, but they're not learning either." We'll see if they do.
Ryan Pickrell
Wed, August 9, 2023
Russian Navy's landing vessel Ropucha-class Olenegorsky Gornyak 012 cross the Bosphorus strait en route to the Black Sea on February 09, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Burak Kara/Getty Images
A Russian warship was struck by a Ukrainian drone boat that it doesn't appear to have seen coming.
In video footage from last week's incident, the drone seems to approach uninhibited by ship defenses.
The attack hints at problems like complacency, negligence, and underestimating threats that have hurt Russia in this war.
Ukraine pulled off an attack on a Russian warship last week, and the lack of an obvious defensive response by the ship to the explosive-laden drone boat that crippled it suggests the Russian crew may not have seen it coming.
The apparent failure to detect or even attempt to fire at the incoming drone hints at problems that have plagued the Russian military throughout its war: Complacency, negligence, and a tendency to underestimate the Ukrainians, especially when it comes to reach.
Video surfaced last Friday of a naval drone — like the ones the Ukrainian military showed off and made international headlines with only days before — approaching a Russian ship and cutting out right as it detonated on impact.
A Russian warship was struck by a Ukrainian drone boat that it doesn't appear to have seen coming.
In video footage from last week's incident, the drone seems to approach uninhibited by ship defenses.
The attack hints at problems like complacency, negligence, and underestimating threats that have hurt Russia in this war.
Ukraine pulled off an attack on a Russian warship last week, and the lack of an obvious defensive response by the ship to the explosive-laden drone boat that crippled it suggests the Russian crew may not have seen it coming.
The apparent failure to detect or even attempt to fire at the incoming drone hints at problems that have plagued the Russian military throughout its war: Complacency, negligence, and a tendency to underestimate the Ukrainians, especially when it comes to reach.
Video surfaced last Friday of a naval drone — like the ones the Ukrainian military showed off and made international headlines with only days before — approaching a Russian ship and cutting out right as it detonated on impact.
The Russian ship, identified as the Project 775 Ropucha-class landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak, was spotted listing heavily in the water in the aftermath of the attack at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, indicating the vessel was actually hit, despite Russia's discredited claims to have thwarted the attack.
Commenting on the video of the drone attack, prominent pro-Russian milblogger Rybar, per a CNN translation, observed that "it is interesting that the drone approached the large landing ship freely," assessing "the crew probably did not anticipate an attack and therefore did not take any action to destroy the drone."
Ukrainian drone boat attacks have been occurring much more frequently since they were first used last year. Just a few days before this attack, Russian vessels were fighting off drone boats in another incident. Experts told Insider it's odd that these threats are seemingly not being given higher priority, especially considering other Black Sea Fleet losses, like the Russian flagship cruiser Moskva that was sunk after being struck by Ukraine's shore-based anti-ship missiles.
Due to their size, design, and low profile in the water, the drone boats are hard to detect both visually and by radar, especially at night, but it's still a known threat, making the apparent lack of a more robust defense and heightened vigilance surprising.
Since the deadly suicide bombing of the US Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000, US ships have taken greater precautions in less-than-friendly waterways, such as extra watch standing, added surveillance, and weaponry at the ready, Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer and defense expert at the Hudson Institute, told Insider. Actions can include steps like manning topside gun crews and closely tracking radar providing targeting data for the deck guns and rotary cannons.
"You should've seen some of that activity. I didn't see any of that," he said of Russia's Olenegorsky Gornyak, adding that "it seemed like there was really no response."
"It just seems very strange they didn't respond at all to the incoming drone boats," Clark added. At the very least, crew-served weapons like machine guns might have stopped the attacking drone boat. Russia has had some reported successes repelling drone boat attacks on its corvettes and intelligence vessels.
One of three Russian navy vessels, a Ropucha class large landing ship "Olenegorsky Gornyak" sails through the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea past the city of Istanbul on February 9, 2022.
OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
The British defense ministry said in an intelligence update the day after the attack on the big Russian landing ship that "the 3600 tonne, 113 metre long Olenegorsky Gornyak represents the largest Russian naval vessel seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022."
The ministry added that "this is a significant blow to the [Black Sea Fleet], which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol."
The Russian ship may have assumed it was safe in Novorossiysk, given that the port is roughly 350 miles from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, but it shouldn't have. The reach of Ukraine's drone boats was hardly a secret.
Just days before the attack, Ukraine showed CNN its naval drone boats packed with nearly 1,000 pounds of explosives, revealing they have a range of roughly 500 miles. Yet the reactions of the Olenegorsky Gornyak's crew did not look like a ship aware it was operating within the reach of Ukraine's weapons.
Typically, the work of identifying emerging threats is done by naval intelligence officers, with fleet commanders then ordering preparations to ready their ship crews to the risk.
The British defense ministry said in an intelligence update the day after the attack on the big Russian landing ship that "the 3600 tonne, 113 metre long Olenegorsky Gornyak represents the largest Russian naval vessel seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022."
The ministry added that "this is a significant blow to the [Black Sea Fleet], which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol."
The Russian ship may have assumed it was safe in Novorossiysk, given that the port is roughly 350 miles from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, but it shouldn't have. The reach of Ukraine's drone boats was hardly a secret.
Just days before the attack, Ukraine showed CNN its naval drone boats packed with nearly 1,000 pounds of explosives, revealing they have a range of roughly 500 miles. Yet the reactions of the Olenegorsky Gornyak's crew did not look like a ship aware it was operating within the reach of Ukraine's weapons.
Typically, the work of identifying emerging threats is done by naval intelligence officers, with fleet commanders then ordering preparations to ready their ship crews to the risk.
If the Russian warship, previously described as "one of Russia's best," did, in fact, fail to take necessary precautions within range of attack, it certainly wasn't a first for the Russian military in its war in Ukraine, as it has made costly errors of this nature in the past.
At the start of the year, a few dozen, if not actually a few hundred, Russian troops were killed in a New Year's Day strike on their barracks in Makiivka.
The Kremlin blamed complacency and cellphone usage, but Russian milbloggers argued their commanders negligently stationed Russian forces in a vulnerable position near ammunition storage within firing range of Ukraine's US-provided HIMARS, a powerful and proven rocket artillery system.
Months later in June, more Russian service members were killed in a rocket artillery strike after reportedly being forced to stand in one spot in Kreminna for hours listening to a commander's speech, again within range of Ukraine's HIMARS.
And more recently, a large number of Russian troops gathered last week out in the open on a beach on Dzharylhach island, a position that also turned out to be within reach of Ukraine's rocket artillery, and suffered significant casualties as a result. An expert told Insider's Erin Snodgrass at the time that Russia failed "military operations 101," and that's been happening throughout this conflict.
Other questionable actions, for instance, involve things like storing ammunition next to medical facilities and Russian generals foolishly strutting along the front lines, moves that appear to stem from a lack of appreciation for their enemy in this fight, which may have been the case with the Olenegorsky Gornyak.
A sea drone shows the silhouette of Olenegorsky Gornyak ship near the port of Novorossiysk, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from social media video released on August 4, 2023.
"We have seen that video," Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider, referring to the video footage of the drone attack.
"You don't see any obstacles, you don't see any nets, you don't see any patrol boats or shooting or anything like that that would indicate an active defense."
The video suggests the landing ship took no apparent action in response to the drone boat beyond possibly turning on a searchlight.
Cancian acknowledged that there may have been defensive actions but said that going off the video of the attack, "it certainly looks like they assumed that the Ukrainians were not able to strike at that distance."
The Russians "were not as attentive and didn't have the surveillance up that they should have," Cancian said, and they paid the price. Russia also seems to have discounted Ukrainian cleverness, which is damaging Russian ships in the Black Sea even without a navy.
The thing to watch, he noted, will be whether or not Russia adapts in response to this incident.
If they do, it shows Russia learns, albeit the hard way, but if they don't, it indicates "that not only are they sort of complacent and sloppy, but they're not learning either." We'll see if they do.
Kellogg's 'woke' workplace diversity programs are illegal, RIGHT WING group claims
Kellogg's Corn Flakes, owned by Kellogg Company, are seen for sale in a store in Queens,
KELLOGS WAS ALWAYS WOKE
IT BEGAN AS A HEALTH FOOD CO.
Kellogg's Corn Flakes, owned by Kellogg Company, are seen for sale in a store in Queens,
New York City
Wed, August 9, 2023
By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) - A conservative legal group on Wednesday urged a U.S. anti-discrimination agency to investigate Kellogg Co over workplace diversity policies that it says are unlawful, and accused the cereal maker of sexualizing its products.
This is the second complaint filed this week against a company by America First Legal, a nonprofit run by Stephen Miller, who was an adviser to former President Donald Trump.
America First in a letter to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said Kellogg's hiring, training and promotion practices are designed to achieve a balance based on race and sex that violates the federal law banning workplace bias.
It also criticized marketing campaigns including boxes of Cheez-It crackers featuring drag queen RuPaul and cereal boxes celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month.
"Management has discarded the company's long-held family friendly marketing approach to politicize and sexualize its products," the group said.
The EEOC can sue companies if it finds that their employment practices amount to illegal discrimination.
Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many legal experts expect an uptick in legal challenges to corporate diversity programs in the wake of a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring race-conscious admissions policies in higher education.
America First in the letter said Kellogg, for example, has said it wants to have "25% underrepresented talent at the management level" by 2025 and runs fellowship programs that are only open to racial minorities.
"Kellogg’s employment practices are unlawfully based on 'equity,' which is a euphemism for illegal discrimination," Reed Rubenstein, a lawyer with the group, wrote in the letter.
America First said it also had sent a letter to Kellogg's board of directors on Wednesday threatening shareholder litigation if the company maintains the allegedly illegal policies.
The nonprofit on Tuesday sued Target Corp on behalf of an investor, saying the retailer failed to anticipate customer backlash over LGBTQ-themed merchandise that hurt its stock value.
The complaints are part of a campaign conservative legal groups and Republican legislators are waging against corporations that have enacted so-called woke policies on social issues such as race, gender and diversity.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Wed, August 9, 2023
By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) - A conservative legal group on Wednesday urged a U.S. anti-discrimination agency to investigate Kellogg Co over workplace diversity policies that it says are unlawful, and accused the cereal maker of sexualizing its products.
This is the second complaint filed this week against a company by America First Legal, a nonprofit run by Stephen Miller, who was an adviser to former President Donald Trump.
America First in a letter to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said Kellogg's hiring, training and promotion practices are designed to achieve a balance based on race and sex that violates the federal law banning workplace bias.
It also criticized marketing campaigns including boxes of Cheez-It crackers featuring drag queen RuPaul and cereal boxes celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month.
"Management has discarded the company's long-held family friendly marketing approach to politicize and sexualize its products," the group said.
The EEOC can sue companies if it finds that their employment practices amount to illegal discrimination.
Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many legal experts expect an uptick in legal challenges to corporate diversity programs in the wake of a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring race-conscious admissions policies in higher education.
America First in the letter said Kellogg, for example, has said it wants to have "25% underrepresented talent at the management level" by 2025 and runs fellowship programs that are only open to racial minorities.
"Kellogg’s employment practices are unlawfully based on 'equity,' which is a euphemism for illegal discrimination," Reed Rubenstein, a lawyer with the group, wrote in the letter.
America First said it also had sent a letter to Kellogg's board of directors on Wednesday threatening shareholder litigation if the company maintains the allegedly illegal policies.
The nonprofit on Tuesday sued Target Corp on behalf of an investor, saying the retailer failed to anticipate customer backlash over LGBTQ-themed merchandise that hurt its stock value.
The complaints are part of a campaign conservative legal groups and Republican legislators are waging against corporations that have enacted so-called woke policies on social issues such as race, gender and diversity.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Norfolk Southern content with minimum safety too often, regulators say after fiery Ohio derailment
The union representing track maintenance workers, said glad to see OSHA doing something to hold the railroad accountable because its “actions were completely derelict.”
The Canadian Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Norfolk Southern made improvements after one of its trains derailed, caught fire and spilled toxic chemicals near an Ohio town, but the company is nowhere near the “gold standard for safety” it is striving to be, according to federal regulators. Instead, the railroad is too often only willing to meet minimum safety requirements.
The Federal Railroad Administration released its 143-page report on the Atlanta-based railroad’s safety culture Wednesday. The agency has been working on the report for months since thousands of people had to evacuate their homes after the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.
Poor communication and mistrust between employees and managers are hindering Norfolk Southern’s efforts to improve safety, the report also said. The agency questioned whether the company's training for employees and managers is adequate.
“At a time when so many people working on and living near train tracks are asking legitimate questions about how major freight railroads operate, railroads must have a culture and operations that are focused on safety,” agency administrator Amit Bose said. “This first-of-its-kind assessment — conducted immediately after the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine — shows in too many instances the railroad should be doing more to ensure the safety people deserve.”
The agency has promised to conduct similar safety culture reviews at all the major freight railroads, including CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, but it hasn’t set a timeline for those reviews.
Norfolk Southern is collaborating with workers on safety and addressing the report’s findings, said CEO Alan Shaw, who since the Feb. 3 derailment near Pennsylvania has repeatedly called for his railroad to set the “gold standard” for safety in the industry.
Bose met with Shaw and several of the railroad’s other executives Tuesday to go over the findings, and the company gave a copy of the report to Atkins Nuclear Secured, an independent consultant with expertise in nuclear submarines that is reviewing the company’s safety program.
“We aren't waiting” to act, Shaw said. He said the railroad will keep working on improvements it announced in March while trying to address the regulators' recommendations.
Congress and regulators have called for all the major freight railroads to make a number of changes to improve safety but proposed legislation has stalled in the Senate and failed to get started in the Republican-controlled House.
The rail agency said its assessment “shows numerous examples where NS seems more concerned with compliance with minimum safety requirements of federal regulations and industry standards rather than understanding and seeking to address safety concerns that fall outside the boundaries of existing rules and regulations.”
And as investigators looked into the railroad's practices, they “encountered multiple instances of lapses in trust between employees and their frontline supervisors,” including times when employees refused to meet with investigators because they feared they would be disciplined for speaking out about their safety concerns.
Shaw has defended the railroad's overall safety record and said its number of derailments is down since it began overhauling its operations in 2019 and making widespread job cuts in the name of efficiency. But the federal agency pointed out that between 2018 and 2022 the rate of accidents per million train miles on Norfolk Southern rose faster than any other major freight railroad.
The agency said it has noticed some initial improvement since the derailment, but that it has been inconsistent as the railroad hasn't always communicated the changes well to all its supervisors and employees.
Just last year the agency audited Norfolk Southern’s safety practices and training programs after three railroad employees — including two conductors who had been on the job less than a year — suffered amputations while on duty. The agency made 25 recommendations in that audit that the railroad didn’t promptly or comprehensively respond to.
Just two days before the East Palestine derailment, "NS responded, indicating that where recommendations exceeded the minimum regulatory requirements, they would take no further action, but did promise to engage in corrective action for the majority of the recommendations,” the report said.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating what caused the Ohio derailment after holding hearings on it in June. But that agency has said the derailment was likely caused by an overheating bearing on one of the rail cars. A sensor triggered an alarm about that bearing but the crew didn't have time to stop the train before cars loaded with hazardous chemicals began to careen off the tracks.
The federal rail agency took a close look at how Norfolk Southern monitors those sensors and found that there was often only one employee — sometimes working from home — monitoring all the roughly 1,200 detectors throughout the railroad's network of 19,500 miles (31,382 kilometers) of track in the eastern United States. And that person relied on email to alert dispatchers about any problems — creating the possibility of a delay in notice. That person also dealt with reports of mechanical problems from train crews and safety concerns reported by the public.
In addition to Wednesday's report, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it had fined the railroad $49,111 for failing to provide proper protective gear and adequate hazardous materials training to the workers who were sent to East Palestine immediately after the derailment to rebuild the tracks.
Norfolk Southern also agreed establish a medical monitoring program to track the health of workers who were at the site and improve its training for future derailments as part of a settlement with OSHA.
Tony Cardwell, who leads the union representing track maintenance workers, said he's glad to see OSHA doing something to hold the railroad accountable because its “actions were completely derelict.” Cardwell said he was “blown away” when he learned that his members were working at the derailment site just in their normal leather gloves and boots and not in the hazmat suits he kept seeing on news reports.
“Unless agencies step in and force the carriers to do these things, they won’t do them because there’s a cost associated with it,” said Cardwell, who is president of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union.
Josh Funk, The Associated Press
The union representing track maintenance workers, said glad to see OSHA doing something to hold the railroad accountable because its “actions were completely derelict.”
The Canadian Press
Wed, August 9, 2023
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Norfolk Southern made improvements after one of its trains derailed, caught fire and spilled toxic chemicals near an Ohio town, but the company is nowhere near the “gold standard for safety” it is striving to be, according to federal regulators. Instead, the railroad is too often only willing to meet minimum safety requirements.
The Federal Railroad Administration released its 143-page report on the Atlanta-based railroad’s safety culture Wednesday. The agency has been working on the report for months since thousands of people had to evacuate their homes after the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.
Poor communication and mistrust between employees and managers are hindering Norfolk Southern’s efforts to improve safety, the report also said. The agency questioned whether the company's training for employees and managers is adequate.
“At a time when so many people working on and living near train tracks are asking legitimate questions about how major freight railroads operate, railroads must have a culture and operations that are focused on safety,” agency administrator Amit Bose said. “This first-of-its-kind assessment — conducted immediately after the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine — shows in too many instances the railroad should be doing more to ensure the safety people deserve.”
The agency has promised to conduct similar safety culture reviews at all the major freight railroads, including CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, but it hasn’t set a timeline for those reviews.
Norfolk Southern is collaborating with workers on safety and addressing the report’s findings, said CEO Alan Shaw, who since the Feb. 3 derailment near Pennsylvania has repeatedly called for his railroad to set the “gold standard” for safety in the industry.
Bose met with Shaw and several of the railroad’s other executives Tuesday to go over the findings, and the company gave a copy of the report to Atkins Nuclear Secured, an independent consultant with expertise in nuclear submarines that is reviewing the company’s safety program.
“We aren't waiting” to act, Shaw said. He said the railroad will keep working on improvements it announced in March while trying to address the regulators' recommendations.
Congress and regulators have called for all the major freight railroads to make a number of changes to improve safety but proposed legislation has stalled in the Senate and failed to get started in the Republican-controlled House.
The rail agency said its assessment “shows numerous examples where NS seems more concerned with compliance with minimum safety requirements of federal regulations and industry standards rather than understanding and seeking to address safety concerns that fall outside the boundaries of existing rules and regulations.”
And as investigators looked into the railroad's practices, they “encountered multiple instances of lapses in trust between employees and their frontline supervisors,” including times when employees refused to meet with investigators because they feared they would be disciplined for speaking out about their safety concerns.
Shaw has defended the railroad's overall safety record and said its number of derailments is down since it began overhauling its operations in 2019 and making widespread job cuts in the name of efficiency. But the federal agency pointed out that between 2018 and 2022 the rate of accidents per million train miles on Norfolk Southern rose faster than any other major freight railroad.
The agency said it has noticed some initial improvement since the derailment, but that it has been inconsistent as the railroad hasn't always communicated the changes well to all its supervisors and employees.
Just last year the agency audited Norfolk Southern’s safety practices and training programs after three railroad employees — including two conductors who had been on the job less than a year — suffered amputations while on duty. The agency made 25 recommendations in that audit that the railroad didn’t promptly or comprehensively respond to.
Just two days before the East Palestine derailment, "NS responded, indicating that where recommendations exceeded the minimum regulatory requirements, they would take no further action, but did promise to engage in corrective action for the majority of the recommendations,” the report said.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating what caused the Ohio derailment after holding hearings on it in June. But that agency has said the derailment was likely caused by an overheating bearing on one of the rail cars. A sensor triggered an alarm about that bearing but the crew didn't have time to stop the train before cars loaded with hazardous chemicals began to careen off the tracks.
The federal rail agency took a close look at how Norfolk Southern monitors those sensors and found that there was often only one employee — sometimes working from home — monitoring all the roughly 1,200 detectors throughout the railroad's network of 19,500 miles (31,382 kilometers) of track in the eastern United States. And that person relied on email to alert dispatchers about any problems — creating the possibility of a delay in notice. That person also dealt with reports of mechanical problems from train crews and safety concerns reported by the public.
In addition to Wednesday's report, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it had fined the railroad $49,111 for failing to provide proper protective gear and adequate hazardous materials training to the workers who were sent to East Palestine immediately after the derailment to rebuild the tracks.
Norfolk Southern also agreed establish a medical monitoring program to track the health of workers who were at the site and improve its training for future derailments as part of a settlement with OSHA.
Tony Cardwell, who leads the union representing track maintenance workers, said he's glad to see OSHA doing something to hold the railroad accountable because its “actions were completely derelict.” Cardwell said he was “blown away” when he learned that his members were working at the derailment site just in their normal leather gloves and boots and not in the hazmat suits he kept seeing on news reports.
“Unless agencies step in and force the carriers to do these things, they won’t do them because there’s a cost associated with it,” said Cardwell, who is president of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union.
Josh Funk, The Associated Press
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