Meninga set to throw a cat amongst the pigeons
According to News Corp, Meninga is set to name Matt Moylan, Jake Trbojevic, Jake Friend, Justin O’Neill and James Maloney to make their international debuts against Scotland next weekend. The Aussie coach is keen to give his entire 24-man squad a run before the pointy end of the tournament, given the Kangaroos’ one-off Test against the Kiwis last weekend. Aaron Woods and Josh Mansour are also expected to take their places in the side following their respective weddings last weekend. Meninga is trialling the players against the weakest side in the tournament in order to gain a better idea of who he thinks is in the best 17 before they come up against New Zealand and England. “I’ve always said I will give all our players an opportunity to play,” Meninga said via News Corp. “We played what I thought was our Test team against New Zealand so all the other players will get an opportunity against Scotland for sure. “I’m looking forward to all of them and putting a bit of internal pressure on players. That’s a good, healthy thing.”
The 25-year-old will formally receive is Bachelor of Business from Griffith Business School at a graduation ceremony at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre last Saturday.”To get there in the end, with a lot of help behind the scenes, means the world to me,” he said.”I’ve got further goals and I want to do bigger things. Knowing I’ve finally got through this and that I can do it, I’ll be able to accomplish more.”Ryan is now considering a prompt return to university to take on a Graduate Diploma of Education with a view to a future teaching role.A key focus for the powerful forward is improving school attendance numbers among Indigenous youth in remote communities. He has been inspired tremendously by the impact of NRL legend Preston Campbell in this respect.”School attendance isn’t great in those remote communities and if we can spread the word out there and make sure they get through their schooling and maybe are trying to get some sort of secondary education it would be good.”I just want to help kids to develop towards secondary education. You need that qualification to go a little bit further in life.”When he started his studies at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus, Ryan immediately had the help of the GUMURRII Student Support Unit.”They told me that 3% of the Indigenous population started university but less than 1% finish. That’s really small numbers when you think about the population of Australia and it would be great to see those numbers increase.”As an elite athlete Ryan also benefited from the backing of the Griffith Sports College from the start of his studies, who collaborated with the Gold Coast Titans to assimilate his study schedule into his football itinerary.After a strong start to his full-time studies, Ryan secured a life-changing first-grade contract with the Titans. “That’s when uni almost had to take a back seat. I had studied, I think, for four years straight, then had a bit of a break and then the Sports College gave me a call and said I had to finish it.”The support has been unrelenting since he reopened the books with the Sports College helping to bring about the flexibility needed to balance assessments and exams with the life of a professional footballer constantly on the move.”No one really sees the hard work that happens behind the scenes but I’d definitely say that without the Sports College I wouldn’t have got my degree.”If I had to hand every assessment in on time, it’d be pretty much near impossible because I’m travelling every second week and if I’m not at university I’m training.”But study definitely helped me play footy. I had one of my best seasons yet. And being able to come onto campus to study and get away from everything also helped too.”He will graduate with a degree in sport management and marketing, a qualification that sets him up for his future on the Gold Coast where he has no plans of leaving.”The major in sports management related back to the football. Having a background in sport made it a little bit easier for me. Marketing was something that captured my eye. It very much integrates with footy now and everything that social media is doing and how you have to market yourself and how you present yourself in the media.Ryan and his wife Ana also welcomed their first child, Carter, into the world during the course of his studies.”Having all these other obstacles in the way and being able to complete a degree, even though it took seven years, it sort of helped me as a person grow. It got to a stage where I wanted to complete it just to know I could do it myself.He joins teammates William Zillman and Anthony Don among the ranks of Titans with degrees.”Footy could last 10 years or it could last a day depending on how lucky you are, so you have to have something else behind you. And I thought getting a degree was definitely going to help that.”
Aspiring premiership contenders Penrith were motivated to earn a landmark victory in Melbourne but the Storm held them scoreless in the second half, continuously repelling the many attacks on their own tryline.Trailing 10-6 at half-time, the visitors spent much of the second half inside the opposition 20-metre zone but could not break the Storm’s league-best defence.Suliasi Vunivalu scored twice for the Storm while Cooper Cronk, Will Chambers and Josh Addo-Carr also grabbed tries, while Te Maire Martin scored the lone four-pointer for Penrith.There was no repeat of last week’s poor first-half showing from the Melbourne Storm, who enjoyed an enormous amount of possession on the Panthers’ tryline in the first 20 minutes. The home side opened the scoring when Will Chambers flicked a one-handed pass for Suliasi Vunivalu to cross in the right corner in the eighth minute.Melbourne extended their lead with a second try down the right side with Chambers this time scoring himself. Chambers capitalised on a swift backline movement through Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith to slip through the Panthers’ defence to go ahead 10-0 after 20 minutes.Despite a ruthless start for Melbourne, Penrith refused to be rattled and hit back 14 minutes before half-time.A relieving penalty helped the Panthers march upfield, with Nathan Cleary setting up his halves-partner Te Maire Martin to crash his way over the try line.The Panthers – growing in confidence – had several opportunities in Melbourne’s half and crossed again but desperate Storm defence prevented Tyronne Peachey from grounding the ball.The Storm quickly extended their 16-6 lead in the first minute of the second half, as Dale Finucane broke the line 40 metres out and offloaded for Cronk to score under the posts.Sloppy errors creeped into the Storm’s second-half effort, and the Panthers were desperate to convert their many second-half opportunities. Melbourne were rewarded for their resilience and patience as they added the penalty goal for a handy 12-point advantage with 20 minutes remaining.In an inspirational second-half defensive effort, the home side sealed the game in the final 10 minutes when speedster Josh Addo-Carr raced away from a scrum for his latest long-range try down the left sideline.Vunivalu’s second-try in the final minute capped a superb win for the Storm, who retained their perfect start before next week’s grand final rematch with the Cronulla Sharks.Melbourne Storm 28 (Vunivalu 2, Chambers, Cronk, Addo-Carr tries; Smith 3 goals) def. Penrith Panthers 6 (Martin try, Cleary goal) at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Photo Jordie Barrett All Black first five Beauden Barrett has been moved to fullback so Black can start at first five against the South African side the Cheetahs in Wellington on Saturday.There are four changes to the team that started in the loss to the Crusaders with lock Sam Lousi set to make his starting debut.Wes Goosen replaces Cory Jane on the right wing, and Ben May returns at loose head prop for Chris Eves.Barrett’s move back to fullback gives younger brother Jordie a break having appeared in every match this season and started the past seven.Lousi will make his fourth appearance of the campaign, but just his first start since joining the club from the New South Wales Waratahs this year.He will partner fellow Tongan Vaea Fifita in the second row with Mark Abbott taking a break on the bench after starting the past eight matches.With a tough tour to South Africa and Perth coming up, Boyd said it was important to manage some of his player’s workloads.”We have some guys who have shouldered a particularly big load through the first ten matches, and other guys who, through injury have not had a lot of time.”Boyd said the changes were not an indication of taking the Cheetahs lightly.”The Cheetahs are a particularly dangerous team that can score tries from anywhere and also have a big forward pack up front. We know they will bring a lot to the match.”The Cheetahs have won just two of their eleven matches this season with their wins coming against the Bulls and Sunwolves.
Port Moresby Billiards and Snooker association president John Chan said the event will start on the 24th of this month and end with the finals four days later on the 28th.He said at least 32 players are expected to take part.”The nomination and registration fee is K100 per player and will close on the 23rd. Registration will be on a first come first serve basis,” said Chan.Chan explained that the 6Red game is a shorter version of the normal snooker game with a few minor changes to the rules.”There will be some trial games held over the next two weeks for any of the women who wish to participate but are not familiar with the rules.“They can enquire at the Q Club and the Den and will be facilitated by our certified referees,” said Chan.He said the 6Red event was an initiative of the Women in Snooker PNG group and was sanctioned by the Port Moresby Billiards and Snooker Association.”The 6Red game is fun and faster and the women must be commended for organising this event,” said Chan.Nomination forms will be available by tomorrow at the four playing venues – Aviat Club, Lamana Q Club, Dragon’s Den and Laguna Hotel.
In the matches from the morning, Mahuru Eagles did it easy over the Danava Hawks with a 20-0 win, Kido Lagava drew 18-18 all with the Paramana Marlins, Ril Roadsiders walked over GRH Rubber Roots 28-4 and Lime Beach Stones got the better of Koko Brothers winning 16-8.The matches in the afternoon saw IB Mantas beat Hisiu City 18-4, KHK Nest defeated Kapunarau 14-4, TI Stones left the Bara Dugongs scoreless with a 12-0 scoreline and the Vadavada Goilords came away with an 8-0 win over the Vanagi Blacks.Matches continued up until 8pm with round three to commence today at 9:40am.
Minister Lera in a small but significant ceremony yesterday officially handed over the equipment to BSF president Anthony Tsora.The equipment comprised of three bags fully-kitted with professional softball sporting gears like gloves, bats, balls, helmets, chest guards and more.Apart from softball, Lera has also assisted other sporting codes and believes that all sporting activities can foster friendship and unity amongst players.He said engaging youths in sports can help minimise social problems and also develop players to become semi and professionals in their respective codes.Minister Lera said as Bougainville is going through its current political destiny toward referendum window of opening, building friendship, unity and engaging youth through sports is important.“Building the right values, attitude and mindset of our people is what Bougainville needs to prepare itself for the referendum,” he said.Lera said he is happy to provide assistance to BSF to help them revive the code and also prepare them for the coming National PNG Games, to be hosted in West New Britain.Bougainville Softball Federation president Tsora thanked the Minister and assured him that his assistance will go a long way in promoting the code in Bougainville.Tsora said the three sets of equipment will have a big impact on the players and technical officials to improve the code.One set of equipment will be used by technical officials for clinic and training programs while the other two sets will be given to softball associations identified by BSF.Tsora said with the professional set of equipment at hand, BSF has already put in place a training program and games competition to kick start the code in the region.Minister for Bougainville Affairs and Regional Member for Bougainville Joe Lera handing over three sets of softball equipment worth K25, 000 to the president of Bougainville Softball Federation, Anthony Tsora, and his technical officials.
She said NF’s who would like to send a representative can contact her on 325-1411 or email aravusiro@pngoc.org.pg to register. The course program which is run around the world was held for the first time in the country and in the Pacific according to Course Director, Alurigo Ravusiro.Ravusiro said the MOSO course comes in six modules and what the participants completed was the fifth module with the sixth module on Events to be held in October this year.Participants, mostly executives of national sport federations in the country have taken the first four courses since starting in October 2015.“We are really happy with the program. OSEP started the program back in October 2015 and the participants have attended all the courses and this is the fifth of the six modules.“We have executives from swimming, netball, handball, softball, weightlifting, and powerlifting,” said Ravusiro.Ravusiro said participants are expected to learn from the course and write their strategic plans to manage their federations effectively.“These courses are competency based and whatever the participants plan, they can use with their own experiences to develop their respective federations,” said Ravusiro.Karo Rupa Ikupu, an Executive from Beach Volleyball said the course was very inspiring and informative.“The knowledge imparted to us by the facilitator has been very good.“We have learnt a lot of new things especially managing our federations and on marketing and are privileged to be in this program,” Ikupu said.Ravusiro said invitations were sent out to all Sporting National Federations in the country but only few turned up.She said she expects more people to attend the sixth module on Events in October.“We are extending invitations to all the NFS to attend the sixth module start in October.“NF’s are asked to send a suitable candidate to attend the program,” said Ravusiro.
In any case, from the club this maneuver is considered by the Chilean international as a crude strategy to force a way out and press Barcelona to accept the Inter Milan offer. However, in the Catalan entity they still do not throw in the towel with redirecting the situation, since from the technical secretariat one does not want to do without a player with a profile so different from the rest and more now after confirming the transfer of Carles Aleñá to Betis for all that remains of the season.Apart from Vidal, Suárez and Messi, the technician Ernesto Valverde could count on the rest of the available players of the first team, including also to the young forward of the subsidiary, Ansu Fati, who completed the entire session after overcoming a strong bruise on the hip. LaLiga Santander* Data updated as of January 2, 2020 The truth is that Arturo Vidal finally got, although almost unintentionally, to be the center of attention of the first training of 2020, eclipsing even Leo Messi and Luis Suárez, which also joined the dynamics of the group, having enjoyed three more days of vacation than the rest of the staff to be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve with their families.However, all eyes were focused on Arturo Vidal. The reason is that it was the first time he was seen in Barcelona after learning that he had sued the club for more than two million euros considering that he had not been paid a series of bonuses for games played. It turns out that the club understands that it does not count as a game played if it does not play at least 45 minutes while The player’s lawyers consider that the match has to be counted regardless of the minutes played.
The only ones low from the first session of 2020 were Ousmane Dembélé, Arthur Melo and Marc André Ter Stegen. In the case of the German goalkeeper it is confirmed in this way that will be low for the match against Espanyol and that in his substitute will be the Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, who cut three days of his vacation to be in optimal conditions for the derby on Saturday.
It’s the reply to the Kosmos tournament and a World Cup substituteThe 24 international locations with the finest no 1 take part in the ATP ratingThree venues, 9 days and with captains apart from Davis (Roig in Spain) If the 2019 tennis closed with the new Davis Cup, the 2020 season kicks off with the ATP Cup. One other tournament for alternatives born from the outdated Workforce World Cup and goals, towards the curiosity of the gamers to go away a single championship , advance to the Kosmos group competitors to be the primary tennis World Cup. In Australia its first version and on exhausting monitor, three cities host from January Three to 12 to 24 international locations.A couple of months after the ITF introduced that its Davis Cup was being managed by the holding firm led by Gerard Piqué, the ATP (employers’ employer) responded by recovering its former World Cup extinct in 2014 by the Hopman Cup, which introduced collectively gamers Female and male. On this approach, the ATP Cup was born, once more solely with males, and supported primarily by the Australian Federation that would additionally host the tournament in its first version with its Perth, Brisbane and Sydney as cities chosen for the group part and the final one additionally for the closing part.In the first place, the large distinction with respect to the ATP tournament between 1978 and 2012 is that of the eight taking part international locations it has been handed to 24 that are categorized in accordance with the rating of their no 1. With the exception of Switzerland, eradicated by the casualties of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, they agglutinate in six teams (of 4 groups every) and of those that rank all the first plus the two finest seconds.As soon as the eight quarterfinals have been decided, the first ATP Cup champion will seem at the Ken Rosewall Enviornment in Sydney from January 9 to 12. All in exhausting monitor, as an alternative of the crushed earth that hosted the World Cup, and as in Davis there three clashes (two singles and one doubles) at better of three units with tie break in the case of 6-6, much less in doubles (which is able to all the time be performed even when a rustic has received the earlier two singles) the place there’s a match tie break (The first one to succeed in ten factors with a bonus of two wins).Already stipulated this, the 24 international locations with the finest no 1 in accordance with the ATP classification have been divided into the six teams themselves as follows:Group A (Brisbane). Serbia, France, South Africa and Chile.Group B (Perth). Spain, Japan, Georgia and Uruguay.Group C (Sydney). Belgium, United Kingdom, Bulgaria and Moldova. Group D (Perth). Russia, Italy, United States and Norway.Group E (Sydney). Austria, Croatia, Argentina and Poland.Group F (Brisbane). Germany, Greece, Canada and Australia.As in Davis, the standards to interrupt in case of two international locations with equal qualifiers received will probably be defeated units, then matches and at last video games. Nevertheless, concerning this tournament one other large distinction is in the captains. Right here every no 1 has chosen who instructs them and it may be seen from Marat Safin, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt or Grigor Dimitrov himself, who has pointed to himself, till Francis Roig, ordinary preparer of Nadal and designated by him as chief as an alternative of Sergi Bruguera who raised the sixth ‘salad bowl’.Nevertheless, Roig, making the most of the success in Madrid, has chosen nearly the identical crew as Bruguera and with Nadal at the head, world no 1 is adopted Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreño, Feliciano López and Albert Ramos, the latter being the nice novelty concerning Marcel Granollers who needed to bounce to the Spanish monitor.Lastly, additionally not like the Kosmos tournament, being owned by the ATP and never the ITF this championship sure distributes factors for the rankings (as much as 750 if a participant finally ends up undefeated), though these differ in accordance with the rating of every participant. Additionally in accordance with the place of every participant, totally different financial prizes will probably be given whole loot of 15 million {dollars} (13.four euros).The schedules with Spain, the large mess to observe the video gamesWhen performed in three cities with three totally different time zones, this will probably be the primary mess to be clear at what time every recreation is. Nevertheless, the group has stipulated 10:00 and 17:30 of every web site for the begin of all conferences till the semifinals. There, the schedules will change at 11:00 and 18:30 in Sydney and could have, once more, 18:30 as the time marked for the begin of the grand finale.First is Perth, which is exactly the headquarters for the group of Spain (B) in addition to for D. This metropolis has a time zone of GMT + 8, so the conferences of the Tomorrow’s shift will start at 3:00 Spanish daybreak and afternoon at 10:30. Towards Georgia and Uruguay (Saturday four and Monday 6), Roig will play in the second flip, whereas the final match, towards Japan (Wednesday 8), will probably be in the first and due to this fact harder to see reside (all by RTVE).The second seat is Brisbane, the place teams A and F. will play. With a GMT + 10 time zone, tomorrow’s flip will coincide with the 1:00 Spanish and the afternoon with 8:30.Lastly, it’s Sydney the place are the C and E. Their time zone is GMT + 11 and due to this fact the first group and eighth part clashes will probably be at 00:00 from Spain and the seconds at 7:30. By additionally internet hosting the semifinals, these will probably be at the 1:00 and to the 8:30, whereas the closing will begin at 8:30 from Sunday, January 12.That is how this ATP Cup, the successor of the World Cup, kicks off to 2020 and can rival, for now, the Davis Cup for being the benchmark of the tournaments for alternatives. 24 groups, three cities and 9 days of tennis with out main absences (besides the Swiss), to designate a primary champion that Spain chooses as a favourite for its newest success in 2019.
Picture: Getty
“On a very happy personal level, very satisfied with the game. We have not conceded goals and I have been able to be decisive for the team. I am very happy. But above all, I loved the work of my teammates. This is a very difficult field and we fight and fight to take the three points. “How was the second goal? How do you finish a center like this? What is the most important to decide the moment of the jump?“First is the clearing in motion within the area and then the ‘timing’ to score the goal. The center is also great and I am very happy, very happy.”How would you define at the team level the match you have made today?“It was a fight where the team responded very well. Today was a day to fight and fight. And that’s what we did. We don’t score goals back, but it’s also everyone’s job when we’re together like this and we fight. Let’s go for everything. Very satisfied with the attitude of the team. The third goal is a counterattack. When we are solid back then we have to help to hurt the opponent. “How do you cope with what you have ahead of you, with the first title of the season in sight this week? With what feelings do you leave the game on a personal level? Getafe chances in the first part“He has kept us in the Courtois game and the ball stopped with Varane has given us a lot today.”Courtois“I think nobody doubted his potential. He is a great goalkeeper and as he was demonstrating he will give us points.”Without bouquets“It’s something atypical. The captain is always there, but we have a very large squad. In Madrid there are the best and anyone who comes out proves it”How they face the Super Cup“With great enthusiasm and already facing the match of day 8 against Valencia, which is going to make things very difficult for us and we go to Jeddah for the title.”
“Very well. We are confident. We are satisfied with the result. We started the year well and we hope to continue like this. We will do our best to win the first title of the year and fight as usual until the end of the season.”Dani Carvajal he was the Real Madrid player in charge of appearing in the flash interview for television after the game against Getafe in the Coliseum.Sensations with victory“It was important, we came with good feelings but we had only added 3 points out of 9 in the last matches and if we want the title we must add 3 in 3. Today we had to wear the work suit.”
In March 2018 he was at the Bernabéu. Did you think then that one day you would sign for Real Madrid?The dream of any child is to play in a giant like Madrid. When I visited the Bernabéu I did not imagine that so many things would happen in my life and that I would have the opportunity to make my dream come true.How did you hear about Madrid’s interest?I was at the Club World Cup when I began to find out what was happening. My family and my agent went to visit the hotel and told me. I was surprised and I was very happy at the same time.In Spain it was news that he began to follow Madrid and several players on Instagram. Did you want to have that wink because you already knew you would sign up? 19 Reinier Jesus (18 years old) He has fulfilled his dream, becoming a Real Madrid player. He talks about it in this Interview with ACE In janeiro river in which he surrenders to Zidane, Raúl or Benzema. And it ends with a nod to Real Madrid: “Hala Madrid and nothing else!” 
One thing is not related to the other. I have always followed several players from various teams. And I’ve always followed Madrid and the cracks that play there.As a child he was from Madrid. Why?Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and has always had great squads. Since I was a child my father always encouraged me to watch Real’s matches. I am a Real Madrid player since the Galactic, when I was still very young, and even this generation of the four Champions.In Spain there is much talk about the player from Brazil who has grown up in difficult conditions, with few resources. How was your childhood?My parents never let me and my sisters lack something. My father was world champion futsal with Brazil. I started playing on a track on my street. I left Brasilia to Rio de Janeiro at age 11 to try to live on football. My mother and my sisters stayed in Brasilia and only moved to Rio when there was certainty that the project would work and we would have the conditions to live well.Who is your idol?I have two, Zidane and Kaka.How do you think he will react when he sees Raúl, his next coach, and Zidane, with whom he is compared?They are two football monsters with a lot of history on and off the field with Real Madrid. When I see them I will do everything to learn everything they can teach me.Who do you want to play with most?With Benzema. He is a player that I like very much and that is very well understood with all the players.Tell us what your dream debut would be like.I want to debut scoring goals and attending. That is what has taken me to Madrid. But I know that dream is still far away.Send a message to the Real Madrid from AS.Hello Madridistas! I’m Reinier. Brazilian. 18 years. I want to get into the history of this club. I will give my all to honor the shirt of the biggest club in the world. Count me in. Hala Madrid and nothing more!
You will have the manufacturer’s file to avoid the overbooking with professional licenses (right now Depor has the 25 covers), but Vallejo will be in the dynamics of the first team from now on. In fact, he arrived in Galicia on Friday night and this Saturday will be put under the orders of Vázquez in the last session before traveling to Albacete. We will have to see if the Castrofeito coach already takes him for the appointment in Belmonte.With minutes in SecondThe intention of Real Madrid is that Hugo Vallejo can continue his progression in Second, something that in Malaga did not seem possible. He started playing under Victor Sánchez del Amo and participated in five of the first six days, two of them even as headlines, but soon disappeared from the calls. Now, in the Depor, he may be able to resume his takeoff towards the elite and contribute to the permanence of the Herculine group. The Sports It has made official this morning the culmination of a three-way operation that Diario As advanced on January 10. Hugo Vallejo has become a new blue and white player after they reached an agreement with the Pontevedra Square Real Madrid, who had just signed the player from Málaga. The young attacker will be assigned in A Coruña until the end of the season.The Vallejo is one of the profiles that the new sports direction of Depor has been looking for since the January market began. Both Richard Barral and Fernando Vázquez were aware that they needed band players and that is what the Andalusian can contribute, a fast and powerful extreme that can play on both sides.
-Villarreal-Osasuna: Pizarro Gómez and, in the VAR, González González.-Barcelona-Levante: Lamb Vega and, in the VAR, Munuera Montero.Copa del Rey’s eighths-Tenerife-Athletic: González Fuertes and, in the VAR, Iglesias Villanueva.-Cultural Leonesa-Valencia: Pizarro Gómez and, in the VAR, Medié Jiménez.-Rayo Vallecano-Villarreal: Prieto Iglesias and, in the VAR, Álvarez Izquierdo.-Badajoz-Granada: Soto Grado and, in the VAR, Alberola Rojas.-Zaragoza-Real Madrid: González González and, in the VAR, Cordero Vega.-Real Sociedad-Osasuna: Munuera Montero and, in the VAR, Iglesias Villanueva.-Barcelona-Leganés: Cuadra Fernández and, in the VAR, Melero López.-Mirandés-Sevilla: Jaime Latre and, in the VAR, Álvarez Izquierdo.Day 26 of Second-Tenerife-Sporting: Arcediano Monescillo and, in the VAR, De la Fuente Ramos.-Extremadura-Lugo: Ocón Arráiz and, in the VAR, Milla Alvendiz.-Sport-Las Palmas: Moreno Aragón and, in the VAR, Ávalos Barrera.-Ponferradina-Huesca: Muñiz Ruiz and, in the VAR, Ais Reig.-Elche-Málaga: Sagués Oscoz and, in the VAR, González Esteban.-Fuenlabrada-Girona: Díaz de Mera Escuderos and, in the VAR, Pérez Pallas.-Cádiz-Zaragoza: Ortiz Arias and, in the VAR, López Toca.-Mirandés-Rayo Vallecano: Iglesias Villanueva and, in the VAR, Trujillo Suárez.-Numancia-Almería: Pulido Santana and, in the VAR, Galech Apezteguia.-Oviedo-Albacete: Gorostegui Fernández Ortega and, in the VAR, Vicandi Garrido.-Racing-Alcorcón: Figueroa Vázquez and, in the VAR, Varón Aceitón. The Royal Spanish Football Federation has announced the arbitration designations made by the Technical Committee of Referees facing the 22nd day of LaLiga Santander, the 26th day of LaLiga SmartBank and the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The derby between Real Madrid and Atlético will be led from the grass by Estrada Fernández and in the VAR will be Sánchez Martínez.The referee of the Catalan school has already directed three games to both teams so far in the championship. Madrid has not whistled since he did it on the first day of the championship against Celta (1-3). Worse has been the Atlético with him: he won at Betis 1-2, but on day 11 he was not able to score the three points against Deportivo Alavés (1-1). In Copa, the duel between Zaragoza and Real Madrid will be the responsibility of González González, in charge of the derby (0-0) of the Wanda Metropolitano. This is how the members have been distributed:First Day 22-Granada-Espanyol: Cuadra Fernández and, in the VAR, De Burgos Bengoetxea.-Real Madrid-Atlético: Estrada Fernández and, in the VAR, Sánchez Martínez.-Mallorca-Valladolid: Medié Jiménez and, in the VAR, Prieto Iglesias.-Valencia-Celta: González Fuertes and, in the VAR, Hernández Hernández.-Leganés-Real Sociedad: Melero López and, in the VAR, Jaime Latre.-Eibar-Betis: Martínez Munuera and, in the VAR, Iglesias Villanueva.-Athletic-Getafe: Alberola Rojas and, in the VAR, Mareu Lahoz.-Sevilla-Alavés: From Cerro Grande and, in the VAR, Álvarez Izquierdo.
Lime and sand in South AmericaWorse were the news that came from South America, where Angel Lopez debuted on the bench of Delfín SC with defeat in the final of the Ecuador Super Cup. After finishing the 90 minutes with one draw, the cetaceans fell on penalties (5-4) against the League of Quito. Neither could the physical trainer of Uruguay celebrate his first title in Uruguay Felix Martinez. Despite forcing the extension in 95 ‘, the team led by Gustavo Munúa succumbed 4-2 in the title match against Liverpool.The Spaniards who militate in Bolivian football had better sensations. Michelangelo Portugal he managed to take Royal Pari to his first victory at the height (3,800 meters) of Oruro, where he won over San José thanks to the Saucedo and Spanish goals Iker Hernandez. The former Real Sociedad or Athletic debuted as a scorer in 2020, something his compatriot also did Fran Pastor with Real Potosí. The former RSD player Alcala scored the goal with which the lilac team won 2-1 against Santa Cruz and ended a three-game win streak.More than 6,200 kilometers from Potosí, in Monterrey, Querétaro defeated the current champion of the MX League with the Kike ‘Cadet’ in the starting lineup and playing the 90 minutes in the left lane. The roosters added their third victory in a consecutive way and, after four days disputed the closing, occupy the second position of the Aztec championship equaled points with Leon, who leads the table.Asia dresses upThe first weekend of February was full of joys for Spanish soccer players and coaches from the Asian continent. In Qatar Al Sadd of Xavi Hernandez, without Gabi Fernández in the call, he managed to beat Al Sailiya 3-0 and cut three points with respect to the leadership of the Qatar Stars League, which continues to hold Al Duhail despite falling against Al Rayyan. He also won the Al Wakrah of Tintin Marqueznamed best coach of January in Qatar. The Blue and Whites defeated Pepe Murcia’s Al Shahaniya with Isaías Sánchez and Cristian Ceballos in the eleven.He also took advantage of the weekend to win three points at Al Wahda Manolo Jiménez, which imposed 0-1 on Al Jazira in the Abu Dhabi derby. The Brazilian Lucas Pimienta scored the only goal of a match that meant the debut of Gaspar Baker in the football of the Arab Emirates. In Saudi Arabia he won Al Shabab, which already has six games without losing under the baton of Luis García Plaza.In India we live a ‘Spanish derby’ between Chennai City, current I-League champion, and Mohun Bagan, who aspires to a championship in which he is currently a leader. Six Spaniards – three for each team – were starters in a match that Caltura managed to take the three points (2-3). The Basque Joseba Beitia gave two assists, one of them to his countryman Fran Gonzalez, who scored again with Mohun and already has six goals in the league this season. Also in India, although in the Super League, it was the confrontation between the Jamshedpur of Iriondo and the ATK of López Habas. It was the second who took the victory after winning 0-3 with a great performance by Edu Garcia. The first weekend of February was plagued by Spanish protagonists in foreign leagues around the world. The agonizing triumph of St. Gallen by Víctor Ruiz and Jordi Quintilla in Basel, the classification of the Étoile du Sahel by Juan Carlos Garrido for the quarterfinals of the African Champions League or the first goal of Fran Pastor with the Real Potosí Bolivian starred in the day of the ‘Spaniards around the world’.Europe: Víctor Ruiz, Pol Llonch …There is no one to stop St. Gallen from Victor Ruiz Y Jordi Quintillà. The San Galo team went to the winter break after falling to Zurich, but two consecutive victories have raised him to the top of the Swiss Super League. The last against Basel and with a goal in the 93rd minute. The locals were ahead in 19 ‘by Bua, but Fazliji achieved the draw before the break after a corner kicked by Victor Ruiz and Ribeiro, already at the discount, took a shot of Bakayoko to make 1-2.He also won the Willem II, which achieved his first 2020 win with Pol Llonch in the starting lineup and playing the 90 minutes. Those of Tilburg, which already tthey have more points than in 10 of their last 12 participations in the Eredivisie, took advantage of the defeat of the PSV in Amsterdam to take hold in the fourth place of the First Division of the Netherlands.He also won the Twente in the Netherlands, which ended with a streak of eight official matches without winning three Spanish players in the eleven. Julio Pleguezuelo, Oriol Busquets Y Aitor Cantalapiedra They made headlines in the team led by the Spanish-Uruguayan Gonzalo García, who won 2-0 against Sparta Rotterdam. Cantalapiedra threw away the corner that Bijen made in the 1-0 in the 80 ‘and Lang, already in the discount, signed the 2-0. Javier Espinosa saw the whole match from the bench.He attended and also scored Toni Martínez in the tie (2-2) between Famalicao and Río Ave. The Murcian forward advanced to those of Vila Nova in 10 ‘and 27’ minutes later enabled Pote, who put land in the middle in the light. In spite of leaving with a rent of two goals to the rest, the Famalicao of Martinez and Álex Centelles, who played the entire game in the left lane, let the three points escape in just 10 minutes, the time it took for Gelson and Tarantini to equalize the contest.In Gibraltar we attended the classic between Lincoln Red Imps and Europa FC, in which 13 of the 22 starting players were Spanish. It was one of them, Juampe, who opened the scoring in favor of Europe, which ended up winning 0-2 and taking hold in the first place of the Gibraltarian First Division. He also won St. Joseph’s. The team of Raúl Procopio Lions prevailed 5-3 with full Spanish in the scorer section: Juanfri (2), Boro (2) and Pedrito scored.There were also Spanish protagonists in Africa, where Juan Carlos Garrido he managed to qualify the Tunisian Étoile du Sahel to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. He did so after defeating Zimbabwe’s Platinum 2-0 and climbing to the top position of Group B. He was eliminated from the Petro de Luanda competition. The Angolan team led by Toni Cosano reaped four draws and two losses, which prevented him from moving from third place in Group C.
The first time that Real Madrid was seen in this circumstance was in another final, the one that measured him against Deportivo in 2002 and was named Centenariazo. The Galician team beat Madrid in its stadium by 1-2 in the year of the expenses of its one hundred years of life. Sergio and Tristán made the Galician goals, while Real Madrid could only shorten through Raúl. Madrid fell with a crash in the Bernabéu before a Real that has been planted in the semifinals of the Cup brilliantly. The affront of San Sebastian strips even more a statistic that emphasizes OPTA and denotes a lack of white fang in the co-operative appointments to a single party in its own stadium. The win or go home Copero is not good at Madrid in the 21st century. In fact it has failed the three times in which it has been seen in that situation. The last, against Real in these past quarterfinals. But if that defeat hurts, the other two times he ran aground were more painful if possible.The previous one was against Atlético de Madrid, in the final of the Cup that the rojiblancos took in 2013. They won by 1-2 in a night that changed many things for the mattress team. A recognized turning point. Diego Costa and Miranda turned the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo. A bitter night for Real Madrid that had to do with Koke flying the red and white flag in the center of the field at the end of the crash.
Regarding spurs, the European football regulatory body considers Mourinho responsible for this delay, although it does not clarify the exact reasons. However, the fine must be paid by Tottenham, although the coach must be informed that he is responsible.Spurs now have 90 days to pay the fine. Also, his rival, Leipzig has also been sanctioned. In his case, with 2,250 euros because his fans threw objects into the field. Tottenham has been fined 20,000 euros for being, according to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Discipline Body, guilty of having started the Champions League match against Leipzig three minutes late from last February 19. The City will also have to pay € 3,000 for exceeding the size of the advertising in a training kit.
Former tennis participant Andy Roddick responded to Serbian Novak Djokovic, who mentioned he would not wish to be compelled to vaccinate. to return to the competitors, and mentioned he’s “curious” to see if he will hold that speech when Grand Slams need to be performed.“The vital factor is not whether or not or not you consider in vaccines,” mentioned the American. “If not what’s safer for tennis to return.” “I don’t need to agree with what he mentioned. He is aware of he’s going to need to decide. I’m curious to see how deep his beliefs are when it’s important to keep out of the Grand Slams for not taking a vaccine, “added Roddick on the Tennis Channels Stay program.These controversial statements by Djokovic did them in a dialog with different Serbian athletes, however later softened them in a letter to the New York Instances., through which he added that he want to have all the data out there earlier than making an applicable choice.World tennis is suspended till July 13, with some tournaments like Wimbledon already canceled and others like Roland Garros postponed to September.
Dunga, captain of the Brazilian national team champion of 1994 World Cup and former selector of Brazil, and the players of Guild Pedro Geromel, Maicon, Paulo Miranda and Paulo Victor selflessly help with food distribution for the underprivileged amid the coronavirus pandemic in Porto Alegre, Brazil. REUTERS ‘); return false; “class =” item-multimedia “>REUTERS
Julen Guerrero (Portugalete, Vizcaya, 1974) has been the U-15 and U-16 coach of the Spanish Nationwide Group since 2018. Though his work has few headlines within the press, it’s important: he makes the primary filter of essentially the most proficient young folks within the nation. The previous Athletic participant analyzes on this joint interview with AS, Onda Cero and Marca how he’s experiencing confinement and explains his work within the Federation.How are you doing in confinement?I miss the competitors, the sector … However from house I work comfortable, that doesn’t change a lot from the workplace or from house. The unhealthy factor shouldn’t be having competitions. I watch rather a lot of movies, I analyze matches … And I’ve made videoconferences, for the second with the Sub-15, by strains, with movies of tournaments that we’ve got had: we analyzed issues to enhance and what was executed effectively.What methodology have they got for this U-15 recruitment?We, for instance, are already seeing the Sub-14, whom we’re going to meet subsequent 12 months. We’re going to see them matches and particularly tournaments, as a result of that’s the place they go away the consolation they’ve within the league, the place they comfortably win many video games. My management is Sub-14, Sub-15 and Sub-16. From every class you may have between 50 and 80, it isn’t solely the 20 or 23 that you simply carry. We file the video games we go to and those we don’t, we discuss to the golf equipment to allow them to ship them to us. You may have filters, however I prefer to see the footballers. It’s a lot of work, however if you wish to do it effectively it have to be like this.How vital are these classes?It is vital in your studying. We put together the matches nearly professionally, one thing they aren’t used to. We wish them to reach effectively ready at U17, the place they’ll have already got a European championship.Concerning Spanish grassroots soccer … Do you suppose it needs to be reformed to be extra aggressive?For me it will be vital to present a couple of laps to the leagues. In Cadete, for instance, they’ve three or 4 sophisticated video games a 12 months. Then they’re squads of 25 gamers, they rotate … It’s troublesome to see a whole sport as a result of there are seven modifications. There is no such thing as a requirement or continuity. Golf equipment work effectively, however these leagues don’t assist go to the restrict. I have no idea if it could possibly be modified, as a result of in the long run every part may be very native and you would need to open slightly extra and journey. I don’t know … However the leagues they play in don’t assist them take that one step additional. Is it time now that every part has stopped to suggest a reform?Any time is an efficient time to replicate. I do not forget that Juvenil I performed on the nationwide degree, all of the groups in Spain. Now within the Honor Division they’ve few demanding matches, they play very native. There are the Champions Cup and the King’s Cup, however it’s a week and in a match you’ll be able to go house. We should make a mirrored image …Are you in favor of a league of subsidiaries as a substitute of competing in Second B and Third?An under-23 league of subsidiaries can be highly effective and aggressive, it will be factor. I’d give extra significance to quarry work. What makes me unhappy is doing the job after which the membership doesn’t dare to make the leap. I come from Athletic, the place yearly two or three children debut. However I don’t see that in all of the golf equipment. I see that they work and the vital factor is to work and be daring. Most golf equipment have a tough time taking the plunge. Lack slightly daring with young folks.Altering the topic … How do you see the Cup ultimate being with the general public?For me, coming from Athletic, the followers are the soul of the membership. A ultimate with out that pastime that wraps you up daily can be unhappy. However, you lose the choice to play Europe, though if the League returns, Athletic has time to get well to seventh place. For me essentially the most troublesome factor is that if the gamers who aren’t there, those that go away the squad are performed in February. Perhaps even the teaching employees for no matter it’s is not going to arrive … That saddens me.What do you suppose of the return to competitors? Will it change with all 5 substitutions?The vital factor is to be constant: should you can, transfer ahead, and if there’s a safety danger, make one other choice. There are the scientists who know. We might have the will to play, however they must determine whether or not or to not proceed. And the 5 modifications … modifications rather a lot. 5 modifications aren’t the identical for one membership as for one more. Some take them from a really excessive degree and others lose slightly. Additionally, you’ll be able to change two on the break and you continue to have three left …
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC): Left-hander Darren Bravo yesterday became the third player to pull out of the troubled Twenty20 World Cup squad. Following the high-profile withdrawals by Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine last week, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced that Bravo had also opted out of the squad in order to be available for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the Regional four-day championship. In a letter sent to the board, Bravo said that while he was “very grateful and humbled” to be selected, he preferred to focus on developing his game in the longest format. “I’m of the firm belief that I have a very big part to play in the resurgence of West Indies cricket in the longer formats of the game, and I will like the opportunity to play in our Professional Cricket League (PCL) because it will put me in good stead and will allow me to achieve those goals that I have aligned myself for the year 2016 and beyond,” the Trinidadian said. Selectors will now mull over yet another replacement after having to find alternatives for Pollard and Narine. All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite was named to replace Pollard while, yesterday, the board said that Barbados off-spinner Ashley Nurse had been chosen in Narine’s absence. Nurse has played four Twenty20s for West Indies and 60 overall. Pollard said that he had not fully recovered from an injury sustained last December, while Narine indicated that work on his new action had not been completed. He is currently banned from bowling in international cricket. Meanwhile, the remainder of the squad have all signed their tour contracts for the March 8 to April 3 ICC tournament in India. Fears of a player boycott were heightened last week when T20 captain Darren Sammy wrote to the WICB on behalf of the squad to indicate their discontent with the pay structure. In the communication, Sammy said the players “cannot accept the terms on offer”, but in a subsequent radio interview in Trinidad, he said the squad always intended to contest the World Cup and would sign the contracts. The WICB said the new terms of the contract had been hammered out almost 10 months ago in conjunction with players’ union, WIPA, and had been communicated then to all players.
GOALS:- BOURNEMOUTH: GRADEL 37th; KING 50th; COOK 78th. SWANSEA: BARROW 39th; SIGURDSSON 62nd.Bournemouth claimed valuable points with a third successive league win against Swansea. Max Gradel put the home side ahead. Modou Barrow replied for the Swans, before Joshua King restored Bournemouth’s lead, only for Gylfi Sigurdsson to level. But Steve Cook headed in late on to clinch the win for the Cherries.NORWICH CITY 0 MANCHESTER CITY 0Manchester City’s title hopes suffered a huge setback as they drew at struggling Norwich and are now nine points behind leaders Leicester, who play tonight. Norwich came closest to a goal when a 25-yard Patrick Bamford shot hit the crossbar. The home side might even have stolen a late winner, but Graham Dorrans put a shot wide when well placed.STOKE CITY 1 SOUTHAMPTON 2 AFC BOURNEMOUTH 3 SWANSEA CITY 2 GOALS:- STOKE: ARNAUTOVIC 52nd. SOUTHAMPTON: PELLE 11th, 30th.Graziano Pelle scored twice to send Southampton up to seventh place in the Barclays Premier League. Pelle, who had not scored in his previous 12 league games, struck twice in the first half with a header and a low shot. Stoke replied in the second half when Marko Arnautovic flicked in from close range. The Saints finished with 10 men when Sadio Mane wasdismissed for an elbow late on.
Raymond GrahamGleaner WriterToday’s MVP Track and Field meet will take focus inside the National Stadium this evening, with the promise of top quality athletics, given the early form shown so far this season.Following last Saturday’s outstanding performances from several of the country’s top senior athletes including an world leading equalling 11.07 seconds in the women’s 100m from Elaine Thompson, fans are in store for three hours of top class performances once again with the main event expected to start at 3:00pm because of the overwhelming support of entries.Meet organiser Paul Francis is excited about the meet and the support it has received.”We have received over 400 entries and because of this we will have to start a bit earlier, running several heats but the main event with the top seeded athletes will commence at 5:00pm,” said Francis.With this being the last chance for athletes to sharpen up ahead of the Penn Relays it should be great competition for both high school athletes as well as those from clubs and colleges.The Penn Relays will take place in Philadelphia, USA between April 28 – 30.Besides the 4x100m and 4x400m there will be action also in the 4x800m relays with 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles along with 400m hurdles also facing the starter.An exciting battle is expected in the men’s 100m as former world champion Yohan Blake of Racers Track Club will lead a high quality field with the likes of Sprintec’s Rasheed Dwyer, MVP’s Andrew Fisher and World Championships 200m finalist Zharnel Hughes all posing a threat.World Championships bronze medal winner Shericka Jackson is also expected to feature in the women’s 400m event.Following her defeat to GC Foster College’s Rhonda Whyte in the women’s 400m hurdles, Edwin Allen High schoolgirl Shannon Kallawan, will be hoping to avenge that defeat when both clash once again in an event, which also includes some of the country’s top athletes who will be bidding for spots on Jamaica’s team to the Rio Olympic Games.These include the likes of Sprintec’s Ristananna Tracey, MVP’s Nikita Tracy and the University of West Indies’ Rushell Clayton, who will be defending her collegiate title at the Penn Relays.Today’s meet will also be a good opportunity for high school teams in the relays. Following two sub-40 seconds clocking so far this season, Kingston College led by Jhevaughn Matherson and Akeem Bloomfield will be hoping for another big performance but with defending Penn Relays champion Calabar expected to insert outstanding Class II athlete Christopher Taylor in their line-up, this could make it more difficult for the North Street – based team.Both teams will be pitted against Racers and MVP units, which will also be interesting to see how the schoolboys do against their seniors.Among the girls Penn Relays favourite St. Jago is expected to parade their strong 4x100m team, which is expected to include the likes of Kimone Shaw, Shaniel English and Shanice Reid.However, defending Penn Relays champion Edwin Allen with the likes of Patrice Moodie and Shellece Clarke along Holmwood Technical with Ashley Williams and company could make it difficult for the St. Jago quartet.TODAY’S ORDER OF EVENT5:00 P.M: 4X100M FEMALE5:00 P.M: LONG JUMP MEN5:10 P.M: 4x100M MALEDISCUS FEMALE5:20 P.M: 800M FEMALE5:25 P.M; 800M MALE5:35 P.M: 400M HURDLES FEMALE5:40 P.M 400M HURDLES MALE5:50 P.M : 4X800M FEMALE6:00 P.M: 4X800M MALE6:10 P.M: 400M M FEMALEDISCUS MALE6:20 P.M: 400M MALE6:30 P.M LONG JUMP6:45 P.M: 200M FEMALE6:55 P.M: 200M MALE7:10 P.M: 100M H FEMALE7:15 P.M; 110M H MALE7:55 P.M: 4X400M FEMALE8:00 P.M: 4X400M MALE
Caymanas Park Results for Sep 12, 2015Track Condition : Dirt : GoodRace 1 1000 M (R) (Purse $500,000) 3-Y-O & UP CLM($180,0)/NB6YO&UP-NW3Pos No. Horse Jockey Kgm Odds Lgths Win Place1. NEVER GIVE UP PFrancis 54.0*1. FRANKENSTORM RWilson 56.0 DH3. REIGN OVER ALL SMuir 57.0 4L4. DAGGA DAGGA LINKS AMartin 57.0 HeadDNF #1 REAL VIBES MACHINE JErwin 54.0 26/1Late scratch: #3 ROCKETEERWIN: $105.00, $105.00PLACE: $68.00, $62.00, $83.00Final Time: 1:02.1 Splits: 23.2, 47.4, ,Winner: 5yo b horse – OUTRIGGER out of SEEKING LIL by LIL’S LADTrainers:Delwoy Spencer, Dennis LeeOwner: FAYE E LEEBred by HAM STABLES LTD.Quinella: (2,6) $350.00 Exacta: (2-6) $518.00 (6-2) $202.00Superfecta: (2-6-4-5) $1,434.00 (6-2-4-5) $617.00Race 2 1500 M (Purse $500,000) NB4-Y-O & UP MAIDEN CONDITION RACE1. *WHO’S BOSSY KPowell 55.02. SMART TRAIN OSimpson 54.0 4 1/2L*3. NO PAIN NO GAIN SMuir 53.0 1L4. PERFECT GIRL DBadaloo 52.0 19LLate scratch: #7 ALL FOR THE GLORYWIN: $100.00Final Time: 1:38.4 Splits: 24.3, 49.0, 1:16.1,Winner: 4yo ch filly – WHO’S STAYIN ON out of TIFTAYVIA byTrainer: MARGARET PARCHMENTAOwner: MARGARET A PARCHMENTBred by VINCENT LUMSDENQuinella: (1,5) $440.00 Exacta: (1-5) $439.00D/E: (2-1) $461.00 (2-7) $79.00Trifecta: (1-5-6) $158.00Race 3 1800 M (Purse $530,000) 3-Y-O & UP CLM($250,0-$210,0)/NB5YO-NW2 & 6YO&UP-NW4*1. WATER WAVE PFrancis 52.0 158.002. MISS DOROTHY SBlake 52.0 4L3. GRAN CORAZON SMuir 53.0 3/4L4. ONEFINEAFTERNOON RNelson 56.0 5L5. #2 GO GO TRAIN WHenry 52.0 4/1 1/2DNF #6 EPIC ZAR RLahoe 53.0 26/1Late scratch: #4 GO TO HELL, #5 GEORGIAMYLOVEWIN: $158.00Final Time: 1:57.2 Splits: 25.0, 49.2, 1:13.4, 1:41.2Winner: 5yo b mare – BURNING MARQUE out of PRIVATE TRIAL by SKIP TO THE STONETrainer: BORRIS MCINTOSHOwner: CHEVAL H DARBYBred by TREVOR R. JAMESQuinella: (3,7) $249.00 Exacta: (3-7) $372.00D/E: (1-3) $268.00Superfecta: (3-7-8-1) $612.00Rolling Triple: (2-1-3) $411.00Race 4 1400 M (Purse $560,000) NB5-Y-O & UP RESTRICTED ALLOWANCE IV(NW3)*1. MARISHA STAR WHenry 52.02. GENUINE FRIEND SMuir 53.0 2 1/4L3. PRINCESS SHEMIKA OWalker 54.0 1/2L4. STEVE’S REAL RHalledeen 53.0 4LWIN: $117.00PLACE: $69.00, $60.00, $61.00Final Time: 1:29.4 Splits: 23.3, 47.3, 1:14.2,Winner: 5yo ch mare – COLONY LIGHT out of SEEING THE STARS by REGAL CLASSICTrainer: COLLIN BLAIR AOwner: ERROL MORGANBred by MORGAN, ERROLQuinella: (1,3) $358.00 Exacta: (1-3) $420.00D/E: (3-1) $462.00Superfecta: (1-3-2-4) $1,076.00Rolling Triple: (1-3-1) $1,158.00Race 5 1000 M (S) (Purse $780,000) 3-Y-O & UP OVERNIGHT ALLOWANCE1. FORCE DE JOUR PFrancis 53.02. EDISON OWalker 56.0 1 1/4L3. RUM PUNCH RLahoe 52.0 1/2L*4. PRINCE ANDREW SMuir 54.0 HeadWIN: $218.00PLACE: $93.00, $96.00, $358.00Final Time: 0:59.1 Splits: 23.3, 45.3, ,Winner: 4yo colt – SHARP HUMOR out of SONG BIRD TOO byTrainer: WINSTON MORRISOwner: ARTHUR W FOREMANBred by BRANHAM, DOUGQuinella: (5,6) $366.00 Exacta: (5-6) $678.00D/E: (1-5) $1,352.00Superfecta: (5-6-7-8) $6,330.00Rolling Triple: (3-1-5) $3,182.00Race 6 1000 M (S) (Purse $560,000) 3-Y-O & UP CLM($350,0-$300,0)/NB5YO-NW31. LORD STORM SMuir 53.02. AWESOME CODE OWalker 54.0 1 1/4L3. AQUILO RHalledeen 54.0 Head4. UNCLE G JErwin 54.0 3/4L*5. CLEARLY OURS OWhite 52.0 1/2L6. ENHANCE PROSPERITY WHenry 54.0 HeadLate scratch: #1 DANCING MOODWIN: $266.00PLACE: $129.00, $145.00, $196.00Final Time: 1:00.1 Splits: 23.0, 46.1, ,Winner: 4yo gr colt – STORM CRAFT out of LAW LADY byTrainer: RYAN DARBYOwner: RYAN O DARBYBred by ALEXANDER V. HAMILTONQuinella: (7,10) $708.00 Exacta: (7-10) $1,036.00D/E: (5-7) $1,996.00 (5-1) $56.00Trifecta: (7-10-11) $3,076.00Hit-6 carry-over: $59,887.75Rolling Triple: (1-5-7) $9,688.00Super-6: (2,3-1-3-1-5-7) $16,827.20Race 7 1100 M (Purse $768,000) NB3-Y-O MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT (DIV.I)1. BRAHMOS SEllis 54.02. STERRI’S CHOICE OWalker 53.0 3/4L*3. KING WITHIN SMuir 54.0 5 1/2L4. SNEAK PEAK JAnderson 55.0 2L5. ABOGADO RHalledeen 54.0 NeckLate scratch: #12 BLAZING SUNSETWIN: $194.00PLACE: $75.00, $73.00, $63.00Final Time: 1:09.3 Splits: 23.4, 48.1, ,Winner: 3yo colt – IMAGE MAKER out of GAMMA KNIFE by ROYAL MINISTERTrainer: LOUIS RICHARDSOwner: LOUIS A. RICHARDS & PALETTA BONNICKBred by ARGYLL FARMS LTD.Quinella: (4,8) $390.00 Exacta: (8-4) $1,172.00D/E: (7-8) $1,342.00Trifecta: (8-4-11) $370.00Hi-5: (8-4-11-1-9) $2,506.00Rolling Triple: (5-7-8) $21,049.00Pick-4: (1-5-7-8) $33,612.00Race 8 1000 M (S) (Purse $768,000) NB3YO(NW2)/IMP3YO&UP(MDN)-REST.ALL.II1. JENNANDROSESGIRL JErwin 54.0*2. DINNER BY SEVEN PFrancis 50.0 4L3. LOVE TRAIN SMuir 51.5 3L4. TROJAN SEllis 53.0 1/25. FOREST FLAME OWhite 50.0 NoseWIN: $216.00PLACE: $73.00, $70.00, $146.00Final Time: 0:59.1 Splits: 22.3, 45.3, ,Winner: 3yo gr filly – MINESHAFT out of NYSTATE OF GRIND by GRINDSTONETrainer: PHILIP FEANNYOwner: CLOVIS G METCALFEBred by SIENNE FARMS LLCQuinella: (6,13) $284.00 Exacta: (6-13) $567.00D/E: (8-6) $1,241.00Trifecta: (6-13-4) $1,993.00Hi-5: (6-13-4-8-5) $6,737.50Rolling Triple: (7-8-6) $12,538.00Race 9 1100 M (Purse $768,000) NB3-Y-O MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT (DIV.II)1. TWILIGHT CITIZEN OWalker 54.02. QUEENOFSAINTROSE SMuir 54.0 6L3. GANJA MAN OMullings 54.0 3/4L4. I HAVE A DREAM CRiley 52.0 11 1/2L5. WAITING FOR ONE RLunan 54.0 1/2LLate scratch: #1 SONG ON TRACKWIN: $113.00PLACE: $57.00, $61.00, $57.00Final Time: 1:09.2 Splits: 23.3, 48.1, ,Winner: 3yo b colt – TWILIGHT TIME out of GOOD CITIZEN by PROUD CITIZENTrainer: CARL ANDERSONOwner: CARL D ANDERSONBred by CARL D. ANDERSONQuinella: (9,12) $426.00 Exacta: (12-9) $517.00D/E: (6-12) $416.00 (6-1) $149.00Trifecta: (12-9-4) $236.00Hi-5: (12-9-4-5-3) $3,173.00Rolling Triple: (8-6-12) $1,200.00SAINT CECELIA CUPRace 10 1300 M (Purse $845,000) 3-Y-O & UP OPEN ALLOWANCE1. *FORTUNEONEHUNDRED RHalledeen 57.02. PETE’SWILDONE WHenry 55.0 5L3. TRADITIONAL PRINCE SMuir 57.0 1 1/4L4. TIMEFORARMS OWalker 56.0 1 1/4LWIN: $112.00PLACE: $57.00, $95.00, $69.00Final Time: 1:19.0 Splits: 22.3, 46.0, 1:11.3,Winner: 5yo horse – KEYED ENTRY out of M. Y. BRIDLEWOOD byTrainer: WAYNE DACOSTAOwner: ELIZABETH A. DACOSTA & ELEANORA PALMERBred by BRIDLEWOOD FARMQuinella: (1,5) $521.00 Exacta: (1-5) $870.00D/E: (12-1) $284.00Superfecta: (1-5-2-7) $1,853.00Rolling Triple: (6-12-1) $3,788.00Race 11 1100 M (Purse $560,000) NB4-Y-O & UP RESTRICTED ALLOWANCE III(NW3 O/T)1. BARS OF GOLD SEllis 54.0 3/12. ZEEVA WHenry 50.0 5/2 2 1/2L*3. BAD BOY JUSTIN JErwin 54.0 *7/5 Sh.Head4. GEISHA’S GLORY RWilson 53.0 14/1 1 1/2L5. RAJA SARANGI OWalker 53.0 7/2 1/2L6. MERITONE RHalledeen 54.0 22/1 3 3/4LDNF #7 DA JACKAL RMcNaughton 53.0 8/2Late scratch: #2 JUNIOR DONWIN: $206.00PLACE: $72.00, $110.00, $82.00Final Time: 1:08.3 Splits: 23.2, 47.3, ,Winner: 4yo b colt – HE’STHEREALTHING out of GEM LEA by MEADOW FLIGHTTrainer: ANTHONY NUNESOwner: STEPHAN A NARINESINGHBred by HAM STABLES LTD.Quinella: (3,6) $747.00 Exacta: (3-6) $1,820.00D/E: (1-3) $500.00 (1-2) $148.00Trifecta: (3-6-10) $1,162.00Hi-5: (3-6-10-8-4) $11,805.00Rolling Triple: (12-1-3) $1,830.00Pick-4: (6-12-1-3) $9,516.00Super-6: (7-8-6-12-1-3) $120,819.90Pick-9: (5-1-5-7-8-6-12-1-3) $1,000,000.00
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has defended Darren Bravo’s form in the recent series against India, contending the marquee left-hander had been forced to take on the mantle of senior batsman without the advantage of having learnt from experienced players.Bravo struggled through the series, averaging a meagre 19 from seven innings, which included a single half-century.Simmons said while Bravo was West Indies’ front-line batsman, he had suffered from not having played alongside veteran players in his early years in the squad.”We talk about Darren Bravo and we talk about him a lot because we can see his potential and where he’s supposed to be right now,” Simmons said.”But you look at all the people around his age and what they’ve come through and the help they’ve had in the team when they came in.”You talk about Virat (Kohli) when Virat came in, look at the players around him, and that’s where you get your little bit of experience and help from.”Bravo has had to turn up and be the senior player, and I think sometimes that affects people, but no doubt about it, he’s working extremely hard on trying to get his game together and trying to score runs as he did when he first came into the team.”Bravo made his debut in a side which included veterans Shiv Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle, who both are no longer in the set-up.During the recent series, West Indies not only struggled with Bravo’s lack of runs but with the form of Marlon Samuels, as the experienced Jamaican averaged only 25 and managed one half-century.
Another steady bowling performance by discarded West Indies left-arm spinner Nikita Miller has put leaders Jamaica Scorpions in a good position to get a positive result against the Guyana Amazon Warriors heading into the third day of their top-of-the-table WICB Four-day Tournament clash at Sabina Park.Bowling his usual nagging lines and exercising flight and variations, Miller claimed four for 69, as second-place Guyana, who resumed the day on 69 without loss, were bowled out for 262.This was for a small first-innings lead of seven runs after the Scorpions had posted 255 in their first time at bat on day one.Batting a second time, the Scorpions then closed on 61 for one, with Jermaine Blackwood not out on 25 and first-innings centurion Chadwick Walton on nine.Opener John Campbell, 26, is the batsman to be dismissed.Resuming with the intention of overhauling the Scorpions’ competitive total, Guyana were led in their pursuits by recent West Indies Under-19 World Cup winning captain, opener Shimron Hetmyer, and the father-and-son duo of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tagenarine Chanderpaul.The trio scored impressive half-centuries, with Hetmyer leading the way with 74 and Tagnerine and Shivnarine, scoring 59 and 58, respectively.However, unable to keep partners, they were somewhat undermined by Miller, who, along with part-time off-spinner Andre McCarthy and leg-spinner Damion Jacobs took wickets at regular intervals.McCarthy, who was the seventh bowler introduced into the attack, bowled eight overs before finishing with three for 18, while Jacobs, who ended with two for 35 off 11.3 overs.Opening ball bowlers Jerome Taylor and Marquino Mindley, part-timer off-spinner Campbell and all-rounder Derval Green, were the other bowlers that were used, and who went wicketless.The second innings for the Scorpions then saw Walton and Campbell putting on 30 runs before the latter was caught behind off the bowling of fast bowler Romario Shepard after hanging his bat loosely at an outswinger.Play is scheduled to resume today at 10 a.m.
Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Gilas forward Christian Standhardinger. Photo by Mark GiongcoChristian Standhardinger isn’t the type to back down from anyone, not even against a fearsome China side.Standhardinger, Gilas Pilipinas’ rugged big man, is poised to play an even bigger role with injured June Mar Fajardo expected to miss the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup and the Fil-German has already embraced the challenge.ADVERTISEMENT ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube “Actually, I like to play against taller players. I might have the disadvantage in height because usually I don’t play five but in the Philippines I am the five to help the team,” he said Saturday when asked about Gilas’ first assignment China.“I’ll take on the challenge. I hope that they will not like playing against me.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’The 28-year-old Standhardinger, who will be the country’s naturalized player with Andray Blatche skipping the tournament in Beirut, Lebanon due to security reasons, was a revelation for Gilas in the Jones Cup where he made a name for himself as a bruiser and versatile center.The Philippines plays reigning champion China on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2015 Fiba Asia Finals in Changsha. Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. After seeing flashes of old Alaska, Compton convinced Aces headed the right way LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans View comments
OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur “I think this is one of the most prestigious tournaments I’ve ever played in. I’m excited to showcase what we can do.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend LATEST STORIES MOST READ
Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles02:11SEA GAMES 2019: PH’s Nesthy Petecio boxing featherweight final (HIGHLIGHTS)08:07Athletes treated to a spectacle as SEA Games 2019 officially ends06:27SEA Games 2019: No surprises as Gilas Pilipinas cruises to basketball gold05:02SEA Games 2019: Philippines clinches historic gold in women’s basketball05:21Drama in karate: Tsukii ‘very sad’ over coach’s bullying, cold shoulder03:24PH’s James Palicte boxing light welterweight final (HIGHLIGHTS) Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to give up royal titles National Historical team rescues Amorsolos, artifacts from Taal Trenten Anthony Beram, who ruled the 200-meter sprint late Wednesday night, is a math major at University of Connecticut back in the United States.READ: SEA Games: PH athletics team delivers 2 golds before day’s endFEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’But Beram’s academics temporarily took a back seat to athletics as he helped save the day for Team Philippines, which was headed to a gold-less outing late Wednesday until Beram and decathlete Aries Toledo reeled in a victory each.“I knew that I was coming in as a rookie; nobody knows me so it is good to put my name out there,” said Beram. Bishop Baylon encourages faithful in Albay to help Taal evacuees Born to a Filipino mother from Cebu City, Beram worked to obtain dual citizenship to be able to represent the Philippines here.Beram shocked the field with a gold medal performance in the 200m dash. He was to see action in 400m and relays in the coming days.READ: Tabal delivers first gold medal for PH, rules women’s marathon“The hard work paid off,” said Beram. “This is only the beginning.”Toledo also proved himself a hero at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, gritting through pain to emerge victorious.“I did everything I needed to do even if I was hurting all over—my back, my arms (during the javelin throw) and my whole body,” said Toledo in Filipino. “I told God to help me because I wanted to come through for the Philippines.”The 24-year-old Toledo, who hails from Nueva Ecija, finished with 7,433 points to snare the gold.Also winning gold for athletics were Mary Joy Tabal, who captured the country’s first victory when she ruled women’s marathon, and Eric Cray, in 400m hurdles. View comments Search on for 5 Indonesians snatched anew in Lahad Datu Hotdog’s Dennis Garcia dies Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
SEA Games: PH’s Lois Go settles for bronze in Ladies’ golf OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson What’s in store for your animal sign this year “I though top three (in the men’s 200) would be good so winning the gold is a bonus,” added Beram, who crossed the finish in 20.96 seconds.While most athletes based abroad are recruited, Beram is a certified “walk-in.”READ: SEA Games: Cray strikes gold in 400m hurdles He reached out to the Philippine Track and Field Association wanting to join its weekly relays.“He went straight to us and inquired how to go about playing for Philippine team,” said athletics official Edward Kho.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ Police seize P68-M worth of ‘shabu’ in Pasay Mark Harry Diones, who won silver for men’s triple jump event, Anthony Beram, who won gold in men’s 200 meters, and Aries Toledo also won gold in Men’s Decathlon, in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZKUALA LUMPUR— Athletics continues to lead the way or Team Philippines in the 29th Southeast Asian Games here, with four gold medals already in the bag.One of those golds came from someone who would be comfortable being labeled either a jock or a nerd.ADVERTISEMENT Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next LATEST STORIES
Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours Nadal didn’t appear to be hindered by the lingering right knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the ATP Finals in November, but his uneven performance will likely lead to other questions about his match form heading into the Australian Open next week.“It was a long year last year, so I had to start the preparation (for this season) a little bit later than usual. But here I arrive in plenty of time and it’s a good day to start feeling again … of playing a match,” Nadal said in an on-court interview following the match.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folk“It’s still a good test for me and a good practice and that’s the most important thing.”He downplayed any concerns about his knee, saying, “If I’m not feeling good, probably I will not be here. So that’s the good news.” Redemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie Thompson Novak Djokovic is also working his way back into top shape after sitting out the second half of 2017 with an elbow injury. He also withdrew from the Abu Dhabi exhibition event and Qatar Open at the start of the season, but was a late entry to the Kooyong Classic. He plays his first match since Wimbledon against No. 5 Dominic Thiem on Wednesday.Nadal, who enjoyed a resurgent 2017 after losing in last year’s Australian Open final to Roger Federer, said despite the rustiness at Kooyong, he still believes he’ll be ready to compete at Melbourne Park next week.“My idea is just to keep practicing hard the next couple of days to be ready for the beginning of the Australian Open,” he said.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. FILE – Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his singles match against Belgium’s David Goffin on day two of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London on November 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRKMELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal struggled with his timing and normally potent shot-making as he started his delayed preparations for the Australian Open with an error-filled 6-4, 7-5 loss to Richard Gasquet in the Kooyong Classic exhibition event Tuesday.Nadal’s readiness for the first Grand Slam of the year had been in doubt after the top-ranked Spaniard pulled out of an exhibition in Abu Dhabi and a tournament in Brisbane to start the season, citing his lack of preparation following an injury layoff at the end of 2017.ADVERTISEMENT Scottie Thompson also worthy of Finals MVP, thinks Cone View comments Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina CJ Williams hits 3 to lift Clippers over Hawks Judy Ann’s 1st project for 2020 is giving her a ‘stomachache’ OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson MOST READ Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Brian Heruela arrival bolsters Phoenix backcourt, defense Meralco ‘never the same’ after Almazan injury in PBA Finals OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Nadal had particular trouble with his forehand on Tuesday, repeatedly misfiring into the net or spraying his shots several feet beyond the baseline.After Gasquet broke Nadal twice to take a 3-0 lead in the second set, however, the Spaniard suddenly began hitting the lines and playing with his usual intensity, fighting back to level the match at 3-all.His concentration then appeared to dip again as he made several more unforced errors to drop serve to go down 6-5. Gasquet, who has never beaten Nadal in 15 competitive matches on the ATP Tour, then served out the match.The Australian Open has already been hit by the withdrawal of three-time major winner Andy Murray, who has been sidelined by a hip injury since Wimbledon last year and underwent surgery on Monday in Melbourne after pulling out of the tournament.Japanese star Kei Nishikori has also withdrawn with a wrist injury and Serena Williams pulled out after saying she wasn’t ready to defend her title following the birth of her daughter in September.ADVERTISEMENT LATEST STORIES
LATEST STORIES OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Garcia also knew he had to make up for the blanks he fired for most of the game where he finished on a 5-of-15 shooting clip.“I had a really bad start, but I know I was confident in myself even though I kept on missing earlier in the game,” said Garciam who had four of his five field goals in the fourth quarter.TNT had an 81-70 lead midway through the fourth but saw it dissipate to just two, 85-83, after Kia’s furious dash that Jackson Corpuz capped off with a layup with 1:35 remaining.That was before Garcia took over in the final moments for TNT in Castro’s absence.“I know I have to be ready whenever I am called,” said Garcia. “We can’t just rely on kuya Jayson.”ADVERTISEMENT Almazan vows to comeback stronger after finals heartbreak OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Michael Porter Jr. stays patient as playing time increases Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Nonito Donaire vs Naoya Inoue is BWAA 2019 Fight of the Year Newsome sets focus on helping Bolts open new PBA season on right track RR Garcia vs Carlo Lastimosa. PBA IMAGESWhen TNT needed a hero against Kia, backup point guard RR Garcia heeded the KaTropa’s call.Jayson Castro abruptly left the game with almost two minutes remaining after hitting the floor hard and Garcia took it upon himself to wear the boots of the once best point guard in Asia.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ Nothing personal as Marcelino twins get one over former team Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina Nueva Ecija warehouse making fake cigarettes raided, 29 Chinese workers nabbed Garcia drove twice to the basket, and hit as many layups in the final 1:22 that propelled TNT to a 90-85 win over the Picanto.READ: TNT halts Kia to climb to third seedFEATURED STORIESSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folk“There was no one else who would step up, it would either be me or kuya Kelly [Williams],” said Garcia in Filipino Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.Williams, who finished the game with 23 points and eight boards, could’ve been the closer but the backup guard was ready to take over in the clutch. Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. View comments
LATEST STORIES Houston was up by 25 at halftime behind 34 points combined from Harden and Chris Paul. The Jazz, who didn’t wrap up their first-round series with Oklahoma City until late Friday night, looked sluggish and struggled to keep pace with the top-seeded Rockets, who hadn’t played since eliminating Minnesota on Wednesday.The Jazz tied for second in the NBA in the regular season by allowing just 99.8 points, but failed to stop Harden in any of their meetings. Harden, who also had seven assists and eight rebounds, picked up where he left off in the regular season against the Jazz when he averaged 34.3 points, led by a 56-point performance in a 137-110 win in November.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crown“Their defense is really good — their defense is super,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But James is James.”Utah coach Quin Snyder seemed at a loss as to how to limit the MVP front-runner, who had the sixth 40-point playoff game of his career. Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew “It’s a quick turnaround obviously and there’s some fatigue,” Mitchell said. “But that wasn’t the reason for the performance.”The Rockets had 10 3-pointers by halftime, led by three apiece from Harden and P.J. Tucker. They finished with 17, including seven from Harden, which tied his career-high for a playoff game.The Rockets were up by 18 entering the fourth after Paul hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third. Utah scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to get within 86-75, but Harden made three free throws over the next minute to end the run.Rudy Gobert, who had 11 points and nine rebounds, had a dunk after that, but a 3-pointer by Harden extended Houston’s lead to 92-77 with about 8½ minutes left.Mitchell was shaken up when Eric Gordon stepped on his ankle as he drove to the basket with about 5½ minutes remaining. He stayed on the court for a second holding his ankle before hopping up and walking gingerly to the bench. But remained on the bench for just a few seconds before returning and said after the game that he was OK.Both the Rockets and the fifth-seeded Jazz are in the semifinals for the second straight year. The Rockets, who beat the Timberwolves in five games to advance, lost to the Spurs last season, and Utah was eliminated by Golden State.TIP-INSJazz: Royce O’Neale started in place of Rubio and finished with four points and four assists. … The Jazz haven’t said how long Rubio will be out, but multiple reports have indicated that it could be as many as 10 days. … Joe Ingles had 15 points.Rockets: Luc Mbah a Moute had three points and three rebounds in his first postseason action this season. He had been out since dislocating his right shoulder on April 10. … Clint Capela had 16 points and 12 rebounds for his third straight double-double. … Paul finished with 17 points, four steals and six assists.HE SAID IT Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives to the basket as Utah Jazz forward Jae Crowder defends during the first half in Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Sunday, April 29, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)HOUSTON — James Harden proved once again that Utah’s vaunted defense was no match for him.Harden scored 41 points and the Houston Rockets raced out to a huge lead and sailed to a 110-96 win over the Jazz in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday.ADVERTISEMENT “He’s a special player,” he said. “It’s hard to give credit to all the things that he does. He just impacts the game in so many mays. You have to try to make it harder for him.”It was Houston’s fourth straight win by 10 or more points this postseason, and the Rockets have won their five games against the Jazz by an average of 16.8 points.“We’re different,” Harden said. “We’ve seen so many different defenses throughout this year that have prepared us for this moment.”The Jazz got 21 points each from rookie Donovan Mitchell and Jae Crowder while playing without starting point guard Ricky Rubio, who sat with a strained left hamstring. It was a significant blow after he averaged 14 points, 7.3 rebounds and seven assists in the first round.The Jazz refused to blame their tough game on the fact that they didn’t have much of a break between the first and second round.ADVERTISEMENT In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ ‘Stop romanticizing Pinoy resilience’ View comments P16.5-M worth of aid provided for Taal Volcano eruption victims — NDRRMC Paul on his relationship with Mitchell and any advice he’s given him since the start of the postseason: “He’s playing great on his own. So I ain’t got nothing for him.”UP NEXTThe Rockets host Game 2 on Wednesday night before the series shifts to Utah for two games.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next
Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Truck driver killed in Davao del Sur road accident James Yap puts personal issues aside, helps Rain or Shine go 2-0 Green group flags ‘overkill’ use of plastic banderitas in Manila Sto. Niño feast Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Jo Koy draws ire for cutting through Cebu City traffic with ‘wang-wang’ MOST READ Scientists seek rare species survivors amid Australia flames
Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ It will be a whole different San Miguel team Balkman is returning to, with only five players from the old Petron squad remaining in the team.Since 2013, June Mar Fajardo has become a four-time PBA MVP, while working seamlessly with Santos, Alex Cabagnot, and Marcio Lassiter to form a formidable championship squad. Chico Lanete was the last of the five still with the squad.Balkman will have his hands full in his return as San Miguel eyes to finally get things going beginning Saturday against Alaska in Dumaguete.Gillenwater normed 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in his two games for the San Miguel, with his last game ending in unceremonious fashion after he got tossed for bumping a referee late in the first half of the Beermen’s 123-119 overtime loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Sunday.RELATED VIDEOADVERTISEMENT Photo from ASEAN Basketball LeagueOnce the reviled villain, Renaldo Balkman has finally come full circle and rejoins the San Miguel Beermen in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.Balkman, who returned to the country on Monday, replaced Troy Gillenwater as import. The Beermen went 0-2 with Gillenwater in tow.ADVERTISEMENT Durant leads Warriors over Rockets in West finals opener Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours Dave Chappelle donates P1 million to Taal relief operations China population now over 1.4 billion as birthrate falls Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. MOST READ Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Winfrey details her decision to withdraw from Simmons film LATEST STORIES View comments Jury of 7 men, 5 women selected for Weinstein rape trial “SMB has decided to take a different direction and tap the services of Balkman in lieu of Gillenwater. We are currently working on his document in time for our next game,” said SMB team manager Gee Abanilla in a test message to INQUIRER.net.This completes Balkman’s road to redemption after initially being banned for life in 2013 for choking his teammate Arwind Santos.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownHe has since gone on to rebuild himself, earning the fans’ adoration when he played for San Miguel Alab Pilipinas and led the squad to the 2018 ASEAN Basketball League championship.Balkman averaged 24.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks in his foray in the regional league, where he earned co-Defensive Player of the Year honors with Singapore’s Chris Charles. Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding
MOST READ Cloudy skies over Luzon due to amihan “I think honestly Loew must resign immediately, he needs to give it up,” Mueller said. “He couldn’t motivate the team and get them ready for the game.”Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert took the stiff-upper-lip approach, tweeting after the loss “Not our World Cup – that is sad! More tournaments will come where we can celebrate.”Leaving a patio bar at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, an upset Tiffany Tuchen said Germany gave up too many chances to win.“I can’t believe it, my pulse was 180 the whole game, but they deserved to lose,” she said.Her friend Kerstin Fahrenholz swore off watching any of the rest of the World Cup games, lamenting: “The worst case scenario actually happened.”ADVERTISEMENT Tim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crown Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew As the game wound down, people started sneaking away and then streaming home after South Korea’s second goal in the final minutes.Germany needed a win to have a shot at advancing from Group F but conceded two goals in stoppage time in the 2-0 loss to South Korea after squandering many chances to score. The result allowed Sweden and Mexico to advance.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crown“I don’t understand it,” said a disappointed Tim Mueller, a fan wearing a Germany T-shirt who lingered at the Fan Mile after many had left.Soccer fans watch the group F World Cup match between South Korea and Germany as they visit the fan mile in Berlin Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)Like many, he directed his frustration at team coach Joachim Loew, who he said pursued too much of a defensive strategy. LATEST STORIES Jury of 7 men, 5 women selected for Harvey Weinstein rape trial Bicol riders extend help to Taal evacuees Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ Christopher Tolkien, son of Lord of the Rings author, dies aged 95 A soccer fans sits on a square during a public viewing event in Hamburg, northern Germany, Wednesday, June 27, 2018, after Germany was eliminated from the World Cup. (Ulrich Perrey/dpa via AP)BERLIN — Germans shook their heads in disbelief Wednesday after their defending champion team was eliminated from the group stage of the World Cup in a 2-0 loss to South Korea.Tens of thousands of fans watched the German team’s lackluster performance from Berlin’s “Fan Mile” — a major downtown street running from the landmark Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column that was shut to traffic and set up as a public viewing area.ADVERTISEMENT Berliner Juhan Szok said he was disappointed, but was trying to be optimistic.“We’re out now, but there’s still the European Championship,” he said, referring to the European Football Championship coming up in 2020. “Then we’ll be European champions.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Taal victims get help from Kalayaan town A feel of home in Taipei View comments
‘High crimes and misdemeanors’: Trump impeachment trial begins Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Palace OKs total deployment ban on Kuwait OFWs DepEd’s Taal challenge: 30K students displaced Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Lacson: Calamity fund cut; where did P4 billion go? ADVERTISEMENT Report: Disney dropping the ‘Fox’ from movie studio names Trump assembles a made-for-TV impeachment defense team Suns acquire Holmes from 76ers, Arthur from Nets MOST READ LATEST STORIES In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ Putin’s, Xi’s ruler-for-life moves pose challenges to West Manny Pacquiao’s phone will be buzzing more than usual. View comments Now a promoter, Pacquiao reminded those who want a crack at his legendary stature and welterweight title will have to give him a call and no one else.“I, through MP Promotions, will be handling any and all negotiations for my next fight. Nobody is authorized to speak on my behalf. You know my number, call me,” Pacquiao wrote on his Instagram account Saturday.Pacquiao is coming off a triumphant ring return, outclassing Lucas Matthysse via technical knockout last Sunday in the headliner of “Fight of Champions” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.It marked the first boxing event wherein Pacquiao was a fighter and promoter at the same time.The newly-minted WBA champion, who turns 40 in December, already name-dropped his possible opponents like Amir Khan, Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford.ADVERTISEMENT Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew
Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew FILE – In this Wednesday, June 13, 2018 file photo, Alphonso Davies of Canada speaks at the FIFA congress on the eve of the opener of the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia. Bayern Munich has on Wednesday, July 25 agreed to sign Canada’s teenage forward Alphonso Davies from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. The Bundesliga powerhouse says the 17-year-old Ghana-born Davies will join on Jan. 1, 2019 and that his contract will run through June 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file)MUNICH — Bayern Munich has agreed to sign Canada’s teenage forward Alphonso Davies from Vancouver Whitecaps for $22 million (18.75 million euros), a record for an MLS player. The Bundesliga powerhouse says the 17-year-old Ghana-born Davies, who has already made eight appearances for his country, will join on Jan. 1, 2019 and that his contract will run through June 2023.ADVERTISEMENT Putin’s, Xi’s ruler-for-life moves pose challenges to West LATEST STORIES Trump assembles a made-for-TV impeachment defense team View comments Report: Disney dropping the ‘Fox’ from movie studio names The Fajardo factor Lacson: Calamity fund cut; where did P4 billion go? Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
Palace OKs total deployment ban on Kuwait OFWs MOST READ ‘High crimes and misdemeanors’: Trump impeachment trial begins Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award DepEd’s Taal challenge: 30K students displaced Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic says, “He offers a lot of promise for the future. Alphonso already possesses great ability, which is why a lot of top clubs were keen on him.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkSPORTSTim Cone still willing to coach Gilas but admits decision won’t be ‘simple yes or no’
Couple Kiefer Ravena and Alyssa Valdez, superstars in their respective sports, showed they also have the chemistry as teammates on the sand court.Ravena and Valdez teamed up to edge Charo Soriano and John Vic de Guzman, 23-21, in a highly-amusing celebrity and charity match during the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) December Open at Sands SM by the Bay on Sunday.ADVERTISEMENT Gretchen Barretto’s daughter Dominique graduates magna cum laude from California college MOST READ ‘Mia’: Rom-com with a cause a career-boosting showcase for Coleen Garcia Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup title Ravena, the NLEX Road Warriors star in the PBA, and Valdez, the face of Philippine volleyball, pulled off the comeback victory in a game where proceeds will go to Mindanao State University-Marawi College of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation Academy.“It’s been an honor being able to play the game that we love and at the same time being able to help our young brothers and sisters in Marawi,” said Soriano. who is also the founder of BVR. FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSJapeth Aguilar wins 1st PBA Finals MVP award for GinebraSPORTSGolden State Warriors sign Lee to multiyear contract, bring back Chriss“With the help of all those who supported, the CSPEAR Sports Academy of MSU-Marawi will be able to teach more and more kids so that these children’s lives will be filled with laughter instead of anger, love instead of hate, and hope instead of fear. That, for me, is the true value of sport.”Banko-Perlas 1’s Dzi Gervacio and Bea Tan, meanwhile, won the gold in the women’s division after dominating National University-Boysen’s Roma Doromal and Kly Orillaneda. No.13 lucky for Orlando Bloom In men’s action, Air Force’s Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez topped Cignal’s Fauzi Ismail and Edmar Bonono, 21-17, 21-18, to bag the title.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Nadine Lustre’s phone stolen in Brazil Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
Japeth Aguilar embraces role, gets rewarded with Finals MVP plum After winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folk Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award LATEST STORIES Joshua Pacio-Hayato Suzuki rematch ‘a 50-50 bout,’ says Filipino veteran Rene Catalan View comments
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The Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA), Morris Dukuly, has hailed China’s continued, unwavering support to Liberia’s development.According to Min. Dukuly, the latest being a donation of US$4 million worth of engineering equipment to the Ministry of National Defense.Minister Dukuly described China as a great friend whose contribution to Liberia’s infrastructural development has been remarkable.The MIA boss called on the Chinese Ambassador to help attract more Chinese investments to Liberia, especially in the southeast which has a lot of potential in the form of agriculture.He said the government is exploring every way possible to improve the lives of its people and stressed the need for a major focus on agriculture.Minister Dukuly expressed hopes that Liberia would provide agriculture produce on more markets in the Mano River Union basin countries.For his part, the newly Chinese Ambassador accredited to Liberia, Zhan Yue, assured that China would maintain its traditional relationship with Liberia.Ambassador Yue said that as a sister country they would continue to provide Liberia with much needed assistance.The Chinese Envoy noted that agriculture is on his agenda for Liberia and promised to encourage Chinese companies to invest in the area of agriculture in Liberia.Internal Affairs Minister Morris M. Dukuly on Wednesday, April 2, 2014, received in audience, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Zhang Yue at his Capitol Hill Office.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The office of the Deputy Sports Minister Henry Yonton has refuted allegations by the Liberia Amputee Football Federation and Sport Association (LAFASA) that the ministry worked against Amputee Lone Star’s participation in the Amputee World Cup that comes on next month in Mexico.LAFASA president Cooper Melvin Gotteh, in an interview with the Daily Observer recently pointed accusing fingers at the Deputy Minister for Sports for poor handling of the association’s trip for an international friendly in the United States as well as the tournament proper in Mexico. Mr. Gotteh also wrote Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe and the chairman on the Committees on Youth and Sports in both Houses of the National Legislature against Minister Yonton’s role in their failure to travel for the matches as well as the packing of the amputee bus.The Chief of Office Staff of the Deputy Sports Minister, Mr. Bryant McGill and the Director of the Bureau of Sports Navarro M. Saykie, Sr., told the Daily Observer yesterday said that they were utterly taken aback upon the allegations by LAFASA Secretary General, Samuel Solomon Eastman III and Cooper Melvin Gotteh.They said as part of the ministry’s mandate, which among other things provide annual subsidies to federations licensed and de-licensed, regulate and coordinate their activities and does not work against association’s interest.The prevailing state of affairs in the wake of the EBOLA outbreak, they said the government’s primary focus is to fight the EBOLA epidemic and therefore all other activities of the ministry remain secondary but does not mean that the bureau works against any federation.They said: “We are aware that the bus was presented to enhance the movements of the amputee by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf but it is in no way suggests that the bus can’t be regulated if it is established that it’s being used incorrectly.”They said if some aggrieved Amputees complained that the bus is not being used for its intended purpose and the bureau investigates the complaint and suggests that the bus be parked while an investigation into the matter is conducted there should be an y wrong in that.Meanwhile, the Sports Bureau is urging LAFASA leadership to stop going to media houses to express their sentiments but must contact the ministry for further cooperation.The Sports Bureau said they remains grateful for the amazing strides the federation has brought to Liberia on the local and international scenes.“Technically, the bureau has sought to provide under the supervision of the Deputy Minister of Sports a functional and a well coordinated system,” Saykie said.Assistant Minister for Sports, Murvee Gray in a brief telephone interview yesterday called on the leadership of LAFASA to dialogue with the ministry to curb any misunderstanding.Minister Gray, the longest serving senior official at the Sports Ministry intoned that the Amputee Lone Star is owned by the Liberian people so it is the responsibility of the Ministry to take charge and work with the Association.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The Commissioner-designate and Members of the Board of Directors-designate of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Thursday, May 22, faced the Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget for confirmation hearings, and unveiled 11 strategic principles they wish to apply that will increase revenues.Commissioner-designate, Madam Elfreda Stewart Tamba and the three members of the Board of Directors headed by Cllr. Robert C. Tubman, and Messrs Charles R. Bright, Oliver N. Rogers and Mrs. Aletha Brown Cooper, in a power-point presentation noted that the LRA strategy will concentrate in the areas such as engaging in comprehensive investment in the Authority; efficient organization structure, staffing and accommodations, while streamlined collection systems and procedures are some of the strategic principles that will come into force under debut management team.Madam Tamba informed the Sumo Kupee-led 15-member committee that another area the LRA will focus on is taxpayers’ compliance, which she said needs motivation, while at the same time launch an entrenched risk management and revenue protection program. The LRA, according to Commissioner-designate Tamba, will also expand tax base and lower compliance burden of taxpayers.For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cllr Tubman, assured the Senators that he and other members of the board will ensure that every single item highlighted in the presentation is implemented to the letter, saying that as an economist with high degree of efficiency, and also a career lawyer, he will not be associated with a team that is marked for failure.Dismissing the nominees following over two hours of grilling, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kupee thanked them of their brilliant presentations and assured them that members of the committee will make a report to the plenary, and that further decisions will be made by that body.The Deputy Commissioner General for Operation/Technical Affairs-designated is Mrs. Dekontee King Sackie, while other members of the board include the Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Justice as Statutory members; Ministry of Commerce & Industry, and Commissioner-General of LRA all as statutory members.Meanwhile, noticed among the staff and others in attendance at the hearing was former Standard Bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in the November 2011 Presidential and General Elections, Cllr. Winston Tubman. He was also present when the hearing was announced postpone on Wednesday.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
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Dear Editor,Minister of State, Mr Joseph Harmon, has now entered the arena in defence of his colleague, Attorney General Mr Basil Williams. The Attorney General has been the subject of repeated public onslaught in the media for the constant loss and/or settlement of cases, which are costing taxpayers billions of dollars.In relation to the cases that have been lost, the Attorney General’s modus operandi has been to blame me, former Solicitor General Ms Sita Ramlal, former Deputy Solicitor General Ms Prithima Kissoon, lawyers at the private bar, the junior lawyers currently working with him at his Chambers; and, in some cases, even judges have not escaped his net.Logic and common sense, without more, will militate against a conclusion that all those persons are at fault, and he is not. But, then again, common sense is not as common as we may think.Since I am being blamed for the tragic performance of the Attorney General, I feel impelled to share some information which may enlighten the public on some of these cases which have been lost and/or settled during the tenure of Mr. Williams.I must emphasise that every Attorney General in Guyana over the last one hundred years inherited incomplete cases from their predecessors. These cases are not the personal matters of the holders of the office, but are filed against the State, and it is the duty of the holder of the office to defend them to the best of his/her ability. This has been the long and sacrosanct tradition of the office of Attorney General.In its history, no other Attorney General is on public record, on even a singular occasion, blaming his predecessor for cases inherited. In breach of this scared tradition, the incumbent has converted blaming yours truly into a fine art form.Minister Harmon’s sudden entry into the muddy waters to assist the drowning Attorney General was precipitated by a statement made the Leader of the Opposition at his last Press Conference, when he estimated that the “Treasury has lost G$85 billion (425 million USD) through the decisions of the Attorney General’s Chambers to settle ‘winnable’ court cases, some of which have been pending for several years.’’ It is this humongous burden that Minister Harmon seeks to cruelly place upon my tiny shoulders. He says that these settlements were necessary “because of the failure of the former Attorney General to prosecute.”Firstly, I am surprised that learned Counsel Harmon fails to appreciate that when cases are filed against the Attorney General, his responsibility is to “defend”, and not to “prosecute.” That faux pas aside, let us examine the matter a little closely for some details.The Leader of the Opposition made reference to the settlement of a case filed by DDL. This case was filed against the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Attorney General almost a decade prior to my appointment as Attorney General. Since it involves the challenge to the computation of certain taxes, naturally the GRA assumed the lead role in the case; the Attorney General was a nominal defendant. The matter has a long history in the court system, but what is relevant here is the GRA obviously felt they had a strong case, and retained eminent Senior Counsel from the private bar to represent them. The trial was ongoing before Justice Roxane George. A few months after the 2015 General Elections, the matter was suddenly settled on terms that the Leader of the Opposition estimates to have cost the Treasury 80 billion dollars. As Attorney General, I had absolutely no input in the case, and because of the nature and stage of the proceedings, there was no need for an input from me. By what process or principle am I to be blamed for this settlement which caused the Treasury to lose this 80 billion dollars?As a result of this settlement, negotiated and concluded under this administration, Banks DIH Limited, who have paid the same regime of taxes as DDL, have sued this Government, claiming a write-off of the taxes they paid which were written-off for DDL under their settlement. This case, if Banks DIH Limited succeeds, will cost the Treasury further tens of billions of dollars. How am I to be blamed for this disaster?I, as Attorney General, terminated B.K. International Limited’s contract in respect to the Haags Bosch project for multiple breaches of the contract. B.K. International Limited challenged the termination. After I left office, a High Court Judge ruled that the termination of the contract was unlawful. The Judge made no order to pay B.K. International any compensation. Any lawyer worth his salt would have appealed the decision of that judge, because B.K. was guilty of flagrant breaches of the contract. The Attorney General refused to appeal.B.K. International then sends a letter demanding compensation, and indicating that if he’s not paid, he will sue. Any competent lawyer, armed with the facts of this matter, would have either ignored that letter or responded by challenging the company to sue. Instead, the Attorney General settles the case by the payment of 5.7 million US dollars!!! How can I be blamed for such punctilious incompetence?The case filed by HN Sugrim, which the State settled recently for 226 million dollars, is yet another of the many cases which the State should not have lost. The case was filed in June, 2015 (after I left office), and was concluded in April, 2017. In this case, the contract required that a performance bond be lodged by the contractor to the tune of 15% of the contract price within a specified time frame. The contract further provided that a failure to lodge the said performance bond shall be a basis to terminate the contract. The contractor never lodged the performance bond within the time specified, or at all, despite being informed in writing to do so. The contract was duly and lawfully terminated on this specific ground.This should have been an unassailable defence, yet the Attorney General lost. On two different occasions, he wrote to the Learned Trial Judge in the matter, indicating that he would personally assume conduct of the matter. He requested specific dates for the matter to be fixed, so as to be present. The Judge accommodated him on all the dates he requested. He copied to President Granger one of his letters sent to the Judge. Only he can explain the reason for so doing. Yet he failed to appear on the dates he requested. When he lost the case, he blamed Prithima Kissoon, the former Deputy Solicitor General.He then filed an appeal. Rather than proceed with the appeal, he settled the case. How can I be blamed for this?In the TPL case in which 1.7 billion dollars in compensation was awarded against the State, the case was filed in 2008 against the Attorney General and NICIL (3 years before I was appointed). Eminent Senior Counsel from the private bar was retained to represent the Attorney General.When I assumed office, the case was ongoing. Unsolicited, the Senior Counsel visited me and updated me on the matter. Knowing that gentleman, I have no doubt that he extended similar courtesies to Mr. Williams. Staff of the Attorney General’s Chambers have informed me that Mr. Toolsie Persaud visited Mr. Williams on more than one occasion at the Chambers, while the case was pending. Yet, when the judgment was handed down, Mr. Williams is quoted in the Stabroek News as saying that not only was he unware of the case, but that the Attorney General was not a party to the proceedings.How can I be blamed for such levels of ignorance!!!In the case filed by Dipcon Engineering Limited, the Attorney General claimed that he became aware of the High Court decision three months after it was delivered. He took another 3 months before he filed an application to appeal out of time. He provided no good reason for the delay. The Court of Appeal dismissed his application. Again, he blamed Prithima Kissoon. He then personally drafted an appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice, which that Court threw out on the ground that it was procedurally wrong. The Attorney General’s signature appears on those documents. As a result, the State was left with a 450 million dollars’ judgment. How can I be blamed? I was long out of Government.I can go on to list and detail many more cases, but space and time will not permit me. I hope I have disseminated sufficient facts to set the public record straight.Yours faithfully,Mohabir Anil Nandlall MPFormer Attorney General
Dear Editor,David Granger needs to set the date for elections so that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) can work on the fast track to meet the March 21 deadline for new elections. Apart from the People’s National Congress (PNC)/Alliance For Change (AFC) diehards who would see their good life evaporate before their eyes, everyone else knows that the PNC has been using delaying tactics to postpone their day of judgement. Decent people are ashamed at the PNC’s shenanigans. The failure of Granger and GECOM to act with the required haste is creating a timeline crunch problem of their own making. They cannot not do anything and then turn around and say they don’t have enough time for preparations. I am glad Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said he would not be flexible with the March 21 deadline as that would be rewarding the PNC’s bullying behaviour. We call on Jagdeo to take whatever action to force the PNC and GECOM to comply with the Constitution of Guyana. We need an urgent assembling of civil society groups and interests, the Bar Association, trade unions, all churches, NGOs and all business associations to make a joint resolution asking the PNC to set the election date. A joint statement from the ABC/EU would also be helpful. For 28 years, the PNC Part 1 “riggeritis” era threw the whole country into a fight for democracy. The PNC is threatening democracy again. In 2015, for the first time in its history, the PNC became a legal Government, and there is a question mark on that as the PPP’s election petition has not been heard. As Freddie Kissoon indicated, in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), the PNC won by one vote and no recount was allowed. Just three and a half years into their new reign, the PNC has backslidden into its old bullying ways threatening the international image of Guyana and refusing to follow the Constitution.Granger must think the Chief Justice must be making optional suggestions, unless he has no respect for the CJ. Both the Speaker and CJ – his nominees – ruled against him. There are some who give Granger a pass for the iniquities of his coalition. However, the buck stops with the President. Right now, he seems quite out of touch and is like that bra advertised on TV – he is “barely there.”The tragedy right now is the silence of the good men. The churches have been quiet as a constitutional crisis looms. I do not know what it will take to get the churches to stir themselves up. I know the Christian churches believe Granger is a good, honest, godly man. However, the failures to fulfil election promises, and the various transgressions have occurred under his watch. Granger should care about his reputation and do the right thing now!Sincerely,Jerry Singh
One of the world’s foremost authorities and leading scientists in the groundbreaking field of biomaterials, Trent University alumnus, professor in Physics and the director of the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research, Guyanese Dr Suresh Narine has been announced as the recipient of the 2016 Distinguished Research Award, one of the university’s top honours.Vice President, Research and International at Trent University, Dr Neil Emery in congratulating Professor Narine said that the incredible biomaterials research Narine and his team is conducting, will not only impact at local, national and global levels, but also pivotallyDr Suresh Narine and colleagues in the research laboratorycontributes to Trent’s standing as a leading research university.Meanwhile, Dr Narine in speaking about the award said Trent University is an institution which has a deep-seated place in his identity, as it has played an immensely important formative role in his early academic life and continues to be pivotal in his professional career as a professor and researcher.“This award also is a recognition of the contributions of students, research associates, technicians and collaborators with whom I have had the privilege of working over the past 15 years, and I am pleased to share the honour with them,” he noted.Prof Narine has had notable success since starting at Trent University in 2009. In February 2010, he was awarded a $1.25 million Ontario Research Chair in Green Chemistry and Engineering from the Council of Ontario Universities, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.In November of that same year, he was awarded a $3 million senior industrial research chair in biomaterials from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in partnership with Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc and the Grain Farmers of Ontario which was recently renewed for a third consecutive term.Professor Narine also developed the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Guyana.A talented teacher, Prof Narine has also won numerous teaching awards, including the Students Union Award for Leadership in Undergraduate Teaching from the University of Alberta, an award from the former President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, for his contributions to Science and Technology in Canada and for his contributions in this field towards the development of Guyana and more recently he was named laureate for the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence in the Science and Technology category.
he outstanding performers among the graduating batches, along with senior officers of the ForceThe capacity of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been strengthened as two batches of new ranks were inducted into the system on Friday.Some 56 recruits from two batches who underwent an intense four-month training programme at the Felix Austin Police College and will now embark on a career of serving and protecting the Guyanese public.The training comprises; basic and essential principles of Policing, physical exercises, self-defence techniques and firearm training, as well as guidelines in human rights, moral, domestic violence and communication.Delivering the feature address at the graduation ceremony, Head of the Presidential Guard Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Brian Joseph, told the new recruits that as members of the Force, they will be required to do tasks that are outside the remit of basic policing.“In additional to enforcing the laws, you will be required to enforce several functions and witness events, some of which will be decided unpleasant. You will observe, and when necessary, tend to victims of accidents and to deliver the news of suicides, accidents and murders to next of kin,” he stated.Joseph went on to say to the new members of the Force that like social workers, they will have to help persons to come to terms with the loss of their loved ones. “You will the elderly and children who are most vulnerable in society and sometime during your career, you will save a life or many lives while putting your own on the line because this is what you were called to do,” he stated.Furthermore, Joseph outlined that no one is compelled to join the Force, but those who choose to do so are obliged to uphold the standards of the Police Force. He called on the new ranks to be true to themselves and the principles they would have obtained prior to and during the training.“You have chosen to purse a noble profession that faces many challenges and in so doing, have dedicated yourself to the service of justice. You are on the threshold of your law enforcement careers and all I asked is that you keep justice as the forefront of your mind. Be just, fair and open-minded, even-handed and professional… your job is not to judge or convict,” he charged.Moreover, the Assistant Commissioner further urged the ranks to be service-minded and trustworthy, noting that these qualities will help them to maintain relations.Meanwhile, a few of the new recruits were awarded for their outstanding performance during the course. There were two Best Students – one from each batch, two runner-up Best Students and two recruits who were awarded for being the most improved student.
Public Procurement CommissionThe Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday said that the Government’s seemingly deliberate manoeuvres at delaying the swearing in of the five-member Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is “highly suspicious”.Opposition LeaderBharrat JagdeoThe National Assembly on August 8, 2016, in a historic two-thirds majority vote, approved the appointment and establishment of the Commission which will comprise of Emily Dodson, Carol Corbin, Ivor English, Sukrishnalall Pasha and Dr Nanda Gopaul.But, almost two months later, Jagdeo’s Office said the Commissioners are still to be sworn in and Government continues to make all sorts of excuses as to why the Commission has not been in place.It singled out a recent statement by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo that the delay is due to the Government fixing the salary and office for the PPC, while President David Granger on October 1, 2016, was quoted as saying that while a date and time for swearing in had been announced, concerns about the drafting of the Term of Reference (ToR) is being delayed.The Opposition Leader’s Office pointed to Article 212 of the Guyana Constitution which makes the independence of the Commission clear regarding the election of the Chairman and deputy by the members; the establishment of the Secretariat and hiring of the CEO and staff by the Commission; the approval of the National Assembly of the terms and conditions of the CEO and two senior staff. The emoluments and allowances paid to Commissioners being determined by the Public Accounts Committee after consultation with the Commission.“The parliamentary Opposition reiterates that the setting of the Terms of Reference [ToR] is not the remit of Government but of the Commission and Commissioners itself where only the National Assembly and the Public Accounts Committee have specified roles,” Jagdeo’s Office stated.President David GrangerIt said therefore that it will “vehemently oppose” the involvement of the Government or any of its agencies in setting up the TOR of the Commission, the hiring and setting of salaries of staff for the Secretariat in the absence of the properly constituted and sworn in PPC, which will be a violation of the Constitution.“There is no acceptable reason for further delay in the swearing of the Commissioners,” Jagdeo’s office said, adding that “When the recess is over the PAC chaired by the PPP will be ready to carry out its responsibilities as outlined in the Constitution.”Jagdeo’s office reminded that while in Opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) used its majority to remove Cabinet’s “No objection” role in the award of contracts and subsequently holding the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing for Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2013 “ransom” in the ninth Parliament until, PPC was appointed and established, therefore, “this delay is not just inexplicable it is immoral belying their rhetoric over the last 13 years and election promises.”The Opposition said that it expects the PPC when sworn it will make investigating the several corruption scandals level against the Government a priority.“With 25 scandals and corruption listed over the last 16 months, the parliamentary Opposition expects that one of the first things the Commission would have to investigate is the drug bond scandal and other questionable contracts which are in violation of the Procurement Act and regulations implemented by all levels of Government and State agencies.” The Public Procurement Commission is expected to reduce or prevent corruption in procurement by monitoring procurement and the procedure to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and the execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent and cost effective manner.Its functions include monitoring and reviewing all procurement systems; procedures of ministerial, regional and national procurement entities and project execution units; monitor performance with respect to adherence of regulations and efficiency in procuring goods and services and execution or works; investigate complaints; investigate irregularities; initiate investigations etc.
Two persons are now in Police custody in connection with the murder of a Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) pensioner, who was brutally stabbed to death.The body of Bibi Keniez, 65, was found in her home on Monday just after midday.According to Police’s D Division (West Demerara) Commander, Leslie James, the two men were arrested and are being interrogated by Police.Based on information reaching Guyana Times, Keniez was found with stab wounds to her abdomen.From all indications, the killing of the woman was as a result of a robbery gone bad as her small wooden house was ransacked.The Police are continuing their investigations.Only recently, acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine disclosed that during the period of January 1 to September 23, serious crimes had declined by 19 per cent compared to the same period last year.This, he noted, was as a result of an 11 per cent decrease in murder – 99 cases so far this year compared to 111 last year over the same period.
The Government of Liberia (GOL) has expressed concern at the deteriorating security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), characterized by intense and devastating religious and communal violence.According to an Executive Mansion release quoting a dispatch from Addis Ababa, the Liberian Government, in a Statement issued Friday, January 31, at the ongoing 22nd African Union Summit in Ethiopia, asserts that the current state of peace and security in the CAR is a cause for concern and should therefore trigger concerted, robust, and expeditious actions by the international community, with the aim to restoring the country on the path of peace, stability and democracy at the soonest.The Liberian Government welcomes the recent election of Her Excellency Catherine Samba-Panza as Interim President of the Central African Republic, and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2127 (2013) authorizing the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA), which in December 2013 assumed authority over the ECCAS Peace and Consolidation Mission in CAR (MICOPX).The GOL Statement said that in spite of these laudable developments, it is of the view that the persistent climate of violence and instability requires a stronger and more robust international peacekeeping presence in the CAR. The GOL supports the recent decision emanating from a meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), held on January 29, 2014, endorsing the transformation of MISCA into a multi-dimensional peacekeeping mission under the aegis of the United Nations.Liberia believes that such transformation represents the most viable means of securing political stability and dealing with the complex and urgent situation in the Central African Republic.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The president of the Grand Bassa Association in the Americas, Jerome Gaymen, has blamed leadership of the county for the abject poverty and low esteem facing citizens therein.Making the statement to the Daily Observer in an internet message exchange, Mr. Gaymen said leaders in developing countries attach seriousness to quality education for their youth to prepare them for a better future.According to Mr. Gaymen, the same would work in Grand Bassa case if leaders of the county use their influence to use development funds and seek assistance from other sources to develop the county.He observes that because of political parties’ interests, lawmakers and other leaders of the county are not collectively working in the interest of Grand Bassa, noting, “To ensure that life gets better for the young and old in Bassa, lawmakers from the county need to give preference to the affairs of the county.“Forming partnerships and collaboration, and working across party lines are key aspects of collaboration,” he said.“If these opportunities are given our people, I believe the youths will be able to realize their full potential and see how best they can adequately contribute to the society,” he noted.The GBAA president added that in such societies, young people look forward to a better future.“Contrary to this philosophy that drives countries to a better future, I am not seeing this in Grand Bassa County for the young people. Young people in Bassa seem to have no faith in their leaders,” he said.“The proof is clear. Do we have quality schools, as the second oldest and most powerful county in the nation? Are the citizens benefiting from our people including Gbezongar Findley the Pro Temp, Hans Barchue the Deputy Speaker, Julia Duncan Cassel, Gender and Development Minister, T. Nelson Williams, Managing Director for the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, and Matilda Parker, Managing Director of National Port Authority and others who hold prestigious positions in government? Is it only to have Bassa connection but Bassa not to have their benefits?” Mr. Gaymen questioned.Although praised the establishment and funding of the Bassa Community College, he also identified three areas he says need to be addressed.He named Community/youth development Center, Job creation and services to the elderly as areas of concern.Disclosing development plan the US based Grand Bassa organization has for the county; Gaymen said the organization is constructing a hospital in Deso Town.“We are working with the Community College to build the capacity of students. We also have scholarships at Mother Pattern College of Health Sciences,” he further acknowledged. “We have interest in doing more only as a partner to the county and its people,” he assured.He clarified that his comments are not meant to set the impression that he wants a political position in the county.“I don’t believe in seeking political glory before performing my duty as a lawful citizen. When we brought the books and computers, the speculation grew that I want political office. That’s not true. I do not have to do these things to qualify me for a political office,” Mr. Gaymen stressed.However, Grand Bassa Senator and Senate Pro-Temp Gbehzohngar Milton Findley told the Daily Observer that he would continue to work with the Grand Bassa Association in the Americas to ensure that development be the first priority of the county.T. Nelson Williams, Managing Direct of the Liberian Petroleum Refinery Company dispelled discrediting statements made by Gaymen and noted that there are prominent sons and daughters of Grand Bassa, who are contributing to the growth and development of the County.He said he has personally contributed to private sector and government-owned institutions in the county through partnership with his friends.“I am personally supporting the private sector. I also have a foundation in Buchanan and a Hotel which have about 27 employees in both institutions. I have scholarships for both junior high students and those of the Grand Bassa Community College. My foundation has a feeding program that caters for the old, blind, crippled and the underprivileged,” Mr. William said.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The recent string of rape cases in the country, which have resulted to the brutal deaths of children, has not only been described as rape and evil but also, a virus, known as ‘Rapebola.’In the fight to successfully curtail the rising numbers of rape cases, six Liberian women launched the Concerned Women of Liberia (CWL) with a Charity Kickball Event wherein two kickball teams were interestingly interspersed with males.The charity kickball match was sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation, (NASSCORP), FiBank Liberia, Cemenco, Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald Wento and U-Foundation.There were food and drinks on sale as part of the fundraiser event.The theme of the charity kickball event was “Kicking for a Cause,” and was held at the Blue (BYC) field at the PHP Community, in Monrovia, on Saturday, March 7.The Yellow Team was captained by the Mayor of the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) Cyvette Gibson, and some of the players included Betty Blamo, Ellen Pratt, Musa Bility, Israel Akinsaya, Sebastine Muah, Kelvin Sebwe, Jonathan Sogbie and Yoquai Lavala.The Blue Team’s skipper was Dr. Wilhemenia Jallah, and some of her players were Stephanie Duncan, Charlene Carey, Musa Shannon, Axel Addy, Macdonald Wento, Cypha G.S. D’King, Clarence Moniba, Elias Shoniyin and Gabriel Greaves.In the first inning, both sides have nil home-run, but in the second inning, the Cyvette Gibsons’ side pulled up a strategically fight that resulted to two wins.The Yellow carried on the fight in the defense, and sustained the two-nil score. The Blues, also impressively adopted and mended their defense as well as the Yellows, and there were also no home-run for both sides in the third inning.In the fourth (last) inning, there were entertaining kickball, with Yellows increasing their tally to 5-0, but one of their players, Jonathan Sogbe was booked and thrown out of the pitch for not kicking on the side-of-his-feet.The Blues reconsolidated and made three home-runs during the untimely celebration of the Yellows, which compellingly made to refocus and take the day, 5-3.Prior to the kickball derby, Vice President Joseph Boakai, hailed the six Liberian women for their wholesome approach to help stop the menace of rape in the country.The Vice President said rape isn’t only a disgrace, but also it hampers development of girls.Justice Minister Benedict Sarnoh and the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Gender and Social Development, Peter Roberts pledged their Ministries’ support to combat rape from the country.The President of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) Musa Bility said: “The LFA supports the government and the Concerned Women of Liberia to kick rape out of the country — rape is undoubtedly terrible, and evil.”Meanwhile, the CWL was founded by Madam Charlyne Brumskine, Charlene Carey, Salamartu Duncan, Cyvette Gibson, Wadei Powell and Ellen Pratt.The goals of the CWL include to identify and support any organization that has a proven record of providing stellar services to victims of rape; produce public service announcement to sensitize and raise the consciousness of Liberians and foreigners about the pervasiveness of rape in our society and its far-reaching impact on the socio-economic and political development of the country and establish a trust fund to support victims and families of rape during prosecutorial process.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Fashion is a quality of life that’s mostly mastered by people of sophistication, importance and drawn to high grade and quality. But with preparation, focus, money and above all, hard work, anyone can become a thriving asset or a fashionmonger.“My passion is promoting creative arts in Liberia.”The founder of Liberia Fashion & Arts Council and Liberia Fashion Marketing, Junda Morris – Kennedy’s work over the years has grown a following, many customers and social media platforms fond of her services. She’s been able to keep up with today’s prevailing styles and the needs of those who want to stay up- to -date.Quite recently Mrs. Junda walked into an opportunity that could reform the Liberian fashion industry forever, at least for now.“I was named this year as the Liberian representative for West Africa Fashion Awards. I am in the process of nominating Liberian fashion professionals for the 2016 West Africa Fashion Awards,” Junda shared via Facebook.Having Mrs. Junda participate in such an endeavor could make her Liberia’s biggest fashion icon. It also gives her an opportunity to showcase Liberia’s ‘eye for style’ and encourage further stake holders and fashion designers. With the much needed exposure in the fashion setting, Mrs. Junda plans on magnifying the art and business of fashion in Liberia. “My goal is to create awareness about the Liberian fashion industry,” Mrs. Junda announced. Meanwhile, being the owner of JMKPUBLICIST PR/ Marketing Company, Mrs. Junda says she has experience in making things happen and has represented several fashion brands and musicians. “Some of my clients include: Tekay Designs, Semoner Designs, 1847 & Co, L’Amour Ameer, Jodi, Jon Bricks, DSP, Bennie OX, Miss United Nations Pageant, Mama Afrika Festival, Atlanta Kids Fashion Week, Chris Collins. The list is so long,” she says.Furthermore, Mrs. Junda believes the passion that she has for promoting creative arts in Liberia comes from her earlier years.“I attended the Lewis Nelson Sewing School and Lott Carey Mission Cooking Class. My love for music comes from my grandfather, the late Rev. J.D.K. Baker who wrote music. I also started singing in church choirs at the age of 11 and was one of the youngest to ever sing in the Episcopal Church Mass Choir. I also took piano lessons under Dr. Nyema Jones, a renowned Liberian musician,” Mrs. Junda shared.A wife and the mother of three says she has been organizing events since she was 13 years old in Liberia and accredits her success to her late mother, Grace Baker Morris, former head of (WAEC).“My mom told me an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, so every vacation I’d put something together for the neighborhood,” she shared.In the meantime, Mrs. Junda has plans for all those who have been working endlessly towards perfecting fashion in Liberia. With her big seating for the upcoming 2016 West African Fashion Awards, fashion designers have something to celebrate.“I plan on teaming up with many creative Liberians to produce Runway Liberia 2016, showcase of Liberian Fashion, Music and Arts all on a major international platform. Look out,” she said.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO) on Tuesday, December 22, donated a large consignment of agricultural materials worth over US$8,000 to the Township of Caldwell, Louisiana, King Gray and the City of Kakata as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility. Welcoming the delegation to the Township of Caldwell, Commissioner Alexine Howard expressed gratitude to the management and staff of CICO, noting that Caldwell, Louisiana, King Gray and the City of Kakata are in need of the assistance. She recounted the difficult days when the country was hard hit by the Ebola outbreak when CICO took the initiative to collaborate with members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce who later distributed a consignment of rice and stationary materials to the Caldwell Orphanage Home.“I have worked with many investors in Caldwell but CICO has always responded to the needs of residents of the Township of Caldwell, for which we have always been grateful. Because of their good work, today residents of Caldwell can boast of having the best road in the country,” declared Commissioner Howard.Responding, Mr. Pang Hanzhao from the Embassy of the Peoples’ Republic of China, said his government is extremely delighted that more and more Chinese owned companies are helping to better the lives of Liberians.He described the recent outbreak of Ebola as a very dark period in the country’s history and noted that several Chinese investment companies and institutions stood firm with the Government and people of Liberia as a true partner in progress to helping in kicking out the disease from the country. He expressed thanks and appreciation to CICO for the donation and stressed that as the country enjoys peace and security more and more Chinese owned companies will invest in the country’s economy.Mr. Yang Zantao, Managing Director of CICO, said the donation included a generator, wheelbarrows, rain gear, cutlasses, sprayers, rice seed, shovels, diggers, among others, which he said were CICO’s way of identifying with the four communities as part of its corporate social responsibility.He also listed the construction of the Monrovia City Streets, the Vai Town Bridge, Caldwell Road as well as the Red Light to Gbarnga road projects, which have and continue to create employment opportunities for scores of Liberians. “Despite the difficult situation as earlier stated we will not forget our responsibility to the people of Liberia. We will always try to perform our corporate social responsibility as much as we can,” Yang said.Mr. Charles McClain, Deputy Minister for Planning and Development, Ministry of Agriculture, expressed appreciation to CICO for the donations, adding, “We want to see more and more Liberians getting involved in agriculture. The development of agriculture in Liberia is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture,” said McClain.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Monrovia Football Academy’s American director Will Smith, not the actor, is bringing a new way of combining playing soccer with education.“We are combining the game with education,” Smith told the Daily Observer last Saturday at the BYC Field in Monrovia during a tryout and examination for prospective students to be selected to attend the ever popular program. The program attracted 500 kids.Presently using rented facilities, Smith said MFA is working out modalities to build their own structures to cater to their students, as the MFA attracts more kinds.At Saturday’s program, MFA volunteers registered hundreds of kids, identified and numbered them, before they were put in groups of five to play against each other, while other volunteers, with pen and notebooks on hand, graded the kids on their individual skills.Smith said though the program costs US$100 per student, those who are unable to pay are considered and offered scholarships to attend the program.“This is not one of the initiatives that are announced and later disappeared,” Smith said, “so while we have had support from the Liberia Football Association, we are hoping that in the future we can get additional support to be able to help many more Liberian kids.”The one day tryout on Saturday was part of MFA’s recruitment exercise for boys and girls who not only played for 20 minutes during the rating system but also took an entrance exam comprised of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades test questions.MFA selected 60 kids from both male and female groups and carried out individual interviews to select 50 kids to take part in a one-week MFA camp to be held from August 15-19. “This creative addition will enable our staff to see the applicants operating in the MFA system; and most importantly, we will be able to assess academic performance within our classroom environment, allowing us to see the true academic potential of our applicants,” Smith said.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Of the approximately 1,094 inmates at the Monrovia Central Prison (MCP), about 836 of them account for 76 percent of the number of people who have been awaiting trial for at least a year, making it a higher percentage than the jail’s overall population, according to the Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).In some extreme cases, some of the inmates have been held without trial for more than four years, Varney G. Lake, prison superintendent, said on Thursday, April 12, during an acquaintance visit by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean.Lake informed Cllr. Dean that the remaining 258 of the prison’s population are serving post-conviction sentences, and the rest are still waiting for trial or to be sentenced.Most of the inmates are awaiting trial for multiple charges of violent crimes such as murder, rape, assault or armed robbery, according to Lake.“At least 375 of the 1,094 are those charged with only rape,” the MCP Superintendent stated.He said the prison was built to hold a little over 300 inmates, with the current population now two times the number of convicts held at the facility.Most of the 22 female inmates interviewed by Minister Dean explained that nearly half of them have been held not because they have been deemed too dangerous for release, but simply because they couldn’t post bonds.After some pretrial inmates told Minister Dean that they could not afford even a small bond, he immediately mandated some of his female lawyers to begin arranging for their release.“Prison is not a place to destroy people, but where they can be rehabilitated,” Minister Dean declared. “And so, we are going to work along with relevant justice actors, to empower them with skills that can make them useful members of their communities upon release.”Dean told journalists that a complicated host of factors contribute to trial delays and that his office would shortly launch a series of initiatives to study the problem and take remedial action based on best practices.He agreed that complex criminal cases may legitimately take a lot of time—sometimes years—to adjudicate.Despite the numerous challenges, Assistant Minister for Rehabilitation, Eddie S. Tarawali, said they were providing educational opportunities for prisoners to take responsibility for developing their vocational skills and social completeness in order for them to become contributing, productive members of the prison community and also of their communities upon their release.“If the needed funding is available, we are committed to providing technical and workplace skills training for prisoners to enhance their ability to acquire and maintain jobs upon release,” Minister Tarawali said.But, according to Tarawali, maintaining the program would entail support by securing a contract to sew all public school uniforms, which would provide more funding for the upkeep of the training.But poverty is not the only cause of prolonged pretrial detentions. The Daily Observer’s investigation established that dozens of attorneys, court administrators, and inmates interviewed for this story, as well as a highly critical report from the Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation, paint a gloomy picture of a court system plagued by unnecessary delays.“Court systems around the country are crippled by overwhelming public defenders and over-scheduled courtrooms, and the lack of a state of the art crime lab, which can take the prosecution up to a year to turn around basic DNA samples, especially during a rape trial,” a lawyer indicated.Nevertheless, the consequences for defendants of such lengthy trial delays are severe and raise troubling questions about the unequal application of justice in the country.Extended trial delays deprive defendants of their liberty for months or years as they await trial, causing them to lose jobs, incur debt, fall behind on schooling, and endure separation from loved ones, a defense lawyer noted.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Police Inspector Sudue arrives at Water Street, where the sewage eruptedBy Samuel G. DwehCrowds of traders at the intersection of Mechlin and Water streets in Monrovia yesterday, February 22, welcomed the new Inspector General (IG) of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Patrick T. Sudue, with heroic chants as he marched towards a spillage of sewage that had erupted in the middle of Water Street. “Welcome, police boss! Welcome, police boss…!” some of the traders shouted and others sang, “No hands for the IGP? No hands for the IGP?”In local parlance, the ‘hands’ for someone means ‘applause.’The LNP boss had come with the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation’s waste collection tanker marked GSA-LWSC 05-5, with plate number (LB) 0767.The stench from the sewage filled the air. “Remove those barricades!” the IGP shouted to some of the men with him, pointing to two ropes tied around a heap of what appeared to be fecal matter that had erupted through the sewage manhole in the middle of the street. The guys rushed toward the ropes and cut them.As the men worked, the Inspector General told this reporter that he was acting on a plea from the chairman of the Patriotic Entrepreneurs of Liberia (PATEL) to have the sewage unclogged and the area cleaned.“Mr. Presely Tenwah of PATEL called me yesterday, told me about feces pumping out of the ground in a market area and begged me to assist him on its clearance,” he said.
As the LWSC truck arrives, a trader explains to LNP Inspector Sudue and the PATEL’s Tenwah (3rd from right) what has been going onAs to why he personally showed up at the spot of the hazardous spill, instead of giving orders to some of the many junior officers of the LNP, the IGP responded that he came because he is “a servant of the people.”While the LWSC workers were desludging the manhole by pumping the excess sewage into the tanker, the LNP boss gave some money to one of the men and another amount to the driver of the tanker.“For your cold water,” he said, and marched out of the throng of traders and passersby who had stopped to watch the scene. The gesture sparked a rush of excitement among the young traders.“That’s sixty U.S. dollars!” a male trader exclaimed to his colleagues. PATEL’s chairman, Tenwah, told this reporter that some officials of his institution had informed him about the sewage problem four days prior to the day the IGP followed him there.Tenwah said the sewage problem in a market area worries him “because I am a leader in the business community.”None of the men clearing the sewage had a nose-mask, including one who identified himself as Joe Davies, 22, an employer of the LW&SC.“I’m used to it now; I’ve been doing this since I joined Water and Sewer in 2013,” he said.
LWSC workers de-sludging the man-hole on Water StreetMany traders had been conducting their daily activities, including sometimes eating, in the nauseating scent of the feces.One of them, Mercy Miatta Mulbah, 23, whose shower slippers table was a few yards away from the sewage problem, said she and other traders cannot abandon their wares when they are eating because, “When you leave your market table to eat at another place, somebody will steal your market.”The rope-barricade was erected by some young traders as a means of calling the government’s attention to the feces, some of them disclosed.“I was one of those who blocked the road,” Edwin Kollie, 39, whose made-in-Ghana slippers table was situated just a few feet from the sewage eruption, said. “If we had not done that, the government would continue ignoring this. Government officials pass through pupu water here every day.”Two days prior to Sudue’s visit to the scene, some police officers came in a police car to pass but met the barricade, said a trader who sells imported sneakers.“They came down with pistols but we dared them to cut the rope,” he said.The presence of spilled sewage in market areas in many parts of the nation’s capital, Monrovia, has been a recurrent scene since the exit of Madam Mary Broh, Acting Mayor of the City of Monrovia.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The Capitol Building, the Seat of the LegislatureSince its November 4, 2019 communication requesting the return of the Legislature for extraordinary session, authoritative reports from the Senate say that body is still awaiting President George Weah’s proclamation that will legitimize such return.Besides the proclamation, the Senate source told this newspaper that the President needs to write another letter that will outline reasons necessitating the lawmakers return for the extraordinary sitting; and that the letter will have to be accompanied by a proclamation, which the Legislature will use to inform the citizens as reason for their return.The source told the Daily Observer on Wednesday, November 27 at the Capitol Building that a good number of senators are willing to attend an extraordinary session, but they argued that the question still remains on what is so urgent that constitutes reason for emergency to warrant the return of Legislators for their intervention.The secretariat of the Senate confirmed that since the first letter from the Executive Mansion, efforts are being made to work along with the Executive for “the proper procedure,” and that a communication has already been forwarded to the Executive branch of the government.While at the Capitol Building yesterday, our reporter also noticed the presence of Lofa County Senator George Tamba Tengbeh, chairman of the Senate Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy and Environment, and House Speaker Bhofal Chambers, both of whom had reportedly held separate closed door meetings with President Pro Tempore Albert T. Chie.Even though the lawmakers are yet to receive both the letter and proclamation, the Senate secretariat remains optimistic of the return of the lawmakers for the “extraordinary session,” which among other issues, will ensure the confirmation hearings on the new Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) Executive Governor-designate, and the printing of the new banknotes.“We hope the team of Legal Advisors will get to work by crafting the necessary documents that will be convincing for the senators return,” the Capitol Building source said.Pro Temppre Chie, last week told this newspaper that the senate leadership was in receipt of the President’s letter, but was waiting his return to issue the proclamation.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A father of two from Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was on Friday brought before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts slapped with five counts of robbery under arms.Lloyd Saffon, 36, of Lot 6 Quamina Road, Beterverwagting denied the chargesRobbery accused Lloyd Saffonread to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.He is being charged with carrying out an armed robbery on Merwin Gobin at Caneview Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown. In that instance, it is alleged that he carted off with the man’s cellphone, cash, laptop and other items with a total value of $220,000. He is also accused of robbing Gary Primo of items amounting to $1.9 million.Saffon was also charged for robbing Neelan Jacqueline on December 31, 2017, at South Ruimveldt of items valuing $65,000; and Norwel Bowen of items amounting to $85,000.Additionally, he was charged for robbing Maxwell Bowen of items valuing $140,000 on December 31, 2017, at South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.In court on Friday, Saffon told the Chief Magistrate that he was at home at the time of all the robberies and has surveillance footage at his home to attest to his alibi.He noted that he explained the same thing to the Police, who refused to even view the footage.The defendant further told the court that the Police are also yet to visit his home to inspect for the stolen items which he supposedly possesses.Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield however objected to bail based on the seriousness and prevalence of the offences. He also revealed that the defendant was identified by one of the Virtual Complainant’s (VC) in an identification parade.As such, Saffon was remanded to prison and is expected to return on February 2, 2018.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has returned the file with regard to accusations of paedophilia against popular cross-dresser, Otis ‘Otisha’ Pearson, to the Guyana Police Force advising that additional work be conducted.The Police said the file was returned on Monday with the advice that additionalCross-dresser, Otis ‘Otisha’ Pearsoninvestigative work be done. They have since released Pearson who was in custody since March 6.Pearson was taken into Police custody on March 6 after the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) forwarded the findings of its investigation of paedophilia claims against the sex worker. The Police’s investigation is still ongoing and the file is with the DPP for legal advice.However, on Friday last, the Police sought an extension to detain the sex worker for an additional 72 hours as they await legal advice and wrap up their investigation.The CC&PA’s investigation stemmed after Pearson went on national television, after he was released from Police custody for another incident, and claimed that he has “a little boy” for every day of the week. Following that claim, photos of the cross dresser and a teenaged boy were leaked to social media site, Facebook, sparking outrage.To pacify the situation, Pearson, in the presence of Joel Simpson – founder of the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) explained that the term “little boy” is usually thrown around in the transgender community and denied being involved in sexual relations with any underage boy. This view was supported by Simpson who said his organisation does not condone such relations and that he was aware of the “little boy” euphemism.The surfacing of the photos and subsequent response led to several persons calling for an investigation into the incident and accused Pearson of being a pervert.Back in February, the CC&PA closed its investigation into the alleged misconduct by Pearson. It was discovered that the boy was below the legal age of consent, which is 16 and became a victim of bullying after the photos were leaked.According to CC&PA’s Director, Ann Green, the Agency has gathered statements from a number of persons, including the young man at the centre of the controversy, and as such, it is expected to move ahead with the case.
Linden robbery/murderPolice have recovered the car which was stolen from murder victim, Romel Edison Gomes’ home on Monday evening.Reports are Gomes, called “Eddie”, 32, of Lot 53 Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) was found at his business place with a gunshot wound to his head and his throat slit.Dead: Romel Edison GomesGuyana Times was told that the incident occurred at about 17:30h on Monday.E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander Anthony Vanderyden confirmed that the Toyota car with registration number PVV 2057 was recovered at about 09:00h on Tuesday in an alleyway at One Mile, Wismar, Linden, about seven minutes away from the scene of the crime. Gomes was allegedly killed by two males, onewho was armed with a handgun. Investigations revealed that the victim and the suspects were seen arguing inside of the shop and shortly afterwards, a loud explosion was heard. Soon after, the suspects were seen fleeing the scene in the victim’s motor car which was parked in front of his shop. The victim, who lived with his three-year-old son, was discovered in a pool of blood with his hands bound in front of his boddy and a kerchief (bandana) tied around his mouth. He was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) but was pronounced dead on arrival. AThe recovered carsuspected gunshot wound was seen on the right temple, a small laceration on top of the head and another lacerated wound to the neck. The scene was processed and a spent shell of a small calibre weapon was found along with a kitchen knife with bloodstains.The victim’s bedroom was ransacked. No arrests have been made. A post-mortem examination is expected be conducted on the victim today.Meanwhile, a neighbour recalled seeing two males, both sporting braided hair, standing outside Gomes’s shop some time before the incident. The men were reportedly wearing bandanas over their faces and caps pulled down to shield their identities. According to a neighbour, the deceased and his son were at home at the time of the incident, as they recalled seeing Gomes exit the shop and asked a neighbour who was about to enter the shop to take his son away.“A brown skin one was standing at the gate… but he had a hat on he head pulled down in he face and plait hair,” a neighbour recalled. The neighbour reportedly left the scene with the child. Gomes, a former national footballer reportedly moved to Linden from Georgetown about two years ago to live with his wife, who now resides overseas.
Almost two months after Lance Corporal Clifton Pellew was charged for raping a 15-year-old boy while he was custody, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly found that there was sufficient evidence for him to stand trial before a Judge and jury at the High Court.Clifton PellewFollowing his committal, Pellew was granted bail in the sum of $500,000 pending the High Court trial.The City Constable was charged back in February with the indictable offence, which alleged that on August 15, 2017, at the Constabulary Outpost at City Hall, he engaged in sexual activity with the minor.According to reports, the incident had occurred when the then 15-year-old boy was taken into custody for wandering.At some point during his detention, the minor was reportedly transferred to the Regent Street Outpost, where the alleged incident occurred.It was only after allegations made its way into the public domain that City Hall acted.In the aftermath of the public allegation, Pellew and another officer, Corporal Quacy Baveghems, were sent on leave pending the outcome of the matter.There were also accusations that authorities at City Hall have been trying to cover up the issue, with calls being made by rights activists for actions to be taken against the Mayor and Town Clerk.However, as an investigation began into the matter, it was discovered that Baveghems did not make a written entry of the incident in the station’s diary.Pellew and Baveghems were fired, after receiving a letter signed by the Town Clerk.Mayor Chase Green had said the decision to dismiss the officers came following the discovery of new evidence.Following protests by activists in Guyana and calls for Pellew to face the courts for his crime, the matter was handed over to the Police who sought legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions .
Region 9 flood aftermath…environmental health personnel offering guidance – CDC HeadBy Shemuel FanfairThough the floodwaters in sections of Lethem and surrounding areas have largely receded, the 59 residents who were evacuated from their homes for safety reasons remain in shelters after nearly two weeks.The flood situation reached a worrying level when several persons were evacuated from their homes in Region Nine almost two weeks ago (file photo)This was confirmed by both Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) Vice Chairman Karl Singh and acting Head of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig – who related to Guyana Times on Sunday that the affected areas were being monitored.While it is not clear when the various households will be able to return to their places of abode, Vice Chairman Singh stated that the residents were being allowed to clean their surroundings.“Persons are in the shelter as of today [Sunday]; we are still monitoring the situation. We have cleaning agents, including Jeyes fluid, to give to the affected people to clean their homes and disinfect the surrounding areas before they can go back home,” Singh told this publication.Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Craig told this newspaper that as the water around Lethem has been receding, there have been no reports of disease outbreak.“There are no outbreaks; what we try to do is use preventative measures such as bleach in water and water purification tablets…we monitor the situation continuously and we are in contact with the regional administration under the regional disaster risk management system,” Craig pointed out.He also informed that the Public Health Ministry has a team targeting the affected areas with community outreaches by its environmental health personnel who have been providing guidance on the necessary measures persons can take to prevent diseases.Meanwhile, additional flooding remains a cause for worry since the water level could rise again with another heavy downpour. The affected areas included Deep South Rupununi communities such as Karasabai, which was cut off from Central Lethem.Regional Chairman Brian Allicock noted earlier this month that a group of Toshaos had travelled into the area via boat, using a different route.It was reported several days ago that Deep South Rupununi’s main access road en-route to Aishalton was partly washed away.Food security is another concern that was recorded since the floods in the Deep South had also destroyed farms. Regional Chairman Allicock noted in early July that some 20 farms were inundated with over three feet of water.The flooding was caused by several rivers, particularly the Takutu River, overtopping because of heavy rainfall in the region and over in neighbouring Brazil, which had resulted in overtopping of the Rio Brancho River. The CDC had delivered supplies which included water purification tablets, collapsible bottles, detergents and other cleaning supplies, beddings and blankets, among other materials.
Given the recent disclosure by the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) that it stands to lose $414 million in earnings this year due to a combination of factors, including the closure of sugar estates, Economics Professor Tarron Khemraj has said that could increase the likelihood of a possible collapse.He told Guyana Times in a recent interview that the NIS has had serious sustainability issues even two to three years ago, and this was stated in the last actuarial report. As such, he feels that with this recent news, it could only compound the sustainability of the Scheme and further decrease its viability.NIS Headquarters Brickdam, Georgetown“The last actuarial review predicted a negative reserve. From a general standpoint, all of these things will definitely imperil the capacity of the Insurance Scheme to have a growing portfolio. It could only be able to serve its members when it stacks its portfolio up with revenue,” he explained.But the economics professor noted that the NIS has been getting problems from many directions, with one aspect being the treasury bills and the fact that the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) is not earning large profits. “If anything, it does increases the likelihood of a possible collapse, where it may require a bailout sometime. It shows how everything in the economy is connected,” he added.However, Khemraj explained that NIS is expected to incur losses not only on the basis of downsizing within the sugar industry and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). He said, “…all the other industries…are contracting right now…dwindling contributions, which is very troubling.”NIS Finance Controller Jacqueline Scotland, who along with other senior officers appeared before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services, revealed the information on impeding losses. Scotland disclosed that the Scheme’s current fund stands at $31.9 billion as at June 30.It was also noted that GuySuCo is one of the largest defaulters, owing in excess of $1.5 billion to NIS. However, NIS General Manager, Holly Greaves, told the committee that the sugar company had paid off the debt, except for $250 million in accumulated interest on the outstanding amount.Greaves said the Scheme plans to take legal action against GuySuCo to recover the money. It has served a demand notice. “We intend to move to the court to get it,” Greaves stated.NIS has also implemented a debt management section to pursue persons who owe them. But, even with this new system, there are fears about continued slippage of contribution, as against the payment of benefits. This year, NIS is expected to pay out $23.6 billion, with contributions projected to reach $23.2 billion.With the closure of the Skeldon, Rose Hall, Wales and East Demerara factories, which saw close to 5,000 workers being severed, NIS could see significant loss of contributions. And with an aging population, NIS has incurred an increase in payments of at least $2 million each year.It was disclosed in the last actuarial report that the life of the Scheme should come to an end in 2021/22 unless strategic plans for revenue earnings and expansion of the investment portfolio are effectively implemented. The NIS could move to recommend an increase in payments soon.
…MP, NDC Chairman laud initiative to improve ECD serviceA new dental clinic on Sunday officially opened its doors to the public by offering citizens living on the East Coast of Demerara and in Georgetown and its environs a higher quality of dental service; one unmatched by others within the field of dentistry.The launching ceremony of ‘Idental’ saw in attendance close to fifty persons from all walks of life, including Peoples Progressive Party/Civic Member of Parliament Neil Kumar; Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Shabana Ally; and Neighbourhood Democratic Council Chairman for the Better Hope to La Bonne Intention District, Zaman Shaw.Addressing the audience, the PPP Parliamentarian said he was happy that the group of young business executives and medical professionals had teamed up to accomplish their common goal of providing better dental care to residents of Georgetown and the East Demerara Coast.He said he was personally attended to by the chief surgeon attached to Idental, and was able to have a very satisfactory experience despite his fear of having work done orally.Kumar said small initiatives like Idental go a long way in rebuilding the confidence of young people in their ability to work hard and accomplish their overall goals and life’s aspirations.The Parliamentarian congratulated the young medical team, and urging them to work very hard over the existence of the business to maintain their standards and high levels of professionalism.NDC Chairman Shaw also echoed similar sentiments as he gave the NDC’s blessings to the operationalisation of the new dental clinic. Shaw said the building that now houses the Clinic has a history of its own within the Montrose community, as it was once the location for FoodTown.He urged its owner and dental surgeon to first look to the community to recruit and train staff that may be needed to man the facility before looking elsewhere for skills.Shaw reiterated that the NDC is committed to working with new entrepreneurs in order to boost the economic fortunes of communities within the Better Hope to Montrose District.In response, businesswoman Karen Manifold, who owns the Dental Clinic, promised she would work closely with all involved to maintain the standards of the entity, while delivering the best dental care possible with the equipment installed at the new facility.Manifold said the idea to open the clinic was birthed during conversations with Dr Steve Baul, who is the Chief Surgeon at Idental. “We had this idea two and a half years ago; and I am a perfectionist, so I kept wanting to ensure that everything was in order before the launch or startup of the clinic”, Manifold told the audience.As the ceremony climaxed, Dr Baul also delivered key remarks, as he underscored the importance of oral health and dentistry in any developing country that is serious about the ‘health and strength’ of its citizenry and human resources.He spoke about his concept of ‘no fear dentistry’, before explaining that it was designed to be patient-centred and ensure that almost all who visit Idental for medical care would be treated professionally and warmly.The state-of-the-art dental clinic is located at Lot 11 Montrose, East Coast Demerara, minutes away from Apex Educational Academy. It is housed on the middle floor of a three-storyed building.Services offered include: night guard, sealants, dental veneers, fixed bridge, teeth whitening, dental crown, removable dentures, cleaning & polishing, root canal therapy, extractions (simple & surgical) and filling.
A man, who admitted to fracturing the nose of his ex-male partner after an argument, was on Monday charged and appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.Leon MurrayThirty-five-year-old Leon Murray appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty after he was slapped with two charges.The first charge alleged that on September 5, 2019 at Georgetown, he maliciously damaged one spectacle valued at $30,000 property of Shawn Solomon. The second charge alleged that on September 5, 2019 at Georgetown, he inflicted grievous bodily harm on Solomon.The unrepresented man pleaded not guilty to the first charge; however, he pleaded guilty to the second charge with explanation.In his pleadings to the court Murray stated that Solomon pulled out two knives and started to fire chops. “It cut my hand, he then pick up a big wood and throw it on my neck. After he throw it, I got angry and picked up a big brick and throw it in his face,” Murray said.Police Prosecutor Quinn Harris informed the court that on September 5 at about 22:30h, the Virtual Complainant (VC) went home from work and saw Murray, after which an argument ensured. According to the Prosecutor, the defendant armed himself with a brick and pelted the VC to his face. The matter was reported and the defendant was arrested.The Prosecutor objected to bail since the VC suffered a fractured nose and the seriousness of the offence.The Magistrate, after listening to both sides, remanded the father of one to prison. The case will continue on September 10.
Just 10 days after a video went viral, which showed the reckless behaviour of a minibus driver and his conductor, another video surfaced on social media on Friday showing a conductor dancing on top of a moving minibus at the minibus park at the Stabroek Market area. Additionally, passengers were seated inside the bus and the music emanating from the moving vehicle was preposterously loud.Conductor dancing on the top of a minibus at the bus park near Stabroek MarketThe video went viral just minutes after it was shared on several social media platforms. When contacted, Traffic Chief Linden Isles said ranks from the Guyana Police Force are in search of the conductor.“An officer called me, and he said that the owner [of the minibus] is coming to Eve Leary and they are still trying to get the bus to tow the bus in,” the Traffic Chief said.Meanwhile, in the previous incident, a minibus conductor was seen in a video which went viral, dancing to music in a moving minibus with its door wide open, and the driver of the same bus was seen placing his feet outside of the moving vehicle as he was driving.Commenting on that issue, the Traffic Chief said that the driver in that incident was arrested. However, Police are still searching for the conductor.“That person was arrested, that person was in custody as of yesterday (Thursday)…I don’t know if he attended court already, but I know he was in custody. The driver was arrested but we didn’t get the conductor,” he stated.Following the incident, President of the United Minibus Union (UMU), Eon Andrews had said that based on the Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct that is enforced by the police, the men were committing an offence.“What is very concerning is that the commuters were cheering them on, obviously too, the music that was being played there was lewd music, and I would like to believe that those persons were mostly the younger generation”, he explained.
…PNC’s panicEven without the benefit of all the fancy-schmancy psychological verbiage that’s thrown around so glibly nowadays, even five hundred years ago, they’d figured out that when you jump up and down carrying on about something you insist ain’t true, you’re just confessing that, in fact, it IS so!! “Methinks thou protest too much,” said the Bard!! So when the PNC issues an official but hysterical press release about a report in an online news portal that headlined: “PPP ‘likely’ to win next elections” is flawed, you know that they’re shell-shocked that an influential outsider has revealed that they’re electorally naked!! They protested too much!!It’s not that they don’t KNOW their days are numbered – counting down from March 2!; their own internal polls showed they’re in trouble. Why else do you think they’ve been making fools of themselves with the hare-brained contention that 33 isn’t the majority of 65?? So how do they respond to the reported assessment of their imminent ouster? Another giveaway!! They started out by defaming the messenger – insisting that he’s an “ASSET” of the lobbying firm the PPP has hired in Washington!! Now if you’ve seen any one of those spy movies, you’d know that declaring the fella to be an “ASSET” of the lobbying firm, is to say they’ve bought him and he’s their agent!!Now here it is, the writer lectures at the UN National War College – which declares that its “mission is to educate future leaders of the Armed Forces, Department of State, and other civilian agencies for high-level policy, command and staff responsibilities by conducting a senior-level course of study in national security strategy.“The curriculum emphasises the joint and interagency perspective. Reflecting this emphasis, 59 per cent of the student body is composed of equal representation from the land, air, and sea (including Marine and Coast Guard) services. The remaining 41 per cent are drawn from the Department of State and other federal departments and agencies, and international fellows from a number of foreign countries”. And the PNC’s insisting that this fella – with access to the movers and shakers in Washington – has been BOUGHT!!Your Eyewitness knows that the PNC knows when someone at this level puts out the kinda analysis he did – especially with its damning conclusion – it would’ve been vetted by folks way up the food chain. And this is what got the PNC so rattled. They’ve been going around telling their supporters that the US administration prefers them to be in charge of the oil economy – which, not so incidentally, was the assessment of the same analyst back in February!!But the PNC has just dug a deeper hole to bury the dead meat they’ve become like the AFC!!…the PNC’s bluffBut the PNC shouldn’t be worried about the analyst’s opinion on who’s gonna win the next elections. They should be worried that a top-level strategic military analyst has ripped apart their pretentions on being better qualified to take on Guyana’s security – one that encompasses Exxon’s massive investment in oil. Not to mention being next door to Venezuela – which is really the BIG enchilada!!What are these security challenges?? There’s Venezuela on the west and Suriname on the east claiming huge chunks of our territory. Granger boasts of getting the army back to “battle strength” – including the revived Peoples Militia. “Guns not butter” he implicitly tells sugar worker folks. But for what?? The War College expert says even Suriname could take us on!! He bemoaned the PNC inability to take on the syndications, money laundering, narcotics production and trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, (esp Cubans and Haitians); Chinese penetration etc.Imagine if the fella knew the PNC would then completely degut our Foreign Service!! How can the US trust them??…the end resultThe analyst warns, “While Guyana has already been prejudiced…by a lack of capability to respond to its existing internal and external security challenges, without the ability to protect its oil…development will ultimately be unsustainable”.
Vendors plying their trade on the Charity Marketing Centre Wharf on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Wednesday raised concerns about their safety as a result of the deteriorating state of the facility.A section of the wharf which poses danger to vendors and commuters alikeThe area houses numerous businesses. Vendors told this publication that their major fear is that the structure, if not repaired, will collapse into the Pomeroon River. They added that this will not only result in millions of dollars in losses but the lives of persons will be under threat.A visit to the structure by this publication shows that the Marketing Centre, which is built with solid concrete and sits on wooden piles sink about 12 inches below the wooden wharf which is built around it to facilitate the mooring of boats to on and offload produce.A look under the structure when the tide is low revealed the dangers posed by the rotting wooden piles that were driven into the river bed to hold the concrete structure.Vendors and residents who spoke with this publication noted that several promises are being made but nothing is being done to repair the structure.
A brazen daylight attack has rocked a family to the core after a late afternoon shooting left a Stabroek Market money changer in a critical state.Vishwanauth Nawbatt, called VishalOn Sunday, Vishwanauth Nawbatt, called Vishal, of C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was, up to press time, undergoing major surgery to treat the injuries he sustained after being shot once to the abdomen following an attempted robbery.According to reports gathered, the 35-year-old man and his girlfriend were sitting and enjoying a meal at the Popeyes fast food restaurant on Water Street, Stabroek about 16:15h when a lone gunman walked up to him and demanded cash.“Where de money deh?” the bandit demanded, but according to an eyewitness Nawbatt told the gunman that he did not have any money. This angered the gunman who then shot the money changer to the left side of his abdomen. This newspaper understands that the gunman then proceeded to calmly walk out of the restaurant and jumped on to a waiting motorcycle.Meanwhile, Police in a statement confirmed that they were investigating the shooting, noting that the suspect was male and armed with a handgun.According to early Police reports, the suspect approached and demanded that the money changer hand over his day’s earnings, but he refused. Police stated that no arrests have been made.Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus told Guyana Times late Sunday evening that investigators were reviewing surveillance footage at the establishment.In early September, a fellow Water Street money changer, 40-year-old Mahendra Deonarine was shot at the Georgetown Stelling moments after disembarking from a speedboat. He was also robbed of a quantity of local and foreign currency.
Moments before the results of Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) elections were announced, a number of vendors attached to the Guyana Market Vendors Union (GMVU) staged a peaceful protest in front of City Hall on Thursday, throwing their support behind Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan. However, in the midst of the protests and in a twist of events, the Deputy Mayor withdrew from contesting the mayoral elections.Separated – Mayor Patricia Chase Green returns to her post, while Sherod Duncan shockingly withdraws from the raceThis paved the way for incumbent Mayor Patricia Chase Green to return to her post for 2017, after she was unopposed by other council members.It was Town Clerk Royston King who opened the floor for nominations of mayor. Councillor Griffith Fraser was first to nominate the incumbent mayor, while his nomination was seconded by councillor and veteran People’s National Congress (PNC) General Secretary Oscar Clarke.Meanwhile, Councillor Junior Garret requested that nominations be closed. As this move was seconded by another councillor, the Town Clerk then declared that Chase-Green was, in effect, re-elected Mayor of the capital City.It was explained that she will take up her post come March 2017. Earlier this month, it was announced that the Deputy Mayor would have been running for the Mayor’s post but after the elections of Chase Green on Thursday, he cited political interference as justification for his withdrawal.Unlevel playing field“I think there was an unlevelled playing field. When you have interventions by members of central Government, more or less coercing Council on a position they should take in terms of voting for mayor, the process is not a democratic one. We are then not electing a mayor, we are selecting a mayor and I am very firm on that,” Duncan told the media.Additionally, Duncan also declined in returning to his post as Deputy Mayor next year. In this light, Councillor attached to the Alliance for Change (AFC) faction, Lionel Jaikarran, who also serves as President of the Georgetown Cricket Club expressed gratitude after he was elected to the Deputy Mayor post from March 2017.Jaikarran won 24 votes to be elected new Deputy Mayor. He spoke to the media afterwards.“I’m beyond words, I came here today to support the Deputy Mayor but when my name was called…it shook my very foundation,” he noted.The incoming Deputy Mayor stated that despite the post being thrust upon him, he has accepted the challenge. He vowed to stand by his beliefs and execute his duties with integrity.Meanwhile, Guyana Times was told that Duncan will be serving in the capacity of the Deputy Mayor until his tenure is up on March 31, 2017.Vendors speak outMeanwhile, at the earlier protest which had supported the replacement of Chase Green, it was noted that Duncan was more suited to be elected mayor. According to President of GMVU Ian Andrews, this was because vendors felt that Chase Green was incapable of her capacity as Mayor.“We have a mayor that is more a traveller and a tourist than anything and all she is bringing back from all her sojourns is [the] corrupt, confusing parking meters that even now we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Andrews disclosed.He added that the Deputy Mayor understood the concerns of the vendors’ plight more than Chase Green.“The things that he would say to us and how he expresses himself, tells us that he understands the problems of this city and the problems of the vendors and stallholders that are a part of the city,” the union head noted.Other representatives and vendors also vented concerns. Vice President of the GMVU, Carol Carter, expressed disdain for the way in Chase Green has executed her duties. “Presently we have a mayor that oppresses the vendors and stallholders with certain decisions that they just wake up and decide to oppress people and we need these things to finish.” Another protestor and Stabroek Market stallholder, Allan Bidajhar also complained of the mayor’s style of ruling and even drew religious parallels to the plight of the vendors.“She’s very arrogant, she doesn’t know how to speak…grievous words stir up anger. The poor has nowhere to go and as it seems in a wide perspective, that the poor is at the point of the Red Sea nowhere on the right or on the left and the Egyptian pursing from behind. For me, she is an Egyptian,” the frustrated man noted.It is not clear if these protests will continue following the results of Thursday’s elections. (Shemuel Fanfair and Ramona Luthi)
…Hope Canal saves Mahaica/Mahaicony farmersBy Andrew CarmichaelA deluge which started on Thursday afternoon and continued until Friday morning has left residential areas along the 85-mile length of Region Six (EastOne of the shopping areas in New AmsterdamBerbice/Corentyne) inundated with more than 12 inches of rainfall.Farms in backland communities have also been adversely affected, and some schools in the region were closed as a result of the rainfall.New Amsterdam, in the heart of the region, saw businesses in the main shopping area flooded and business persons pointing accusing fingers at the Mayor and Town Council for not doing enough to prevent flooding from being so extensive.Some of the areas hardest hit were Numbers 47, 51, 52 and 54 villages on the Corentyne Coast, along with Black Bush Polder. Farmers on the East Bank of Berbice were frustrated at their cash crops being endangered by the flood waters, and a canal which should have been dug earlier this week remains blocked.The regional administration, having met with farmers, decided to employ a contractor to excavate the blocked canal with three machines. However, a person who has no equipment was given the contract, and he, in turn, subcontracted the job, thus only one machine is being used.One farmer, Carlos Chrisom, said the Lighttown Crown Canal is blocked, and thisA parking spot at the Berbice High Courtis preventing water from draining out of the backlands. He noted that apart from Thursday night’s rain, farmers at Lighttown have been suffering for some time, thus the meeting was arranged with the regional administration.Guyana Times visited farms in the area and saw sweet potatoes and other vegetables under several inches of water.According to one resident, Mohan Sookoo of Juditcum, the flooding in that village is due to silting of the canal.Meanwhile, residents in East Canje were under several inches of water up to late Friday night. Regional Chairman David Armogan, who visited several of the flood-hit areas, explained that the regional administration is not able to get the services of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which in the past assisted with drainage and irrigation whenever there was heavy rainfall.He explained that villages such as Canefield are low-lying and hence would be the first to flood.He noted that several pumps have been put into operation at villages along the Corentyne Coast. He explained that during Friday morning, the regional administration was depending on gravity drainage, but as the tide rose and sluices were closed by midday, pumps were put into operation.“We are hoping that, with no more rain, places like the Black Bush Polder will be drained in another day or two. The thing is (that) once you get that intensity of rainfall, it becomes difficult to get all of the water off the land within four hours. We are only allowed three to four hours of gravity drainage, because of the tide… Maybe for the twenty-four-hour period, you will get about eight hours gravity drainage,” he explained.At New Forest in East Canje, more than 200 acres of rice are under threat. According to Mahace Rupert, the rice is about two weeks old, and will be destroyed if the water is not removed shortly. He said there is no drainage to allow the water to get into the Canje River. However, he noted that it was the farmers who benefit from the infrastructure, but he said he was still pleading with the regional administration to assist.Region FiveMeanwhile, in Region Five, a similar situation existed on Thursday night. Rainfall, punctuated with lightning and thunder, resulted in flooding of both residential and farming areas.Among the hard hit areas were Bush Lot, Trafalgar, Bath Settlement, Kingelly, Rosignol and Tempie villages. Farmer have lost crops, especially those in Bath Settlement and the Mahaicony areas of Airy Hall, Huntley, Dundee and Novar.Rice farmers in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area have also experienced flooding.Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told this publication that the Hope Canal has played a great role in reducing flooding in those communities.“In the past, when the East Demerara Conservancy would have reached its maximum level, water would normally be channelled to the Mahaica Creek area and flood that area. However, since the canal was dug and is fully operational, it would have helped tremendously with (draining) the farming communities within the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area,” Ramphal noted.He said the Region 5 Administration has sought assistance from the NDIA to acquire pumps, but only one has been made available to the region.Other flood-hit areas are also calling on the NDIA to assist with pumps. According to Ramphal, the Regional Democratic Council is not doing much to assist.The chairman explained to the Guyana Times that the regional administration is faced with difficulties at the regional level because of lack of cooperation from the council.
Juvenile Justice Reform BillWhile Government has announced a further delay in passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Bill, to be laid in the National Assembly, Child Rights Advocate Nicole Cole is urging Government to work expeditiously to ensure that the Bill isChild rights advocate Nicole Cole.presented in Parliament by the new deadline.Cole, who sits on the Rights of the Child Commission (ROCC) representing the Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC), expressed disappointment that the Bill has not yet been laid in Parliament when Government had earlier promised to have it presented this month.“We have to get this important Bill passed. If the Bill remains on the shelf, where it has been for almost 10 years now, then we will not get anywhere. Children are still being charged for wandering, and that bothers me. That is something we need to address immediately,” she urged.The outspoken rights advocate told Guyana Times on Sunday that the Bill contains some “revolutionary ideas” that would assist with the overall protection of children. She also referred to the Bill seeking to address the abolishment of truancy and wandering as crimes.“The revolutionary thing in this Bill is it will take into account the child’s mental health to evaluate before you institutionalise a child. It takes into account the rights of the child,” she asserted.Cole said this is important — so that the child gets the required care and attention that he/she needs. Further, she said it puts the family and/or relatives of these children to better respond to their children’s needs.Asked whether she thinks the Police may target certain communities where they arrest children for truancy, the ROCC official told this publication that while she does not think that might be the case, she thinks children who fall in the poor and underprivileged bracket are mostly charged.Overall, Cole said, the Bill helps to create a more modern system of dealing with juvenile justice, and will ensure that Guyana confirms with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that no one should be allowed to punish children in a cruel or harmful way.“Children who break the law should not be treated cruelly; they should not be put in prison with adults. They should be able to keep in contact with their families, and should not be sentenced to death, or life imprisonment without the possibility of release,” Cole said, while quoting the UN Convention article.Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who is responsible for the Bill, had said that jails are not the place where young people who have committed offences should be placed. He said the Bill will make sweeping changes to existing legislation, including raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years.The minister has said that once the Bill is made law, magistrates and the Magistrates’ Courts will have to be trained on juvenile justice matters. Halfway houses and a number of infrastructures to take care of juveniles will also be a priority, and social workers will have to be employed in these institutions.Some of the measures the Bill is also expected to contain are an emphasis on alternatives to detaining delinquents. More alternative sentencing has, for some time, been advocated by rights groups and international organisations.In 2016, a Commission of Inquiry into a deadly prison fire had recommended strong programmes for alternative community-based sentencing to be put in place, because of rampant overcrowding in the prisons and the risk of first time offenders being corrupted by hardened criminals.The draft Bill was conceived in 2004 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration with support and input from UNICEF. The first draft was produced in 2007 after a series of consultations and submissions by stakeholders, inclusive of the ROCC; however, progress was delayed and efforts to revive the process began in 2014. The 11-part Bill makes provision for establishment of facilities to enable the rehabilitation and education of juvenile offenders.
The owner of Caesar’s Palace Hotel is now counting her losses after she was attacked in the hotel’s lobby and robbed by a gun-toting bandit in the wee hours of Sunday morning.Fifty-two-year-old Roxanne Rollex was reportedly sitting in the lobby while a relative was working as the receptionist when the robbery occurred.Guyana Times understands that at about 00:15h, a man entered the building and approached the receptionist and enquired about a room.However, the man subsequently left but sometime after returned brandishing a shotgun in his hands. He pointed the gun at Rollex and demanded that she hand over her handbag which was nearby.The fearful woman complied and handed over the $10,000 handbag which contained three mobile phones, totalling $145,000, $65,000 in cash and several important documents.The perpetrator quickly exited the building and escaped in an unknown direction. The matter was reported to the Police and an investigation was launched. Guyana Times understands that the Police have retrieved CCTV footage to help them with their investigation.Up to late Sunday evening, the detectives were still to make an arrest.
“House-to-house” manoeuvre…Opposition threatens legal action to stop disenfranchisement…as GECOM meeting ends in drama over Chairman’s limiting agendaPeople’s Progressive Party nominated election’s Commissioner, Robeson Benn, has moved to the law to prevent house-to-house registration from denying a substantial bloc of citizens from exceeding their franchise, with his legal representative saying a court order will be sought if necessary.Legal storm clouds are gathering over the Guyana Elections CommissionIn a correspondence seen by Guyana Times, the Party threatened to move to the courts if the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) persists. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is representing Benn, explained in an interview with this publication that this could potentially disenfranchise overseas-based voters, who normally return home to exercise their franchise.“In relation to dead people, I concede readily that that process of removing dead persons from the list should be one that should be pursued, but that shouldn’t require house to house registration. That can easily be accomplished by an exchange of data between the registrar of deaths and the GECOM.”“Because the registrar of deaths will be able to say how many persons have been recorded as dead over the past few years… And that data can be juxtaposed against the list and those persons removed by a very simple engagement, with relative speed and ease in this technological age.”Nandlall explained that when GECOM staff go house to house and cannot find persons on the list living in Guyana, such persons will be de-registered. The former Attorney General noted that Articles 59 and 159 provide for everyone to vote at General and Regional Elections once they are qualified and registered.“What I have a problem with is the process that will remove persons on the list who are resident overseas,” he said, adding that Guyana’s Constitution does not require residency in Guyana as a qualification to be registered to vote. “Our Constitution is very clear. Once you are 18 years or over, Guyanese and registered, you can vote. So you have Guyanese citizens, thousands of them, who are registered but when this exercise is completed, they will not find themselves in the new list and they will become disqualified through no fault of their own.”Asked what legal remedies he will be seeking from the High Court, Nandlall said should GECOM push ahead and disregard the legal correspondence they will seek a legal order or injunction to stop the house-to-house exercise.Recently, former Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had said overseas-based Guyanese may lose out if they miss house-to-house registration. He had noted that they would not be included on the new list if they are not present to register.DramaEven as legal storm clouds gather over GECOM’s Secretariat, another statutory meeting ended in drama on Tuesday with Commissioners walking out complaining of attempts by GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, to block discussions about criticism from the outside world against his tenure.In addition, the Opposition-nominated Commissioners complained that Patterson refused to permit discussions regarding the threat of legal proceedings against GECOM, as well as the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), where the Commission was recently added as a party to the proceedings.“Chairman Patterson in the most autocratic manner was seemingly intent on only allowing continued discussion on “elections” arising out of house-to-house registration, a matter on which discussion ended abruptly at the last statutory meeting of Tuesday, March 26, 2019,” a statement from the PPP read. “It is evident that the Chairman in collusion with the Government-nominated Commissioners intended to avoid any references to the following matters.”“The scathing Editorial by Stabroek News in its April 1, 2019 edition, which exposed the Chairman’s preference and behaviour relating to the Vishnu Persaud matter which engaged the attention of the Ethnic Relations Commission; a letter proposing legal proceedings, under the hand of Mohabir Anil Nandlall, attorney representing Commissioner Robeson Benn, requesting that GECOM… refrain from proceeding with this unlawful and unconstitutional exercise…,” that being house-to-house registration (and) the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice, arising out of the No-confidence Motion.”The Party explained that in view of the Chairman’s attempts to avoid comments and to proceed with an agenda item it noted was not listed or agreed to, Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Benn walked out of the meeting in protest.
Mills, a long time riding instructor, will be making his way to Fort St. John along with his two stallions, Hugh and Scar, putting on a riding clinic featuring lessons in western riding, barrel racing, jumping, dressage and much more.The event will be featuring multiple lessons from Mills along with added performances from those from the Lesson Barn.Organizers are encouraging anyone who wishes to attend to do so, as the event will be free of charge.- Advertisement -The event will be held at 11399 269 Road and will begin at 6:30 p.m.
A win would also bring the Huskies within three points of the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks.The Blades come to Fort St. John still in search of their first win this season. They do have an overtime loss to their credit so far, giving them a single point in the league standings.In their last game the Huskies edged the Sexsmith Vipers 3-2. After tomorrow evening’s game, the next time the Huskies will be in action is on November 28 at home against the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks.- Advertisement -Opening faceoff tomorrow is scheduled for 8 p.m.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The N.E. B.C. and Yukon Trackers will be back at it tonight when they renew acquaintances with the Grande Prairie Storm. The two clubs last met on January 3rd in Grande Prairie where the Trackers came away with a 3-1 win.Heading into the game the Trackers trail the Storm by five points for first place in the Bear Slashing Division. The Trackers have a game in hand on Grande Prairie. They also trail Peace River by two points for second spot.It’s a light weekend for the squad with just the one game on tap. Next on their schedule is a double header on the road next weekend against the Big Lakes Thunder.- Advertisement -Faceoff tonight at the Pomeroy Sport Centre is at 6:45.
United States head coach John Wroblewski added, “We got contributions from everybody throughout the tournament. And what can you say about Jack and Cole they are two special players who have unbelievable skill sets. I’m so proud of our accomplishment after so much work and dedication went into it.”Canada Red assistant coach Luke Pierce said, “We gave up too many goals in the first. Then in second, we scored one and then scored two and just started to gain confidence and all of a sudden found the back of the net. We needed to feed off the energy of the crowd in the first period as we came out flat-footed.”Canada Red captain Peyton Krebs added, “Give credit to the American’s they were the best team in the tournament as they just proved. I am very proud of the guys in the locker room as we all learned and gained a ton of experience from such a great event.” DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – The United States captured the gold medal after jumping out to a big lead early and hung on to defeat Canada Red at the Encana Event Centre on Saturday night 6-4.The Americans dominated the first period as Cole Caufield opened the scoring at 7:43 of the first period after working a two on one rush with Jack Hughes to perfection. Nearly seven minutes later Hughes found the back of the net to make it 2-0. Matthew Boldy had the lone assist. Owen Lindmark capitalized on a Canadian turnover for the 3-0 goal. Alex Turcotte and Matthew Boldy were the setup tandem. Cole Caufield scored his second of the game 21 seconds before the first intermission buzzer. Domenick Fensore and Jack Hughes set up the Caufield tally. The American’s skated into locker rooms with a 4-0 after 20 minutes of play.Caufield scored his hat trick goal 1:19 into the second stanza. Matthew Boldy and Jack Hughes worked the puck around to the slot where Caufield made no mistake for the 5-0 goal. The Canadian’s got on the board at 9:02 of the second period as Nick Wong fired a wrister past the American goaltender after taking a feed from Evan Brand. Nearly three minutes later Bowen Byram ripped a shot from the high slot to the top corner to make it 5-2. Peyton Krebs and Dylan Cozens got the assists on the powerplay marker. At 15:16 Alexis Lafreniere wired a shot past the American netminder to make the score 5-3 after taking a pass from Ryan Suzuki and Bowen Byram. The Canadian’s found themselves down by two going into the third period.- Advertisement -Canada Red took it to the visitor’s in the third but could not find the back of the net after a couple of powerplays. Alex Vlasic collected a Canadian pass attempt in his own zone and150-foot 150 foot shot into the empty cage to put the States up 6-3 at 19:09. Ryan Suzuki got one back after a high shot hit found the top part of the net on a feed from Brandon Coe at 19:27 of the final period. That’s all the Canadian’s could muster as the American’s won the gold with a 6-4 final score.Canada Red goaltender Luke Cavallin made 28 of 33 saves, while Cameron Rowe stopped 21 of 25 pucks fired at him.United States captain and points leader of the tournament with 15, Jack Hughes said, “This is a big win for us. The last time the States won was three or four years ago. We have been working so hard for this and it feels great to bring the gold back home.”Advertisement
Cardinal mentioned that prior to this race the longest she’s ever ran was 62 kilometres and it took guts for her to attempt this feat.“Its a challenging race for everybody and everyone really finds themselves during the race. It takes guts for every single person to step up to the plate to try it… If you’ve done the training and you have the courage to show up then you’ve already won.”
Cardinal at the beginning of the race. Photo by Laurie CardinalUp next for Cardinal is the 50 kilometre Mount Robson Marathon in September, a couple of local marathons and then training for the Canadian Death Race once again. Cardinal’s goal is to shave roughly three minutes off her time to medal come next year.Advertisement GRANDE CACHE, A.B. – A Fort St. John resident managed a nearly-impossible feat last weekend.Laurie Cardinal finished the 125 kilometre Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache.The race included three mountain summits, one major river crossing and 17,000 total feet of elevation.- Advertisement –
Laurie Cardinal battling the mountain terrain. Photo by Laurie Cardinal.Cardinal finished with a time of 24 hours, two minutes and 50 seconds, missing out on a medal by just over two minutes.“Nothing about the race is smooth sailing, absolutely nothing,” said Cardinal. “I kept a pretty good mind frame throughout the whole race.”Advertisement
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Fort St. John Elks are hosting a Short Track Interclub Meet tomorrow at the Pomeroy Centre on the east rink.“Short track racing is exciting to watch as the skaters move at high speed around a small track. This is a great opportunity to see speedskaters from around BC and Alberta compete and the club would love to invite spectators down to watch! Great event for the family to enjoy watching together, no cost just come down and cheer on the skaters”, says Christina Hogarth of the Fort St. John Elks.All ages will be racing including the younger Learn to Skate members as well as the accomplished Juniors.- Advertisement -The races will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue throughout the day until 4:30 p.m.
BC Hydro Power Smart is investing $6.5 million into a program that offers home audits and product rebates for homeowners to conserve energy and improve the comfort of their homes.The LiveSmart BC: Efficiency Incentive Program is a comprehensive energy assessment and retrofit program that includes rebates and incentives for weatherproofing, insulation, windows, ventilation, as well as space and water heating – all of which can help reduce heating costs and overall energy use.“LiveSmart BC puts tools and resources into the hands of British Columbians, making energy conservation practical and achievable,” said Richard Neufeld, Minster of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “Little changes can go a long way for families in B.C. wanting to reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint.”- Advertisement -To participate, homeowners can arrange for a subsidized energy assessment with a certified energy advisor to identify how they can improve their home’s energy performance. Families can then choose which upgrades to implement and receive related financial incentives. More details are available at www.LiveSmartBC.ca.
After some delays, the Fort St. John residents can begin lacing up their skates for the official opening of the Enerplex.The recreational facility will have its grand opening on Oct. 13 with a ribbon cutting ceremony starting at 6 p.m.- Advertisement -Wednesday’s event will include live entertainment from the band ‘Folky Strum Strum’ and a group of local artists that will be performing a song written especially for the Enerplex’s grand opening, says Recreation Programmer Serena Warkentine.She says there will also be F18s that will fly over the building and a fireworks exhibit.The following day, there will be a spot for the facility’s biggest sports user groups – minor hockey, speed skating and figure skating – to have demonstrations and workshops, which she says will probably include learning how to speed skate or figure skate.Thursday’s festivities will include free food and free admittance to the Enerplex between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.Advertisement Residents can get more information about the event by calling the City at 250-787-8150 or by visiting the City’s website.
June’s total was even worse, and at 14.3 millimeters represented only 20 percent of the 71.4 average.It all adds up to another agricultural drought year, with the three month total to date at 98.2 millimeters, and only 46 percent of the 211.5 average.Ironically, to add insult to injury, farmers now need sunny weather to finish taking off what crop there is to get, and after today the forecast calls for five straight days of some shower activity. There’s still a chance Fort St. John could finish the month by reaching or exceeding the August precipitation average.The local airport recorded 11.5 millimeters, during the last three days of last week, but there was none yesterday.There’s also none in today’s forecast, but there’s a good chance we’ll get some rain tomorrow afternoon and evening.- Advertisement -However, it will need to total 11.1 millimeters to match the August norm of 56.9, and officially we haven’t recorded that much in any one day since May 22nd, when we recieved 23.8.So it remains quite likely August will be the third consecutive month of below average precipitation…but at 45.8 millimeters it’s already the best of the three.July’s total was 38.1, and that’s less than half the average of 83.2.Advertisement
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Former US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-LehtinenFormer US congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in her column for the Orlando Sentinel said on Tuesday that following the series of appeals and months of legal battles following the passage of the No-Confidence Motion in December 2018, setting the stage for future elections, hopefully, a date will be set soon.Ros-Lehtinen, a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, in her column said that Guyana has roughly the population of her former congressional district, but noted that the size of the country’s population should not fool anyone.“Today it (Guyana) is on the verge of an economic and cultural boom. Guyana’s offshore shelf is home to massive energy reserves, as ExxonMobil discovered in 2015. Thirteen additional strikes later, Guyana looks poised to become one of the world’s largest oil producers per capita by mid-2020. Some experts expect Guyana to generate up to $5 billion in production revenues by that time, more than tripling its GDP,” the former Congresswoman said in her column.She noted that it has been a long road for Guyana, adding that prior to the major discovery, oil exploration had come up blank again and again.“The situation was so dire that in 2014, Royal Dutch Shell sold off its acreage for $1. The streak of finds seems to suggest huge potential for future prosperity in the small nation. Nothing is certain, however, as development is taking place alongside a fractious and protracted political battle which threatens to stall the country’s progress”.She added that in December of 2018, the country’s governing coalition — led by President David Granger — lost a vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly. After a series of appeals and months of legal battles, the Caribbean Court of Justice made a final ruling in July that the no-confidence vote was valid, setting the stage for future elections. Hopefully, a date will be set soon.“As the campaign gets underway, I urge both major political parties in Guyana to seize this opportunity to lay out a bold vision for the future. The Guyanese people want reforms to education, infrastructure and healthcare. Additional reforms to increase transparency and the effective management of energy revenues will also be key,” Ros-Lehtinen added.While the future is Guyana’s to decide, the US and its regional partners have a role to play as well, she added, pointing that “I know our Guyanese-American communities are up to the challenge. It’s in everyone’s interests to help build a strong, prosperous Guyana where rule of law, good governance, and opportunity shine as a beacon throughout the region,” US Congresswoman added.Ros-Lehtinen represented the 27th District of Florida in Congress from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior US representative from Florida.Caretaker President David Granger
Junior shortstop Danny Worth and freshman first baseman Ryan Heroy collected three hits each to lead a 16-hit attack in Pepperdine’s 8-3 nonconference victory over USC on Tuesday. In the bottom of the third, the Waves (5-2) scored three times to take a 4-2 lead. Freshman designated hitter Mark Tracy singled in two runs to break a 2-2 tie and give Pepperdine a 4-2 lead. The Waves broke the game open with a three-run fifth, highlighted by a run-scoring single from sophomore second baseman Denny Duron and a two-run single from Worth. USC fell to 5-4. UCLA 3, UC Riverside 2: Ryan Babineau had twoRBIs, and the Bruins (3-4) staved off the Highlanders’ two-run rally in the ninth to get the win at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Jason Nowak (1-0) went four innings and struck out seven, and Brant Rustich picked up his second save for the Bruins. SOFTBALL UCLA 14, UC Riverside 0: Senior second baseman Lisa Dodd hit a first-inning grand slam and Kaila Shull and Jaisa Creps also added homers as the third-ranked Bruins (3-3) captured a five-inning, run-rule victory in their home opener. Junior pitcher Anjelica Selden allowed just one hit for UCLA, retiring the first 11 batters. WOMEN’S TENNIS 
USC 7, San Diego State: The No. 5-ranked Trojans (5-0) swept all six singles matches and won all three doubles matches in the victory over the Aztecs. UCLA 7, UC Irvine 0: The No. 15-ranked Bruins improved to 5-2 with the victory at home over the Anteaters (5-2). WOMEN’S GOLF Northrup update: Pepperdine was in first place, USC was in fourth and UCLA was in 10th place after the second round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at the Palos Verdes Golf Club. Sophomore Jayvie Agojo shot a 2-over par 73 for the Waves, who are four shots ahead of Arizona State heading into today’s final round. USC’s Paola Moreno and Belen Mozo are both tied for fourth individually, and UCLA’s Hannah Jun is tied for sixth. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
“People who come to Religious Science like a more intellectual approach to religion. Religious Science is a philosophy and a way of life,” said Lauer of the Center of Spiritual Awakening. “We ask people to be more responsible. We ask them to think. People come to us spiritually hungry. We don’t dictate to them. We challenge them.” Among the many questions Lauer said she is asked is whether Religious Science is based on biblical teachings. “Yes and no,” she said. “We use teachings of all sacred texts. There is a golden thread of truth in all religions and you can take that thread. That’s one of the advantages of Religious Science.” And while the center’s umbrella organization is Burbank-based United Church of Religious Science, many congregations do not use the word “church” in their names. “Using the word `center’ embraces everyone from any religious background. Spiritual Awakening came about because we found most of us were trying to awaken ourselves in that way,” said Judy Duncklee, a Religious Science practitioner at Center of Spiritual Awakening. Center of Spiritual Awakening’s Sunday service includes music, prayer, Lauer’s message and congregational singing. Meditation is an important spiritual tool in Religious Science and the center holds a 20-minute meditation before the service. “Religious Science changed my life. It’s given me a purpose in life, a relationship with God and confidence,” said Duncklee, who grew up attending a Unity church. “Rev. Carrie, my friend and mentor, has a way of touching people’s hearts. She is an excellent teacher.” “Always Enough,” a message about health, will be the topic delivered by the Rev. Carrie Lauer, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Center of Spiritual Awakening, meeting at the Radisson Hotel, 9777 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Meditation: 10 a.m. “The Secret” will be screened, 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Free. Call (818) 709-1451 or see www.centerofspiritualawakening.com. holly.andres@dailynews.com (818) 713-3708160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! “Rev. Carrie is a light and bright person. Her sermons come from the heart. They’ve even made us cry.” But finding the Center of Spiritual Awakening, which celebrates its sixth anniversary this month, can be tricky. The center’s primary outreach to potential new members is its Web site. And no signs mark the congregation’s meetings at the Radisson Hotel on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Spiritual seekers also must make an initial connection with Religious Science or Science of Mind, which often are mistakenly believed to be affiliated with Scientology or Church of Christ, Scientist. Rather, Religious Science was founded by Ernest Holmes in 1927 in Los Angeles. Holmes explained his philosophy in a 1926 book, “The Science of Mind.” In essence, Holmes believed that “the laws of science, the opinions of philosophy and the revelations of religions” can coalesce and be used to create a positive life. CHATSWORTH – For members of the Center of Spiritual Awakening, finding the congregation was like finding the spiritual community of their dreams. And it’s a feeling they want others to experience at the Chatsworth-based affiliate of the United Church of Religious Science. “Immediately, we were accepted. It was amazing to me. People hugged and smiled at us,” said Lauren Sperber, who with her actor-husband, Scott Sperber, had sought a congregation closer to their Chatsworth home after enjoying a Religious Science congregation in Lancaster. Lauren said she was encouraged to attend the Chatsworth center when she saw a picture of the Rev. Carrie Lauer on the center’s Web site. 
Robitaille told Spector to “knock that off and put that away,” and he eventually let her leave. A similar incident occurred a decade later when she claims Spector again put a gun to her head in the foyer of his home after a night of drinking. At the time, Robitaille had taken a job as Spector’s part-time assistant. An after-hours phone call to Spector’s attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday. An April 10 hearing was scheduled to consider the prosecution’s request. Prosecutors already plan to present testimony from four other women who claim Spector threatened them with a gun. In a separate motion, prosecutors also asked the court to admit into evidence a conversation Spector reportedly had with a retired New York City police officer at a holiday party at the home of Joan Rivers in 1995 or 1996. Prosecutors in the Phil Spector murder case have asked a judge to allow testimony from a former employee and one-time girlfriend who said the famed record producer pointed a gun at her head in two separate incidents that occurred decades ago. In court documents filed Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson said the testimony demonstrates a “long history of gun-related violence directed at women” and should be admitted as evidence during Spector’s upcoming trial on charges he killed actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003. Devra Robitaille, who worked at Warner Spector Records from 1974 to 1977, told investigators that one night Spector placed a shotgun or rifle against her forehead when she tried to leave the producer’s home after a party. “Spector, who was drunk, made some sort of joke and then said, `Just so you know, I’ll blow your (expletive) head off’ or `If you try to leave, I’ll blow your (expletive) brains out,”‘ according to the court documents. Vince Tannazzo, who was working security at the party, said he was asked to escort Spector out after a commotion. While they were leaving, Tannazzo said Spector made numerous profane, disparaging and threatening remarks about women, according to the court filing. “They all deserve to die. They all deserve a bullet in their (expletive) head,” Tannazzo quoted Spector as saying. “That’s why I got permits for all over. Wherever I go, I always keep a gun, because these (expletive), they’re all no (expletive) good.” Tannazzo told authorities a similar episode occurred at the same party the following year.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
SANTA CLARITA – The U.S. Supreme Court will rule in June on a lawsuit involving voluntary cleanup of contamination, and that ruling could affect Santa Clarita as work continues to clear chemicals from a former munitions plant. The Castaic Lake Water Agency, the wholesaler serving the Santa Clarita Valley, has filed a friend of the court brief, supporting the plaintiffs’ arguments in the case. At issue is whether a federal law that provides a means for recovering cleanup costs will be upheld in those types of cases. “A favorable result will help promote cleanups all across the country,” said Fred Fudacz, a partner with California-based Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP, which represented the water agency and others in the friend of the court brief. The case was argued Tuesday before the Supreme Court. Atlantic Research Corp., a subsidiary of Sequa Corp., had sought to recover cleanup costs from the federal government. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supported the company’s right to do so; the government appealed. A decision is expected in June. Earlier, Nossaman Guthner filed the amicus brief backing the lower court ruling on behalf of the CLWA and several state and national water agencies. Groundwater contaminated by perchlorate and other chemicals – at the Whittaker-Bermite site in the heart of Santa Clarita and other locales – is costly and time-consuming to clean up. “The relevance to us is, if there’s additional contamination from the Whittaker-Bermite site, it enhances our ability to pursue action and obtain financial remuneration, much in the same way we did on the perchlorate litigation,” said Dan Masnada, general manager of the CLWA. Contaminants in the soil and groundwater remain from five decades of weapons manufacturing and testing on the 996-acre Whittaker-Bermite site in the middle of town. Bermite, its insurer and others are paying for the cleanup. Perchlorate, a chemical residue from rocket fuel that has been implicated in thyroid problems, is the major contaminant left from the Bermite business. In March, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control began overseeing cleanup of soil at the site where explosives were manufactured and tested from 1934 to 1987. The Bermite property, now eyed for development, is bounded by Soledad Canyon Road, Golden Valley Road and San Fernando Road. The Circle J development is to the south. Off-site cleanup of tainted groundwater will begin in 2008 after pipelines and a treatment plant are built during the next year, Masnada said. The plant will join the agency’s other facility near Bouquet Canyon Road and Valencia Boulevard. A nearby plant that treats water from Valencia Water Company’s Q-2 well will be decommissioned after the new plant is built, its treatments integrated into the newer facility. The CLWA augments the local groundwater supply with water purchased from the State Water Project in Northern California. The agency supplies local retailers, among them Valencia Water. The new plant, which will also treat water from Saugus 1 and 2 wells, should stop the Saugus Formation’s migrating perchlorate contamination plume, Masnada said, adding that customers need not worry. “All drinking water is tested to ensure it is 100percent potable and safe,” he said. “Customers are not receiving any water with perchlorate in it and never will.”160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Facing a projected $30 million shortfall in next year’s budget, the Los Angeles City Council moved to quickly impose higher fees Thursday for everything from trash collection to brush clearance. In the first day of hearings by a council panel on the $6.8 billion budget, aides to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he is proposing that monthly trash-collection fees increase from $22 to $26 in January. Aides said the mayor also is seeking to speed other fee increases as a key part of adding 1,000 Los Angeles Police Department officers by 2009. “We are in a different position this year and our (focus) has to be to try to get full funding from any increase of a 12-month period rather than waiting for the money to come in later,” said Councilman Bernard Parks, chairman of the council’s Budget and Finance Committee reviewing the spending plan. Deputy Mayor Sally Choi said the mayor is also concerned about the shortfall in revenue and submitted a conservative budget to reflect the city’s fiscal realities. “This budget is about continuing the transformation that began last year with teamwork with the City Council and better management,” Choi said. “It is about managing within our resources.” Police Chief William Bratton said the city already expects to hire 730 officers this year, 80 more than anticipated. The LAPD is expected to have 9,700 officers by June 30. “We have had momentum going in hiring, and I would hate to see it stopped,” Bratton said. The department is budgeted to hire 780 officers this coming year at an estimated cost of $8 million. Bratton also submitted a laundry list of proposals he would like to see funded, including hiring more specialized staffers and purchasing new equipment. He said his office is working with City Controller Laura Chick on an audit to determine if more civilians can be hired to free up officers for patrol duties. In a related move, the council panel said it was sympathetic to City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s plea to avert up to $3 million in cuts projected for his department. But while Delgadillo emphasized the need for more gang prosecutors, the council focused on programs in which prosecutors work with schools to reduce crime and truancy. “I think you find that parents respond more when they get a letter from the City Attorney’s Office than they would if we transfer this to the Children, Youth and Families Commission,” Councilman Greig Smith said of one of the proposals in Villaraigosa’s budget. Delgadillo said his office cannot afford any reductions, particularly with the LAPD increasing. “It all goes hand in hand,” Delgadillo said. “If you hire more police officers, we need more prosecutors. If you hire more police officers, we are handcuffed. If we are going to increase public safety resources, we believe we need a corresponding increase in prosecutors.” Council members also expressed concern that the budget not scrimp on public services such as street and sidewalk repairs. “We got in serious problems a couple of years ago by ignoring the infrastructure,” Smith said. “That’s why we have a backlog of 83 miles of streets that need repairs. We have to move very carefully if we are going to get away from the basics.” — Rick Orlov, (213) 978-0390rick.orlov@dailynews.com
Cynthia Cisneros and her husband were working as veterinarians in a Guadalajara, Mexico, clinic when the economy crumbled in the early 1990s. Desperate to stay afloat, the couple immigrated legally to California a decade ago and rented a simple, two-bedroom apartment in Arleta for $800 a month. Cisneros landed a $4.25-an-hour job at a fast-food restaurant in Panorama City, while her husband juggled similar work and a second job as a valet parking attendant. “We came here to study something else, but my first opportunity was Carl’s Jr. I worked hard and it got better and better,” said Cisneros, now 39 and the manager of the local eatery, where she makes about $30,000 a year. But despite her husband’s seven-day work schedule, the couple still doesn’t make much more than $40,000 – just slightly more than average for the Panorama-Arleta community, according to the most recent Census Bureau figures. The Cisneroses are among an influx of immigrants in the San Fernando Valley and their economic situation highlights growing gaps that have begun to emerge among the region’s communities. Just two miles to the south of the Cisneros family – in Encino and Tarzana – the median household income is nearly $70,000. But the Cisneroses aren’t particularly bothered by their situation. They’ve worked hard to learn English by taking classes, watching television and asking co-workers for grammar advice. And they’ve saved enough money over the years to buy a couple of cars, take their 7-year-old son on outings to the beach and mountains, and buy an annual pass to Universal Studios. Cynthia Cisneros says it’s values that matter, not money, ethnic or cultural differences. “Maybe the people have money, but if they can’t think about the other person or feel about the other person, maybe that’s a problem, too,” she said. But the Cisneroses are concerned about what Cynthia describes as an erosion of the quality of life in her community. The Panorama City-Arleta area – where one in four people lives in poverty – has grown more crowded and traffic has worsened. While she’s satisfied with her son’s school, she worries about more crime, including robberies, auto thefts and hit-and-run crashes late at night. “Right now, I don’t really like living in the Valley,” she said. The couple has grown so frustrated that they even are considering moving to Ojai in Ventura County. Cisneros also is concerned about what she considers some people’s unfair and uninformed attitudes about Mexicans and other immigrants. She said her family contributes in many ways to the economy, including by paying their taxes, their bills and rent. “We don’t want anything for free,” Cisneros said. “We don’t do nothing bad. We’re good people. We work … We do everything.” beth.barrett@dailynews.com (818) 713-3731 Panorama City-Arleta Median household income: $37,354 Percent of people below poverty level: 23.4% Percent of renters: 52% Average household size: 3.8 Hispanic: 73.2% Non-Hispanic white: 8.9% Asian: 14.1%160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
“And if that could include sharing infrastructure, sharing logistics, economies of scale on plants, we’ll look at all of those levers that can make a project most attractive to us, while managing the risk we have.”Imperial’s LNG ambitions – which are being pursued alongside U.S. parent ExxonMobil – are in their very early stages. Kruger said he can’t speculate on what other companies may or may not do.“But we’re going to look at what can make our project the most attractive and the most valuable, and if that includes co-operating with others in some form or fashion in any part of the value chain, we’ll look at it seriously.”- Advertisement -Together, Imperial and Exxon have a large acreage position in northeastern B.C.’s gas-rich Horn River Basin, recently augmented by the $3.1-billion acquisition of Celtic Exploration, which had shale gas holdings in the Montney formation in B.C. and the Duvernay formation in Alberta.The Canadian and U.S. companies also recently made an expression of interest in B.C. Crown land at Grassy Point, north of Prince Rupert, as a potential site for an LNG terminal, though it’s just one option being explored. Others looking at that location include Nexen, owned by Chinese firm CNOOC Ltd., Australia’s Woodside and Korea’s SK E&S.Advertisement There are scores of proposals on the drawing board to chill northeast B.C. natural gas into a liquid state, enabling the resource to be shipped to lucrative Asian markets by tanker. Multi-billion dollar projects led by Shell, Chevron and Malaysia’s Petronas are just a few that are currently on the go.Although many other projects are forging ahead, Kruger said he’s not concerned that the window of opportunity to get in on the LNG opportunity will eventually close on Imperial and Exxon.“When you’re advancing something like an LNG project with its significant cost and all, we certainly pay attention to what others are doing, but our own progress and plans aren’t driven by what others may be doing,” he said.Besides, he later added, “I think it’s a safe assumption to say they won’t all come to fruition.”Advertisement
Brenda Baumeister is the event organizer for the Fort St. John portion of the event. She says Relay for Life is the main fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society which supports people who are dealing with, or have dealt with cancer.“The Canadian Cancer Society covers all cancers, it’s not just a specific one or two. It helps us with support for our cancer survivors as well as their families. It’s for research as well as preventative stuff,” she explains. “The money that we raise today, yes it’s a bonus of course we need it for all those reasons. We have teams that go around and raise money. We’re also here to support our survivors, they are the brave ones.”Baumeister adds that without the support of local businesses or the general public the event would not be as successful as it is.- Advertisement -“Motive 7 Inspections is our event sponsor and we have many others,” she says. “Fort St. John is an amazing town. People just come out and are there for you. It’s really an amazing event because everyone comes together.”Meanwhile the Dawson Creek Relay for Life is scheduled for June 14.
B.C. Hydro is working to restore power to two large outages in the B.C. Peace. The biggest outage is near Moberly Lake affecting 480 customers. The outage runs from Chetwynd to Moberly and started at approximately 2:40 p.m.Hydro is still assessing the outage and has not issued a restoration time.The other large outage is north of Fort St. John along the Alaska Highway from north of Mile 72 to Wonowon and into the Halfway First Nation. That outage started at around 1 p.m. and Hydro has not issued a time for when power will be restored. Approximately 300 customers are affected by this outage.- Advertisement -For more details about when power will be restored, visit www.bchydro.com/outages or 1-888-POWER-ON.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — In what he sees as a case of putting the views of the majority of his constituents ahead of those of his party, Peace River North Liberal MLA Pat Pimm has started a petition against the government’s proposed Climate Leadership Plan.Launched last Thursday, with a first day total of nearly 500 signatures, the petition targets the 32 recommendation draft report issued by a government appointed 18-member Climate Leadership Team, which Pimm believes had an unbalanced issue oriented membership.- Advertisement -As reported earlier, supporters of the committee recommendations called on the government to implement the suggested changes this spring in an open letter to the Premier released last week. Including a recommendation that the current $30 a tonne BC carbon tax be increased twelve times that amount by 2050.Pimm, in his ‘No Increase to BC Carbon Tax’ petition message to the Premier and his Liberal caucus colleagues, has offered some practical application math, including how implementation of that recommendation would impact consumer prices at BC filling stations.Now keep in mind that’s just the carbon tax portion of the posted price, and Mr. Pimm has also included a local industry impact example, noting the current carbon tax, costs Spectra Energy over 70 million dollars per year, but by 2050 under the revised plan that amount would jump to 840 million.Critics and supporters are reminded the government has extended the deadline of the two month public comment period on the committee report until Friday.Advertisement
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for residents in the area of the Beatton Airport Road Forest Fire.As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the Peace River Regional District has issued an Evacuation Alert for the following area of the Beatton Airport Road in Electoral Area B:From 12501 Highway 97N south to the intersection at 258 Road, East to the intersection of 283 Road, North 6.5 km continuing Northwest 9 km to the Beatton Airport Road, West to 14962 PDR 204 back to 12501 at Highway 97N.- Advertisement -See the map below (click the image to see the full size).
An Evacuation Alert has been issued to prepare you to evacuate your premises or property should it be found necessary. Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation; however you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions.The Beatton Airport Road Fire has grown to over 4,500 hectares in size.Advertisement
0Shares0000The Slum Boys spent almost the entire season in the bottom three positions of the Kenyan Premier League standings but just managed to evade the relegation axe, finishing the season at 13th.NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 1- Mathare United skipper George ‘Wise’ Owino says the club has learnt its lessons and is not ready to dangle on the thin line of relegation for yet another season when the new campaign kicks-off this weekend.The Slum Boys spent almost the entire season in the bottom three positions of the Kenyan Premier League standings but just managed to evade the relegation axe, finishing the season at 13th. This season, Owino says, their target will be to work for a top four finish and if at worse finish in the top eight.“It was a very tough situation last year because of the situation we found ourselves in. We had a very young squad, most of who had not played in the league before and we ended up struggling because of small mistakes,” Owino told Capital Sport at the club’s training base on Thursday.“We have learnt our lessons and the good thing this year is that we have a bit of experience in the team with the players that have come in. We want to start the season better and keep it that way,” Owino, one of the most experienced players in the league said.Head coach Francis Kimanzi is also optimistic the performance this season will be better, though he does not specifically outline his targets.Head coach Francis Kimanzi is also optimistic the performance this season will be better, though he does not specifically outline his targets.Last season, Mathare started off with a 3-2 win away to Thika United before going on a dry run of six matches.“When you have a foundation you can’t change much; you continue from there. From last season, we have players who can continue working well and we also have brought in players who can add something different to the game. We have to see if they cope to the culture of the team and if they can settle in,” Kimanzi noted.The Slum Boys have brought in nine new players into the squad with among others Samuel Ndung’u joining from AFC Leopards, Mike Simiyu from Gor Mahia and Clifford Alwanga from Tusker while goalkeeper Robert Mboya returns from Kariobangi Sharks.“We have a lot of quality in the team and balanced in all departments. No one can be comfortable in their positions and the competition brought in is very good. Overall, I think we have a very strong team,” skipper Owino added.Mathare United assistant coach Salim Ali (left) makes a pointto his boss Francis Kimanzi during a Kenyan Premier League match at the Thika Sub County Stadium in April, 2017. PHOTO/Timothy OlobuluHowever, coach Kimanzi is not celebrating early, saying he will wait to see how they integrate into the team in actual match days.“So far so good, though we have not had plenty time to prepare. The new guys are working very hard and hopefully, they can get into the system well. It is always a gamble; you never know whether you have a right player or not especially those who have been in many teams,” Kimanzi noted.Mathare start the season with a tricky away tie against newly promoted Vihiga United and Kimanzi knows it will not be an easy fixture to walk in as they don’t know much about their opponents.“We don’t know much about them so we have to concentrate on ourselves and what we can do with our strengths. Every team wants to win the first match and for us it will be crucial as well to start with a win for some good momentum,” the tactician notes.He is also backing the new young players brought in to shine, among them being Klinsman Omulanga and Johnstone Omurwa signed from Wazito FC.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
0Shares0000AFC Leopards’ Dennis Kitambi will help new head coach Zapata pick a local assistant coach. Photo/RAYMOND MAKHAYANAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 18- Before he departs for his Bangladesh sojourn, AFC Leopards interim coach Dennis Kitambi will assist incoming boss Rodolfo Zapata in picking his assistant coach with the Argentine expected in the country this week.AFC settled on Zapata after combing through over 20 CVs and according to Chairman Dan Mule, they have faith that the South American’s experience in the continent will be vital in assisting the team win the Kenyan Premier League title for the first time in 20 years. “He has worked in Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana and we were convinced that having been in the continent for so long, he has enough experience. We have carefully examined his CV and we believe his credentials are good enough,” AFC leopards boss Dan Mule told Capital Sport.“When he arrives later this week we will have a meeting with him where we will lay out our plans and ambitions as a club and outline his targets. He will have time with Kitambi and learn a few things as a club and also get advise on who best to pick as assistant coach,” Mule further stated.Zapata will be AFC’s 14th coach in four years but Mule hopes that his arrival will reduce the huge turnover of coaches.Kitambi is set to leave the club on May 8 heading to Bangladesh to undertake coaching course as well as work as Stewart Hall’s assistant at Saif Sporting Club.“Kitambi has done really well for us and we appreciate his role. He stepped in at a crucial time and helped us stabilize the club,” Mule said, paying tribute to the Tanzanian.AFC are currently third in the Kenyan Premier League standings with 18 points, five off leaders Mathare United but with one match at hand.The 51-year old Zapata is currently coaching Botswana top flight side Gaborone United who are placed fifth in their league.Majority of his experience has been in the United States where he has worked with the United States Youth Soccer Academy as well as the Alberta Soccer Association in Canada.In Africa, he first worked in Nigeria where he coached Sunshine FC in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) in 2010 helping them to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup in 2011.He then moved on to South Africa for the 2011 and 2012 seasons with Mpumalanga Black Aces. Zapata joined Gaborone in 2016 after a stint in the USA where he has worked to date.Zapata started out as a player in the Argentinian 2nd division. He played as goalkeeper in Huracan, Sportivo Italiano, Racing de Olavarría, Club Atlético San Miguel and Cipolletti de Rio Negro.Due to consecutive knee injuries, Zapata retired from playing and he embarked on a managerial career.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
Swansea City have swooped to sign Ecuador World Cup winger Jefferson Montero.The 24-year-old has joined the Swans from Mexican top-flight club Morelia for an undisclosed fee.He has penned a four-year deal at the Liberty Stadium and becomes Garry Monk’s fifth signing of the close season following the arrivals of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Bafetimbi Gomis, Marvin Emnes and Stephen Kingsley.The former Villarreal winger, who is comfortable playing on both flanks, made three appearances at the most recent World Cup in Brazil and has 43 caps in total for Ecuador.Meanwhile, midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo has left Swansea to join La Liga side Rayo Vallecano for an undisclosed fee.The 22-year-old made 36 appearances after signing from Real Betis last summer, but was frozen out by Monk after he replaced Michael Laudrup. 1 Jefferson Montero 
England coach Gary Neville has hinted Jack Wilshere will continue to play in the defensive midfield role he is unaccustomed to on the international stage.The Arsenal star was deployed in a deeper role at the base of a midfield diamond in the 2-0 win over Switzerland on Monday night and enjoyed mixed success.But Neville believes Wilshere, who has been criticised for failing to build on his potential as a youngster, can now kick on, particularly after boss Roy Hodgson showed tremendous faith in the 22-year-old.“He’s got the mental strength to be a top international player and he’s got the talent, but what he needs to do now is to physically make sure he keeps completely free of injury for a long period of time,” the former England right-back told Drivetime.“I know he’s said since the game he was looking at clips of [Andrea] Pirlo. Of course, I played with Paul Scholes and if you look at those two, you wouldn’t normally have them down as the holding midfield player type.“But when Roy was naming his team, he said, ‘Look we’ve got a massively talented player here. We’ve got somebody who can get on the ball, who loves being on the ball and plays at a club, who play probably year in, year out the best football in the league, so why don’t we give him his head and trust him that he can have the intelligence to play in that role?’“And I think it’s something he can build on now. I’m not saying he’s going to play there every single time or that’s his new position, because that’s too sweeping a statement. But what it did show was an incredible amount of trust in him from the manager and what we think of him.“We’ve got this talented player and why not make him a central figure in the team in what was a big game? You could argue it was a decision that could have backfired on us if for instance [Xhedran] Shaqiri had played in there and gone past him and people would ask, ‘Why did you do it?’“But they’re the sort of decisions that Roy Hodgson has made in these last two years. He’s made brave decisions in picking younger players and sometimes in positions that maybe others wouldn’t [pick players].”