Top of the table clash tomorrow
MANCHESTER, England (AP):It sums up the erratic nature of this season’s Premier League that a match between Chelsea and Manchester United has been relegated to a mere sideshow just as the title race is getting interesting.Instead, this weekend is all about whether Leicester can pull off their biggest shock yet and finally be recognised as genuine title contenders.Leicester, who battled relegation all of last season, take a three-point lead to Manchester City tomorrow in a match between the top two sides in the league. A victory would guarantee Leicester at least a five-point lead with 13 matches remaining.Surely that would make them team favourites for the title and set up one of the most unlikely story lines in English football history.”It’s not a coincidence we’re top of the table,” Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater said. “This is team spirit at its highest. We won’t stop believing.”We’re staying on the ground but if we carry on the way we are, then why not have the belief (to win the league)? It would go down in history surely.”Even a draw would be fine for Leicester, who visit another title challenger in Arsenal the following weekend before a benign run of games.City, though, will want to send a message to Leicester’s upstarts and collect a fourth straight win in all competitions to take over in first place on goal difference.Seeking a third league title in five years, City have extra motivation for the run-in – giving departing coach Manuel Pellegrini a successful send-off after it was announced this week that Pep Guardiola would the club’s manager from next season.MANCITYBUILTTOWIN”Manchester (City) are built to win the title, to win the Champions League,” Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri said yesterday as he continued to downplay his team’s chances of winning the league.Asked who will win the title, Ranieri chuckled and said with a smile: “The others.”City said yesterday that captain Vincent Kompany is back in training after a six-week layoff with a calf injury.Chelsea – the defending champion – and Man United – a record 20-time champion – already are also-rans in the title race, although United will boost its ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League with a win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. United is in fifth place, five points off the Champions League qualification spots and 10 points behind Leicester.Chelsea is 13th and can probably forget about making up ground to the European positions in the top five.Arsenal is winless in its last four league games and has dropped to fourth, behind Tottenham on goal difference, ahead of a visit to Bournemouth on Sunday.Also tomorrow, it’s: Liverpool vs Sunderland; Aston Villa vs Norwich; Newcastle vs West Bromwich Albion; Swansea vs Crystal Palace; and Southampton vs West Ham.Wayne Rooney often scores goals in bursts and the Manchester United striker is in the middle of another hot streak.He has scored seven goals in seven games after his latest strike, in a 3-0 win over Stoke on Tuesday that relieved pressure on manager Louis van Gaal.”He has his momentum,” Van Gaal said about Rooney, “but also the team is now playing more for him, I think. We have to wait and see where he goes with this rhythm of making goals, with this then he is a fantastic striker.”
Coaches in the central region are expressing disappointment with an event schedule change – prompted by sponsors Digicel – which now has all but two track finals being contested on the second day of competition at the Central Championships.The two-day meet, which forms part of the Digicel Grand Prix Athletics Championship, gets under way today at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport.Previously, several of the finals, including the 100m and 1500m events, were contested on the opening day of competition. However, chief organiser Chester McCarthy explained that every consideration was given to athlete safety and that there is ample time and facilities to aid in their recovery between events.”Some coaches may decide to either switch around athletes or pull athletes because of the changes,” McCarthy admitted.”What we used to do in the past is to have a number of finals done on Day One, but now, you will find that the 100m and 200m, for instance will take place on the same day. The major reason is that they are both (Digicel) Grand Prix events and the sponsors wanted it to be that way, so they wanted all the Grand Prix events to be focused in terms of finals for the last day for media purposes, and so on,” McCarthy explained before pointing to the systems put in place.”Even though Boys and Girls’ Champs is over five days, you will find that a lot of athletes will compete in three finals on the final day at Champs. Some of these events will be a one run – a straight final. Some coaches are overly concerned, but I don’t think it is as bad as some people make it out to be,” he added.”Also, remember that the sponsors have put in place things like ice therapy, which will help in the recovery there is an ice bath set up for all athletes. This was never there in the past, so a lot of consideration has been given.”SHOULD NOT HAVEBEEN ALLOWEDStill, for experienced Manchester High coach Jerry Holness, these changes should never have been allowed.”What about the athletes who double and possibly compete in relays, are we going to have them do all of those events on one day?”People cannot allow sponsors to dictate to them,” said Holness. “As organisers, you have to stand up to the sponsors and meet them somewhere along the way. You can’t just because they are going to give you a little money to run the meet you are going to accept anything without thinking about the athletes. I think it’s crazy!”We will probably end up using someone who won’t go to Champs to run some of the events, too,” said Holness.Michael Dyke, coach of defending Central and Girls’ champions Edwin Allen High, was also critical.”At this point, there is nothing that we can do. The coaches will just have to make the adjustment depending on the value they put on the meet,” said Dyke. “It may help to deplete the quality to the extent that you might not see some of the persons you would want to see competing, or they may just end up doing just one event.”I mean, running a sprint double on the same day, for instance, is not a good idea, and there are three sprints – 100m, 200m, and 400m – plus the relays. Management is going to be very important, so it’s up to the individual coaches and teams to manage their athletes to the best of their ability,” added Dyke.
Parking meter fiasco…Jagdeo says Govt concerns hypocriticalThe People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it has joined with all Guyanese in rejecting the “selfish and anti-Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeopeople measure by a few hard-nosed, hard-ears bureaucrats at City Council” to have parking meters installed in Georgetown. The Party said the plan must be shelved and be left to “rest in peace.”The party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee said on Monday that the Council has been totally dismissive of the outright rejection by the overwhelming majority of citizens of Georgetown, and their representative organisations as well as members of City Council.He said some members of the Council have become enthralled by the magic of the parking meter as a means of making money at the expense of citizens of Georgetown.Rohee said that his party has also noted the total lack of transparency in the public bidding and tendering process of the choice of vendor of the parking meters: “The process is dripping with suspicion. More so, since the address of the head office of the vendor in Manhattan is non-existent, this smacks of the trail of the vanishing vendor.”The party, he told the news conference, objects to the $500 per hour parking fee and finds that an 08:00 toClement Rohee16:00 hours Monday to Friday employee, who owns a car and works in the city, will have to foot a $4000 per day or $80,000 per month parking bill.“The PPP finds this unacceptable and it must be rejected by all right-minded Guyanese.”According to him, the Granger administration cannot escape responsibility for this “catastrophic debacle” on the part of their “satraps ensconced at City Hall.”Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change Government is being hypocritical in all of this, as it is now crying foul at the City Council, when it has been doing the very same thing.“The parking meter issue is another fiasco sanctioned by this government… the city council has hand-picked a few contractors, given them work with no bills of quantity, prepared no public tendering process… how can they then lecture the City Council on lack of transparency, when they have been doing the same thing,” he told Guyana Times Monday.He said the government, while in opposition, campaigned on the grounds that the PPP/C lacked transparency in its actions and that it was corrupt.“They promised to do a better job and what we are seeing is a systematic violation of all of our tendering procedures and all the tenets of good governance,” Jagdeo said.
Costumers of two prominent products in Guyana can take advantage of some exciting prizes with the launch of two promotions by Caribbean International Distributions Incorporated (CIDI).The promotions, “Play with Thrill and Win”, and “Pro-life Nutri Cereal Promotion” which was launched on Friday, features two flagship brands of the company, Thrill and Prolife, being displayed and featured simultaneously.Some of the products and prizes that will be featured in the promotionThe promotion is expected to run until June 16, after which there will be two drawings. The rewards being offered include an Aruwai Resort trip, a washing machine, bicycles, Thrill-branded premiums, hampers and newborn supplies.The company explained that those who wish to win these prizes can purchase any of the Thrill beverages or Pro-life Nutri Cereal and submit the required section of the labels attached with valid contact information.Meanwhile, a representative of the distribution company stated that, with this initiative, the company is preparing to introduce other high quality products into the local market, which will be priced at an affordable cost.“From the inception, we have expanded in terms of products. From the inception of the Thrill soft drinks, we have managed to expand on our beverage (line), bringing you juices which you will find in the tetra-pack More juices. We would’ve embarked on milk and beer. We are the sole distributor for Parbo beer,” she stated.“Now in our eleventh year, we are now expanding on our product line. We’ve already made a name in the beverage industry, so we’re going into the household and dry foods line, so you’ll see more products in the coming months,”CIDI, a Surinamese-based distributor which has been in existence for approximately 11 years, will also be featuring other promotions throughout the year in respect to the Thrill and Pro-life brands.
…says over 500 refugees recordedAs Government continues to contemplate and implement measures to deal with the influx of Venezuelans fleeing to Guyana from political and economic turmoil in their homeland, the porous nature of this country’s borders remains of much concern, as communities in Region 1 (Barima-Waini) are seeing numbers of around 500 refugees. This estimation was given by Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley, who on Saturday again called on Government and donor agencies to provide more assistance to the refugees.In an interview with Guyana Times, Ashley pointed out that the refugees are continuing to put a strain on the region’s medical resources.“We would have estimated close to 500 persons,” he said, speaking on the Venezuelan influx on the border.According to information provided, there are over 30 persons living in the Yarakita community, while over 55 foreigners have taken up boarding at Kaneville. It was also noted that Whitewater recorded the most significant set of settlers with 236, while another community, Kamwatta, had over 60. Only days ago, Government noted that the 260 confirmed Venezuelan refugees are occupying areas in Region One.Ashley said on Saturday that immigration officers have been accompanying the team visiting the various communities to confirm just how many Venezuelans have actually taken up residence here. This should clear up the anomalies. At the same time, he highlighted that there is “a grave need for food supplies”, since the final hampers from general donations from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) were distributed on Saturday.Guyana Times understands that the last set of supplies were sent to the Yarakita community, while Ashley noted that Whitewater has not as yet received any supplies from the CDC or IOM. He pointed out that from a regional level, Region One has been trying to assist, but resources to provide for the 236 persons are not sufficient.“I was speaking with the Toshao and Councillors, and they were calling on us to help to assist more. Besides assisting these new persons, they already have their village population to take care of as well,” Ashley explained.In light of all of these concerns, Ashley said, he is looking forward to being visited by Citizenship Minister Winston Felix and a CDC team, to address the growing numbers of persons now resident in the community from the Spanish-speaking nation.In light of all of these concerns, Ashley said he is looking forward to visit from Citizenship Minister Winston Felix and a CDC team to address the growing numbers of persons from the Spanish-speaking nation. Ashley stressed that refugees need not only food suuplies but food and clothing as well.Following the conclusion of the third multi-agency coordinating committee meeting held at the Ministry of Citizenship, the subject minister had observed that the resettlement area would be self-reliant so that the families can enter ventures such as cash crop farming and they can sell their surplus.Many in the area have observed concern for the safety, health, and accommodation of the migrants and that of the locals who live around them. However, it was reported last month that the refugees were undergoing health screening, as several were found to have malaria, there are signs and symptoms of tuberculosis and some were reportedly HIV positive.Venezuelan nationals were crossing into Guyana, especially at Region One, to seek medical treatment for malaria.Ashley previously noted that the Region’s 2018 Budget currently does not have funds to provide for these refugees but agencies such as Food for the Poor the CDC and other good Samaritans, provided limited clothing and food items to the refugees. Many of them are from the Warrau tribe and many reside along the border with Guyana.
The win was a big one for the Rams, who not only swept the Mountain West leading Rebels in their Cox Pavilion (25-22, 25-22, 25-23), but also earned themselves their first road win of the season.It was a great effort by the Rams, who never trailed by more than two points throughout the entire match, hitting .396, while Seniors Brieon Paige and Megan Plourde along with Cranston combined for 35 kills while hitting .475.Cranston made her mark on Sunday’s game, finishing with 16 kills and six blocks to lead all players. Many of those kills came at very significant moments of the match, like back-to-back kills in the first set to give the Rams a 16-14 lead, as well as the set-winning kill in the second.- Advertisement -She also led all players with points earned, scoring a game-high 19 points for her Rams.The win was a significant one for the Rams, as not only was it their first victory away from the comforts of Moby Arena (the team’s home court), but it also helped the Rams gain some valuable ground in the conference standings.After splitting their last road trip with one win and one loss, the Rams will now welcome two visiting teams to Moby Arena for back-to-back games. Game one will take place Thursday, October 18 against Boise State, followed by a tilt against Air Force Friday, October 19.Advertisement
…says “I will be a president for all Guyanese”Decked out in trademark red and surrounded by his party’s top executives, Dr Irfaan Ali stood before a mammoth crowd at Kitty Market Square, Georgetown, vividly illustrating how transformational the country would be if the longest standing political grouping – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – returns to power.PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali on SundayThe audience erupted into cheers and applause as he took to the podium, having waited several hours to hear from the Party’s presidential candidate.“Today (Sunday), I stand here humbled by the opportunity to be President for all Guyanese,” the 39-year-old presidential hopeful expressed.“Not a president for friends and supporters alone, but a president that would work hard every day for the upliftment of every Guyanese.”Ali evoked the heritage of the original nationalist and united PPP that was formed “three scores and ten years ago in 1950” and had a brief “glorious moment of unity”, which he vowed to return to Guyana when he and the PPP/C were re-elected to office.In January 2019, Ali was elected by the Party to serve as its presidential candidate for the March 2, 2020 polls.A section of the thousands of supporters at the Kitty, Georgetown launching of the PPP/C 2020 campaignHe will be vying against the incumbent, Retired Brigadier David Granger of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, which was toppled subsequent to a No-Confidence Motion in December 2018 – triggering the need for early elections.But according to the young politician, he has no interest in delivering empty promises.“Today (Sunday), I am not here to deliver promises, but I am here with this wonderful team to outline aspects of a clear strategy and vision to take our country forward.“A plan that is not defined by oil and gas, but one that speaks to the holistic aspirations of every Guyanese.”He explained that the Party’s plan, as outlined in its elections manifesto, sought to secure, strengthen, and expand the economic base of the country; stimulate growth; create opportunities; support the Private Sector and ensure social justice.“Unlike David Granger, as a new generation leader, I am not stuck in the past; I understand the true meaning of transformation,” Dr Ali posited.“To transform our country, we must be able to transform our thinking. To transform our country, we must first transform ourselves,” he stated, referring to the incident where PPP/C supporters were attacked by coalition supporters while putting up flags at Laing Avenue, Georgetown.“Not one of the leaders in the PNC has condemned the action, because up to today, their minds and hearts have not been transformed,” he asserted.Dr Ali admitted that he may not have all the answers, but said he was committed to transforming himself to deliver whatever was necessary for Guyana.“I intend to be the person tomorrow whom you see today. Not one to make promises and then turn my back on our people and what I promised,” he explained.According to the former Government Minister, “We have the experience to govern; we have a track record in managing the country’s resources.”The PPP/C has 23 years of governing experience under its belt; Ali simultaneously served as Minister of Housing as well as Tourism and Commerce in PPP/C Administrations prior to the last elections in 2015.While its tenure in office saw major infrastructural development and particularly a boom in the housing sector, the Party was criticised on several fronts.Dr Ali admitted that the Party made mistakes, but explained that its members would have learnt from them.“Yes, we have learnt from our shortcomings, I have and will continue to reflect on how we can be a better government than we have been in the past,” he stated.Transformative projectsAs he elaborated on his party’s plan to the attentive and enthusiastic audience, Dr Ali reiterated that the Party would restore the “Because We Care” back-to-school cash grant, an initiative which was developed under the former PPP/C Administration whereby every schoolchild across the country benefited from $10,000 in cash.And according to Dr Ali, there is room for that amount to be increased to as much as $50,000 per child per year.Reflecting on the decline in economic sectors and the huge loss of jobs across all walks of life, Dr Ali assured that the PPP/C has a plan to create as much as 50,000 job opportunities for locals.“These jobs will be across every single sector, not only oil and gas,” Dr Ali said as he cited sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, mining, forestry and tourism.He pointed out that under the former Administration, the country recorded positive growth without the advantage of massive oil wealth.“You know why? Because we have competent leaders as against the incompetence we have today,” he posited.But with the millions Guyana is poised to earn from its petroleum sector, Dr Ali asserted that the funds must be used to improve people’s lives, and that the PPP/C has a plan to achieve just that.He said the oil revenues would be used for job creation, improving social and economic infrastructure, and to facilitate tax reduction.Dr Ali also assured that under the next PPP/C Government, he would initiate works on several transformative projects such as the Deepwater Harbour, the Linden-Lethem Road, the four-lane Highway from Georgetown to Timehri, the bridging of the Corentyne River, the high-span bridge across the Demerara River, the Parika-Rockstone Del Conte Road link with Bartica as well as a duty-free zone.Additionally, Dr Ali said his government would work towards the provision of cheaper electricity by completing the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.“We will not stop until the cost of electricity comes down by as much as 70 per cent!”In speaking about opportunities for young people, Dr Ali said he would establish a National Youth Advisory Commission to the President, where youths would have the opportunity to contribute to the country’s development.ScorecardWith regard to guarantees that the Party would deliver, Dr Ali simply charged the electorate to study the PPP/C’s track record and compare it with the “scorecard” of the APNU/AFC.“You cannot fake knowledge, you cannot fake experience, you cannot fake results, but you can regurgitate fake news, so president stranger, show us your scorecard.”According to Ali, the Granger-led Government’s term in office is characterised by 30,000 jobs being lost, a decline in economic sectors, increase in taxes, reduced spending power, hike in non-performing loans, and increase in infant mortality among others.“This is your scorecard! This is your record!”“This is what we will hold you accountable for and on March 2, you will pay the price when we take you out of office!”Many in the audience were visibly moved by the sincerity of Dr Ali’s commitment to the transformation of the country.
By Brandon CorletteAfter weeks of entertainment across the Caribbean, “the Biggest Party in Sport” will sign off today, Saturday, October 12 from 17:00h at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.Will the coin toss be crucial in today’s showdown?Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and Barbados Tridents will battle for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) championship trophy after defying the odds throughout the season.For GAW, they have been sitting on the royal chair, as Brandon King has had a glorious tournament leading the batting charts with 453 runs. GAW have been led by veteran Shoaib Malik, and his inspirational style and the experience of Imran Tahir have moulded the young talents in the team.Players WatchKing has led the batting charts with 453 runs with the highest score in CPL history – 132 – against the same Tridents team. Malik, who offers a lot in all departments, has 313 runs while King’s partner in crime, Chandrapaul Hemraj has 298 runs. The young guns in Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford will add the fireworks to Warriors’ explosive batting line-up.Chandrapaul Hemraj (left) and Brandon King have given Guyana excellent start throughout the seasonAs he continues his search for real estate, covering yards of ground with his celebration, Tahir leads the GAW bowling charts with 15 wickets while Chris Green has 13 wickets. Romario Shepherd has continued to impress with 12 wickets this season.Tridents have had a tough road to the final, but they have had some standout players. Hayden Walsh Jr has been the star with 21 wickets in only eight matches, leading the CPL bowling charts. Captain Jason Holder has also been a key man with the ball, bagging 14 wickets while Harry Gurney has also impressed with his variations for the Tridents.A responsible Johnson Charles leads the Tridents’ batting chart with 376 runs while JP Duminy, who retired hurt in Qualifier 2, has 291 runs. Shakib Al Hassan, who is a big player, along with Alex Hales, will be aiming to produce big in the final.What they saidJason Holder: “I think we held onto our chances in majority of the games to come out on top. I thought our bowlers were outstanding to defend 160 (Qualifier 2). We were clinical with the ball today. Those guys (Ashley Nurse and Raymond Reifer) were outstanding and not easy with the wet ball. Credit to Ashley and Raymond, we were always backing ourselves to defend that target. We have done pretty well throughout this edition; many would argue that we should have won a lot of games, but we stuck together and spent a lot of time together which helps us get well as a group. Rest, recover and come back and have fun in the final.”Ashley Nurse has added value runs for Tridents with his pinch hittingShoaib Malik: “I think it’s the runs scored by the first six batters; secondly, our spinners. They have been taking wickets continuously; these are the two main successful factors (for our 11-match winning streak). We don’t want to be thinking about the next game – that puts you under pressure. I just want the team to be working hard on that particular match, stick to the basics. I have batted with so many top players, but some of his (Brandon King) shots were simply amazing. Some of the shots he played were unbelievable. I think he has a great future, not just with us, but in the West Indies as well. Hopefully, he will get good guidance going ahead. I want to thank the crowd: they have been exceptional; we want them to come to the ground and enjoy themselves.”GAW and Tridents met in the CPL final back in 2014 which the Tridents won by eight wickets.
An explosive television documentary on the fall-out from the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron is to air later this month.The RTE programme, After the Headlines, will focus on the McBrearty family and what they went through.The family was wrongly accused of being involved in the death of Mr. Barron. Veteran reporter Charlie Bird travels to Raphoe to interview many of those involved in the case including Frank McBrearty Snr and Jnr.According to RTE “On a dark night in 1996, Mr. Barron was found dead on the side of the road outside the small village of Raphoe.The evidence pointed to a hit and run but some Gardai felt differently.They set about building a case to incriminate a local publican family, the McBreartys and a few of their extended family and friends. Years of harassment and intimidation followed, but the McBreartys fought back. They mounted a legal battle to clear their name which culminated in the Morris Tribunal. Cllr Frank McBreartyAfter over 300 days of hearing evidence the tribunal exposed a case of corruption and negligence like no other. The McBreartys were exonerated of any wrongdoing and received compensation from the State.But what of the human cost? Charlie Bird now returns to Donegal and meets some of those at the heart of this extraordinary case and witnesses the aftermath of a murder that never happened.The programme will be broadcast on RTE on Tuesday 19th December at 9.35pmExplosive TV documentary to reveal fall-out from Richie Barron death was last modified: December 7th, 2017 by StephenShare 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:After the HeadlinesdonegalFrank McBreartyRichie BarronRTE
OAKLAND — Blake Treinen was suffering through some back pain, but he new his manager might be hard pressed to find enough arms to get through Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.He volunteered an inning, and his manager obliged — pain forced his velocity to dip a few ticks below normal, which was effective enough to strike out the side in the ninth to secure the A’s 10-2 win.Treinen’s sacrifice was worth the risk. A quasi-doubleheader on Friday left the A’s bullpen emaciated for …