Israel’s Supreme Court held hearings Tuesday on a law to curb its powers, in a case that could set the judiciary on a collision course with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government after months of mass protests over the controversial legislation.

The court heard arguments for and against the first part of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan to pass parliament – a law that restricts the court’s ability to nullify government actions it deems “unreasonable.”

Beyond the legal questions surrounding the law and the justices ruling on their own powers remains the question of whether Netanyahu’s government would even abide by a court ruling – possibly months away if it comes – striking down the law. That would set Israel up for an unprecedented judicial and political crisis.

Netanyahu has always claimed that he is in full control of this government – no matter who his ministers are. But the next few weeks could be critical to his own future.

“If Netanyahu wants to survive as prime minister, he must have his hands on the steering wheel, otherwise he will fall apart,” said Amit Segal, chief political correspondent for Israel’s Channel 12. “The Supreme Court and the government alike possess a credible nuclear threat against the other side … if both sides are rational actors, they will … disarm themselves. Problem is, we’re in a crisis that is not very rational anymore.”

Netanyahu’s proposals to weaken the courts have divided Israeli society, with critics describing them as a threat to the country’s democracy. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets outside of the Supreme Court on Monday evening, part of the 36-week long protest movement against the overhaul, to show support for the justices ahead of the hearing. Some of the demonstrators later marched to the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem.

What happened on Tuesday

The Supreme Court listened to arguments from 14 lawyers over the course of about 13 and a half hours – including questioning lawyers for the government a second time in the evening session after they first presented their arguments in the morning.

At the conclusion of the hearing, two of the lawyers defending the law asked permission to file further written submissions. The court gave them each 21 days to file submissions not more than 15 pages long.

Perhaps the most memorable moment in the hearing came in the morning session, when Justice Isaac Amit told lawyer Ilan Bombach, representing the Netanyahu government, that “democracy dies in a series of small steps.”

Amit and Bombach were also involved in the exchange that drew the biggest laugh of the day, when Amit told Bombach that he was not worried about “horror scenarios such as the Knesset banning redheads from voting.”

“I am!” piped up redhead Eliad Schraga, the lawyer for the Movement for Quality Government, who was sitting behind Bombach. Everyone in court burst out laughing.

Bombach turned to Schraga and said an individual exception could be legislated for him, prompting more laughter.

During the afternoon session, lawyers for the Attorney General – who believes the reasonableness law should be struck down – and eight plaintiffs argued that stripping the court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable would weaken Israel’s democracy.

Justices grilled lawyers from both sides rigorously, giving little indication which way they would rule.

Bombach, representing Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, spoke for the longest – nearly twice his allotted time – while some other lawyers were allotted only 10 minutes.

The so-called “reasonableness law” is the first aspect of the judicial overhaul passed in July by Netanyahu’s government despite months of street demonstrations, warnings from the Biden administration and a boycott by all opposition lawmakers of the final vote on the bill.

The measure, which amended one of Israel’s Basic Laws, came into effect two days after it was passed and strips the Supreme Court of the power to strike down government decisions it finds to be unreasonable.

Like the United Kingdom, Israel doesn’t have a written constitution. Instead, it relies on 13 Basic Laws, as well as court ruling precedents that could one day become a constitution. That leaves the Supreme Court as the only check on the executive and legislative branches of government. Striking down a Basic Law would be uncharted territory for the Supreme Court, although it has examined and commented on Basic Laws before.

In 2021, the court outlined very narrow circumstances under which a Basic Law can be annulled. Supreme Court President Esther Hayut said a Basic Law could be struck down if it endangers democratic principles such as those that deal “a mortal blow to free and fair elections, core human rights, the separation of powers, the rule of law and an independent judiciary.”

That standard was then used this year when Netanyahu dismissed key ally Aryeh Deri from all ministerial posts, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that it was unreasonable to appoint him to positions in government due to his criminal convictions and because he had said in court last year that he would retire from public life.

In a historic first, all 15 judges on the court have been convened to hear the challenge to the controversial law, which is expected to last no longer than a couple of days. The court must issue its ruling by January 12, 2024, because of a retirement coming up on the bench.

How did Israel get here?

The anti-judicial overhaul demonstrations are now the longest and largest protest movement in Israeli history.

It started when Netanyahu took back power late last year – leading the most right-wing and religious coalition ever to hold power.

And though judicial reform was barely, if ever, mentioned during Netanyahu’s election campaign, it quickly became the main issue when Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the sweeping plans days after being sworn in.

The original proposals included reshaping how Supreme Court justices are selected, taking away some of its powers to nullify government actions, significantly limiting the authority of government legal advisers, and even giving parliament the power in certain cases to overturn Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority.

Netanyahu’s coalition said the changes were necessary to rebalance the branches of government, claiming that the Supreme Court had become insular and elitist, and held too much power over the democratically elected legislators. Opponents saw the reforms as a power grab for the ultra-Orthodox and settler movements and as a way to help Netanyahu as he faces an ongoing corruption case – charges he has vehemently denied.

Although aspects of the reforms have been dropped or softened since their initial rollout, the demonstrations have grown and morphed into a wider protest movement against the government, whose far-right ministers like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have made controversial statements about Israeli society and about Palestinians that have raised concerns from international allies.

What’s at risk?

Many Israelis, both those for and against the judicial changes, say Israel is risking tearing itself apart, and that the judicial overhaul is just one aspect of what’s really fueling the divide – the battle between secular and religious, settler and not.

“Every single Western democracy experiences an identity crisis in its third or fourth generation. Who are we?… What are we here for? And in Israel? The crisis is whether we are Jewish and democratic state, or a democratic and Jewish state. What is the 51%? And what is the 49%? Is it a strawberry banana yogurt, or a banana strawberry yogurt?” Segal said.

The judicial overhaul and the government’s actions have not only sparked the massive protest movement that has regularly shut down some of Israel’s busiest roads and highways, but it’s also affected everything from Israel’s military, to its economy, and its international relations.

Thousands of military reservists and even some active duty soldiers have vowed not to serve if the judicial overhaul went into effect. Banks and credit ratings agencies warned about the stability of Israel’s business climate as a result of the reforms. Israel’s famous high-tech community has been unanimous in expressing deep concern over the plans, and Israel’s security establishment, including former military generals, chiefs of staff, Ministers of Defense, and chiefs of Israel’s security and intelligence agencies have said such changes would or have already weakened Israel’s security.

“The pro-Iran camp, Iraq, Lebanon, and other Shiite forces that actually are following what’s going on see it as a kind of opportunity. (Hezbollah leader) Hassan Nasrallah has said it in his own, I would say very clear-cut phrases, he said, ‘I see that the collapse of Israel has already started. We should wait on the sidelines and see how Israel is ruining itself,’” Tomer said. “So they are looking for an opportunity to help us to give us a little push to this collapse.”

Allies, most notably the United States, have expressed deep concern over the overhaul with President Joe Biden urging Netanyahu only to pass such changes under a broad compromise agreement with opposition parties. A meeting between Netanyahu and Biden in the US has been publicly mooted, though has notably not happened yet as a result of the legislation – highly unusual for two countries that claim to be such stalwart allies.

And Tomer said regional and newer allies, like the United Arab Emirates are also expressing concern.

“The need for unity is not only to be strong, vis a vis our enemies,” Tomer said. “But the need for unity is very much requested to keep up the relations or even to develop relationships with our partners in the region.”

What happens next

There are reports in Israeli media that Netanyahu is considering announcing he’s agreeing to Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s compromise plan on judicial reform. But until legislation is credibly on the table or passed regarding the law the Supreme Court is weighing this week, the hearings will move forward.

Tomer says a move by the court to strike down the legislation could lead to some major dilemmas for Israel’s security leadership.

“It means that there is a question for the chief of police. Who should he – so to speak – obey? (National Security Minister) Ben Gvir that might ask him in two weeks to stop all licenses for demonstrating on the streets, because he’s against that? Or for the Supreme Court that might say we have a right to demonstrate, the right to strike by our so to speak legal system,” Tomer said.

Meanwhile Netanyahu is heading to the US to speak at the United Nations General Assembly next week as a Biden invitation remains unfulfilled, all the while a possible peace accord between Israel and Saudi Arabia is being hammered out, according to reports.

If Netanyahu wants such achievements, he must do so while also balancing the desires of his coalition partners, whom he needs to remain in power. A deal with Saudi Arabia would likely require serious concession to the Palestinians, which may be a step too far for some of his more ultra-nationalist partners.

“(Netanyahu) lacks the power to actually lead this coalition boat to the destination that he seeks, because he is fully dependent on his far-right partners, so Netanyahu that we know, wants to promote the peace accords with Saudi Arabia and to promote the economy. And yes, to have some judicial reform, but not the full monty,” Segal said. “So what I really think is that unless Netanyahu wakes up and tells his tells his partners that they must go to the direction that he wants to, his government is in danger of falling apart.”

As the dust began to settle, panic set in.

Screams echoed through the narrow streets of Marrakech’s old city as the extent of injuries and damage became apparent.

Just seconds before the magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook the Moroccan city, scores of people had been enjoying their Friday evening in the crowded alleys and on the city’s bustling Jemaa el-Fnaa square.

Others had been asleep when the ground began to violently shake just after 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET).

When the magnitude of this natural disaster slowly began to show, many made their way for wide, open spaces, as far away as possible from tall buildings, lampposts and electricity cables.

Severely injured people were carried out of destroyed homes on stretchers, or even wrapped in carpet, and the cries for help grew louder and louder. In some cases, they fell on deaf ears an ambulance crew turned away an elderly woman. With the vehicle full of injured people, the crew – visibly shaken by the scenes – explained that they simply did not have enough space to take her to hospital.

Many of those who were lucky enough to escape the earthquake unharmed stayed in the street until the early hours of the morning. With homes destroyed and rumors of an even stronger aftershock circling, makeshift beds were erected as people decided to camp out on the streets. The morning after, some of them were still there, many of the city’s parks, plazas and parking lots transformed into tragic impromptu campsites.

They left behind them a historic city badly damaged. Marrakech’s Medina and city walls, adored by tourists, were hit particularly heavily, their century-old structures unable to withstand the violent shake.

While Marrakech suffered, the epicenter of the earthquake was around 50km away, in the rural, mountainous Al Haouz region.

It was from these rural areas dozens if not hundreds of injured were brought to the city’s CHU Mohammed VI hospital’s emergency department.

There were scenes of desperation in the hospital courtyard.

With the hospital at full capacity, medics performed open-air triage with many patients, including some appearing to be severely injured, being treated outside the hospital in a row of hospital beds.

While most patients from Marrakech had been seen to by the morning, those from rural areas continued their painful wait.

France’s Foreign ministry on Thursday announced the release of Stephane Jullien, a French official who had been held by security forces in Niger.

The man, an adviser to French nationals in Niger, had been arrested by Niger security forces on September 8, according to the foreign ministry in Paris.

The ministry had called for his immediate release on Tuesday but did not provide details on his arrest.

Jullien is an elected official who represents French expatriates and works closely with the country’s embassies and consulates.

According to the foreign ministry website, there are 442 such advisers worldwide. Their role is to help French expats with issues relating to work, schools, social security and other issues. They are elected for six-year terms.

Niger’s ruling junta last month ordered police to expel France’s ambassador, in a move marking a further downturn in relations between France and its former colony.

Paris had said that the army officers who seized power in Niamey in late July had no authority to expel the French ambassador.

Following the coup, France said it would end military cooperation and cut all development aid to the country. But Paris had so far rejected calls by the putsch leaders to withdraw the 1,500 French troops currently in Niger, saying it still regards democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, currently held prisoner, as the country’s legitimate leader.

Malakai Fekitoa may have been born and raised on the small island nation of Tonga, but his goal as a promising young rugby player was always to represent a country thousands of miles across the ocean.

Long before he had the chance to travel to New Zealand, Fekitoa set his sights on competing for the All Blacks – undoubtedly the most famous rugby team on the planet.

“Every young kid there either wanted to play for Australia or New Zealand. We always wanted to be like those boys on TV and we all wanted to leave straight after school or during our school years to find an opportunity to play rugby.”

Despite being Tonga’s national sport, opportunities to pursue a career as a rugby player in the country are limited compared to those in Australia and New Zealand, where there are clear pathways for young players to reach the top of the sport.

It was after playing for Tonga at the Wellington Sevens as a 16-year-old that Fekitoa was offered a place at Wesley College in Auckland, a high school that counts Jonah Lomu and numerous other current and former international rugby players among its former pupils.

For Fekitoa, it would be a launchpad for his successful career. After becoming eligible to play for New Zealand under a three-year residency rule, the hard-running, big-tackling center went on to play 24 times for the All Blacks and was part of the team’s Rugby World Cup triumph in 2015.

“It was an experience of a lifetime, nothing like it will ever compare,” Fekitoa says about playing for the three-time world champions.

These days, however, he can be seen wearing the red jersey of Tonga, rather than New Zealand’s iconic black kit. His decision to play club rugby in Europe prevented Fekitoa from being selected for the All Blacks, but now the chance to compete internationally with the country of his birth has returned.

A rule permitting players to switch allegiances if they compete in an Olympic qualifying competition for rugby sevens – a shortened, seven-a-side format of the sport – enabled Fekitoa to represent Tonga in Monaco two years ago.

In some instances, rugby’s eligibility rules – as the 31-year-old’s international career testifies – allow a degree of flexibility over which country a player represents. In 2017, it was announced that players had to have residency in a country for five years, increased from three, in order to play for that nation.

Then from January 2022, a rule came into force enabling players to transfer to a country they – or a parent or grandparent – were born in, as long as they haven’t played an international game for three years.

The change has proved particularly beneficial for Tonga, which, as well as Fekitoa, has named former All Blacks Vaea Fifita, George Moala and Charles Piutau in its squad for the ongoing Rugby World Cup in France.

Adam Coleman, a former Australia international, is in line to make his debut for Tonga during the tournament, although another ex-Wallaby, controversial full-back Israel Folau, misses out due to injury.

Tonga begins its World Cup campaign against Ireland, the world’s top-ranked team, on Saturday, hoping to progress beyond the group stages for the first time.

“It’s different emotions and it’s a different feeling, playing for my own country where I was born and where most of my family are still,” says Fekitoa.

“It’s kind of a different drive as well. You always wanted to play at the time with New Zealand, the best team in the world … Once you achieve that, you want to be something different. And for me, this is a new purpose.”

Representing Tonga at the World Cup is the latest chapter in Fekitoa’s itinerant rugby career, which so far has taken him from New Zealand to club teams in France, England, Ireland, and soon, Italy.

“I’m still very, very young and I’ve got a lot to offer to the game, especially at the highest level,” he says. “With the rule change and everything that happened, I felt, why not give back, why not share my experience, and why not represent my family?”

With no chance of being selected for the All Blacks while playing in Europe, the decision to represent Tonga was perhaps an obvious one for Fekitoa. But the choice to move away from New Zealand in the first instance, he says, was “probably the hardest of my life” – particularly as he was only 25 at the time.

“That’s all I knew – my life based on rugby and the All Blacks in New Zealand, in your little bubble,” Fekitoa explains.

“Everybody knows you get everything or anything you want and you’re living your dream and you’re playing for the best team in the world at the time. I thought I would make a decision that will help me better my life and my family and support my kids when I retire.”

He adds: “I look back now and I wouldn’t change anything, to be honest. I’ve got to travel the world and meet a lot of great people; I met my wife, [I have] two beautiful kids now. I think probably that’s the best part of the decision I made.”

And Fekitoa’s family will be on the sidelines in France to watch him make his first appearance at a Rugby World Cup in eight years.

Representing Tonga – a so-called “tier two” nation because it doesn’t compete in top-level annual tournaments like the Rugby Championship or the Six Nations – means preparing for the sport’s showpiece event comes with challenges.

Budgets are smaller compared to “tier one” nations, teams like Tonga are assembled from players at clubs scattered across the globe and opportunities to play against the world’s best teams are scarce.

“For us, it could be something like there’s not many rugby balls,” says Fekitoa, “or deliveries don’t get in until two weeks later … Or they say a pitch is available now and then, tomorrow, we’re about to train there and they say, ‘No, it’s not available now. It’s been taken by someone else.’ Those little things kind of affect the preparation at times.”

Adding to the challenge, Tonga has been drawn in what can safely be called the “pool of death” at this year’s World Cup alongside Ireland, one of the pre-tournament favorites, South Africa, the defending champion and another favorite, and Scotland, now ranked fifth in the world.

Only against Romania will Tonga start a game as the higher-ranked team, though the inclusion of former All Blacks like Fekitoa has only increased the likelihood of the Pacific Island nation reaching the knockout rounds for the first time ever.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” says Fekitoa. “We spoke about coming out and doing well for us and, hopefully, upsetting a few teams. We wanted to obviously finish as high as we can. Playoffs would be pretty special for our little country and it’s doable.”

For Fekitoa, the World Cup will be a chance to watch his career come full circle, some 16 years after he first played for Tonga’s sevens team as a teenager desperate to make his way in the professional game.

Back then, Fekitoa was brought along to training by his cousin, initially to carry water and experience the atmosphere of the team. When an extra player was needed, he ended up taking part in a fitness test, beating everyone, and eventually earning a call-up to playing at a tournament in Samoa.

Fast-forward to the present day and Fekitoa is once again wearing the Tongan jersey, this time on the sport’s biggest stage. After the rule change, he thinks more All Blacks players will follow his lead by swapping allegiances.

“The Kiwi boys, some of them are really Tonga in their heart,” he says. “Most of them are born and raised in Tonga, or their parents are still there even though they play for New Zealand now.

“I believe those boys will switch at some point. It’s a matter of when they will, but they will one day.”

Nigeria international Ashleigh Plumptre is set to join the Saudi Women’s Premier League after signing for Al-Ittihad.

The 25-year-old defender, who previously spent three years with English team Leicester City, joins the Saudi league in its second season having just represented Nigeria at the Women’s World Cup.

“Joining Al-Ittihad, I feel as if I’m going to have so many opportunities both on and off the pitch to be able to learn about football here,” Plumptre said in a video on X, formerly Twitter, released by Al-Ittihad Ladies on Wednesday.

“For me, I don’t come here with any expectations, I come here being myself and I hope that I can learn and take so much from the environment both as a football player but more importantly as a human being.”

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the biggest names in the men’s game over the past year, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Sadio Mané, and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema.

With huge salaries reportedly being offered to players, the league has disrupted the transfer market, though some critics say Saudi Arabia is using the sport to improve its global reputation and distract from its human rights record.

The eight-team Saudi Women’s Premier League is about to embark on its second season, just five years after women first attended games in the Kingdom.

Plumptre previously represented England at youth international level before switching allegiances to Nigeria, for whom she has made 15 appearances, including four at the recent Women’s World Cup.

“Football for me has always been about connecting with not only more of myself, but with the people that I’m surrounded by, whether that’s my teammates [or] staff,” she said in Al-Ittihad’s announcement video.

“Throughout everything that I’ve done in my career so far, it’s always been about representing something bigger than myself.”

The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to kickstart their season when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles for this week’s installment of Thursday Night Football.

The Vikings fell to an agonizing 20-17 defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their season opener and will be looking to bounce back in Philly.

Meanwhile, the Eagles will attempt to remain unbeaten as they seek a second successive Super Bowl appearance. Despite not being at their best, Philadelphia managed to get over the line with a 25-20 win against the New England Patriots in Week 1.

With both teams looking to improve from their season openers, there will be all to play for at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night.

How to watch

The game will be streamed on Amazon Prime and FUBO.

Fans outside of the US can also follow the action via the NFL’s Game Pass on DAZN.

What we learned from Week 1

Eagles not soaring just yet

Expectations were high for the Eagles heading into the new season. Led by star quarterback Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia made it to Super Bowl LVII after beating the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game.

While the Eagles lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on the big occasion, the young team showed out in a thrilling matchup, with Philly’s offense particularly effective on the night.

However, in the Week 1 win against the Patriots, the Birds struggled to get it going.

The Eagles got off to a flying start through Darius Slay’s 70-yard pick-6. DeVonta Smith then added another touchdown late on in the first quarter as Philadelphia took a 16-0 lead after the opening quarter.

Outside of the frenzied opening 15 minutes, the Eagles had to rely on kicker Jake Elliott for the remainder of their point tally as their attacking impetus fizzled out against a tough Patriots defense.

Philadelphia will know it got away with one at Gillette Stadium and will need to improve if it is to go one further than last year’s success.

Vikings unable to ransack the win

After losing to the Buccaneers in their home opener, the Vikings now head to Philadelphia with a tough task ahead of themselves.

Minnesota will consider the 20-17 loss against Tampa Bay as an opportunity missed. The home side passed up on plenty of opportunities to assert its dominance before ultimately falling to a Chase McLaughlin field goal which secured the win for the Bucs.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns but will be disappointed that one interception meant his team could not push on and ended up proving costly.

Tied at 10 and approaching the end of the first half, the Vikings were in prime position to score a touchdown just before the interval, but Cousins’ pass was intercepted near the goal line.

“There’s no question that we would’ve loved to finish that drive with a touchdown, but [we] always want [Cousins] to be aggressive, play what he sees, and he did a lot of really good things yesterday as well to help us stay in the football game – despite the turnovers and the penalties being so favored critically against us,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters at a press conference.

Cousins will look to shake this off as he heads into Week 2.

What to look out for?

Jefferson vs Slay

If the Vikings are to upset the odds against the Eagles, they will need to get star wide receiver Justin Jefferson involved as much as possible.

Jefferson, the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, started the season on fire. The 24-year-old had seven receptions for 138 yards in the first half against the Bucs but could only manage two more receptions for 12 yards in the second.

Now tasked with a battle against one of the league’s premier cornerbacks in Darius Slay, Jefferson will need to bounce back with a strong showing.

Jefferson will likely line up against Slay on Thursday night and, in last year’s fixture, the Eagle CB kept Jefferson quiet with a brilliant defensive display.

This could prove to be the key matchup of Thursday Night Football as the two stars do battle in Philadelphia.

Teething problems for the Eagles’ offense

Despite escaping with the win on Sunday night, the Eagles did not play like a team who had earlier in the year been to the Super Bowl on the offensive side of the ball.

The Patriots outperformed the Eagles in two key areas – 382 total yards to 251 and 24 first downs to 17 respectively – with Philadelphia’s offense appearing stagnant on multiple occasions. The second quarter was particularly disastrous, with the Birds only mustering two yards on five drives and allowing their opponents to rack up two unanswered touchdowns.

Head coach Nick Siriani admitted after the game that he could have utilized the preseason more effectively by involving more of the starting unit.

“I’ll definitely re-evaluate some of the preseason stuff next year,” he said. “If I had to do it over again right now, I would have played starters one or two drives in the preseason.”

Philly star Hurts made it clear that “winning is the only thing that matters” but also noted that he was frustrated by his team’s inefficiency.

“I think we obviously have things that we need to work on and have to be better in those situations when the ball is in my hands, and I take full accountability for that,” said the 25-year-old. “But the good thing about it is we get the opportunity to play on Thursday.”

Hurts and Co. will be hoping that the Eagles’ offense can take flight in Thursday’s primetime slot or else the Vikings will head back home having felt that they successfully pillaged Philadelphia.

Aaron Rodgers has spoken for the first time about his season-ending injury against the Buffalo Bills on Monday.

Just four plays into his New York Jets debut, the superstar quarterback was sacked by Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd and suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon.

“Thank you to every person that has reached out, called, texted, DM’d, connected through a friend, etc. It has meant a ton to me, and I’ll try and get back to all of you soon,” Rodgers wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

“I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today.

“The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again,” Rodgers added before saying he was proud of his teammates for securing a thrilling 22-16 win against the Bills.

Much of the NFL talk throughout the offseason surrounded Rodgers’ trade to the Jets. The four-time NFL Most Valuable Player had been traded from the Green Bay Packers, where he was drafted in 2005, and there was plenty of excitement about his arrival in New York.

‘The game cheats you sometimes’

“Honestly, initially, it didn’t feel real,” Jets tight end Tyler Conklin said on finding out about the length of Rodgers’ injury as New York players spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Wednesday.

“We all just really feel for Aaron, right? How much he cared. How excited and not just how excited everybody in this place was to see him play and to play with them, but it’s how excited he was to, I’m sure, just prove so many people wrong, prove yourself for all things that he probably wanted to do,” Conklin continued.

“It really hurts. It’s hard to really imagine what he’s going through.”

Rodgers was the new star attraction in New York and many of the young Jets players would have grown up watching the Super Bowl XLV champion during his peak years with the Packers.

“I just wanted to take a carry from eight (Rodgers), man. Just get one from a great man. The game cheats you sometimes and I ain’t get that,” running back Dalvin Cook admitted.

Yet, despite the heavy setback, there is optimism among the Jets squad that Rodgers will be able to shake this injury off.

“I know he’s in surgery here soon and he’s going to attack this rehab and I think he’ll probably heal faster than anyone has ever seen someone come back from Achilles,” Jets center Connor McGovern added.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh also provided some hope that Gang Green fans will get to see Rodgers put the jersey on again.

“I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s going to go out,” Saleh said during Wednesday’s media availability. “He’s working through a whole lot of headspace things that he needs to deal with, and that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”

The quarterback community

Also showing their love for Rodgers were other past and present NFL star quarterbacks.

Reigning Super Bowl champion and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes told reporters that the injury to Rodgers “sucks” for the game of football.

“It sucks for not only him and his team but for the entire league because he’s such a great player, someone that a lot of guys have looked up to throughout their entire career,” the Kansas City Chiefs star told reporters.

The Chiefs are set to face the Jets on October 1 and Mahomes is disappointed that a quarterback battle against Rodgers won’t be happening.

“You want to play teams at their best. I’m just praying for him that he’ll be able to heal himself, rehab and hopefully [come] back again next year and we maybe can get the opportunity then,” said Mahomes.

“This is not the ending, this is not supposed to happen this way,” Manning added. “Hopefully, he can get a speedy recovery and he can do it again next year.”

Turf war

Since Rodgers suffered his Achilles tear, there has been much discussion over the use of artificial fields in the NFL.

While many believe that they are bad for player welfare, Manning does not believe this caused Rodgers to suffer his injury.

“I was never worried about the turf. I never got injured because of turf. I played in that stadium and in the old stadium, played in MetLife. So I honestly believe that the turf had nothing to do with that injury. I think it was just unfortunate,” Manning explained.

Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said science will play an important part in whether the league continues to allow players to play on turf pitches.

“That’s where we make decisions: on the basis of science, not because I see an injury that I don’t like. Ultimately, I want our experts to come back and give it to us,” Goodell told ESPN on Wednesday.

Goodell said that it is a complicated issue because of the many different factors that could have led to the injury.

“We’ll look at the mechanism of injury on Aaron’s injury and see what may have caused that. But unfortunately, we had two ACL injuries. One was on grass and one was on the turf … From our standpoint, that’s something that we’ll look at. We’ll look deeply at it. We always want to try to get the best surfaces,” Goodell added.

Hurricane Lee continues to creep toward New England, where hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for much of its coastal residents in anticipation of the colossal storm’s possible impact on Friday and through the weekend.

Lee’s winds could begin to buffet portions of New England as early as Friday as the storm’s center is expected to pass close to the region’s southeast before barreling near or over Maine and Atlantic Canada over the weekend as a “large and dangerous cyclone,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Though the storm – now a Category 2 hurricane – is expected to weaken as it approaches, it will still have a massive radius of damaging winds that will be significantly felt along coastal New England and Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

“Hurricane conditions, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding are possible in portions of eastern Maine on Saturday,” the National Hurricane Center said. The area is under a hurricane watch, as is parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

“Life-threatening” storm surge flooding could inundate parts of southeastern Massachusetts late Friday and Saturday, the agency said. A storm surge watch has been issued for the area, including Cape Cod and Nantucket.

A tropical storm watch has also been issued for large swaths of coastal New England, including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Lee was about 295 miles southwest of Bermuda as of 5 a.m. ET Thursday and was churning with maximum sustained winds of up to 100 mph, according to a hurricane center advisory.

The storm is on track to sweep past Bermuda to its west Thursday, prompting an island-wide tropical storm warning.

Even if Lee doesn’t make landfall in New England, the sprawl of its damaging winds means there will be “little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast,” the hurricane center has said.

As of Thursday morning, hurricane-force winds extend up to 105 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds stretch for up to 290 miles, according to the agency.

And that wind field has only been growing larger, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lt. Commander Josh Rannenberg, who flew through the storm’s eye on Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall could overwhelm already rain-drenched stretches of the Northeast, where saturated ground may be particularly susceptible to flash flooding.

Over the past two weeks, parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire have been soaked with rainfall levels more than 300% above normal values, according to weather service data. The downpours have already triggered dangerous flooding in areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island this week.

The softened soil combined with raging winds will also increase the likelihood of downed trees, which in turn could knock out essential power lines and cause outages across the region.

In the long history of colonial rule in Asia, the shadow of Denmark does not loom large.

It would be fair to say that few Indians and even fewer Danes are aware that this northern European nation had a foothold in India from 1620 to 1845. That foothold was Tranquebar, a small trading outpost far down eastern India’s Coromandel Coast.

Though it’s now a nondescript town in Tamil Nadu state called Tharangambadi, just 120 kilometers (72 miles) south of famed French outpost Puducherry, traces of Danish rule remain tantalizingly evident.

A prime example is the Bungalow on the Beach, a beautifully restored old colonial building on the Bay of Bengal seafront that was originally used as a courthouse during Danish times. Years later, when the British arrived, it was converted into an official residence.

Today, it’s a charming hotel.

Restoration efforts began in 2004 and it opened to guests in 2006 under the stewardship of the Neemrana Group, which runs a chain of luxury boutique hotels in India.

The hotel has only eight rooms, each named for a member of Danish royalty, and evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia with high ceilings, wooden floors and antique furniture.

The top suite – the Crown Prince of Denmark – offers a nod to its history. Accessible via a spiral staircase with wide, wooden steps, the comfortable room features a large four-poster bed with mosquito netting, a planter’s lounge chair, a wooden writing desk and a narrow but modern bathroom.

However, the hotel’s unique selling point is the spacious balcony that runs right around the building, offering a stupendous view of the ocean.

At night, the Bungalow on the Beach lights up brightly, standing like a beacon on the shore. Meals are served downstairs on the patio adjacent to the large garden, including a wide selection of delicious regional South Indian and European specialties.

The ethos of the Neemrana Group has been to discover and restore old buildings and structures which, in the words of co-founder Aman Nath, “are uniquely located, to imagine the life and laughter within and to make the dead past come to life again.”

Historical buildings near the hotel include the old Dansborg Fort (more on that later), and just beyond the hotel’s private swimming pool and right on the rocks is the 700-year-old Masilamani Nathar temple, built in 1306 by a king of the Pandya dynasty.

This colorful structure, which pre-dated the Danish arrival, combines elements of Chinese architectural design with traditional building techniques, an indication of the influence of the Chinese merchants who were frequent visitors to India at the time.

The accidental discovery of Tranquebar

Why did the Danes call their new settlement “Tranquebar?” According to historians, they were unable to pronounce the tongue-twister native name of Tharangambadi, which translates to “land of the singing waves.” (The town has since returned to using Tharangambadi as its official name.)

But the fact that the Danes even set foot in India in the first place was a bit of an accident.

It all started when 23-year-old naval commander Ove Gedde set out from Lisbon in November 1618 under the flag of the Danish East India Company, with the blessings (and financing) of King Christian IV.

His mission was to aid the Emperor of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), who was under siege by the Portuguese, and in exchange secure trading rights for Denmark.

But by the time Gedde arrived in early 1620, after an eventful journey around the Cape of Good Hope, during which he lost two-thirds of his 300 soldiers in battle with pirates or disease, the Portuguese were in full control.

Disappointed that his mission had failed, Gedde and his small fleet of three schooners and two frigates drifted up the Coromandel Coast until they dropped anchor at Tharangambadi.

He quickly struck a deal with the Indian ruler at the time, the equally young Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore state, to lease a parcel of land and obtain exclusive trading rights in exchange for a tribute of Rs 3,000 ($37) per year.

And so, in November 1620, two years after Gedde had set sail from his homeland, the Danish outpost of Tranquebar was born.

The Dane immediately set about building a small fort right on the beach, facing out to sea. Called Dansborg, it was meant to house the first Danish inhabitants.

By Indian standards, the still-standing fort is unimpressive. Located next to the Bungalow on the Beach, it’s only two stories high and quite weather-beaten by the wind and the waves.

But it is the most important landmark of Danish rule in India and at its peak was the second most important Danish castle in the world after Kronborg, which guarded the sound that separates Denmark and Sweden.

Dansborg was built in the Scandinavian military style with stone walls and mounted cannons, taking the form of a large trapezoid containing a substantial landscaped garden.

Today, one can enjoy a pleasant walk along its ramparts, which offer superb views of the Coromandel seascape.

The main building of the fort houses a small museum where the barracks used to be. On display are interesting documents, including a copy of the sale deed between the Danes and the British, old maps of the town and a collection of miniature Danish ships that docked at Tranquebar.

Expanding the Danish footprint

Though the Danes had a signed treaty with Nayak, the latter proved to be a fickle ally. Constant waves of depredations from Nakak’s forces led them to fortify Tranquebar with a wall, a moat and several cannon towers.

Feeling more secure, the Danes moved out of the Dansborg Fort and built several stately homes in the European style to house officers and civil servants.

Gradually, the section of town nearest to the fort began to assume a European character with a grid street plan, Protestant churches and schools.

The only access to the town was controlled by the Land’s Gate, an unpretentious white stone structure bearing the coat of arms and insignia of the King of Denmark, which is the first thing one sees when entering Tharangambadi now.

The Danes also realized that they needed an industrial hinterland to make their trading post viable so, when they renegotiated the treaty in 1670, they acquired additional villages and minor districts for a total land area of 32 square kilometers.

The workshops in this expanded territory churned out cotton textiles for export to the European market in addition to the traditional cargo of pepper, cardamom, cloves and other exotic spices, as well as saltpeter, coffee, sugar, teak and bamboo.

On their return to India, the Danish ships brought silver coins and bars as well as ballast goods such as lead, copper and iron; initially, European consumer goods had extremely limited appeal in the colonies.

Protestantism arrives in India

Among the attractions offering more insights into this era is the Ziegenbalg Museum. Opened to the public in 2017, it sits in the former residence of German-born Danish missionary Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg.

Ziegenbalg was sent to Tranquebar in 1706 by Lutheran monarch Frederick IV to plant the flag of Protestantism on Indian soil.

He was a rarity in those times, eschewing the quarters assigned to him within the Danish commune and instead immersing himself in native life and becoming fluent in Tamil, the local language.

He raised money for churches and schools, and shipped over a printing press from Denmark (which can now be seen in the Ziegenbalg Museum). He used it to print a Tamil version of the Bible – the very first Indian-language translation of the Holy Book.

Unfortunately, the passionate young missionary’s frequent clashes with the local Danish establishment took a severe toll on his health.

He died at the very young age of 36 in Denmark. His remains were brought back to his beloved India and he lies buried in Tharangambadi’s New Jerusalem Church, which can still be visited today.

The Danish chapter comes to an end

In the early years, Tranquebar did well and the population of the territory grew to 15,000 people by 1730 of which about 3,000 lived in the town, with about 10% of the latter being European.

Over the long run, however, the Danes struggled to make their new colony in the East work.

The fortunes of Tranquebar waxed and waned like the great waves that lashed the shores of the little town.

Back home, the 17th century was characterized by a series of wars between the great powers of Europe as they scrambled to divide up the continent.

When the Danes were not involved, their trading companies prospered by virtue of their neutral flag under which they could conduct trade unimpeded, very often in secret arrangements signed with the warring parties.  But when they were involved, their companies suffered as their maritime trade was directly hit by the tensions.

Three Danish trading companies were given the right to manage the administration, defense and operations of Tranquebar and to cover their expenses through the collection of land taxes and overland and maritime trade duties.

However, income from maritime duties was highly unstable, leading directly to the bankruptcy of the first two companies. The Danish government had to step in and take over from one of the companies in 1777.

The textile factories and warehouses shut down, the Danes began to leave as the dominant British moved in and the importance of Tranquebar continued to wither into the 19th century.

Finally, Denmark struck a deal with the British in 1845 to sell their former possession for Rs 1.25 million ($15,033), thus bringing to an end this unique chapter in Danish-Indian history.

Looking to the future

Fast forward to the 21st century and the revival of Danish interest in their cultural heritage and legacy in Asia. The Danish Tranquebar Association (DTA), founded in 2002, has been a driving force in renovating and transforming Tharangambadi’s historic landmarks.

Its president, Poul Petersen, prefers to take the Ziegenbalg approach: “We are here as friends and not invaders – we wish to build on our common heritage with India in a peaceful and cooperative way.”

The DTA earned the trust of the locals following the horrific tsunami of 2004 as they stepped up to rebuild homes, buy new boats and construct a 300-meter granite protection wall along the coast.

Since then, cooperation between the DTA, the Danish National Museum (DNM), INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has resulted in the renovation of Dansborg Fort, the Land’s Gate, the old Danish cemetery and the Governor’s Bungalow. Meanwhile, work has started on the Danish Commander’s House.

The Governor’s Bungalow is a stately building with a large, central veranda and a double front colonnade, which was restored in 2011, but still remains under lock and key while the Commander’s House hosts the Danish-Indian Cultural Centre and currently consists of a maritime museum and a library.

But work still needs to be done to boost the town’s tourism offerings. Though the Tamil Nadu government designated Tranquebar a heritage town in 1992, there is a glaring lack of any decent hotel accommodation besides the Bungalow on The Beach.

Meanwhile, basic tourist infrastructure, whether physical like a tourist information center, restaurants, cafes and public restrooms or digital like a proper website and social media presence are lacking.

“If Tranquebar is to realize its potential as a historic tourist destination then a coordinated strategic plan involving all stakeholders including local residents is absolutely essential,” says Prabhakar Rao, Danish Vice-Consul for South India.

Indeed it pales in comparison to vibrant and lively Puducherry, and besides visiting the old Danish buildings and museums, there is little else to do.

Nevertheless, this Danish chapter in the rich and varied history of India’s colonial rule is a brief but interesting one, making Tharangambadi/Tranquebar well worth a visit for any history buff.

A cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew remains stranded in Greenland after repeated attempts to free it, but morale on board is said to be high despite an outbreak of Covid.

The Ocean Explorer ran aground in Alpefjord, a dramatic and rugged stretch of Greenland’s eastern coastline on Monday. A Danish naval vessel is en route to assist but officials say poor weather has delayed its expected arrival to late Friday.

Three passengers on board have Covid-19 and have been placed in isolation, tour agency Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s operator, announced Thursday. All others aboard are said to be healthy and safe.

“Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment,” an earlier statement from Aurora Expeditions said.

“That is the biggest concern I have,” she said.

“I had swimming lessons before I came and I’m a good swimmer. So look out: I could be swimming back to Iceland.”

The Ocean Explorer has made several unsuccessful attempts to free itself on tidal currents in the past few days, according to a statement from Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC).

A larger Danish naval vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, has been dispatched to assist, according to the JAC, but has faced a journey of 1,200 nautical miles (around 2,222 kilometers) to reach the cruise ship.

“As soon as we realized that the Ocean Explorer could not get free on its own, we sent a ship towards the wreck,” Arctic Commander Brian Jensen said.

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer, from its grounding. Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety,” Aurora Expeditions said.

Danish military personnel boarded the cruise ship on Tuesday and said all 206 people aboard were “doing well,” according to the Danish Armed Forces on Wednesday.

The ship was “purpose-built for expedition travel to the world’s most remote destinations,” according to the official website for Aurora Expeditions.