UEFA will meet in the next few hours and, among other things, decide when and how to play Inter-Getafe next week. The Italian Lombardy is the area of Europe most affected by the coronavirus and the precautions are maximum. This weekend six matches of the scudetto were suspended, including the Juventus-Inter and Milan-Genoa that was to be played in San Siro, the stadium that will host the clash of the Azulones on March 12. The Euroleague basketball game between Olimpia Milan and Real Madrid on Tuesday will be played behind closed doors and there will be no access even for the press.With all these precedents, Getafe awaits instructions to organize your trip to Italy. The fans, who moved en masse to Amsterdam last week, this time have not moved a finger in fear that they will not be allowed to enter the game. The precautions also come to the return crash that will be played a week later in the Coliseum. Fernando Simón, director of the Center for Health Alerts and Emergency, has made a clear recommendation: “You are not asked to control travel in general, but when there are movements of very large groups of people together that come from areas where they are not allowed to be together … We have to think twice if we allow large groups of people to join here. It would be necessary to look for the way so that the fans of the north of Italy do not come to Spain “. Bordalás was interrogated at a press conference about the matter and maintained absolute caution. The team prefers for the moment on the sidelines and concentrate on their work. Apparently in Mallorca they have succeeded. The coach has given his players two days off, which they will return to work on wednesday. Before visiting Milan, the Blues have to receive Celtic on Saturday night at the Coliseum. read more
Dear Editor,“Statesman par excellence” and “a matchless leader of the Guyanese people” are just some of the many complimentary remarks made by both the local and the international communities and people of all races, even those who are his political opponents. Recently, on social media, a strong supporter of the coalition referred to him as a true leader. By now you know whom I am referring to – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo!Since he took up the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition, he has relentlessly exposed the massive corruption and gross ineptitude of the coalition. He has been persistent in his pursuit and never has this country seen a more effective leader than this man.He has singlehandedly pronounced on each of the failed economic policies of the coalition and they have never been able to counterattack or rebut his incisive arguments. He has expertly unmasked each and every act of corruption by providing detailed facts and figures which the coalition cannot dispute. For the first time, Guyanese have an opportunity to sift through tangible pieces of evidence of corruption, quite unlike what the coalition failed to do. The Guyanese populace was appalled by the enormous level of corruption by the coalition.I can recall that when the coalition was the Opposition, they uttered endless streams of rhetoric about massive corruption of the PPP/C Government but until now and after spending $133 million on about 45 forensic audits, they cannot successfully prosecute even one such instance of corruption. Yet they regurgitated the corruption platform ad nauseam and it was also used ceaselessly during the 2011 elections and also during the 2015 elections campaign when it was actually used to camouflage their fictitious manifesto.But the people would have known that something was amiss when the PNC failed to take part in the NCN’s Corruption Debate in 2012. The PNC knew that they were just playing mind games with the Guyanese public and all they were interested in was to enrich themselves, cronies and families though corrupt practices.However, Dr Jagdeo did not stop at exposing the corruption and incompetency of the coalition tricksters and fraudsters with his trademark weekly press conference but he skilfully manoeuvred his party to a massive win in the 2018 Local Government which became the catalyst for the now famous No-Confidence Motion which successfully toppled the coalition Government on December 21, 2018. The coalition thought he was biting more than he could chew when they mockingly sang in chorus, “Bring it on!” I guess they will never sing that refrain again.They then recanted their acceptance of defeat and embarked on an ignominious journey which would expose the true nature of the coalition – the old PNC has returned with a vengeance and this time with some AFC converts.The PNC thought that they were buying time to rig the next election but what they have done is irreparable damage to their image, both locally and internationally, to the extent that the USA, the UK, the EU, the Commonwealth and many local organisations demanded that the Granger Administration respect Guyana’s Constitution and call the elections which are long overdue.The coalition has now lost whatever shred of credibility they had. In the process of delaying the elections, Jagdeo expertly decimated the coalition, resulting in many supporters of the coalition crossing the floor. Jagdeo’s wisdom, perseverance and tenacity bore fruit!Moreover, like a true leader of the Guyanese people, he marshaled and deployed his forces on a daily basis to fight and counterattack each and every devious stratagem which the PNC attempted to foist on this nation to hoodwink and deceive them. Not only that but he restrained, guided and educated them on a peaceful course to fight against the ugly head of dictatorship which has once again threatened to engulf this nation. It was not an easy task. Some criticised his decision when it had appeared that he made a wrong move in the selection of the GECOM’s Chairperson but Jagdeo maintained that he has full confidence in her and so be it.Once again, he proved that he was absolutely right. The PNC could not have forced her to act illegally against the Court’s decision and for GECOM to embark on a new form of ‘verification’. In addition, she has not only corrected the Claims and Objections period but has accepted technical assistance from the international community to avoid similar pitfalls. Jagdeo’s foresight again pays off!It had taken 28 years to get rid of the PNC’s dictatorship but this time the fall is swift and I am sure that in the final analysis, the master strategist will be successful in bringing back his people once again on the road to prosperity which the coalition comprehensively destroyed in just 4 years. His support to the PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate will ensure this.Yours sincerely,Haseef Yusuf read more
Mr. Ambulai B. Johnson, a cousin of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and her Minister of Internal Affairs in 2006, has died in North Carolina in the United States. He would have reached his 72 by October this year.He served as Deputy Minister of Labor in 1980 and former lecturer at Cuttington College now Cuttington University in 1970. The late Johnson also lectured at the University of Liberia (UL) in 1980. Reports reaching the Daily Observer and confirmed by relatives yesterday, said Mr. Johnson lost his battle with cancer.It may be recalled that during President Sirleaf’s first term, Mr. Johnson served as her minister of internal affairs but was forced to resign in 2010. At the time (2010) Mr. Johnson raised eyebrows in political circles when Presidential Sirleaf was planning to contest her second term and allegations surfaced that Mr. Johnson was involved in misrepresentation and had mismanaged in excess of US$1 million Nimba County’s Development Funds. The revelation was made by Senator Prince Y. Johnson, (Nimba County) who was then an independent candidate.Senator Johnson further revealed that Minister Johnson used a letterhead from the President’s office, claiming ‘By Directive of the President’ and went into financial deals, pretending that they were sanctioned by President Sirleaf.Prince Johnson also revealed that Johnson forged a letterhead from the Ministry of State and along with the Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy, Dr. Eugene Shannon, allegedly “played in the money” provided by Mittal Steel. Mittal Steel was to pay to Nimba County US$6 million over a four year period that would amount to US$1.5 million a year for the use of Nimba County’s resources.However, Sen. Prince Johnson revealed, only US$5 million was deposited in Nimba County’s coffers at the time but could not state the whereabouts of the remaining US$1 million.Senator Johnson meanwhile quoted President Sirleaf expressing anger over the communication written on the letterhead of the Ministry of State by Minister Shannon.The Senator told journalists at the time that “The involvement of Minister Johnson in our money is discouraging, and disappointing. I have been to the President’s office on several occasions on this matter, appealing to her to intervene but nothing has been done, and [Ministers]Johnson and Eugene Shannon (are) just playing with the money.” President Sirleaf’s apparent initial inaction against Johnson and Dr. Shannon, brought a lot of embarrassment to the administration, according to reactions at the time, when it was also revealed that Mr. Johnson had built a mansion on Robertsfield Highway and also bought a Jaguar, a luxury vehicle.As Johnson’s iniquities increased, President Sirleaf had no choice but to request her cousin to resign, which he did and the President accepted with relief, despite the embarrassment. Many said her decision won the President considerable support that greatly increased her chances for winning her second term in office.When the death news hit Monrovia on Tuesday, many who heard it could only reflect on the events surrounding his resignation in 2010 and President Sirleaf’s bold step of asking him to quit the job.Up to yesterday there was no official announcement of Mr. Johnson’s death and family members spoken to could not make any comment about information concerning his funeral arrangements.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) read more
A man who claimed that he retaliated in “self-defence” by punching a woman to her face was fined $100,000 by Magistrate Leron Daly on Monday morning after admitting to the offence.According to the prosecution’s case, Morris Canterbury unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm on Felicia Phillips on December 13, 2017.The prosecution further stated that the victim was at home when the defendant confronted her and an argument ensued. In a fit of rage, Canterbury dealt Phillips a series of punches to the face.While admitting to his actions, Canterbury claimed that the woman had approached him with a cutlass and was compelled to act in self-defence.He was fined $100,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in him serving six months in prison.
…Govt downplays yanking energy portfolios from Patterson, TrotmanCabinet has officially approved the creation of an Energy Department that would now oversee Guyana’s oil and gas sector. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, has been designated the holder of ministerial responsibility for this department.This announcement was made during a post-Cabinet press briefing which Harmon himself hosted on Friday. In that briefing, he disclosed that the matter had engaged Cabinet’s attention, and its deliberations were centred on “organisational structure of the department, legislation to be introduced for the sector, negotiation with potential investors, exploration and production licences, public communication, responsibilities, the engagement of technical experts, the establishment of a Natural Resource Fund, capacity-building measures, (and) review of fiscal contractual terms.”Responding to questions, Harmon assured that energy-related responsibilities lying with Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson would remain untouched for now. Those include responsibility for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).“Those responsibilities with the Minister of Public Infrastructure will remain there for the time being. The Department of Energy initially will be dealing with oil and gas. Ultimately, (the) Department of Energy will basically deal with all matters in relation to energy.“But as it stands right now, those matters which relate to the Minister of Public Infrastructure will remain (with that minister), and this department will deal with oil and gas. This is the specific responsibility of this department right now.”Harmon noted that ‘a department’ would be less likely to lead to more bureaucracy than creating an Energy Ministry. Asked who would head the department, Harmon noted that while someone has not yet been identified, he will have ultimate responsibility for the unit before the National Assembly.StrippedFollowing a proposal he made, Government had announced its intention last month to strip Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman of responsibility for the sector.The announcement that Trotman was being stripped of his responsibilities for oil was made in a taped interview with the Department of Public Information, in which he said, “Government will, in the coming months, establish the Department of Energy which will be housed in the Ministry of the Presidency.”Trotman said also that the department will be “focused only on the development of the petroleum sector,” based on a proposal that he had made to President David Granger last year.Incidentally, both David Patterson and Raphael Trotman belong to the Alliance for Change (AFC) faction of the coalition administration.Trotman, and indeed the Government, has received much criticism for the way the budding oil sector is being handled. There have, in the past, even been calls to have Trotman removed from his position as Minister, especially when it was discovered that Government had stashed in a private account in the Central Bank US$18 million it had received from ExxonMobil as a signing bonus.Though this discovery was made since last year, the Government has made no attempt to have the money placed into the Consolidated Fund. Many have argued that Article 216 of the Guyana Constitution dictates that all public revenue be placed in the Consolidated Fund, with the exception being where a specific law allows for the money to be placed in a special account.Trotman was also criticised for his handling of the oil contracts between Government and ExxonMobil. Even the Government’s own adviser on petroleum, Dr Jan Mangal, has been skeptical of Guyana’s two per cent royalty on earnings from oil sales, which he said is low compared to global standards.While Dr Mangal has not objected to the 50 per cent profit share Guyana will receive, he does believe that the generous tax concessions and two per cent royalty is nothing to boast about.Others have also come out criticizing Trotman, including outspoken political commentator and Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, who believes that Trotman’s handling of the oil sector could lead to future disaster. read more
160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! “Nothing against this team, but that’s the (kind of) teams we have to beat for sure, to make that push,” said Zubrus, who has 19 goals. Zubrus got his chance after Alexander Semin’s shot trickled past Mathieu Garon and off the right post. It capped a rough night for Garon in his first game in nearly a month. Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and Lubomir Visnovsky scored for the Kings, who lost to the Capitals on the road for the first time in nearly nine years. They had gone 4-0 with one tie at the Verizon Center since a April 4, 1998, loss. Kings rookie Kopitar scored the only goal of the first period. But Garon, returning from a broken finger and giving 40-year-old Sean Burke a night off, allowed three goals in the second period. He whiffed glove-side on Boyd Gordon’s short-handed shot from the blue line, was slow to react on a wraparound by Ben Clymer and let a close-in shot from Chris Clark trickle over the goal line. “They got a couple of easy goals that you don’t like to see happen, and they happened tonight,” Kings coach Marc Crawford said. The Kings kept pace with a redirect from Frolov, his 29th goal of the season, and a one-timer from Visnovsky. Michael Cammalleri, who missed Tuesday’s shootout loss at Tampa Bay with a muscle strain, assisted on both goals. WASHINGTON – A game of inches? How about a game of just one inch? That was about the distance of the winning shot for the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. Dainius Zubrus got his stick on a puck that lay tantalizingly close to the goal line, poking in a rebound 2:28 into overtime in a 4-3 victory over the Kings. That made the razor-thin difference between the struggling clubs. read more
“That building is worth $8million. The lease was almost over,” said Ed Mirzabegian, the hospital’s chief operating officer. “They wanted to lease more area, and we told them we don’t want to renew it or we have to negotiate the lease all over. They agreed with that.” Negotiations went on for a year. The lease now awaits approval from the county Board of Supervisors. Under the agreement, the hospital would have to improve the second-floor space and add more spaces to the parking lot. karen.maeshiro@dailynews.com (661) 267-5744 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! LANCASTER – Antelope Valley Hospital and Los Angeles County have negotiated a new lease for the Palmdale clinic that the hospital built and the county staffs. L.A. County will now pay a market rate of $324,000 a year, rather than the nominal rent of $1 a year it had paid previously. “It’s now going to be a regular market-rate lease. I think the renegotiated lease is fair,” county assistant administrator Tim Moore said. The $5.8 million, two-story, 29,000-square-foot clinic was built by Antelope Valley Hospital and opened in 2002 at 40th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard. The county occupies the first floor and operates a walk-in urgent-care clinic from 8a.m. to midnight seven days a week, and a primary-care clinic where people are seen by appointment 8a.m. to 8p.m. weekdays and 8a.m. to 4:30p.m. Saturdays. The hospital uses the second floor, half of which was unfinished, to house an obstetrics clinic and Healthy Homes program. Under a new 10-year agreement, the county will lease the first floor and part of the second floor to add more services. The current lease ends in September. “The additional space will help us meet the needs of the rapidly growing area,” Moore said. Hospital officials said they decided to ask for more money because the building is worth it. read more
Tyler Perry fans reunited at theaters for another tale of mad black women. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,” a comic drama in which writer-director Perry also stars in three roles, debuted as the weekend’s No. 1 movie with $30.25 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a second gold mine for Lionsgate Films, which also released Perry’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” the movie that opened as No. 1 with $21.9 million on the same weekend last year. Lionsgate hopes to have a third Perry movie out over the same weekend next year, said Steve Rothenberg, the company’s president of distribution. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORECasino Insider: Here’s a look at San Manuel’s new high limit rooms, Asian restaurant “It’s a time when we can really dominate the box office,” Rothenberg said. “If we were out at Christmas, we’d be competing with the big holiday and Oscar films, but late February, with Black History Month and less competition, is a great time period for us.” This weekend’s other new wide releases flopped. The Weinstein Co.’s animated tale “Doogal,” a fairy-tale adventure with a voice cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Fallon, debuted at No. 8 with $3.6 million. New Line’s crime thriller “Running Scared,” starring Paul Walker as a mobster scrambling to recover a gun used in the slaying of a cop, opened at No. 9 with $3.1 million. Walker also stars in last weekend’s No. 1 movie, Disney’s dog tale “Eight Below,” which slipped to second place with $15.7 million. “Eight Below” grossed $45.1 million in 10 days. Though “Madea’s Family Reunion” opened more strongly than “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” the overall weekend box office declined. The top 12 movies took in $99.8 million, down 4.4 percent from the same weekend last year. Based on Perry’s stage play, “Madea’s Family Reunion” depicts a variety of domestic crises as a clan prepares for a reunion. Among the characters Perry plays is the heavyset, pistol-packing Grandma Madea, whom he also played in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” The film was shot for just $6 million. Perry’s stories about empowerment of women set among Madea’s family have a built-in following among black audiences familiar with his plays and video versions of the tales. Black women 35 and older made up 52 percent of the movie’s audience, according to Lionsgate. “The themes Tyler Perry presents resonate very strongly with the black community,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. “It reminds me of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ It has elements of comedy and drama and community that just definitely works.” The South African film “Tsotsi,” a nominee for best foreign-language film at the Academy Awards, opened strongly in limited release with $78,000 at six theaters, for a healthy $13,000 average. Walker also stars in last weekend’s No. 1 movie, Disney’s dog tale “Eight Below,” which slipped to second place with $15.7 million. “Eight Below” grossed $45.1 million in 10 days. Though “Madea’s Family Reunion” opened more strongly than “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” the overall weekend box office declined. The top 12 movies took in $99.8 million, down 4.4 percent from the same weekend last year. Based on Perry’s stage play, “Madea’s Family Reunion” depicts a variety of domestic crises as a clan prepares for a reunion. Among the characters Perry plays is the heavyset, pistol-packing Grandma Madea, whom he also played in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” The film was shot for just $6 million. Perry’s stories about empowerment of women set among Madea’s family have a built-in following among black audiences familiar with his plays and video versions of the tales. Black women 35 and older made up 52 percent of the movie’s audience, according to Lionsgate. “The themes Tyler Perry presents resonate very strongly with the black community,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. “It reminds me of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ It has elements of comedy and drama and community that just definitely works.” The South African film “Tsotsi,” a nominee for best foreign-language film at the Academy Awards, opened strongly in limited release with $78,000 at six theaters, for a healthy $13,000 average. TOP MOVIES Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today. 1. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,” $30.25 million. 2. “Eight Below,” $15.7 million. 3. “The Pink Panther,” $11.3 million. 4. “Date Movie,” $9.2 million. 5. “Curious George,” $7 million. 6. “Firewall,” $6.3 million. 7. “Final Destination 3,” $5.35 million. 8. “Doogal,” $3.6 million. 9. “Running Scared,” $3.1 million. 10. “Freedomland,” $2.9 million. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! read more
The Donegal Finesse Gymnastics Display Team, along with coaches and Olympic Medallist Beth Tweddle (MBE), at Gymfusion 2012 which was held in University of Ulster, Jordanstown.The team performed at the display event; which was one of the stops on Olympic Uneven Bars Bronze Medallist, Beth Tweddle’s, 2012 Olympic Tour. Beth Tweddle is a triple World Champion, Commonwealth Champion and six time European Champion.The Donegal team were lucky enough to have the opportunity to personally meet Beth Tweddle as well as two Finesse gymnasts, Cara Nulty and Aoife Mc Carron (front row centre of photo) were also given the opportunity to hold Beth Tweddle’s Olympic Medal. DONEGAL GYMNASTS’ DELIGHT AT MEETING OLYMPIC’S HERO BETH was last modified: November 10th, 2012 by BrendaShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:Donegal Finesse Gymnastics Display TeamDONEGAL GYMNASTS DELIGHT AT MEETING OLYMPIC’S HERO BETH read more