Champions Chelsea back on winning trail
LONDON (AP): Chelsea responded to the departure of Jose Mourinho by surging to a 3-1 victory against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League yesterday, while Manchester United lost their second game in a row at home against Norwich. Chelsea supporters repeatedly sang Mourinho’s name as Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro Rodriguez and Oscar scored in an unexpectedly convincing victory. Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea came to an end on Thursday after the Premier League champions had lost nine of the first 16 league games of the season under his guidance. But the Chelsea supporters made it clear they felt that responsibility for the woeful start lay with the players. As Ivanovic headed in after five minutes and Pedro doubled the lead on 13, the vocal support for Mourinho was replaced with abusive chants directed at Chelsea’s men. Oscar got the third, a penalty, after half time, before Fabio Borini pulled one back for Sunderland. After the match, captain John Terry said he understood why supporters are unhappy. “Absolutely, and rightly so, as well,” Terry said. “They will support us through the difficult period and when we come out on top, sooner or later. If we keep on putting performances like that the fans will be happy.” In Manchester, Cameron Jerome and Alexander Tettey netted in each half as Norwich stunned United by recording a first win at Old Trafford since 1989. Anthony Martial pulled one back for United in the 66th minute, the team’s first shot on target, but Van Gaal’s side managed only one more attempt that required a save. Van Gaal’s side has not won in six games and his position as manager could be under more scrutiny now that Mourinho is available. “We know that it (losing to Norwich) is not good enough for us,” Van Gaal told Sky Sports. “The players know that, I know that, the fans know that, and the board knows that.” When asked if he thinks he has the backing of the United board, Van Gaal said “I think so, but you never know.” Meanwhile, surprise Premier League leaders Leicester beat Everton 3-2. Riyad Mahrez scored two penalties for Leicester before Shinji Okazaki got the decisive goal, while Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas scored for Everton. The result means Leicester will be top of the Premier League on Christmas Day on 38 points. Last year, they were bottom of the standings on December 25. Tottenham beat Southampton 2-0 at St Mary’s stadium to move fourth, above United. Two goals in three first-half minutes from Harry Kane, on his 100th Tottenham appearance, and Dele Alli gave manager Mauricio Pochettino a win against his former club. Tottenham moves fourth, above United on superior goal difference. Other results: Stoke City 1, Crystal Palace 2, West Bromwich 1, Bournemouth 2, Newcastle 1, Aston Villa 1.
Oil blocks distributionFor over a week now the politically tainted officials of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) have been engaged in what is undoubtedly an attempt to divert attention from the inept management of Guyana’s oil and gas sector by APNU/AFC Coalition Government.Matters of fact, as it relates to, primarily, two exploration agreements I signed before the 2015 General and Regional Elections, have been distorted by SARA’s embattled top two officials into material for their campaign of misinformation.As the then President of Guyana with responsibility for Petroleum, I wish to make the following facts absolutely clear:• The applications by companies for exploration in the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks date back to 2012 and 2013, respectively.• Both applications were processed and approved by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations around late 2013. All fees paid were fixed by law and were paid to the GGMC, not to any private accounts.• Dates of signing and sequence of subsequent discoveries are all in the public domain and were published in the Official Gazette for the public’s information. There was full transparency on this.• Delays in the signing of the agreements were due to matters surrounding Venezuela’s navy seizure of Anandarko contracted seismic vessel Technic Pardana in late 2013.• At the time of application, processing, approval and signing of the Petroleum Prospecting Licenses for the Kaieteur and Canje blocks in Guyana’s offshore there was NO confirmed commercial petroleum discovery in the area by ExxonMobil or any other company.I wish to point out that the PPP/C advertisement, which was reproduced in the Kaieteur News publication on May 31, 2019, substantiates this position. For ease of reference, I quote the first point of the advertisement, in part: “An Exxon oil exploration well …offshore Guyana has discovered hydrocarbons, a strong indicator of the evidence of oil.”The advertisement, which was published on May 8, 2018 – after the agreements were signed – confirmed that no oil was found.The GGMC, as a matter of government policy, was for many years, encouraging exploration interest in our offshore given the United States Geological Survey’s estimate of Guyana’s hydrocarbon potentials and also to have a presence to reassert our territorial rights over the area. This was one of the reasons for what some term generous fiscal concessions. There were simply very few other ways to stimulate interest in exploration. Prior the confirmed oil find in 2015, our basin was considered very high risk. In fact, in 2014, Shell voluntarily gave away its rights to half of the entire Stabroek block for a mere $1.It is a transparent political ploy that the agreements I signed before the change in government is now the subject of a SARA investigation.Professor Thomas in the May 22, 2019 Bloomberg report stated that aside from the Stabroek, Kaieteur and Canje which Exxon has control over, Orinduik block which Tullow Oil Plc signed up to explore in 2016 will also be investigated.However, a contradictory position was proffered by SARA’s Aubrey Retemeyer, who said only the circumstances around ONLY the two agreements I signed would be investigated.Mr. Retemeyer made this admission in a May 29, 2019 report published by the Associated Press, where he was quoted as saying: “Our focus is on Canje and Kaieteur Blocks and how those blocks were awarded.”How could this not be political?Additionally, why is Professor Thomas silent on the new agreements signed by Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, under the current Administration, after the confirmed oil find, which included provisions not dissimilar to the ones I signed, as President, when there was no confirmed oil find? Would it not have been better for Guyana if new provisions were included in the contracts signed by Minister Trotman, since there was a confirmed oil find of an estimated three billion barrels? Why were stronger agreements not signed? And why is this failure something that SARA is not looking into? Is it that SARA is convinced that the APNU/AFC cannot stand scrutiny?Mr. Retemeyer was also quoted in the May 29, 2019 Associated Press report as saying: “They were handed the blocks without any public auction.” Is this not duplicitous? The agreements signed by Minister Trotman were also not subject to auction. Further, until today, there is no policy decision on whether the remaining oil blocks will be auctioned or not.Another APNU/AFC operative, Eric Phillips, is reported to have told the Kaieteur News that he wants to ascertain why no signing bonus was negotiated. I am appalled that after four years in government that a person in such a senior position would raise such an issue which displays a total lack of understanding of the issue. We could not negotiate a signing bonus when we were signing an exploration agreement and not a production agreement?I wish to also point out that last year, when the APNU/AFC Coalition Government came in for severe criticisms of its failures to properly manage our emerging oil and gas sector, talk of an investigation was peddled by Professor Thomas. It would seem that with similar criticisms currently dominating the news cycle, it is not unexpected that Professor Thomas’ mutterings about an investigation would return.I wish to make it clear that I welcome any investigation that is done by an independent and impartial international firm. No Guyanese can expect a non-partisan investigation by SARA. Any unbiased, professional independent review will once more confirm all due legal processes were followed and during the PPP/C time in office the country’s best interest was served, given the realities of the day.That said, no amount of maneuverings by the APNU/AFC Coalition Government, and its puppets at SARA, to divert attention from its inept management of the developing oil and gas sector will be successful. Guyanese are clear that since the confirmed oil find, the Coalition Government had failed to represent their interest – from the renegotiation of the ExxonMobil contract in 2016 to the failure to complete a basic Local Content Policy, after four years in office.Instead, Guyanese are made to contend with an Administration that, among other costly missteps, failed to disclose the receipt of an $18M signing bonus and attempted to steal those monies. Had it not been for the exposure in December 2018, those monies would have remained off of Guyana’s books – as it has for over three years.Currently, responsibility of the oil and gas sector falls under President David Granger – having been moved from one minister to another over the past four years – and the state of affairs remains the same. There is no clear direction to ensure that developments in the oil and gas sector are guided along a trajectory that would benefit Guyana and all Guyanese.Finally, I note the screaming headline on page one of the May 31, 2019 edition of the Kaieteur News with a sense of recognition – it was the same trend that the PPP/C had to contend with for 23 years; misleading, unsubstantiated and sensational publications geared to promote ‘certain’ interests.No amount of misrepresentation for political and other reasons can contradict the facts. I repeat, we in the PPP/C have nothing to fear from an independent and impartial investigation.Former PresidentDonald Ramotar
Indeed, many of those who knew him were shocked at his incredible ability to talk non-stop for many hours.On Lone Star’s trip to Mauritania to honor an African Nations’ Cup encounter, many of the players, and this was confirmed by Photo-journalist, Mozart Dennis, he spoke non-stop till it was announced that the plane was readying to land at Nouakchott International Airport.Radio Moscow was his nickname, and as a coach he felt he needed a strong arm to control and manage the players.If you guess it, and your mind settled on Coach Walter Pelham, you are right.During his playing days, the lanky defender was a no-nonsense attacker. His fondest memories were the matches he played against the Black Stars of Ghana and even the then Flying Eagles, now Super Eagles of Nigeria.So as President Samuel Kanyon Doe took over the Liberia Football Association as its undisputed chairman, it was national coach Walter Pelham, having assumed the post from ex-Coach, Cameroonian Anthony Kuoh, and assisted by Wilfred Kijani Lardner, who handled the Stars.It was a period of unexpected soccer politics, and Invincible Eleven and Mighty Barrolle’s officials played it to the hilt.We recall the final encounter of the Africa Zone 111 Finals, and with two of Liberia’s super stars in the persons of James Salinsa Debbah and George Oppong Weah in the midst of their soccer revolution, it became clear that they were unbeatable and made for great things.Not forgetting the support from colleagues like midfielder Mark Gibson, striker Dominic Brapoh, (Lucky Shango), Patrick Saar, Pati Rossi, Pietor Kromah, among others, with the clever goalkeeping of Pewou Bestman, the Nation’s Best, Anthony Tokpa and others, the Stars were ready to rumble against the Black Stars of Ghana.Liberian soccer fans knew good soccer when they saw one. Like the former national coach, Josiah N. Johnson would always say, it was in such moments that soccer could speak the language of the turf. However, being as wise as he is, he always reminded himself that the art of soccer is like breaking a piece of biscuit.It normally never breaks where it is not intended, and therefore he always reserved room for disappointment. Now the finals of Zone 111 Tournament were here, and Liberia could not let the trophy slip out of her hands.Team preparation involved many aspects of the game. At some point some players would insist that they need “their thing” to rob on themselves. With soccer’s incredible surprises, there is no wonder that players have always wanted some “divine” help.But then we are confronted with what many knowledgeable supporters of the game describe as “Scientific football.” For where is the scientific part of it when a player would insist he would rob his “thing?”With everything said and done, the time for the finals ticked by the minute and the hour, and it came out that there was a problem with the Lone Star team. The report was not encouraging, for the nation’s celebrated soccer star, James Salinsa Debbah, had announced that he was unfit to play the finals.The report shocked the entire Liberian nation, and team doctors, the best there ever was, got themselves busy, examining the particular leg that the “Miracle Man” had declared was unfit to defend the country’s honor against the raging Black Stars of Ghana. The Black Stars had the indomitable left winger Opoku Nti as its skipper.The president of the Barrolle Sports Association Mr. Alhaji G. V. Kromah, in his fatherly role as President of Barrolle, sympathized with the “Miracle Man,” and Salinsa entrenched his unwillingness to play against the Black Stars. Lo and behold, after careful examination by the best team doctor that ever was, it was announced that James Debbah was as fit as a fiddle, and he had nothing to worry.The relief by that announcement was short lived, but the entire Barrolle leadership could not see eye to eye with the opinion of Lone Star’s team doctor and Coach Pelham.Coach Walter E. Pelham was in a quandary of losing the finals, if the Miracle Man held on to his decision, since the BSA officials were not helping the situation in any case.Walter Pelham saw the emerging development as the end of his career, for he had worked harder with the technical team to reach the finals of the Zone 111, for the first time in the history of Liberian soccer, and sadly everything seemed to burst asunder.As the dew upon the roses warms and melts the morning light, Walter saw his dream of holding on to the trophy, and presenting it to the chief executive fading and escaping, and he knew he would awake to the tears of Liberians who had thronged the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, cheering and hoping for eventual victory.With a heavy heart, George Weah led his friends, minus the Miracle Man, onto the field, with thousands stunned in silence. In the end the Ghanaians made victory certain, and the trophy returned to Accra the city that had held it since the competition was organized.Like wasted hours of youth, Walter E. Pelham never recovered from what he saw as the greatest betrayal of his life. Though he held on as a coach, and won several matches, Pelham was done with the Lone Star. Finally when he left the Lone Star, the mantle fell on the shoulders of Wilfred Lardner and his deputy, Manneh Peters.The two men, with the support from George Weah, Jonathan Sogbie (Boye Charles), and other professionals, managed, in 1996, to qualify Liberia for her first participation in the African Cup of Nations. Though Pelham was still active and was an executive member of the Liberia Football Association, the fire that burned in his heart for Liberian football had been dimmed.Salinsa’s lack of cooperation angered Mr. Willis D. Knuckles, the former vice chairman of the LFA, that he was forced to pen a scathing response, demanding that, “Salinsa should either shape in or shape out,” of the national team. But like everything James Debbah, many Liberians agreed that he was “bitter sweet,” and sports officials could not swallow him whole, neither could they condone his sometimes erratic behavior, for he was a man gifted with soccer sense that his team mates always needed for the final countdown to victory.As fate would have it, Walter E. Pelham became a casualty of the tragedy that befell then Police Director, Joe Tate, in a plane crash that smothered their remains beyond recognition in 1998.The sad thing was that the new coaches, Lardner and Peters eventually succumbed to their deaths several years later.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Judge Eva Mappy Morgan heads the three-paneled bench of judges at the Commercial Court.Judge Morgan says as she purges Cllr. Gongloe et al of contempt chargesA Court hearing intended to afford Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe and two other lawyers the opportunity to defend themselves against a contempt charge slapped on them by Judge Eva Mae Mappy Morgan, yesterday took a strange but happy twist, with the lawyers being purged of the contempt charge levied against them by Judge Morgan of the Commercial Court.Gongloe’s law firm was hired by one Amos Brosius, owner of Ducor Petroleum Incorporated (DPI), to represent his legal interest in a case brought by the Monrovia Oil Trading Company (MOTC) against Brosius, in which the company sought the Commercial Court’s approval to compel Ducor Petroleum to make proper accounting of US$56 million worth of petroleum products allegedly supplied to it.MOTC is owned by Italian businessman Charles Carron and James Sirleaf, one of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s sons.While awaiting the determination of the matter, Brosius, according to Judge Morgan, used several media outlets, including the Costa Talk Show on Roots FM, a local radio station, to falsely accuse her of withdrawing, without the consent of the parties, an amount of US$3.4 million from the account of the Ducor Petroleum at the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), which was being held in escrow pending final determination of the matter.Judge Morgan has since denied the allegation, challenging Brosius to provide any documentary evidence in support of his claim against her.Prior to yesterday’s hearing, the parties (MOTC and DPI) as well as their respective lawyers, entered into and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which they agreed that none of the parties would ever discuss the matter outside of the court pending its outcome as well as its merit and demerit.Unfortunately, Brosius, according to Morgan, appeared on the Costa Show where he allegedly incited the public against her by claiming that she was a “rogue and does not desire to live.”“He had been on that incitement spree where they have been successful in tarnishing my hard-earned reputation for the last 500 days without the lawyers reacting to it,” Judge Morgan said yesterday in open court.At one point, Judge Morgan claimed that people believed to have been acting on the approval of Brosius, went to her Providence Baptist Church in search of her.“Sometime back, Costa used his show to call on the public to shoot me over my role with the disappearance of the US$3.4M. Even Costa himself said he was going to shoot me wherever he met me,” Judge Morgan claimed.“For fear of my life, the government managed to assign officers of the Police Support Unit to protect me,” the Commercial Court judge disclosed.It was against this backdrop that the court, headed by a three-judge panel, unanimously held Gongloe and his colleagues, that include Cllr. Philip Gongloe, a brother to Tiawan, and Cllr. Momolu Kandakai in contempt and subsequently threatened to jail them for 20 days.
Cllr. Gongloe with supporters following his ordeal on the prisoner’s benchDuring the hearing, Tiawan Gongloe, who spoke on behalf of the other two lawyers, implored the court to purge (remove) the contempt charge and allowed them to go home and practice their profession freely.Gongloe maintained that they were not behind the behavior of Brosius to tarnish the image of the court and Judge Morgan.Imploring the Court to purge them of the contempt charge, Cllr. Gongloe prayed the court to exclude imprisonment of lawyers as part of its punishment.“The Court can use other punishment like fine, suspension and disbarment, and not to just concentrate on sending lawyers to jail,” Gongloe stressed.He meanwhile said at no time in the over 30 years of his law practice has he been involved with any act that would tend to undermine and bring the reputation of the court to public disrepute.“I will not disrespect this court and any other courts in the country and will not do it at any time,” Gongloe noted.
having been released by the court, Cllr. Gongloe was escorted on foot to his Ashmun Street office on by student activists in show of solidarity.Following Gongloe’s submission, Judge Morgan, in her ruling, observed the presence in Court of a number of senior lawyers of the Supreme Court Bar who had pleaded with the Court to “temper justice with mercy” in favor of defendants Gongloe and company. In acquiescing to their plea, Judge Morgan however warned that the Court will no longer tolerate further acts of such nature by Gongloe’s clients.Moments following Judge Morgan’s announcement declaring the lawyers purged of the contempt charge, a crowd of people, who had trooped into the Court to observe the proceedings, broke into chants and victory songs. At their insistence, they marched with Gongloe from the courtyard of the Temple of Justice on Capitol Hill through the streets to the Gongloe law offices on Ashmun Street in downtown Monrovia, singing victory songs and chanting battle cries. For a moment, according to a longtime activist, the entire episode seemed rather surreal (strange, unusual), with echoes of the march to prison in 1975 of the Revelation editors on whom the Supreme Court had levied excessive fines and sent to jail pending payment of the amends.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Primary races – particularly those that lack high-profile candidates or issues – typically draw low turnouts. But Los Angeles hasn’t seen a single-digit percentage turnout since 1983. Turnout in the previous city election that did not involve a mayoral race was 14 percent in 2001, following a trend of election turnouts in the 15 percent to 18 percent range. “It’s distressing and it’s counterintuitive,” said Councilman-elect Richard Alarc n, who swept to an easy victory in his return to the council in the 7th District. “This was not a weak field against me and we only had about a 9 percent turnout in my district. “You would have thought with all the emphasis on neighborhood councils and trying to get people involved that we would have had more people coming to vote. In some districts, the turnout was only 3 (percent) or 4 percent.” Councilman Tony Cardenas, who also won easy election to a second term in the council’s 6th District, said low turnout has implications beyond city elections. “Sure we have a low turnout, and people say part of the reason is that people are satisfied with their level of service or didn’t see competitive races, but it will come back to affect us,” Cardenas said. Los Angeles’ dismal voter turnout in Tuesday’s election was the lowest in more than two decades, confounding officials even as they try to reinvigorate citizen involvement. Preliminary results show just 128,516 ballots were cast to determine who will lead the nation’s second-largest city and school district – 7 percent of the city’s registered voters. While City Clerk Frank Martinez said final turnout figures will not be available until all ballots are formally verified, he estimates it will be less than 9 percent citywide. “We’ve had elections in the past where the turnout was 8 (percent) and 9 percent, and it is disturbing because we try to make it as easy as we can for voters,” Martinez said. “We have presidential races coming up and where are the candidates going to go? If it’s a choice where voters are concerned and involved compared to an area where they didn’t turn out, you tell me where they are going to campaign. It’s going to be where people are interested.” Part of the difficulty generating voter interest in this election was that five of the City Council races were uncontested. “Without a citywide race to drive attention and the lack of contested races, it’s hard to generate much public interest in the election,” Martinez said. “And there is so much going on in the world today, it’s hard to get (voters’) attention.” Councilman Bernard Parks, re-elected to a second term in the 8th Council District, said he was disappointed with the low turnout. “There are 97,000 registered voters in my district and only 6,400 chose to show up,” Parks said. “That means those 6,400 made a decision affecting 250,000 people living in my district.” And Martinez said the cost of the election remains the same regardless of turnout. More than $14 million was budgeted for Tuesday’s election and the May runoff, although the city will be reimbursed for the May runoff by the Los Angeles Community College District and Los Angeles Unified School District. “We still have the expenses of opening and staffing precincts around the city and the time involved is the same because we have to bring in ballots from all over the city and make sure the ballots are counted,” Martinez said. rick.orlov@dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
0Shares0000Atletico Madrid are finally finding their groove in La Liga and just in time for a city derby against Real Madrid after they strolled to a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Huesca on Tuesday © AFP / GABRIEL BOUYSMADRID, Spain, Sep 26 – Atletico Madrid are finally finding their groove in La Liga and just in time for a city derby against Real Madrid after they strolled to a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Huesca on Tuesday.One victory from their opening four league games left Atletico seven points adrift of Barcelona a fortnight ago but three on the spin have now steered Diego Simeone’s side back on track. This was as routine a three points as they come at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Antoine Griezmann scored early in the first half before going off early in the second, along with partner Diego Costa.Thomas Partey and Koke added numbers two and three before the interval as Atleti climb to third. Huesca drop to 18th.“The team is getting better with every game,” Simeone said. “Against Monaco was good, Getafe better, and today a strong first half allowed us to conserve energy.”Griezmann and Costa jogging off with half an hour to spare was the dream scenario for Simeone, particularly given Real Madrid already have one day less rest ahead of Saturday’s grudge match at the Santiago Bernabeu.Real’s assignment against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday is likely to be far more demanding too.Huesca’s fate in their debut campaign in the top flight, will be decided against worse teams than Atleti, and probably at home, where their Estadio El Alcoraz holds just over 7,000.When Atletico won La Liga four years ago, Huesca finished seventh in Group Two of Segunda B, the third tier in Spain, beneath Fuenlabrada and Athletic Bilbao’s B team.Even when storming to the title, Simeone’s side have hardly been famed for their style of play but their opener here was a triumph for team fluidity.A sweeping spell of possession ended with Angel Correa slipping Costa through in the penalty area. He pulled back for Griezmann to finish.If that was a goal for precision, the next was about power. Partey collected the ball 30 yards out and without a challenge, shuffled forward, before unleashing low into the bottom corner.Two minutes later, it was three. Koke’s clipped ball over the top evaded both Correa’s foot and the distracted goalkeeper Axel Werner on its way into the net. Initially ruled out for offside, the Video Assistant Referee showed Correa was level and the goal stood.Griezmann went off in the 54th minute and Costa in the 65th. Huesca might have had a consolation but Ezequiel Avila diverted over and Juan Aguilera’s finish struck the body of Jan Oblak. Atleti can start looking ahead to Real.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
0Shares0000Chelsea ordered pay Conte £9m in compensationLONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Chelsea have been ordered to pay out a fee of Sh 1.1 billion (£9 million) to former Blues Antonio Conte following his acrimonious departure at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.Conte and Chelsea have been at legal loggerheads since the Italian’s departure as manager in July 2018. He was left ‘disgusted’ by how the club conducted themselves, releasing a 52-word statement that failed to thank him for his Premier League title and FA Cup in two seasons.Conte had one year remaining on his Stamford Bridge deal, but Chelsea had hoped to avoid paying that in full by arguing that he was ‘in breach of that contract’ due to his ‘behaviour in his final year’.The Times say that his decision to text Diego Costa to tell him he could leave so soon after the Blues had won the Premier League in 2017 ‘was against the club’s interests’.Conte’s counter-argument was that Chelsea ‘harmed his chances of getting another management job last summer’ by delaying his sacking until after he and his squad returned to pre-season training.He is now in line to take the Inter Milan job, while Chelsea ‘are not planning to appeal against the tribunal’s verdict’ as they hope to draw a line under ‘a bitter ten-month feud’.Conte’s pay-off is only the fifth-biggest the Blues have paid to a manager under Roman Abramovich.The £23.1m paid to Jose Mourinho and his staff in September 2007 was higher, as well as the fees given to Andre Villas-Boas (£12.7m), Luiz Felipe Scolari (£12.6m) and Roberto Di Matteo (£10.7m). In total, they add up to £92.9m.0Shares0000(Visited 6 times, 1 visits today)
A new energy company is about to launch in Ireland that gives customers unlimited monthly supplies for a set fee.Just Energy is expected to arrive this September, and shake up the competition with their unique ‘all you can use’ pricing system. As fears of rising electricity prices grow this year, this company is aimed towards budgeting families by offering fixed fees.Householders will pay a set fee no matter how much energy is used, Independent.ie reports. Customers pay tariffs starting from approx €60/month depending on their bands and average usage.Just Energy (Ireland) Limited is part of Just Energy Group Inc., a publicly traded Canadian-listed company consisting of eight brands and serving almost 2 million customers across North America.Tariffs can be set at 12 and 24 month schemes that remain fixed, so price rises are avoided for set periods.Just Energy plans to offer a gas supply service alongside electricity in the future. Energy firm sparks interest with unlimited electricity supplies was last modified: September 7th, 2017 by Rachel McLaughlinShare 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)
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREBasketball roundup: Sierra Canyon, Birmingham set to face off in tournament quarterfinals“When he was a freshman, all of the rest of the guys were seniors and they used to give him a hard time because he’d beat them a lot,” Highland coach Judy Remy said. “I told him from the beginning that I had the confidence in him, that he just needed to start believing in himself.” Remy and fellow Highland coach Mike Timperio saw Bishop’s confidence level increase dramatically last season after a 50-yard freestyle race against Quartz Hill’s Matt Smith, one of the top all-around swimmers ever to compete in the Antelope Valley. Although most of the coaches and spectators in attendance at Eastside Pool believed Smith touched the wall before the sophomore, the watches indicated a 22.64 to 22.81 victory for Bishop. “That was a big ego boost for Billy. He looked up to Matt,” Remy said. “Having the chance to swim against Matt was just (the competition) Billy needed.” Bishop came back less than a week later to win the league title in the 50free en route to a 13th-place finish at last year’s division finals. He also placed sixth in the 100 free. On the pool deck, he resembles more of a rock star than a swimmer – oversized jacket, hat tilted slightly sideways, black sunglasses hiding his eyes and usually surrounded by at least a half-dozen friends, fans or fellow competitors. On the starting blocks, he’s an intimidating presence, with his 6-foot-4 frame towering over his competition. In the water, he’s a dream teammate and any Golden League opponent’s worst nightmare, especially if they happen to be matched up with him on the anchor leg of a relay. In less than three years, Highland High junior Billy Bishop has evolved from being a good swimmer on an improving team to a three-time league champion. He has matured from being a promising freshman who often lacked confidence to the Bulldogs’ charismatic leader. And he has gone from only competing on relays at the Southern Section finals to becoming a potential Div. IV individual champion. Those results proved to be the building blocks for a junior campaign in which Bishop has battled stroke for stroke with some of the best swimmers in Southern California. “In the 50 and the 100, he’s proved that he can hang with anyone,” said Timperio, a former four-time Southern Section finals qualifier at Palmdale. “Even if he has a bad start or a bad turn, he’s able to make it up because he’s so long.” After winning the 50 and 100 frees at the May 3 league finals, Bishop secured his position in the championship heat – eight fastest qualifiers – of both events at Tuesday’s division prelims at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. “He’s got so much natural talent and you can’t teach that,” said Quartz Hill coach Mark Thibault, a three-time finalist while swimming with Timperio at Palmdale. “But when he’s in the water, he’s a competitor, there’s no doubt about it.” Tonight, with his mother Deb and sophomore brother, Justin, cheering him on, Bishop could become the first male swimmer from the Antelope Valley to win a division title since Palmdale’s Walter Beddeo in 1980. Beddeo, who went on to coach at Palmdale, captured Div.2-A championships in the 200 and 500 frees in 1979 and 1980. Michele Kumaus is the only Highland swimmer ever to win a title, capturing the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke at the 2003 Div.IV finals. “It’s time for me to put the pedal to the metal, to keep pushing forward,” Bishop said. “I want to take it.” Bishop, who clocked 22.13 to qualify third in the 50 free, will have his work cut out against Bonita of La Verne’s Brett Hays (21.60) and Crossroads of Santa Monica’s Ryland Arnoldi (21.96). “I’m going to eat raw meat,” said Bishop, who also qualified seventh in the 100 free (48.97). Bishop’s season-best was 21.92 in Highland’s dual meet April 27 against Quartz Hill. But Remy knows he’s capable of going faster, having watched him produce better splits on relays all season. “He hasn’t really had that many opportunities to race this year,” Remy said. “But at least he’ll be in the lane right next to (Brett Hays) so he’ll be able to see him.” Bishop has an additional goal of advancing to the inaugural Masters meet, scheduled for Tuesday at Belmont Plaza. In order for a swimmer or relay to qualify for the competition, they must record one of the top 24 times – regardless of division – at the division finals. Entering the division prelims, the projected Masters’ cutoffs were 22.01 in the 50 free and 48.29 in the 100. “Hopefully I can do it,” Bishop said. “That would be an unbelievable experience.” erik.boal@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Premier League Team of the Season so far, including Liverpool and Leicester stars 1 Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas is set to leave Stamford Bridge. Which teams do the best on Boxing Day in the Premier League era? Forbes list reveals how much Mayweather, Ronaldo and Messi earned this decade ADVICE RANKED BEST OF REPLY Fabregas is set to hold talks with Sarri in the next couple of weeks to discuss his long-term future at Stamford Bridge, with several clubs ready to snap him up in January.His contract expires in the summer of 2019 and with no sign of a new deal on the table, a move in the New Year could suit all parties. REVEALED shining MONEY Every time Ally McCoist lost it on air in 2019, including funny XI reactions 
huge blow no dice Where Ancelotti ranks with every Premier League boss for trophies won Ronaldo warned Lukaku how hard scoring goals in Serie A would be before Inter move Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers another setback as Klopp confirms serious injury Atletico Madrid are set to make Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas their number one January transfer target, according to Diario AS.Fabregas, 31, is considering his options after failing to nail down a regular starting spot under new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri this season. Son ban confirmed as Tottenham fail with appeal to overturn red card REVEALED Top nine Premier League free transfers of the decade Berahino hits back at b******t Johnson criticism – ‘I was in a dark place at Stoke’ Latest Football News The Spain international has made just four appearances in all competitions and is yet to feature in the Premier League for the Blues.A January move has been mooted and the influential midfielder has many potential suitors, including clubs in Italy and Spain.And Atletico Madrid are set to make signing Fabregas in January their number one transfer priority.The former Arsenal and Barcelona star is highly rated by Diego Simeone and despite having several central midfielders at his disposal, the Argentine manager is keen to draft him in too.