Kumuls expect lift in intensity for England
The Kumuls looked to be tight-knit and were in good spirits during their training sessions throughout the week, frequently sharing jokes and laughter.After Tuesday’s session in the afternoon heat, players took turns at standing up in front of their team mates and told a brief story about an amusing incident on camp so far. “(It’s about) not thinking too much on the game itself. Come Sunday, you just want to go out there and enjoy the football,” Marum said.The Kumuls are unbeaten in their three pool games so far and the coach expects the intensity to lift against an experienced English side.”We did well to win our World Cup games at home, but we had home crowd support. I expect real football down here. We expect a tough challenge against the English side. They have experience all over the park, and all their players are from Super League and the NRL,” he said. “We’re just going to do our best for our country.”Marum says he’s focused his preparations on ironing out some defensive issues that crept into PNG’s game at times.”We understand the last three matches, we only gave away three tries and they came from kicks. They (England) are big, mobile, play a bit of football, but if we make sure we defend well against them and make sure they don’t get to offloads then we will be in for better chance.”The coach also spoke about how the PNG Hunters’ success has flowed throughout the team. Many of the Kumuls played during the year in their Queensland Cup premiership.”The Hunters program they’ve put in place has really helped this side,” he said. “Those players are playing week in, week out in the competition – it’s really good experience for them. Together with the NRL boys and the Super League players coming in, it’s certainly helped the side.”We seem to have a good mix, they enjoy each other’s company.”
The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is calling on the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to support its efforts to end the ongoing unrest with which it has been plagued over the past months.Speaking on Monday at a press conference at the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Ambassador Reina Diaz, pointed out that President Nicholas Maduro has made clear his intention to rid his country of the ongoing protest in a peaceful and democratic manner.The Ambassador declared that this unrest has been caused by “radical sectors of the political opposition” who have a clear objective to “overthrow the legitimate and constitutional” Government of Venezuela and reverse the social achievements of the Venezuelan people.She noted that at the international level, Guyana can support the actions taken by the Venezuelan Government to resolve the situation in that country; and in this regard, Venezuela has already seen support from the region, including CARICOM governments and CILAC.President Maduro had earlier this month signed a decree to convene a new Constituent Assembly which would comprise of some 500 constituents — mainly working class members who will be tasked with developing a new constitution; that is, reshaping the current legislative body as well as redefining the President’s executive powers.The Maduro Administration claims this move is aimed at restoring in the country the peace which was disrupted by the Opposition’s “so-called peaceful” protests, occasioned by the deadlock between the President and the opposition-controlled Parliament.The Venezuelan Government, which has of recent come under pressure to address the growing unrest in the country, has cited Articles 347, 348 and 349 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in support of its move. The country’s constitution, reformed in 1999, includes provisions for the Executive to convoke a Constituent Assembly.According to Article 347, the original constituent power rests with the Venezuelan people, and this power can be exercised by calling a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of transforming the State, creating a new judicial order, and drawing up a new Constitution.The subsequent Article provide various options to invoke the National Constituent Assembly; that is, by the President, with the Council of Ministers; by a decision of two-thirds of the Members of the National Assembly; the Municipal Council members by vote of two-thirds of its members; and by 15 per cent of the voters registered in the civil and electoral register.According to Ambassador Diaz, the move to convene a Constituent Assembly allows for the people of the country to sit and debate on the country’s situation with intention to establish formulas to encourage national dialogue.“I think that the call that President Maduro has done through the Constituent Assembly shows how democratic President Maduro is; because the call to the National Assembly is a mechanism that allows the dialogue between the parties (to be) a dialogue in peace, a dialogue in democracy, and a dialogue where the people have the last word,” the Venezuelan Diplomat stated.Venezuela Ambassador to Guyana Reina Diaz along with embassy official Luis Dias at Monday’s press conferenceWhile President Maduro is now ready to transfer power into the hands of the Venezuelan citizenry, the move has been rejected by the Opposition. But the Ambassador noted that while the Opposition had stated that such a move is not necessary, its members had pushed for a Constituent Assembly back in 2014 and 2015.The Venezuelan Diplomat has also taken a swing at media corporations, accusing them of portraying a false picture of what the reality is in that country. She claimed that these corporations have failed to report on attacks carried out on citizens and law enforcement by the Opposition parties’ supporters.“The Opposition, funded by foreign aid and with media support, have created a matrix of hatred, persecution and aggression towards Government officials and to all those who sympathise with the Bolivarian thinking… Large media corporations tried to make people believe that there are violent protests all over the country, when in fact most of the manifestations have mainly occurred in three states,” Ambassador Diaz explained, adding that there are 24 states in the country.Venezuela has been embroiled in deep economic and political turmoil since last year; and over the past four weeks, there have been almost daily protests by those who blame President Maduro for the dire state of the country’s economy. Protesters are calling on him to resign.It has been reported that nearly 30 persons have been killed in protest-related violence since the beginning of April.The requests made of the Guyana Government by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela come in spite of its border controversy with Guyana; in which, back in 2015, it has claimed more than half of Guyana’s territorial waters off the Essequibo Coast, and has steadfastly maintained that it does not recognise the 1899 Tribunal Award that settled its border dispute with Guyana.
…implicitly criticises Ramjattan’s bidLeader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, believes that having multiple persons vying for the position of Prime Ministerial Candidate would not serve in the interest of Government.AFC Leader Raphael TrotmanIn an interview with Guyana Times on Sunday, Trotman revealed that he would not be contesting for this position in his party’s upcoming national conference slated for next month.“For the record, we have an incumbent Prime Minister and at least one person expressing interest in the same position. I don’t believe that it would serve the coalition’s interest if there were multiple aspirants for what is essentially one position,” he stated.In February last, Trotman publicly threw his support behind Nagamootoo becoming the AFC’s PM candidate at the next elections. He explained that the replacement of the present PM would be seen as an acceptance by the Government that it has failed, and that the Opposition’s “no-confidence” motion against the administration was justified.“The no-confidence motion was a direct challenge on the Granger/Nagamootoo leadership. In my view, if we were to jump to replace either gentleman in an emotive way, we would be openly conceding that the motion and vote were justified and valid,” Trotman had told the media at that time.The AFC Leader had reaffirmed his confidence in the David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo leadership to guide the Coalition Government in the period ahead.Although other members of the AFC’s leadership have stated that it is unlikely that Nagamootoo would be proposed as the Prime Ministerial Candidate again, Trotman believes that Nagamootoo should remain where he is, as there is no other candidate to attract more votes than he can.“The AFC has not put forward an alternative name to Moses, and right now I am not sure if anyone feels that he or she can do a better job by winning more votes nationally and has national acceptability. It is important to not only bear the ethnic factor in mind, but also to ensure that all groups feel a sense of comfort in the candidate, whether they vote for him or her or not,” he had added.However, less than two weeks ago, Chairman of the AFC, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, confirmed to the media that he would be challenging his colleague for the post of Prime Minister at the conference next month.According to the Public Security Minister, if elected, he is “up to the task”. He explained that the selection of leadership in the AFC is based on democratic principles, which are nothing new to political parties locally and internationally.“I have already indicated my interest. There are others, I am certain, who will indicate their interest; and so it is going to be interesting. And it is good to have, instead of political parties, the regular rivalry between leaders that you would have in the democracies… So, yes, we will be looking forward for it, and that will be decided there at the national conference,” Ramjattan had explained.Minister Ramjattan noted that the electoral process at the upcoming conference would be the deciding factor as to who would be running as the Prime Ministerial Candidate at the next General and Regional Elections.“The Prime Ministerial Candidate is generally made at the National Conference. And I rather suspect that (at) our next national conference there will be a recommendation as to who will be the PM. The conference will be held sometime in mid-June,” Ramjattan had declared.Earlier, in January, President Granger was endorsed by his party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), to run for a second term as President.In fact, the PNC/R – the largest party in the five-party A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – officially threw its support behind its leader via a letter from General Secretary Amna Ally.In accordance with the 2015 ‘deal’ in the form of a Cummingsburg Accord between the two parties, AFC will have the Prime Ministerial position while the Presidential post goes to APNU.
Despite their 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday in front of an announced crowd of 16,954 at Staples Center, the Kings had officially been eliminated from playoff contention before the thirdperiod. By virtue of Calgary’s shootout victory over St. Louis, the Kings became the first team in the NHL to have their playoff hopes dashed this season. Of course, the Kings’ exclusion from the postseason – for the fourth consecutive season – has long been a foregone conclusion, so they had to settle for a victory and a bit of California hockey history. With his first-period goal, winger Noah Clarke became the first California-born player to ever score a goal for the Kings. Clarke, a native of La Verne, was playing in his 15th NHL game. “I remember going to junior tournaments and people would kind of sneer (at California players),” Clarke said. “I’ve been working hard in the last few games and it just feels good to get the first one.” Kings goalie Mathieu Garon, winless in six starts since Jan. 6, earned the victory. Michael Cammalleri scored two goals as the Kings broke a five-game losing streak. Rob Blake, who had missed four games with a strained groin, returned and had a goal and two assists and Lubomir Visnovksy had three assists. “We’re not that far away,” Garon said. “It seems like we’ve been playing well and end up losing 3-2. The last 15games, it seems like one goal could have made a difference.” The Oilers, expected to be a Stanley Cup contender this season, have fallen into 11th place in the West and have lost eightconsecutive games, so they were the perfect prey for the increasingly young Kings. Peter Harrold and Shay Stephenson were returned to the American Hockey League during last week’s trip, but Clarke and Gabe Gauthier remain as the Kings are still without Anze Kopitar (back) and Derek Armstrong (knee). Clarke and Gauthier are both Southern California natives, but Clarke has been up and down with the Kings over the past twoseasons while Gauthier didn’t make his NHL debut until Sunday. Another NHL neophyte, winger John Zeiler, is making a good impression on coach Marc Crawford, and with four weeks left in the season, some roster spots for next season could start to be solidified. “I have optimism personally,” Cammalleri said, “and I know the young guys have optimism and don’t think it will take as long (to turn things around) as some people think.” The Kings took the lead for good just 2:05 into the game. Dustin Brown whiffed on a shot from the left of the net but the puck slid to Clarke, who fired a shot from the middle of the faceoff circle. Clarke’s shot, to the far post, cleanly beat Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. rich.hammond@dailynews.com (818) 713-3611 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Do you believe in miracles? If you’re a Kings fan, don’t bother. At least not this season. 
More madness and mayhem from Mike Graham and Mike Parry, as there’s more law breaking from Porky, the boys talk food phobias and ‘Ask Porky’.
PALMDALE – Northrop Grumman proposes building a new unmanned space launch system that’s part rocketplane and part conventional rocket, looking something like a space shuttle carrying a rocket on its back. Proposed under a Pentagon effort to find quicker, less-expensive ways to get into space, the Hybrid Launch Vehicle would use a shuttle-like mothership to carry aloft a conventional rocket booster that it would let go to carry a satellite into orbit or send a nonnuclear bomb at a far-off target. The computer-guided aircraft would then fly itself back to its base under the power of auxiliary jet engines. “The HLV concept offers the Defense Departmentd a relatively simple, affordable way to put standardized, tactical satellites into orbit quickly after receiving a request for support,” said Dennis Poulos, Northrop Grumman’s HLV project manager. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREOregon Ducks football players get stuck on Disney ride during Rose Bowl eventUnder a 20-month, $3 million Air Force contract, Northrop Grumman is defining its concept for a subscale demonstrator version of the launch system and what would be needed to build and test it. There is a possibility of two preliminary design contracts, each for about $10 million, being awarded in the fall, Poulos said. From the work on those contracts, a single contractor would be selected to build and test the aircraft. “The Air Force’s goal is a one-fourth subscale demonstrator vehicle. We’re looking at what can be done with the available funding,” Poulos said. The program is in its earliest stages so there are no decisions made about where work on assembly and test would be done. Northrop Grumman has a facility at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale and nearby Edwards Air Force Base has done work with hypersonic research vehicles, notably the X-15 during the 1960s. “We are based in L.A. and like to do things in our backyard, but there’s no guarantee that will be the case,” Poulos said. The “hybrid” part of the system’s name comes from the fact that it is a mix of a reusable high-speed rocketplane in the first stage, and an expendable rocket booster in the second stage. The system would provide for quick turnarounds, allowing for a second mission to fly within 48 hours. The system would also greatly reduce costs because much of the system is reusable. The two parts, mated together with the rocket on the plane’s back, would be launched vertically. The rocketplane would accelerate to Mach 7, roughly 4,900 mph, and would climb to an altitude of 150,000 feet before releasing the upper stage. The rocket then boosts a satellite to orbit or delivers a nonnuclear weapon to a distant target. Meanwhile, the rocketplane would fly itself back to base, officials said. The rocketplane would have two engine systems – a rocket for launch and jet engines for its return flight, according to Northrop Grumman. “Getting an airplane to come back from 300 miles is a doable do,” Poulos said. A number of technologies would have to be developed or adapted for the system, including a thermal protection system to protect it from heat generated by high-speed flight, finding a robust rocket engine that could be adapted for reuse, and developing the electronic equipment and software to fly the airplane back to base. A key part of the effort would be proving the quickness of the turnaround time between missions. “The most important part is demonstrating the operability of the program, from touchdown to launch,” Poulos said. The subscale craft would demonstrate the high-speed flight characteristics, the ability of the aircraft to safely return to base, and the ability to quickly and affordably ready the system for its next launch, according to the Air Force. The current plans call for the subscale HLV to be a high-speed sub-orbital vehicle that would use dummy upper stages to test separation characteristics. The Air Force estimates the cost will range between $200 million to $250 million to build and test a subscale HLV system. The tentative plan is for a first flight in 2010 or 2011. Northrop Grumman expects to use management techniques and technologies derived from some of its other programs, including Antelope Valley-related projects. Those programs include the B-2 stealth bomber and unmanned aircraft capable of flying all or part of a mission without human intervention, such as the computer-controlled Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft. james.skeen@dailynews (661) 267-5743160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
The Donegal Ladies county board meeting has been brought forward to the 1st of February in Heeney’s Bar in Ballybofey at 7.30pm.All clubs must send two delegates to the meeting and Fees are due on the night. Affiliation Fee and €50 per team entry fee is due. The number and details of teams entering competitions must also be submitted for the meeting on 1st Feb.EndsNEW DATE SET FOR DONEGAL LADIES COUNTY BOARD MEETING was last modified: January 16th, 2011 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)
Juventus are looking to beat Chelsea to the signing of Marseille midfielder Florian Thauvin, the Daily Star say.Thauvin, 21, is said to be a target for a number of clubs and it is claimed that the Blues are interested along with Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.Another player Chelsea have been consistently linked with is Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, who played under Blues boss Jose Mourinho at the Spanish club.And the Daily Express say Chelsea have moved ahead of Arsenal in a race to sign the German after Real apparently made an approach for keeper Petr Cech and paved the way for an exchange deal.Meanwhile, following a report in the Italian media on Monday that QPR and West Ham want Abdoulay Konko, the Daily Mirror say the two clubs are battling to sign the Lazio defender.Konko, 30, is out of favour and is hoping to move to England when the transfer window reopens in January.Rangers boss Harry Redknapp is in the market for a right-back to replace summer signing Mauricio Isla, it is claimed.Follow West London Sport on TwitterFind us on Facebook
Click here if you’re unable to view the photo gallery on your mobile device. TORONTO — Steve Kerr has been officially ruling Kevin Durant out the day before games, but one day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals Kerr implied Durant might play on Monday with the Warriors’ season on the line.Durant will practice with the Warriors on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena and then get extra work in with the team’s younger players. He was the only player not on the court during the portion of practice open to …
16 April 2004Online banking in South Africa is growing rapidly – despite recent online security scares. That’s according to research conducted by Internet analysts World Wide Worx (WWW).WWW says the number of online bank accounts in South Africa grew by 28% in 2003, reaching 1.04-million accounts. It’s expected to grow by more than 30% during 2004.“Ordinary South Africans kept a cool head while the media created a frenzy around a handful of isolated security incidents”, says WWW managing director Arthur Goldstuck. “The public failed to allow the hype to dampen its enthusiasm for online banking.”The survey showed that of the big four banks in South Africa, which include First National Bank, Standard Bank and Nedbank, Absa continues to hold the largest number of online banking accounts.However, Standard Bank is expected to catch up significantly during 2004. Both banks have aggressive marketing campaigns around Internet connectivity, which appears to have been a key to their dominance of the market niche.The survey also shows that mobile banking has not yet taken off in South Africa, but that most banks expect strong take-up during 2004. eBucks, a service offered by FirstRand, leads the way, having already pioneered the use of SMS to verify transactions.The survey evaluated the usability, transactional functionality and content strategy of online banking sites in South Africa, using the “webagility” system developed by World Wide Worx for benchmarking websites against best practice.IcanOnline and Absa came out as the best online banking sites in terms of general usability, while eBucks scored highest on transactional functionality, and Absa came out tops for the content strategy of their website.Absa scored highest in the combined benchmark, which provides an indication of website effectiveness and competitive edge.“While there are clear leaders, it is gratifying to see the extent to which the overall standard of all the online banking sites has improved”, says Goldstuck. “It is clear that banks have come to accept the strategic importance of their online presence.”ICT innovations by SA banksThe South African Technology Vanguard (Savant), a recently launched partnership between the government and key industry players, argues that while South Africa is firmly part of the technology mainstream, applying the world’s best technology and keeping pace with progress in the industry, the country simultaneously adapts and applies these technologies to the local market.Savant supports this argument by citing a number of ICT innovations in the South African banking sector:Standard Bank was the first bank in the world to enable the online transfer of funds from mortgage bonds, using clients’ homes as collateral. The bank was also one of the first two in the world to link mainframe computers in disparate sites, allowing customers nationwide access to their cheque accounts.United Building Society (now Absa) was the first institution in the world to use IMS Fastpath, simplifying banking transactions and processing a record number of transactions per second. Following this, Absa Bank was among the first three institutions in the world to run an IBM Sysplex using IMS Fastpath.Volkskas was the first bank in the world to implement remote network management to stabilise its network and obtain predictable response times, and Allied Building Society was one of the first institutions in the world to use FBSS for teller transactions in an IMS environment. Both these banks are now part of Absa.Internet access in SAThe last three years has seen a dramatic slowdown in Internet access growth in South Africa. Growth in access in 2002 was around 7%, the slowest since the Internet became available to the South African public in 1993, and the first time it dropped below 20%.In 2003, growth was set to be only 6%, with 3.28 million South Africans expected to have access to the Internet by the end of 2003But analysts say this will change with the appointment of a second telecommunications operator, which is expected to challenge Telkom’s monopoly. The rollout of high-speed or broadband wireless access by Sentech, and a healthy rand-dollar exchange rate, are also expected to significantly contribute to increased access in the country.SouthAfrica.info reporter