read more
Press Association Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City have been unrecognisable at times this season – but has backed them to come good in the second half of the campaign. A 2-0 loss at home to Everton has left City nine points adrift of Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier League, while the Toffees are now just four behind last season’s champions. The result was City’s first home loss of the campaign and Mancini raised the possibility that his team have become overconfident due to their antics in 2012. In his post-match press conference the Italian said: “I think that sometimes it can happen that one team like us – that did everything perfect in the last 15 months, or in the last 21 months, because we did this – can have one moment, one game, when we don’t play like usual. “All the players think they are the best in the world, and think that they can play with 80 per cent of their strength. But in the Premier League, every game is very tough. We can lose against anyone. This is football.” Asked if the statistics worked in City’s favour – they had 19 shots compared to Everton’s eight – Mancini added: “Every time we have more possession, we have more chances, but we don’t score. “Every team that comes here defends very well, every team that plays against us plays like it’s the last game. This is normal for the top team. We should understand this quickly.” read more
A major benefit of investing in a Singapore condo is the potential for high returns in the form of capital appreciation. As a leading business hub in the world, Singapore’s robust economic foundations attract a constant demand for real estate. This has led to a consistent increase in property prices over the years, particularly for condos in prime locations. By carefully timing their investments and holding onto their properties for an extended period, investors can reap significant profits from capital gains. To stay updated on the latest opportunities in the market, investors can also consider exploring the New Condo Launches in Singapore.
RelatedPosts Diving: Cameroon stop Nigeria’s Olympics star D’Tigers, D’Tigress await 2020 Olympics foes D’Tigress, 14 others storm Lagos for Olympic qualifiers The Nigeria Basketball Federation has assured Nigerians of its plan to bid for the hosting of either the FIBA 2021 Men’s Afrobasket Championships or the 2022 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship. The Secretary General of the Federation, Afolabi-Oluwayemi Olabisi, made the disclosure on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja. She, however, said the federation’s immediate plan was the Men’s National Team’s qualification for the 2020 Men’s Olympics in Japan. Olabisi said: “We have two championships coming up – the women’s Afrobasket in 2021 and the men’s Afrobasket in 2023. “We are looking at the possibility of hosting one of these championships – either the 2021 Women’s Afrobasket or 2023 Men’s Afrobasket Championship. “Before then, we have the men’s Olympic qualifiers in 2020 and we are looking up to that so that we can qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.” On the possibility of the women’s team qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Olabisi said Nigeria is not in contention for the only spot from the continent. She said as the second best team in Africa, the women’s national team has to wait for the next Olympic Games in 2024. She said: “As of today, there are only five spots available for Africa, out of which one is already secured by the host country, Japan. “So as the second best team in Africa, we actually thought of the possibility of maybe a wild card for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but there has been no official communication from FIBA. “The hope for the team is to win the 2021 Women’s Afrobasket and qualify for the 2024 Olympics.”Tags: Afolabi-Oluwayemi OlabisiD’TigressesFIBA Men’s 2023 AfrobasketFIBA Women’s Afrobasket read more
Mitt Romney’s faith as a Latter-day Saint was inevitably going to be a tough sell to the general public in a run for President, but it was nonetheless admirable that it was not a topic brought up during the three presidential debates. While his faith was never directly addressed, his faith will nonetheless have an effect on his policies in the White House, possibly more than any other president’s would have in 2012.Romney spoke at length in the debates about his foreign policy and economic plans, but never once addressed any issues pertaining to the American family, religious institutions or the protection of human life. Why was this? While some might attribute it to wanting to appeal to the moderate and independent voters, another possibility is his faith and its impact on his policies. By avoiding these topics, which play a major role in Latter-day Saint doctrines, Romney effectively avoided having to share his views on a range of issues with the American public. However, should he win the election, he will inevitably be called upon to address issues he has evaded so long, and we can only hope his values match up with what Americans want from their next president.Latter-day Saints are, traditionally, very family-oriented people. Family is at the core of the Salt Lake City-based church, and by extension, Romney’s policies are shaped by this. His proposed policies on gay marriage, illegal immigration and the use of birth control have been shown to be controversial issues in the past, but what remains to be seen is how his faith will affect his position on the topics if he becomes commander-in-chief.For instance, much has been made of Romney’s stances on contraception and abortion. In a 2007 debate with Mike Huckabee, Romney said he would support an amendment to the Constitution to establish that life begins at conception, adding that if the amendment were passed, abortion would be effectively banned and states could pursue their own laws banning it outright. Additionally, though he stated in a Missouri debate he did not plan to restrict access to birth control, he later approved a proposal put forth by congressional Republicans that would give employers the right to deny health care options to employees that contravened their religious beliefs. If Romney’s faith had been an openly discussed topic during the election, he might have had to answer why he believed a “religious belief” of an employer was more important than protecting the ability of a female employee to pay for birth control. This is not the type of leadership America needs in a leader, and we must be able to question if Romney’s faith will influence his policies regarding women’s rights.In another instance, Romney’s stances on immigration must also be scrutinized with his faith in mind. While the Latter-day Saints are not an immigrant group, they have a history of missionary work and establishing themselves in countries around the world. Romney’s proposed immigration policies will have a major impact on the millions of undocumented immigrants living in America and on business owners who employ them. However, his opinions on their status while they are living in America have changed frequently, particularly his suggestion that illegal immigrants “self-deport” back to their home countries. We can only hope that regardless of whether or not he is part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Romney will understand the importance of protecting the rights of those looking to better their lives by coming to this country with honorable intentions.Although Romney has evaded discussing many of these issues in light of his faith, a Mormon President will inevitably affect the way the country is run. As the highest-profile representative of the church in the world, he must consider the impact of his actions and policies on the expansion of the church’s missionary work and its standing as an institution. While this is no small task, if he does not temper the power of his position with the intelligence and thoughtfulness we expect from our elected officials, the strain between America’s views and his religious conviction will create more problems than it will resolve. And this is something we cannot have — not from the man the rest of the world will look to as the leader of the free world.Everyone is entitled to their religious rights, but as a great leader, Romney must be an impartial judge that respects the rights of all individuals, religious institutions and non-religious institutions alike. We must unearth how Romney’s religion will impact his policies before electing him to the highest office in the United States. The American people deserve to know the beliefs and ideals of the man who could run the country for four years, and those include both his views as an individual and as a devout Mormon behaving in the best interest of his faith, regardless of whether or not he is directly questioned about it. “In a word” is a weekly Point/Counterpoint column in which two Daily Trojan staff members of opposing views are given 250 words to defend their stance on a topical issue. read more