Guyana participates in 1st Global Oil Spill Response workshop
A five-member Guyanese delegation is participating in the first Global Workshop on Oil Spill Response Planning, taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.The workshop was built on dialogues from the October 2015 International Regulators Forum in Washington, DC, and is being hosted by the Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGCI), a US Department of Sate-led interagency effort that provides a range of technical and capacity building support to the governments of select countries to help them institute the capacity to manage their oil and gas sector resources responsibly.The team comprises persons from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and Ministry of Public Infrastructure Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).Officials say the workshop is both valuable and timely, since it will assist Guyana in gaining the expertise needed in advancing efforts to develop a robust framework for its emerging oil and gas sector.Guyana’s participation in the global workshop will allow the country the opportunity to tap into the US Government’s considerable expertise and capabilities in oil spill response planning in order to provide assistance that is tailored to the specific needs of Guyana.The team will discuss commonalities and differences in disaster preparedness, oil spill response planning and environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, especially as it affects offshore production and spillage among the United States and the participating EGCI countries.Participants will also be able to network and explore opportunities for long-term working relationships with sector experts.
Abuse of public housing continuesThe issue of officers benefiting from public housing while owing the state several months of rent continues unabated. It is of particular concern with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, as some officers owe rent to the Ministry from as far back as 2016.Auditor General Deodat Sharma flagged the issue in his 2017 report, detailing that over $1 million in rent remained outstanding. According to the report, the Ministry had a total of forty-two flats available for rental to public officers during that fiscal year.From a perusal of the rental file, rental register and other supporting documents, the AG was able to determine that 37 flats were rented and five flats were vacant. Of the thirty-seven flats rented, 14 were rent free.“In addition, it was noted that, as at December 2017, the sum of $1.444 millionGovernment living quarters at Main and New Market streets, Georgetownremained outstanding by tenants. This include the sum of $669,000 for 2016 and $775,000 for 2017. It should be noted that some tenants have rents outstanding since January 2016.”“This contradicts clause two of their rental agreement, which states that the tenant agrees to pay to the landlord in advance the monthly rental,” the Auditor General reported.According to Civil Service Law, 2004 public service rules, “Government quarters provided to public servants as a condition of service; eg, in the case of hospital staff where presence on a hospital compound may be required on a continuous basis, shall be free of rent.”It goes on to state that: “in lieu of quarters, a house allowance may, with the approval of the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry, be granted to a public servant who is entitled to free quarters but for whom quarters are not available.”It is understood that, for unfurnished quarters, an employee who does pay rent is required to pay 10 per cent of his or her salary, while the requirement for a furnished apartment is 12 per cent of that employee’s pay.Ministry’s responseGiven a chance to respond, the Head of Budget Agency explained that the public officers owing rent were written to in order to clear their debt. The Ministry did, however, acknowledge that it dropped the ball in collecting the rent it was owed.In addition, the Head of the Budget Agency assured that measures would be taken to collect the outstanding rent. In its recommendations, the AG Office urged theGovernment houses at Echillibar Villas, Campbellville, GeorgetownMinistry to ensure this was done.It wouldn’t be the first time that public housing has been abused by public officers. The Auditor General had found, back in 2016, that only 26 out of 132 occupants of buildings owned by the Region Four Administration were actually paying rent.The matter had come up before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) earlier this year, and Regional Executive Officer Pauline Lucas was asked to account for the matter. It was subsequently disclosed that the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) was called in to assist in the eviction of those not paying rent.PAC Chairman Irfaan Ali had pointed out that if the tables were turned, squatters would have been thrown out. He had therefore expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. Lucas revealed that in addition to the guidance from the Auditor General’s findings, she asked SARA to get involved in the matter since last year.
Mbappe started Monaco’s first two competitive matches of the season but sat on the bench for the duration of the principality club’s 4-1 Ligue 1 victory at Dijon on Sunday.Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim later said that was a club decision but insisted this week that it was not made to “punish” the France international.“Kylian is not at 100 percent. He is not in great form. But that is to be expected of a kid who is just 18,” Jardim said on Wednesday.While he is left out, Algerian international winger Rachid Ghezzal features for the first time after joining as a free agent following the expiry of his contract with Lyon.Monaco will be looking for a third win in as many league outings this season when they face Metz.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) 0Shares0000Monaco’s French forward Kylian Mbappe Lottin has been the subject of intense transfer speculation linking him to a world-record 180-million-euro move to Real MadridMONACO, Principality of Monaco, Aug 17 – Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the Monaco squad for Friday’s Ligue 1 match away at Metz as speculation intensifies surrounding the teen sensation’s future.The 18-year-old striker reportedly wants away from the French champions, with Paris Saint-Germain his favoured destination but Real Madrid are also reportedly ready to pay 180 million euros ($211 million) for his services.
0Shares0000Chelsea’s striker Alvaro Morata celebrates scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match against Stoke City September 23, 2017LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom, Dec 22- Antonio Conte says the loss of Alvaro Morata for Chelsea’s trip to Everton is a blow to his side’s hopes of maintaining their distant pursuit of Premier League leaders Manchester City.Morata was booked after scoring the added-time winning goal in the midweek League Cup quarter-final victory over Bournemouth that set up a semi-final meeting with Arsenal. The Spain striker, who had come off the bench, initially stuck the ball under his shirt in a gesture to his pregnant wife but he earned the caution for kicking the ball away as Bournemouth attempted to restart the game quickly.It was Morata’s fifth booking of the season, earning the forward a one-game ban and leaving Conte with a decision to make about how best to replace his side’s leading scorer.Michy Batshuayi is the squad’s only other recognised central striker but the Belgian failed to impress after being handed a rare start this week. Previously, Conte has preferred to fill the gap by employing Eden Hazard as a false nine and he is expected to do that once again.“For sure, Morata should have played against Everton,” said the Chelsea boss. “He would have started the game, for sure. But now I have to prepare a different plan.“I have different options. I have a day to make the best decision ahead of the Everton game. At training everyone was in good form, and I have time to make a decision.”Chelsea remain 14 points adrift of City in third place and the current priority is to maintain the four-point gap to fourth place.“This match is very important for us, the last game before Christmas,” said Conte. “I’d like to spend a good Christmas with a good game, a good win.“It would be very important to get three points, but we know very well that, in the last five games, Everton won four games.“They are in a good moment of form. They changed the coach and are having good results. For this reason, we must pay great attention on Saturday.”Everton have picked up 13 points from 15 available since Sam Allardyce agreed to become their manager last month.That run has lifted the club to ninth, with 11 league goals scored and only two conceded in that time.Former England captain Wayne Rooney is also enjoying a revival, with six goals in his past five appearances, including one on Monday as Everton beat Swansea 3-1 at Goodison Park.Winger Aaron Lennon suggested that Allardyce’s arrival has lifted the mood of the players.“We all know Chelsea are a great side but we’re in a good run of form and at Goodison we fancy our chances against anyone so we’re looking forward to that one,” Lennon said.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
Rice pleaded guilty in July 2004 of securities fraud, turned over $13.7 million in cash and property – including a Ferrari and a Colorado vacation home – and agreed to help prosecutors in Enron-related cases. The government can recommend a sentence more lenient than the 10-year maximum for securities fraud if prosecutors are pleased with his help. Rice’s net worth was about $25 million when he was indicted in May 2003. He told jurors Thursday he was able to keep about $10 million after striking a plea deal with prosecutors. Skilling faces 31 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors, while Lay faces seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the months after he replaced Skilling as Enron’s chief executive officer. Both men sold millions in Enron stock before the company crumbled, but only Skilling is charged with improper stock sales. Lay’s name barely surfaced in testimony Thursday. One of his lawyers, Chip Lewis, asked Rice only whether Lay and Enron board members should have expected Rice’s presentation to them on May 1, 2001, to be “anything less than candid.” “No,” Rice replied. Rice was followed on the stand by Terry West, an accountant at what is left of Enron and the former director of corporate planning who joined the company in 1981, when it was a relatively small pipeline business known as Houston Natural Gas. She explained for jurors the process Enron followed to develop its annual spending and earning plans to meet corporate goals of 15 percent yearly gains in earnings per share. Enron became the nation’s seventh-largest company. As usual, the trial was in recess today, and courts are among some federal, state and local agencies that will take a Presidents Day holiday on Monday. The government’s next witnesses, beginning Tuesday, were to include Paula Rieker, Enron’s former No. 2 executive in investor relations. She also served as corporate secretary, dealing directly with Lay and the company’s directors, in the months before Enron failed. In May 2004 Rieker pleaded guilty to insider trading for selling shares in mid-2001 upon learning that Enron’s broadband unit lost more money than publicly disclosed. After Rieker, prosecutors expect to call Wes Colwell, former chief accounting officer for Enron’s trading unit. Colwell in October 2003 agreed to pay $500,000 to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations of manipulating earnings by using trading profits to offset massive losses in Enron’s retail energy unit. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! 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 In January 2001, Rice told Wall Street analysts who influenced the company’s stock price that the business was well-positioned for strong, long-term financial performance. In reality, however, EBS was spending $100 million per quarter and generating little revenue and business, he said. He told the board, after making what he said were some 13 drafts of his presentation, that his unit was successful, that its broadband network was substantially complete, that there was an “excellent deal flow” in trading activities and that EBS helped Enron overall keep a strong position in the market. “What I presented to board was inconsistent with what was going on at EBS,” said Rice, who is among 16 ex-Enron executives who have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the government’s investigation of the energy company’s swift tumble into bankruptcy proceedings in December 2001. But as he has done throughout his three days of testimony, Rice stopped short of saying Skilling lied to investors about the condition of Enron. When Holscher asked if Rice had ever expressed concerns to “your friend” Skilling about any of those misleading statements, Rice replied: “I don’t know if I did.” He described Skilling as very hard working and said he considered Enron worse off when Skilling abruptly resigned in August 2001, less than four months before Enron imploded. HOUSTON – Kenneth Rice, who was chief of Enron Corp.’s struggling broadband unit, testified Thursday that his boss, Jeffrey Skilling, directed him to paint a rosy, misleading picture for the Enron board of directors that was in line with false statements Rice said he already made to financial analysts in 2001. “I knew that Mr. Skilling and I had misled investors on a number of occasions on the prospects of our business within EBS,” Rice said under questioning by Skilling attorney Mark Holscher. But Rice, the former chief executive of Enron Broadband Services or EBS, said in his third day on the stand at the fraud and conspiracy trial of Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay that he had no documents and “only my recollection” to back up a conversation he had with Skilling, Enron’s chief executive, as he prepared for a May 2001 meeting of the company’s board. “What I took from meeting with Mr. Skilling was he wanted me to put a presentation together that was more consistent with the analyst conference and less direct on some of the challenges we were facing at EBS,” Rice said. 
Farmflo, a Letterkenny based company was named best New Agri Software Start-up at the Innovation Awards ceremony in Ratheniska, Co. Laois, where the 2014 National Ploughing Championships were taking place.The award recognises and rewards Irish start-ups for their success in innovate agriculture business.The award was presented to Farmflo by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment Richard Bruton, Editor of the Farmers Journal and Anna May Mc Hugh Managing Director of the National Ploughing Championships. The Innovation Arena event was created by Alfie Cox (Tanco Engineering Founder) 4 years ago, and is now sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Farmers Journal/Top Link, Teagasc and NPA.Farmflo was shortlisted from over 80 entrants to win a position in the Innovation Arena among 30 of the top Irish most innovative companies.It was a roaring success with thousands of visitors checking out the 30 new innovative companies on show over the 3 days.Speaking about the award, Farmflo’s CEO Jason Devenney told Donegal Daily, “It was a complete shock as we did not think we would win, when our name was called out as the most innovate start-up in agriculture we were delighted. “It is a great sign that we are on the right track with our mission to reduce the worry and stress of compliance for farmers and we are equally proud to be doing this in Donegal.Junior Minister for Business and Employment TD Gerald Nash took time out of his busy schedule to visit the Farmflo stand, where he congratulated the team on winning the award.Commenting on the award Gerald Nash TD said, “Technology has a huge role to play in farming and Farmflo should be seen as a very positive development for farmers who can use it to their advantage and save up to 20 hours per month whilst making compliance easier.On top of winning this award, Farmflo launched there Herd Management application and enjoyed meeting with both new and existing customers in person and demonstrating Farmflo’s capabilities,” says Gareth Devenney, COO at Farmflo.Farmflo would like to congratulate the Donegal winners of the ploughing categories who participated at the National Ploughing Championships 2014 Lee Simms, Gary Simms, Evan McGirr, Kieran McDaid, Kathleen Donaghey and Tina McMenamin. Farmflo would also like to congratulate William Morrow from Demense, Raphoe, Co. Donegal for winning the Dairy Calf to Beef Category in the Origin Green Beef Sustainability Awards, organised by Bord Bia, in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Journal and Teagasc, that were presented on the second day of the National Ploughing Championship.Farmflo’s applications have been designed by famers for farmers, according to the company and almost all Farmflo’s employees are from farming backgrounds and understand the importance of compliance and the farmer’s needs.Farmflo are excited to be bringing such employment potential to Donegal as more jobs will be coming on stream within the coming months.If you are a farmer and are worried about compliance you can try Farmflo’s software for free for the first month by signing up through our website www.farmflo.com Farmflo have a customer support team based in their Letterkenny office and they will be delighted to help you get your farm up and running on the systemDONEGAL COMPANY WINS MAJOR AWARD AT NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS was last modified: September 30th, 2014 by Mark ForkerShare 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:awardsBusinessCoLabFarmfloletterkennynews
Wealdstone have signed former Watford winger Matty Whichelow. The 24-year-old made 21 league appearances for the Hornets, 17 of them as a substitute, and scored three goals.He left Vicarage Road in 2013 and later signed for Boreham Wood, who loaned him to Chelmsford and then Oxford City last season.Whichelow’s career has also included loan spells at Exeter, Wycombe and Accrington.See also:Marsden takes over as Wealdstone chairmanCambridge youngster joins StonesUnited re-sign defender MoutaouakilFollow West London Sport on TwitterFind us on Facebook
The Northern Section Prep Football Media Poll is voted on by media members from the Chico Enterprise-Record, Marysville Appeal-Democrat, Red Bluff Daily News, Redding Record Searchlight and Action News Now. First-place votes are in parentheses with record, voting points and last week’s ranking listed after.Division IITeam Record Pts Last1. Shasta (9) 5-1 45 1 2. Pleasant Valley 2-4 32 33. Chico 3-3 29 24. Foothill 4-2 17 t55. …
(Image: Chris Kirchhoff,MediaClubSouthAfrica.com image library)MEDIA CONTACTS• Nicky OmarUmhlaba Development Services+27 11 482 6220nicky@jhb.umhlaba.comRELATED ARTICLES• A legacy of harmony and pride• Out of Africa, something new• Top marks for SA’s World Cup• SA ablaze as World Cup wraps up• Vuvuzelas conquer the world!Mary AlexanderLess than a week after the end of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, a survey has found that 99% of South Africans did a good job in hosting the tournament, and 97% are “more proud” to be South African.The survey, conducted telephonically among households in Gauteng by Umhlaba Development Services, aimed to establish how much people in the province participated in the event, and whether this participation would have a lasting impact on the social consciousness and identity of South Africans.Some 38% of respondents said they or their families had benefitted directly from the World Cup, with 9% receiving financial benefits. A full 94% felt that hosting the World Cup would confer lasting benefits for South Africa as a whole.Regarding national and continental solidarity and pride, 88% of those surveyed said the World Cup had given them a better understanding of the various cultures, traditions and histories of different South African population and of Africans from other countries on the continent.Just under 20% of survey participants said they had watched all 64 World Cup games, and almost half – 47% – watched most of the games. Only 1% did not watch any World Cup matches.Most South Africans seem to have avoided the World Cup hangover predicted by local media, with a full 73% of respondents saying they did not feel sad, lethargic or depressed after the World Cup ended.“The citizens of Gauteng are proud and the perceptions of South Africans of their own country have become more positive,” Umhlaba Development Services said in a statement. A near-perfect 99% of those surveyed said South Africa had done a good job in hosting the World Cup, and 97% said they were more proud to be South African than they had been before the tournament. About 91% said the World Cup had given South Africans a greater sense of national unity.Regarding the sport itself, 89% of respondents said the World Cup had made them more likely to support the national squad Bafana Bafana, and local football in general, while 80% said it had “met or exceeded” their expectations.The survey also revealed that 98% of respondents that the World Cup had made an “important and positive” contribution to nation building, 97% said it had contributed to growing South Africa’s economy, 98% said it had contributed to infrastructure development in South Africa, and 96% said it had a positive impact on Africa as a whole.Hosting the World Cup seems to have given South Africans a greater sense of social consciousness, with 81% of respondents saying that because of it they are more likely to become involved in charity and development work. “This mass social mobilisation presents an opportunity for government and developmental organisations to build on, and ensure the sustainability of, the many benefits of hosting the World Cup,” Umhlaba said.
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