Thousands of people are known to have killed in the Morocco earthquake, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers continue to search for survivors. As the country’s King Mohammed VI thanks Spain, Qatar, the UK and the UAE for sending aid, stories are emerging of the devastating impact on local communities.

If you were due to travel to Morocco, should you still go? Your instinct might be to stay away, as going on vacation in a country in national mourning seems unseemly. However, that’s not necessarily the best course of action, say those on the ground. Here’s what to know about travel to Morocco as the situation continues to unfold.

Which parts of the country have been affected?

The epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which hit on Friday night, was in the High Atlas mountain range, about 72 miles southwest of Marrakech, in the province of Al Haouz, which has had the highest number of casualties.

It was felt strongly in Marrakech, where the historic medina has been damaged. Seaside cities popular with vacationers such as Essaouira and Agadir also felt it strongly, while the quake was felt as far north as Casablanca and Fez, around 300 miles northeast of Marrakech (although no damage has been done in either city, or the north of the country as a whole).

It is the deadliest earthquake in Morocco in over 60 years.

“When the earthquake struck it caused a lot of fear and confusion – Morocco is not used to earthquakes, and it took some time for the local authorities to provide advice” says Zina Bencheikh, Intrepid Travel’s Morocco-based managing director EMEA. The company had around 650 travelers in the country when the quake hit.

“Outside of the Atlas Mountains and the [Marrakech] medina, most of the country is now running as usual, with transport including trains and other services continuing to operate as usual, including airports.”

Is Marrakech badly damaged?

As of September 11, all historical monuments in Marrakech were closed until further notice, including key sites such as the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace.

However, private museums, galleries and institutions are already open, as are the souks, where storeowners told the AFP news agency that there are already concerns about plummeting visitor numbers.

Public transportation has resumed and is now running normally. And while some hotels in the medina have closed due to structural damage, most are open.

Kottosová – who arrived in Marrakech on Saturday night, and has seen people sleeping in the city’s parks – says that she saw visitors getting guided tours, and people getting coffee in the new districts.

“People who are arriving now would see rubble in some places but it’s not like the city has stopped. You could visit and ignore the impact if you wanted to.” The new areas of the city look “untouched – like a normal metropolis,” she says.

Bilal El Hammoumy, co-founder of tour operator Inclusive Morocco, says there has been “significant damage in the medina, especially in the old Mellah and the Jewish Quarter.”

Hotelier Vanessa Branson, co-owner of luxury hotel El Fenn – which suffered cosmetic damage, but has stayed open throughout – says that the medina is “doing OK.”

“Any business that is able will be back open this week, most already are – most hotels are open, the restaurants are open and most of the medina’s streets are accessible, having been swiftly cleared of debris,” she says.

“Majorelle Gardens, Le Secret Garden and the Musee Des Confluences are all welcoming visitors too. Some areas of the souks have a little more disruption, but many stalls are already open for business.”

“The city is busy with the cleanup operation in progress, and though the buildings and people will bear the scars for a long time to come, the city is shaken, not stirred. The mountains will obviously take a little longer to recover.”

How about the High Atlas Mountains?

“I don’t think tourists should be going here [to the High Atlas mountains] right now,” says Kottosová, who is currently in the area reporting, and has driven through tourism-hub villages that have been devastated, past roadside souvenir stalls that have been completely destroyed, and has seen newly homeless people setting up camps. “All the houses are gone, people are sleeping in tents,” she says. “Some of the roads have not been entirely cleared, and there’s a lot of traffic delivering humanitarian aid.”

Kasbah Tamadot, a luxury retreat owned by Branson’s brother, Virgin founder Richard Branson, was closed due to damage.

It’s one of many, says El Hammoumy.

“Many hotels in the High Atlas Mountains have had considerable structural damage with some of them closing,” he says. His company is advising clients due to visit, to reroute to the north of the country, or reschedule for a later date – not just because of damage to infrastructure, but to allow first responders swift access to the remote areas. “I would advise people to wait a while to visit the High Atlas Mountains, but I think Marrakech can still be visited immediately,” he says, warning that the city is muted because of the country’s state of mourning.

What about the rest of the country?

Business as usual. Meryem Ameziane is a tour guide in Fez – she has not canceled a single tour since the earthquake.

“I’m on tours every day,” she says.

“None of the northern part was affected by the earthquake, all the roads between the cities are operating as usual. We are at the beginning of high season for tourism and we are all praying that business will continue as usual.”

Popular destinations such as Merzouga, Skoura and the Sahara Desert are unaffected, she says, along with northern cities.

She says that people shouldn’t feel guilty or embarrassed about continuing with their trips.

“We really need the support of travelers to visit Morocco and support the economy, because we have a lot to go through to help the people affected by the earthquake and rebuild the destroyed villages.

“I would say that the only part to avoid is the High Atlas mountains, to help the authorities with the rescue process. Otherwise, Morocco is perfect to visit.”

“The main cities are quiet – for travelers, everything you want to come to Morocco for, the situation is OK,” says Abdelilah El Khadir, who works at the front desk at the Tour Hassan Palace hotel, in Rabat.

“Sometimes there is a polemic about going to a destination after an earthquake, but the earthquake has passed three days ago and the situation is quiet right now,” he adds.

“Here [in Rabat], everything is good.”

What is it like for tourists on the ground?

The airports are open and flights are continuing as usual, including in Marrakech. Writer Anabel Dean was in Fez when the earthquake hit – her riad in the medina shook but there was so little impact in the city that she was able to take part in a guided food tour the following day.

“It was clear that my guide was fragile, she’d had very little sleep. I kept saying we don’t have to do this but she absolutely refused to leave,” says Dean.

Stallholders were still working, and still had time to speak to her warmly, she said.

Instead of continuing to Marrakech as planned, where she’d been due to attend a now-canceled conference, she took the train to Rabat, where she flew to Paris. Nothing about the station or the train journey was different from when she arrived three days earlier, she says.

Meanwhile, her tour operator Inclusive Morocco, rerouted her to Rabat before flying her out to Paris. A company representative called her the morning after the quake to check on her. “They were based in Marrakech but still reaching out – I was really impressed,” she says.

Bencheikh emphasizes that the rest of the country is operating normally, from northern cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Chefchaouen, to tourist destinations such as Ait Benhaddou and Dades Valley in the south of the country.

Will my trip go ahead?

Check with your tour operator, as each is doing something different. Intrepid, for example, immediately canceled imminent departures to see how the situation progressed. It is now reinstating departures from September 14, but adjusting trips, canceling Marrakech medina activities and rerouting visits to the High Atlas Mountains.

World Expeditions, a trekking-focused tour operator, has proceeded with all Morocco tours other than its High Atlas Trek, which is being rerouted. The company was unable to answer what happens if travelers no longer wish to go.

If you don’t want to travel, your first port of call should be your tour operator, to see if it will allow you to reschedule, change to a different destination, or simply reimburse you in the circumstances. You will not usually be able to claim reimbursement on your travel insurance unless your government advises against travel.

Currently the US State Department has no travel advisory for Morocco. The UK Foreign Office doesn’t advise against travel, instead advising travelers to check with their tour operator whether their trip is going ahead.

Also check with your airline to see if there is any leeway for those no longer wishing to travel. Some are also laying on extra flights to pick up travelers who wish to return home.

Should you travel, even if you can?

Yes, says Vanessa Branson, who welcomed new arrivals this weekend (they arrived “on time and without issue,” she adds).

“If tourists stop traveling to Morocco it will have a huge impact on the livelihoods of the people and businesses that rely on them – visitors bring with them hope of recovery. I urge guests not only to stick to their plans to visit Morocco but to make plans to visit if they’ve not already. I’d just recommend using a guide to get around here.”

El Hammoumy agrees: “Unfortunately, the same people who are now suffering the aftermath of the earthquake rely on the tourism industry as a source of income. The sector provides tremendous support to everyday Moroccans to put bread on the table,” he says.

“We encourage people from around the globe to visit this coming fall – it will show a great support to the local community and will uplift the spirits and help the resilient Moroccan society get back on its feet quickly.” He is concerned that people will stay away, further damaging the country’s economy, he says – triply devastating since the stalled tourism of the covid pandemic.

“The earthquake struck during one of the busiest months for tourism, and many of our tour leaders and partners are concerned that it will deter people from visiting,” says Bencheikh.

“Our teams and suppliers say the best thing people can do to support local communities is to continue to travel to Morocco while avoiding the most impacted areas. The country will need tourism more than ever as it rebuilds.”

Dean says that people were already “expressing concern about the loss of tourism” during her time there.

“Rabat is the capital and Casablanca is the business capital, and they will continue to flourish, but there have been cancellations [from tourists] in Fez, the markets were quieter, and there was real concern. The initial shock and horror was being joined by concern for the future.”

Is there an an alternative to the High Atlas mountains?

Yes, says El Hammoumy – the Middle Atlas mountains, which are considered to be in the north of the country, about 90 minutes southeast of Fez. Despite the similar name, they have not been affected by the earthquake, lying around 400 miles away from the epicenter. Areas such as Azrou and Ifrane are particularly popular with travelers.

“They can offer a variety of similar experiences to those in the High Atlas that can expose them to rural life in Morocco and the Berber culture,” he says.

How to travel if you do go

For Dean, traveling with a tour operator that is really rooted in the country is crucial. “Their concern for tourists and people on the ground has been astonishing given what they’re facing,” she says of Inclusive Morocco.

She also recommends using a guide – as it happens, she was out with Ameziane in Fez the day after the earthquake.

“Meryem was advising me [about next steps] – I didn’t think about the danger because I felt safe the whole time because of her. It reminded me of the great value of tour guides – you don’t think about how much you might need them in a catastrophe.”

Buying good travel insurance is a must.

The United Arab Emirates has lifted a year-long visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers, authorities in the West African country said Monday.

The restriction placed by the UAE last October was lifted following negotiations between Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu and UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Both men met earlier on Monday in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and concluded what the Nigerian government described as “a historic agreement” that will also pave the way for the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalized a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers,” a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the statement added.

Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues.

The UAE’s Dubai emirate has been a popular destination for Nigerian travelers for many years but visas to the West Africans and nationals of 19 other African states were halted last year for undisclosed reasons.

More than 150 police officers are searching for a terror suspect who escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van, as questions mount over how the audacious breakout was allowed to happen.

The British government pledged on Thursday – the second day of the search – that Khalife would be tracked down.

Khalife orchestrated a bold jail break from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday morning while dressed as a chef. Police confirmed Thursday that he had attached himself to a delivery van as it left the prison.

The suspect is a serving member of the British military who is awaiting trial on terror charges, over allegedly planting fake bombs at a military base, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.

Police laid out the timeline of Khalife’s escape on Thursday.

The soldier was declared missing at 7:50 a.m., they said. The Metropolitan Police were alerted 25 minutes later, and officers tracked down the delivery van at 8:37 a.m. just two miles east of the prison, on a street in Putney, southwest London.

By then, Khalife was gone and all that remained of his escape was the strapping officers discovered under the van.

British Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the government will launch an independent investigation into the incident. Addressing the UK parliament on Thursday, Chalk said he had already ordered an internal probe into the decision to place Khalife in a lower-security jail.

“No stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened. Who was on duty that morning, in what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place,” Chalk said.

The justice secretary stressed that Khalife “will be caught in due course and will face a trial.”

‘State of disrepair’

Opposition MPs in Britain criticized the ruling Conservative government following the jail break, accusing ministers of plunging the judicial system into a parlous state due to years of austerity programs.

Politicians from the Labour party demanded that the government “urgently” explain how Khalife was able to escape, telling Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “get a grip.”

“We know that the criminal justice system after 13 years of Tory Government is in a state of disrepair. We know that there are huge problems with prisons,” MP Shabana Mahmood was quoted saying by PA Media.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, also from the Labour Party, said the case raised concerns about why a suspect “charged with national security offenses, wasn’t being held in a higher security prison.”

Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program on Thursday she had questions about “security checks and staffing levels” in the prison on the day of the jail break.

“There have been a series of warnings about the situation at Wandsworth, including the level of staff absences and sickness, and the lack of shifts being covered,” she added.

Staff shortages

Last year, the UK’s prison inspection watchdog warned staffing levels “remained a serious problem” at Wandsworth prison.

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) reported a 30% drop in the number of staff available for “fully operational duty,” from September 2021 to June 2022.

“This had a deleterious effect on the running of the prison, and it was to everyone’s credit that for the most part the designated, or at least basic, regimes were still delivered,” HMIP said.

It added that 44% of staff “were absent or unable to carry out their normal duties,” when the watchdog inspected the prison in September 2021.

Government officials, including Chalk, have taken pains to emphasize that escapes from British prisons are incredibly rare. Data from the British government shows that there was just one escape across England and Wales in 2021-22, none in the proceeding period, and only a handful in the years prior to that.

“It is extremely rare for prisoners to be able to escape. So, it’s vitally important that we do investigate it. And we look at all the processes that were in place,” government minister Michelle Donelan told the “Today” program on Thursday.

The Met urged the British public to help locate Khalife, who is of slim build, has short brown hair and is around 6 feet and 2 inches tall, according to officers.

After news emerged of his escape on Wednesday, a police alert was issued to ports and airports, triggering additional security checks and impacting travel across the country.

France’s highest court on Thursday upheld the government’s ban on students in public schools from wearing the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, in a decision that rights groups warn will lead to more discrimination.

“As things stand, the judge considers that the ban on wearing these garments does not constitute a serious and manifestly illegal infringement of a fundamental freedom,” the court said in a press release published online.

The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 forbidding the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in French schools.

The court said the wearing of the abaya “was part of a process of religious affirmation, as shown by the comments made during discussions with students.”

The legal challenge to the ban was brought forward last Friday and arguments from both sides were heard on Tuesday. Action Droits Des Musulmans (ADM), the Muslim rights group that filed the appeal, argued that the ban infringes on “fundamental rights,” such as the right to personal freedom.

The group’s lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, told journalists before the hearing that the ban had been imposed in an “arbitrary” manner as it contains no legal definition of what an abaya looks like.

Following Thursday’s ruling, ADM said in statement the court had “not fulfilled its role of protecting the fundamental freedoms of children, guaranteeing their access to education and respect for their privacy, without any form of discrimination.”

The ADM also voiced its deep concerns “about the consequences this decision could have on young girls, who are at risk of suffering daily discrimination based on their ethnic and religious appearance, the violence of these dress interrogations and the trauma and harassment they cause, thus hindering their access to education and their success at school.”

French education minister Gabriel Attal, however, praised the court’s ruling, calling it “an important decision for the schools of the Republic.”

“The purpose of schools is to welcome all students, with the same rights and duties, without discrimination or stigmatization,” Attal said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron previously defended the ban, which is the latest in a series of contentious restrictions in the country on clothing associated with Muslims. Macron said the ban was not “stigmatizing” anyone, but “people who push the abaya” are.

France has pursued a series of controversial bans and restrictions on items of customarily Islamic dress in recent years, which have frequently drawn the ire of Muslim countries and international rights groups.

Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions. The amendment was proposed by the right-wing Les Républicains party, which argued the hijab could risk the safety of athletes wearing it while playing sports.

France’s earlier ban on the niqab – full-face veils worn by some Muslim women – violated the human rights of those who wore it, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in 2018.

After more than seven months of waiting, the NFL is back for what promises to be another thrilling season.

The action kicked off on Thursday with a shock win for the Detroit Lions over the Kansas City Chiefs and continued on Sunday with a full slate of contests across the league.

Thirty teams have taken the field, but one of the most highly anticipated Week 1 matchups hasn’t happened yet.

On Monday night, future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers will make his New York Jets debut against divisional rival and AFC East juggernaut Buffalo Bills.

Bills vs. Jets date, start time, location

Monday, September 11, 8:15 p.m. ET.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

How to watch

In the US, you can watch Monday night’s game on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ or ESPN2. Coverage of games all season will be shown on the NFL’s ‘NFL+’ platform. Fans outside of the US can also follow the action via the NFL’s Game Pass on DAZN.

Rodgers’ first time in ‘Gotham Green’

Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets career fittingly begins under the lights. Fresh off the docuseries “Hard Knocks” and a buzz-worthy offseason, all eyes will be on Rodgers as he begins a new era wearing a slightly different shade of green.

This offseason, the veteran quarterback was traded to the Jets after spending 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the team which originally drafted him. At 39, the four-time NFL MVP brings a wealth of experience to this new-look Jets team. However, it’s widely accepted that Rodgers’ best days are in the rearview.

Last season, he threw for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, and set career lows in quarterback rating (41.3) and passer rating (91.1).

In his best season (2011), Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions with a 122.5 passer rating. He led the league in nearly every offensive category, winning the Super Bowl and his first MVP award after a nearly perfect season.

Regardless of Rodgers’ decreased numbers, fans hope his arrival will usher a new and improved edition of Jets football. The team finished the 2022 season with a poor 7-10 record and a fourth-place finish in the division, missing the postseason for the 12th year in a row. Will Rodgers be the one to turn things around?

Bills seek another winning season

While the Jets are looking to end a 12-year playoff drought, the Bills are looking to win the division for the fourth straight season.

The team is among the Super Bowl favorites again this year, coming off an excellent 2022 campaign that ended with a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

On Monday, the Josh Allen-led squad is tasked with spoiling Rodgers’ debut and setting the tone in the AFC East.

It’s worth noting that a Monday night brawl could be the perfect time to do so, considering Allen’s winning history on the primetime stage. He’s won 11 out of his 14 games in the primetime window, and three of five on Monday night.

In those five Monday night games, he averaged 302 passing yards per game and a 119.7 passer rating, and threw 16 passing touchdowns to just a single interception. If history repeats itself, Bills fans can count on Allen to rise to the occasion.

Hamlin’s return to play

Monday’s opener also marks Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s return to regular season football after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field in January.

The 25-year-old collapsed after making a tackle, taking a shot to the head and chest area. Medical professionals performed CPR on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and he needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation. He was on a ventilator for days and spent over a week in a Cincinnati hospital.

It was later determined that Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations (or abnormal heartbeats). He was fully cleared to resume football activities in April, and by August was a full participant in preseason contests.

Hamlin’s inspirational journey captured the attention of sports fans across the world, and his celebrated return on Monday will surely be met with emotion and admiration from fans of both sides.

Since February 12, NFL fans have been forced to find other hobbies or look for ways to fill their time in the absence of their favorite sport.

But no longer. After Thursday’s shocking season opener, Sunday saw the bulk of NFL franchises take to the field for the first time.

Some sent fans home on cloud nine with victories under their belts, while other supporters might be wishing they had stuck with their hobbies after defeats that could signal a long season ahead.

With one final game to go – the Buffalo Bills travel to the New York Jets later on Monday – let’s have a look at the action from Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.

Browns dominate Bengals, 24-3

Coined the ‘Battle of Ohio,’ clashes between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals have always been tempestuous.

However, on Sunday, the 100th encounter between the two franchises was far from that, with the Browns thrashing the Bengals 24-3.

In a game which was dominated by both defenses, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson ran for one touchdown and threw for another to tight end Harrison Bryant to separate the two teams.

The rest was done by the strong Browns defense which forced Cincinnati to punt 10 times, restricting superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to just 82 passing yards and its No. 1 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to 39 receiving yards.

Since Burrow’s arrival in 2020, the Bengals have typically been one of the league’s best offenses but looked out of sorts throughout Sunday’s game, being held to just 142 total yards, the lowest in head coach Zac Taylor’s 57 games in charge.

But Burrow – playing in the first game since injuring his calf in preseason, which he said felt “good enough” – insisted afterwards that “nobody is panicking in here” about the defeat and performance.

“Week 1 doesn’t define anybody’s season,” he said. “Obviously, not very good out there.

“Anybody that watched saw that. But we have been in this spot before and come back stronger and had great years. That’s what we are going to do.”

For the Browns, hopes are high for an improvement on last season’s disappointment. And there were glimpses of positive signs, including Watson’s improvement, running back Nick Chubb running for over 106 yards and the defense’s impressive stoutness.

But at the end of it all, the game showed there is still that fire between the two Ohio teams, with Chase expressing his frustration at losing to the Browns.

Before the clash, Chase had fanned the flames of the rivalry, saying he was going to call Cleveland players “elves” – the team has a mascot, Brownie the Elf.

And after that chastening losss, Chase expressed his frustration at losing to the Browns after all his big talk.

“It’s frustrating because I called they ass elves and we just lost to some elves,” said Chase of the Browns. “So I’m pissed on my part, I’m pissed on that end.

“We got missed opportunities, we didn’t capitalize … and we lost.”

Rodgers-less Packers beat Bears, 38-20

The Green Bay Packers have a long history of excellent quarterbacks. The period of leadership under Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers saw the team excel during the regular season – although the team arguably underperformed in the playoffs.

So following Rodgers’ departure to the New York Jets in the spring, a new era has been ushered in in Wisconsin under Jordan Love.

And it began in perfect fashion, continuing the Packers’ stranglehold over the Chicago Bears with a 38-20 victory at Soldier Field in Chicago which saw Love excel in his first start having been named the team’s official No. 1 QB.

The fourth-year quarterback threw for 245 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in an almost perfect performance as the Packers used a big second half to pull away.

Running back Aaron Jones had two touchdowns – one on the ground and one through the air – as the Packers recorded their ninth straight victory over their NFC North division rivals and fifth straight at Soldier Field.

With all eyes on Love after spending three seasons as Rodgers’ back-up and the weight of the Packers’ excellent record against the Bears weighing on his shoulders – Rodgers went viral two seasons ago for shouting “I still own you” after scoring against the Bears – the 24-year-old said he was just appreciative of an opening-week victory.

“We knew what type of game we were in for,” Love said. “Obviously, my first game in this rivalry, so I mean it felt good.

“They’re a good team. Obviously, first half was close and, second half, the way we just bounced back and came out there in the second half and just total domination. It felt good. It just feels good to get a win, never take that for granted.”

Cowboys record historic 40-0 trounce of Giants

In the final game of Sunday’s action, the Dallas Cowboys laid down a serious marker with a dominant victory over their division rivals, the New York Giants.

It was the defense which was the game changer, with Noah Igbinoghene scoring his first career touchdown on a return of a blocked field goal and DaRon Bland scoring on a 22-yard interception return.

Dallas sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones seven times, with Stephon Gilmore also intercepting Jones. It was the largest shutout victory in Cowboys history, according to NFL Research.

“I mean, that’s who we are,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said of his team’s pass rush. “I clearly feel like we have taken another step.

“You could see that in training camp, but you look at the way teams are going to try to play us. You look at their first series. They’re going to try to pound the ball and challenge our run defense over and over again and try to soften our pass rush. But, yeah, the pass rush was relentless tonight. We gave up contain a couple times early, but after that, it clearly was in total control of the game.”

The Giants had only 171 yards and three turnovers in the disappointing home season opener.

They were completely mismatched throughout, with kicker Graham Gano unsuccessful on two field goal attempts and Jones not even finishing the game such was the domination.

Full Week 1 scores

Away vs. home

Detroit Lions 21-20 Kansas City Chiefs

Carolina Panthers 10-24 Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans 9-25 Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals 3-24 Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars 31-21 Indianapolis Colts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee Titans 15-16 New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers 30-7 Pittsburgh Steelers

Arizona Cardinals 16-20 Washington Commanders

Green Bay Packers 38-20 Chicago Bears

Las Vegas Raiders 17-16 Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins 36-34 Los Angeles Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles 25-20 New England Patriots

Los Angeles Rams 30-13 Seattle Seahawks

Dallas Cowboys 40-0 New York Giants

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Hurricane Lee was starting to send dangerous surf and rip currents to parts of the southeast US coast late Sunday – and more of the East Coast is expected to see hazardous beach conditions in the coming days as the storm moves up the Atlantic, forecasters say.

Lee, a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, was centered Sunday night in the Atlantic, about 310 miles north of the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands and headed northwest, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 p.m. ET advisory.

The powerful storm, which has fluctuated in intensity throughout its time over the Atlantic, could become a Category 4 by Monday morning before fluctuating again later in the week, forecasters said.

It remains too early to determine Lee’s long-term track for later this week and how significant the impacts could be for northeastern US states, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada.

But the storm already was generating swells that were affecting many of the far eastern Caribbean islands as well as the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda. Those swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said Sunday.

And “dangerous surf and rip currents have begun to reach portions of the southeast US East Coast and are forecast to worsen and spread northward along much of the US East Coast during the next couple of days,” the hurricane center said in the 11 p.m. ET Sunday advisory.

The storm grew larger – though not stronger – Sunday evening. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 75 miles from center by 11 p.m. ET, the hurricane center said – up from 45 miles six hours earlier.

By midweek, Lee is expected to make a turn to the north, likely moving between Bermuda and the US East Coast late this week.

Lee, which was a Category 1 storm Thursday, intensified with exceptional speed into Category 5 status as it moved west across the Atlantic, more than doubling its wind speeds to 165 mph in just a day.

Vertical wind shear and an eyewall replacement cycle – a process that occurs with the majority of long-lived major hurricanes – then led to the weakening of the storm, the hurricane center said.

There was almost a sense of inevitability when Novak Djokovic won the US Open final on Sunday.

The Serb had certainly been tested by opponent Daniil Medvedev but was once again just too strong, too sharp and too determined in comparison.

His reaction immediately after winning match point was somewhat muted, perhaps the result of an exhausting encounter inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, though all his passion came through when he celebrated with friends and family in the stands.

They were celebrations fit for the occasion: Djokovic has not only won three out of the four grand slams this year, but also equalled Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles.

Djokovic’s coach, grand slam champion Goran Ivanišević, has been a member of the 36-year-old’s inner circle since 2019 and he heaped praise on Djokovic’s record-equalling achievement.

“He is a genius. He is one of a kind. There are not too many people in this world like him, sports wise,” Ivanišević told reporters after the final on Sunday.

“This is one of the biggest achievements in sports history, not just tennis.”

‘A winner’

If Djokovic winning in New York felt inevitable, so too does the possibility of him winning another grand slam before he retires.

One more crown would put him clear of Court’s long-standing record and would further cement his place among the greatest players in history.

Djokovic seemingly has no plans of hanging up his racket anytime soon and Ivanišević insists his player still has the desire to compete at the highest level.

“He is a winner. He’s the guy who is motivating himself,” he added.

“He had luck to have guys like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, they came before him, so they pushed each other.

“When you tell him he cannot do something, it’s even worse. Then he’s going to show you that he can do it. No excuses.

“He always tries to find a way how to win, how to fight, even when he’s not feeling well, injured, not injured.”

Despite winning in straight sets on Sunday, Djokovic didn’t always look entirely in control.

He admitted himself that Medvedev probably played better in the second set and arguably deserved to win it.

But, when it really mattered in the second set tie-break, Djokovic found those extra inches which make him such a dangerous man in those clutch moments.

Once the second set was tied up, Djokovic looked reenergised and battled through to yet another memorable win.

When asked by reporters about his ability to always find another level, Djokovic referred to his upbringing in war-torn Serbia as inspiration.

“The odds were pretty much against me and my family, but, you know, we did it,” he said after his US Open victory.

“I say ‘we’ because I owe a lot to my family, to my parents who sacrificed so much for me to be here. And that’s not a cliché. I really mean it.

“It was extremely, extremely difficult with lots of adversities that they had to face and atrocities that when you think about it, you know, the last thing you want to think about is supporting maybe your child in an expensive sport.

“So reflecting on the whole journey, it’s been an incredible, incredible ride that we all can be very proud of.”

More records to come

Retirement, he says, is far from his mind, and who can blame him?

Despite being a veteran on tour, he is still head and shoulders above most of the competition and continues to look after his mind and body.

It’s the challenge of constantly adapting his game which keeps the fire burning.

“That’s why LeBron James still keeps going at his age, or Tom Brady, you know, greats like that, that are inspiring,” he said.

“That’s basically it. You know, it’s a constant evolving process of me trying to implement certain things that will give me an edge over the young guns.

He added: “I don’t want to leave this sport if I’m still at the top, you know, if I’m still playing the way I’m playing.”

Passengers on an Air China flight were evacuated upon landing in Singapore after one of the aircraft’s engines caught fire, leading to a three-hour closure of Changi Airport on Sunday.

Videos on social media showed passengers evacuating the aircraft using the emergency exit slide while dark smoke billowed from the engine that was still on fire. Other images taken inside the plane showed a dark cabin and the aisle blanketed in smoke.

All 146 passengers and nine crew members safely evacuated after landing at about 4:15 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

A fire in the left engine was extinguished about 10 minutes later and nine passengers sustained minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and abrasions during evacuation, it said.

Smoke was also detected in the front cargo hold and a lavatory, Changi Airport said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Air China said in a statement on Weibo that flight CA403 was traveling from China’s Chengdu Tianfu Airport to Singapore Changi Airport when smoke appeared in the cabin of the A320neo before landing.

The carrier initially determined that the fire was caused by a mechanical failure of the engine, and further investigation is currently underway.

Last March, China faced its worst air disaster in more than a decade when a Boeing 737-800 China Eastern Airlines flight carrying 132 people left no survivors when it crashed while en route from Kunming to Guangzhou.

They are scenes few would associate with Japan’s highest peak: human traffic jams, foothills littered with garbage and inappropriately attired hikers – some attempting the ascent in sandals.

But these sights are all too familiar for Miho Sakurai, a veteran ranger who has patrolled the slopes of Mount Fuji for the past seven years.

When Mount Fuji was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2013, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO’s advisory organ, urged mountain officials to manage the crowds.

However, the number of visitors to the mountain’s popular fifth hiking station has more than doubled from two million in 2012 to over five million visitors in 2019, according to the Yamanashi prefectural government.

And since the annual climbing season opened just a couple of months ago in July, around 65,000 hikers have reached the summit, an increase of 17% from 2019.

Officials say a post-Covid tourism boom has brought thousands more to the mountain, which straddles Japan’s Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. And as Mount Fuji marks the 10th anniversary of its UNESCO designation this year, they fear the environmental situation has reached a “critical point.”

“Overtourism – and all the subsequent consequences like rubbish, rising CO2 emissions and reckless hikers – is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” says Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefectural government official and expert on the famed peak.

‘Like Disneyland’

Of Mount Fuji’s 10 hiking stations, the fifth (called “Gogome”) is located roughly halfway up the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) mountain. It receives 90% of the mountain’s visitors, most whom take buses, taxis and EV cars from Tokyo along the Fuji Subaru Line mountain road, says Izumi.

“Built almost 60 years ago amid Japan’s era of motorization, the Fuji Subaru Line gave visitors and families direct access to a point halfway up the mountain. It allowed people across the country to experience Mount Fuji,” says Izumi.

Nowadays, when hikers head to the fifth station from Tokyo on that line, they’ll hear a folk song play briefly as their vehicle passes a set of sensors on the road.

Written by Sazanami Iwaya in 1911, “Fuji no Yama” or “The Mountain of Fuji” celebrates the popular tourist destination. The lyrics highlight Mount Fuji’s grandeur, calling it “Japan’s greatest mountain” as it “pokes its head above the clouds” while “clad in a kimono of snow.”

These lyrics are a stark contrast to the reality on the ground, with experts saying the mountaineering experience at Mount Fuji is in sharp decline because of the crowds.

Izumi, the Yamanashi official, says visitors can no longer take private cars up to the fifth station unless they are fully electric, but that has resulted in more buses ferrying large groups of visitors to the station.

The hordes of hikers are also putting the mountain’s limited toilet facilities and four medical stations under increasing pressure, he adds.

At the busy fifth station, as busloads of hikers swarm toward the Yoshida trail – the most popular of the mountain’s four routes – Tomoyo Takahashi, a Mount Fuji conservation fund employee, urges them to donate 1,000 yen ($7) to keep the mountain clean.

Unruly hiking

The mountaineering experience is particularly in decline for more seasoned hikers, according to Kiyotatsu Yamamoto, a national parks and Mount Fuji specialist at the University of Tokyo.

“Congestion and traffic jams on the mountain trails are a major source of dissatisfaction among climbers, as hikers who want to see the sunrise all amass near the summit, and it takes them four hours to climb a section that used to be climbed in two hours,” he says.

Vito Fung Yiu Ting, a hiker from Hong Kong, says he booked a night in a mountain lodge at least three months before visiting Fuji.

But not everyone plans well in advance. The risk of altitude sickness and hypothermia, for instance, has increased because of a trend called “bullet climbing,” in which hikers begin their ascent at night, pushing on until dawn, without staying in a mountain lodge to acclimatize their bodies to the air pressure, says Sakurai, the Mount Fuji ranger.

Yamamoto adds that some inexperienced hikers even sleep in the washrooms to keep warm, throw away climbing gear on the trail or camp in prohibited zones.

From ‘quantity to quality’ tourism

Over the years, countermeasures have been taken to protect Mount Fuji.

For instance, volunteers from the Fujisan Club, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving Mount Fuji, have carried out 992 clean-up activities at the foothills of the peak, with 74,215 participants collecting 850 tonnes of garbage between 2004 and 2018.

Last year, the group started carrying out garbage patrols with electric bikes equipped with cameras that capture GPS data and create maps that chart the types and quantities of rubbish in an area.

To improve the visitor experience, officials capped the number of climbers to 4,000 per day for the popular Yoshida trail, says Yamamoto, the national parks specialist.

However, in practice, sticking to this target is a challenging feat.

Unlike in the US, national parks and World Heritage sites in Japan do not have gates keeping visitors out. Blocking roads to hikers requires laws and local government bylaws, meaning progress on this front is slow, he says.

Yamamoto has proposed establishing a system whereby only visitors who had booked a parking space or climbers who had made bookings at one of the nine lodges gain permission to hike Mount Fuji.

Meanwhile, Izumi says the local government wants to radically change how people access the mountain.

Possible options include building a light rail transit system on top of the Fuji Subaru Line road, preventing cars and buses from traveling along its path to the fifth station.

Izumi feels crowd control will be easier when people have to buy train tickets and the local government sets departure and arrival times. He has also proposed organizing lectures on the trains, in which people learn about Mount Fuji and how to climb the mountain correctly.

“Fuji-san is screaming out in pain. We can’t just wait for improvement; we need to tackle overtourism now,” he says.