Highlights from the Print Newspaper edition - Issue No. 398
Updated as of |
Wednesday, 7 May 2003
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Up Front
News
Editorial
Special Report
Overseas Commentary
News Analysis
Ask Dr. Brothers
Health News
Overseas People
Overseas News
News From Our Region
Cayman Net News Daily Comics
Sports
Sports Summary
In an effort to integrate the resources of our main industries, an initiative to market Cayman's tourism product has been announced, signaling
'Brand Cayman' Underway
Leader of Government Business and Minister of Tourism, the Honourable McKeeva Bush, has a new plan to combat the recent global challenges facing Cayman's tourism sector.
Hon. McKeeva Bush
Addressing delegates at the Department of Tourism Global Meeting, which started Monday and runs through today, the Leader of Government disclosed that his ministry has launched a national campaign titled simply, "Brand Cayman," which will harness and unite the most notable attributes of the Cayman Islands' main industries and leverage them to benefit the country.
"Brand Cayman will span the tourism,
financial services and e-business sectors," said Mr. Bush.
"By embarking on this initiative, the Cayman Islands will
lead the competition by introducing integrated branding which
will distinguish the Cayman Islands product."
He explained that by uniting the country's main sectors, the country
would benefit from greater visibility and a stronger voice in
the international arena.
"Individually, our sectors cannot hope to outspend some of our rivals, but by working smarter we can draw on the strengths, reputations and audiences of each sector, and combine these to strengthen the message that the Cayman Islands is a great place to visit, to work, to do business, and to live," said Mr. Bush. "The time has come to send that united message at every opportunity we have to interact with consumers."
He revealed that the research phase of Brand Cayman was launched this month and the results will soon be reflected in Cayman's marketing, advertising and public relations activities by the fourth quarter of 2003. Local firm, Brac Informatics Centre, and its affiliate global partner, 141 Worldwide, have been contracted by government to make the branding programme a reality.
"Brand Cayman will set us apart and show the rest of the world that though small, the Cayman Islands is a big player in the competitive world market," he said.
Mr. Bush also revealed that as minister of tourism, he will be augmenting traditional marketing tactics with more modern strategies.
A first of this new effort will be the launch of the "Some Kind of Blue," festival, scheduled for May 15-17 in Cayman. The event, which is being producted in partnership with the US-based Savoy Magazine, will feature some 100 "influential taste and opinion makers of the African-American community," said Mr. Bush. It is a prelude to what the Minister said will become Cayman's annual music festival, featuring premier jazz and R& B talent.
"The premier event is designed to generate tremendous exposure and goodwill for the Cayman Islands, to promote the Cayman Islands as an upscale destination, and drive business to the local community," he said.
The weekend event will include activities ranging from golf, snorkeling, scuba diving, spas and watersports, to entertainment ranging from an exclusive dinner to a jazz and R&B show at Pedro St. James Castle on 16 May.
The 'Shades of Blue' concert will feature performances from classic soul and R&B star Keith Sweat, the London jazz duo Floetry, and Bad Boy artist Carl Thomas. Tickets for the 'Shades of Blue,' concert are now on sale at the Department of Tourism's office.
Leading African-American business entrepreneurs from marketing, consumer product and the music industries are expected to attend. Top names set to be in Cayman that weekend include Arista Records CEO, L.A. Reid and Hip-Hop Impresario, and the CEO of RUSH Communications, Russell Simmons.
"We welcome the many opportunities that will naturally arise from exposing such prominent and influential decision makers to the vast potential which exists in the Cayman Islands," said Mr. Bush.
The new marketing move by government is being made at a time when the country's tourism is down, partially because of global events.
Still, Mr. Bush is optimistic about the future. "We have survived much turmoil in the tourism industry and we must now emerge with a renewed commitment to change the way we do business and to create and embrace opportunity," he added.
The Minister of Tourism also took the opportunity to urge Caymanians to rediscover Cayman.
"It is too easy to become complacent about our daily lives, to take our beautiful island home for granted, and to forget about the little details that are the reason our guests love us warm Caymanian smiles, old-time Caymanian hospitality, and of course our beautiful sun, sand and sea."
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Foster's/Kirk
Warehouse groundbreaking and dedication
Left to Right: Pastor Tom Goodman, Woody Foster, Dax Foster, Shane Foster, David Foster, Capt. Eldon Kirkconnell, Steve Foster, Jim Smith, Steve Hawley, Charlie Kirkconnell, Donald Burnes, Pastor David George, David Bloom, Tommy Bodden.
A very special groundbreaking and prayer dedication ceremony was held recently for the new six million dollar, state of the art warehouse facilities for Progressive Distributors Ltd (PDL).
Encompassing more than 52,000 square feet, the new warehouse will be one of the largest such buildings in the Cayman Islands.
Pastors Tom Goodman and David George opened the Ground Breaking Ceremony with Prayer, while Messer's Captain Eldon Kirkconnell on behalf of Kirkconnell Brothers and David and Steve Foster on behalf of Foster Brothers took turns with the ceremonial shovel to officially break the ground at the site.
Mr. Shane Foster, the Managing Director of PDL comments on the new facilities, "As a part of the merger of Fosters and Kirks wholesale operations, we are taking this opportunity to adjust to the current market and consumer preferences by offering higher calibre merchandise for the more discerning customers, and also simultaneously offering cost effective items, which our customers are demanding these days".
Shane also added, "Shoppers are increasingly looking for value, and PDL will offer low prices as well as diverse merchandise. With the new warehouse and a larger distribution channel PDL will offer tremendous benefits to wholesale and food service customers in all three Cayman Islands."
A very proud David Foster shared that, "The building has amazingly solid design and construction elements; the large footings and massive foundation will make this state of the art structure extremely strong and durable."
The modern and efficient project is being constructed by local company S. T. Bodden Construction. Terry Wilson, the very capable site foreman, hopes to have construction completed on the 1st of November 2003, one full month earlier than the projected 1st of December 2003 completion date. "The floor of the warehouse will be finished in a cutting edge way, giving it a glass like and durable finish" shared Terry.
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Marriott Defaults
Mr. Gordon 'Butch' Stewart
Cayman Net News has learned from reliable sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity that the owners of the 309-room Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort have handed the property over to the financing institution which held its mortgage, the Chicago-based LaSalle Bank.
The Marriott was owned and
operated by the Yung family of the Columbia Sussex Corporation
based in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. The same group also owns the
343-room Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa and the 231-room Holiday
Inn Resort Grand Cayman.
The beleaguered Marriot has experienced severe beach erosion and
declining occupancy in recent times. As reported in Cayman Net
News previously, the hotel began cutting its staff's working hours
by as much as 25 percent last month.
Both Mr. Willy Geiger, General Manager of the Marriott Grand Cayman and Mr. Sean Platt, Public Relations Spokesperson for LaSalle Bank declined to comment at this time, however Mr. Geiger indicated that he might make a statement in the next two weeks.
In the meantime, the hotel continues to operate under a management arrangement put in place by LaSalle Bank as Cayman enters its historically slow summer season.
It is also known among tourism leaders in both the private and public sector that Jamaican hotelier Mr. Gordon 'Butch' Stewart has been approached about the possibility of acquiring the property. Mr. Stewart, whose assets include 13 Caribbean resorts and Air Jamaica, is renowned for all-inclusive resorts such as Sandals and Beaches.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
BAGHDAD: The United States announced the capture of a top female biological weapons scientist from Saddam Hussein's deposed regime.
HONG KONG: China quarantined 10,000 more citizens in its desperate efforts to contain SARS as panic riots hit rural areas despite global successes in halting the spread of the virus.
JOHANNESBURG: Walter Sisulu, a towering figure
in the struggle for majority rule in South Africa, has died at
the age of 90, the ruling African National Congress said.
ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika named his aide
Ahmed Ouyahia as Prime Minister as part of a government reshuffle
after having "far-reaching divergences" with Ali Benflis.
JERUSALEM: A Jewish settler was killed and
his nine-year-old daughter wounded as their car came under Palestinian
gunfire in the northern West Bank, Israeli hospital sources said.
HARARE: Three African leaders held high level talks with
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and the main opposition in a
fresh bid to resolve the country's political crisis.
RAMALLAH, West Bank: US Middle East envoy William Burns told Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas to launch a "decisive fight against terror."
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News
Public encouraged to attend McCoy Award evening at the National Gallery
The McCoy Prize awards for excellence in Caymanian excellence in art and craft will be given to the artist and craftsperson chosen on Tuesday evening, 13 May at the National Gallery at 6:00 pm at Harbour Place on the waterfront.
The public is invited to attend this festive occasion and helping the McCoy family, the National Gallery and the National Museum congratulate the McCoy Prize winners for 2003.
Entertainment will be provided under the guidance of Quincy Brown from Radio Cayman. Young Caymanian musicians and performers will be on hand to join with Caymanian artists and craftspersons in celebration of the vibrant Caymanian talent we have in these islands today.
Over 45 artists and craftspeople entered the McCoy Prize exhibition this year, and those in attendance will have the opportunity to look at the display of work, cast their own vote for the "People's Choice" Award a new addition to the McCoy Prize Exhibition and to enjoy some excellent, young contemporary Caymanian performers.
The evening festivities are for young and old alike. Food and drink will be served. Please call 945-8111 for more information.
Minister for Planning, Communications, Works and Information Technology, Hon. Linford Pierson, OBE, JP, (centre) hands over new government vehicles to department heads in his ministry. (l-r) Acting Director for the Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services Dale Dacres; Assistant Director for the Department of Environmental Health Dr. Paulino Rodrigues; Acting Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow and Chief Engineer for Public Works, Colford Scott.
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Governor invites
nominations for 2004 New Years' Honours
His Excellency the Governor Mr. Bruce Dinwiddy
invites members of the public to submit nominations for Her Majesty
The Queen's New Year Honours 2004. Nominations must be received
by Wednesday, 28 May 2003. Final recommendations for OBE's and
MBE's are considered in the United Kingdom. Recommendations for
the Certificate and Badge of Honour are considered locally. Recommendations
may or may not be accepted.
Honours Nomination Forms can be collected from the reception desk
of the Government Administration Building. Please make every effort
to fully complete all the relevant sections. Once completed, the
forms should be submitted, under confidential cover, to the Governor's
Office.
It should be stressed that long service
alone is an insufficient reason for the granting of an award.
Awards are given to members of the community who have demonstrated
levels of service that are exceptional and above and beyond what
would normally be expected. Awards should, where possible, place
emphasis on voluntary service.
For any further information please contact the Governor's Personal
Assistant, Fiona Mowbray, on 244 2401.
Cable & Wireless today (5 May 2003) announced that Errald Miller, CEO West Indies Region, has decided to leave the company. While Mr Miller will relinquish his operational responsibilities immediately, he will remain for a short time to assist in a smooth transition of the organisation.
The three major business blocs that comprise Cable & Wireless West Indies Jamaica (the largest business unit), the Eastern Caribbean Region and the Northern Region will continue to have full profit and loss accountability. However, Gary Barrow, President, Cable & Wireless Jamaica, will, with immediate effect, report directly to Robert Lerwill, Chief Executive, Cable & Wireless Regional. Colin Little, Executive Vice President, Eastern Caribbean Region, and Mark Macfee, Executive Vice President, Northern Region, will report directly to James Cheesewright, Chief Operating Officer, Cable & Wireless Regional. Robert Lerwill will continue to be responsible for Cable & Wireless' 49% interest in TSTT, which is led by Sam Martin, CEO.
Commenting on Mr. Miller's departure, Robert Lerwill said, "Errald has had an illustrious career with Cable & Wireless and has made an important contribution to the Caribbean businesses for which I would personally like to thank him."
During his 31 years with Cable & Wireless, Errald Miller's achievements have included the successful running and transformation of Cable & Wireless Jamaica as its President & CEO and Jamaica Digiport International as its Executive Chairman. He became CEO, West Indies Region in January 2001, again driving the successful transformation of the businesses into a single virtual operating entity that realised improvements in customer services and operational efficiency. Additionally, he led the successful negotiations for liberalization of the telecommunication markets in several Caribbean countries, with discussions underway in the others.
Mr. Lerwill added, "Our businesses in the region continue to perform strongly and are well prepared for competition. Cable & Wireless has contributed actively to the process of establishing a competitive environment in telecommunications that is both fair and sustainable and beneficial to all."
Police report biggest drug lab catch in the Caribbean
PARAMARIBO (AFP) Suriname and Dutch police dismantled the big-gest ecstasy producing lab seen yet here in Paramaribo, a police statement said.
Six people were arrested, and synthetic drugs, equipment, hand grenades, weapons and munitions were seized overnight Friday, 2 May in the wake of a year-long investigation involving officers from the Netherlands and Suriname.
The chemicals found at the lab were enough to produce one million ecstasy pills a day, representing the biggest operation ever found in the Caribbean, police said.
The British Virgin Islands Elections Day is Monday, 16 June
British Virgin Islands Chief Minister Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal
His Excellency the Governor Thomas Macan, after consultation with the Chief Minister and the Supervisor of Elections and mindful of the need to meet the timetable laid down in the Elections Act, has announced the date of Monday, 16 June for the staging of general elections in the British Virgin Islands.
Chief Minister Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal asked the Governor to dissolve the 14th Legislative Council on Tuesday, 22 April.
Speaking immediately following the release of the date, Governor Macan explained that once this was done, he had to hear from the Elections Supervisor in terms of her timetable between then and polling day.
"I think the first and most important thing is to encourage everybody out there who is eligible to vote but has not yet registered to please do so as soon as possible," His Excellency urged. "There are a few more days when registration remains fully open; please don't leave it to the last minute, (rather) go around to the Office of the Supervisor of Elections and get yourself on the list."
He said equally, all those persons who have moved and now live in a different District from where they were registered, should get themselves transferred and re-registered. He said the Elections Supervisor is aiming to publish the preliminary list by 9 May, after which persons can submit queries, if any, before the list is certified.
As Head of the Civil Service, the Governor had some advice for them. He reminded them that the BVI operates a secret ballot system, which means that no one knows who the other votes for. "I hope people have confidence in that secret ballot."
He said the BVI should be proud of its non-party public service; one ready to serve whichever party wins the elections.
"So, it's very important during the campaign, individuals don't compromise their ability to serve whatever government and that really is all about common sense," according to the Governor. He said that means not getting too involved and not being publicly involved in the campaign
Three "Memorable" Caymanian Calendar Babies
 Alexie Seymour looks on
at her prize of $500 worth of Hooked on Phonics books as overall
winner of the Competiton. |
 Adrian Powery, winner
of the Most Tender Moment category in the Johnson and Johnson
Memorable Moments competition. |
 Amber McClean won a gift
from Johnson and Johnson at Fosters Brothers Ltd. for runner
up in the Most Laughable category. |
Johnson and Johnson Trinidad have selected three winners for it's annual "Memorable Moments" Calendar. Fifty babies from Cayman entered the competition and each Caymanian baby picture appears in the J&J 2003 Calendar.
However, J&J had the difficult task of picking out the winning snapshots. All entries were divided into two categories most tender moment and most laughable moment. A picture of Adrian Powery was selected as the most 'tender' moment; a shot of Amber McLean was chosen as the most 'laughable' moment and a shot of Alexie Seymour was chosen as the overall winning picture.
The J&J Memorable Moments competition is in its second year in Cayman. It has proved very popular with Mums and Dads in Cayman, as well as Foster Brothers staff who get to look over all the lovely baby pictures from newborns to toddlers.
Foster Brothers Ltd. wish to thank all participants in the competition and to congratulate the three winners.
Chamber's 6th annual Road Side Clean-Up
Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman take time out from their Clean-Up on Watlers Road.
The Royal Bank of Canada Clean-Up team at Smith's Cove.
As part of the Cayman Islands Earth week activities the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce organised its 6th Annual Road Side Clean-up, which took place on Saturday, 26 April.
With over 350 people, both young and old participating, the clean-up effort was a success. Students, service clubs businesses and district communities all took part. Approximately 425 bags of garbage were collected from various roadsides in Grand Cayman.
The Chamber of Commerce gave all volunteers a complimentary Earth Week Road Side Clean-Up T-shirt, Tank Top or Tote bag along with garbage bags and gloves.
This annual event focus is to create awareness and appreciation in the thousands of participants here in the Cayman Islands of the impact that improper utilisation and disposal of our resources has on our fragile and precious environment.
The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce commends The Royal Bank of Canada, Cayman National CUC, and The Ritz-Carlton, this years' sponsors for the 6th Annual Road Side Clean-Up for their generosity and benevolence in this project.
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Editorial
Getting up to speed for our future
The Internet has indeed turned the world into a global village. Only ten years ago, who would have thought that people around the world could have accomplished so much, working almost simultaneously on a project?
Yet, unlike years ago, the focus now is on high speed. It's not enough to have a dial-up network anymore. More and more, Web users are demanding faster connections, quicker upload and download times, and most importantly, consumers are looking at the bottom line which is cost.
Here in the Cayman Islands, we are heavily dependent on the Internet service provided by Cable & Wireless, which currently has a monopoly on that market. The monthly cost for C&W's Internet service is considered high when compared to what is available elsewhere in terms of speed.
One only has to look at the services provided in South Korea, Japan and to a lesser extent, the United States, to see how far behind we are lagging.
Cayman may be the financial capital of the Caribbean, but when it comes to competing with the world on high-speed Internet connectivity, we are far behind.
Now, as the local telecommunications industry prepares to open for competition, residents may finally be seeing the dawn of liberalization in the Internet market. Hopeful entrants into the market obviously realize the wealth that can be acquired by setting up shop here.
There is no doubt that economics is the deciding factor for companies wanting to do business in Cayman, as it is with businesses throughout the world. However, before the go-ahead is given to any new telecommunications company, government should require that Internet be included in the services they offer in order to provide this country with a reasonably-priced global link in line with our financial standing in the world.
We are talking about high-speed connection that is many times faster than the one we currently have. We deserve connection that can have us zipping along the Internet highways of this global marketplace to compete with the rest of the world.
With the sagging economy and less than booming tourism sector, it is time that the country and its development partners begin investing into a more long-term industry that will not rise and fall with the tides of natural and man-made disasters.
The technology business is the wave of the
future. We should not be left behind.
By having affordable Internet providers who are willing to bring
the world to us at a reasonable cost, we can begin to invest in
our children's future as we encourage them to take advantage of
the great educational resources the Internet has to offer. It
is a great alternative to television and one that we need to harness
now in order to ensure we get maximum returns in the future.
All of these new companies hoping for a piece of the telecom pie should be urged to provide scholarships, internships and training to Caymanians, just as Cable & Wireless does, so that we as a people can begin to mold our greatest asset our people into IT professionals of the near future.
The Asian countries have managed to do it. Why not us? We have multi-national corporations interested in taking advantage of our tax-free concessions and our sophisticated marketplace. Why not demand they give back to the country in this way, so that we not only benefit with faster connectivity, but we can begin to build an entirely new industry the IT industry that can eventually become a product we can export, rather than import.
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Special
Report
Interview of the Week: David
Trimble
By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst
WASHINGTON (UPI) - David Trimble is leader
of the Ulster Unionist Party, the largest political party in Northern
Ireland, and the main political voice of the province's majority
Protestant Unionist community. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for
his role in bringing about the historic 1998 Good Friday Agreement
that offered hope of ending 30 years of sectarian conflict in
the British-ruled province of 1.5 million people. He spoke about
future prospects of peace in Northern Ireland with UPI Chief News
Analyst Martin Sieff.
Q: There
has been an interregnum in Northern Irish politics since the power-sharing
executive that ruled the province was suspended last October.
What prospects do you see for reaching agreement with Sinn Fein,
the main Irish Republican party that would allow the Ulster Unionist
Party to return to government?
A: I hope the Northern Irish Assembly and the power-sharing
executive will start again soon. This depends on there being
significant moves by the Republican movement. In the past, we
have been willing to take chances on it, but we were let down
each time and there would not be support in the Unionist Party
for it.
At recent talks in Hillsborough (England), Northern Ireland interestingly we were not under any pressure from any other party to proceed in any other way. At Hillsborough there was a general sense that the IRA has to move first. Therefore in the short-term the restoration of the power-sharing administration depends upon the Republican movement.
We had these meetings at Hillsborough. All the things we looked at are contingent on the central case: Is the Republican movement prepared to give up its private army and the paramilitary activities associated with it? Despite even the recent strong calls from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, we still don't know their position.
Once they do make those commitments, however, then normalization, demilitarization and scaling down the British military presence in Northern Ireland all become very feasible.
Q: From
the Unionist perspective, what are the main areas of concern in
dealing with Sinn Fein and the Irish Republican movement?
A: The Irish Republican movement is not a conventional
political movement but a political faction associated with paramilitary
forces. The paramilitary machine was being used to gather intelligence.
They think in paramilitary terms even while they are engaged in
politics.
From the Mitchell Principles to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement,
the record of the Northern Irish peace process is a tale of people
committing themselves to peaceful means and not to force or the
threat of force.
We have had both Loyalist and Republican groups excluded from
the political process if they did not agree to this. There is
an exclusionary principle in the Good Friday Agreement but the
mechanism for operating it hasn't worked. It proved to be defective
and we have to develop new workable mechanisms to ensure compliance.
The logic of what they have done over the past few years remains
of concern to us. The experience of the past two years has repeatedly
confirmed to us that Sinn Fein has been trying to maintain a political
strategy with added paramilitary involvement.
There is, therefore, real concern that the Republicans are not
serious about buying into the political process - that they are
still engaged in using their own private army for the collection
of intelligence. The breakdown in the power-sharing executive
occurred in October as a result of the revelations about the Irish
Republican spying operation.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in a recent speech acknowledged that
the revelations about IRA involvement with the FARC (Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia) narco-terrorists in Colombia had led
to increased pressure on the Republican movement to do things.
Q: Given
the apparent commitment of Sinn Fein and the IRA leadership to
the peace process over the past five years, why do they continue
to indulge in such activities and run such risks that could destroy
all the political progress that has been made?
A: It is not easy for an organization that has prospered
for so long from its paramilitary activities to take the decision
to divest itself of them. There are large practical issues involved
- because paramilitary activities run the rackets and produce
large sums of income
Q: Last
year, for many months tensions appeared to be getting worse in
Belfast, but over the past six months the situation has markedly
improved. To what do you attribute this?
A: We are now eight or nine years on from the first cease-fire
the priorities have clearly shifted. Belfast is now a safer and
more peaceful city than nine months ago.
We welcomed the line taken by the Ulster Defense Association (the
largest loyalist paramilitary force) recently. The UDA now has
a new leadership in the saddle. And it announced that it would
cease all kinds of paramilitary activities for a 12-month period.
We really need to see the largest paramilitary organization and
the only one linked to a political party in government make a
similar undertaking. And that is the IRA.
It was significant that the violence at interfaces in communities in Belfast got switched off. The Irish Republican leadership realized that they were in the doghouse and worked to keep things calm. But it also showed they have the power to switch violence on and off.
Loyalist feuding problems have improved too. One of the most disruptive loyalist paramilitary leaders was persuaded to step down and leave province and this did a great deal to defuse violent feuding between loyalist paramilitary groups.
Q: How
would you assess your relations with the British government of
Prime Minister Blair? Are you in agreement with British policies
on Northern Ireland?
A: The British have shared some of their thinking with
us. We were reassured by much of what we have seen. But we are
not sure that what we have seen is the whole picture. Our previous
experience in dealing with the current British government suggests
that some X-factors will pop up that Tony didn't get round to
telling us about.
Q: You
mentioned before the revelations of IRA involvement with the FARC
narco-terrorists in Colombia. How do you assess this allegation
and other ones about IRA involvement with other terrorist organizations
and supporters of terrorism around the world?
A: The Colombia case is not yet resolved. The more we hear
about the evidence the bleaker it looks for the Irish Republican
movement. Officials in Colombia are attributing to the IRA responsibility
for the higher level of technology to IRA-FARC cooperation.
Historically, there has been a relationship between the IRA and
the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and the IRA's relationship
with Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is well known but whether
it is current or not we do not know.
There are rumors and reports of contacts between (Arab militant
group) Hamas and the IRA but I am not aware that they are sending
guns yet. There is no strategy of IRA public endorsement for groups
such as Hamas and Hezbollah. However, it is not only such groups
that the IRA faces allegations that it is associated with. There
is a wider question of the broad sympathies of the IRA and Sinn
Fein.
On a BBC Question Time, Mitchell McLaughlin of Sinn Fein showed
his solidarity with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and with
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. It tells you something about
the Irish Republican movement.
It is a huge paradox that in the United States the Irish-American
community is a pillar of society but elements of it are induced
to ally themselves with a revolutionary organization that still
reveres (Latin American revolutionary) Che Guevara and (Cuban
leader) Fidel Castro. It is a huge paradox in American politics.
Q: What
have you drawn from your most recent meetings with President Bush
in Washington and Belfast?
A: The fact that President Bush carved out two to three
hours on March 13 for a series of receptions on Northern Ireland
issues is huge. The key thing was the very strong endorsement
of the new chief constable - or commander in chief - of the Police
Service of Northern Ireland, Hugh Orde, who was accompanied by
two young recruits. The president signalled out the police for
a remarkably generous and uncritical endorsement. It sends a very
strong signal back to the communities in Northern Ireland.
Price's predecessor Sir Ronnie Flanagan was in a very difficult
situation in the early stages of the paramilitary cease-fires.
He clearly wanted to assist them. He was chosen because of his
public relations skills and he had an adroit sense in political
skills - even if that meant being a little tactical in terms of
policing and law and order priorities.
Q: What
comes next in Northern Ireland?
A: The Northern Ireland Assembly elections are scheduled
for the end of May. Opinion polls have shown our Ulster Unionist
Party ahead of the Rev. Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party.
The position in terms of the nationalist parties is more ambiguous.
Up to October, Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, looked
to be ahead of the more moderate Social and Democratic Labor Party
in the nationalist community. Since then, the position is less
clear. A lot of people have been worried about the nightmare scenario
of the moderate parties losing out in both the loyalist and nationalist
communities in Northern Ireland and this resulting in a future
of politics led by Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams. However, that
seems less likely at the end of the day.
Q: You
made a significant impact in British politics by supporting Prime
Minister Blair's policy of supporting the United States in going
to war on Iraq with your powerful comments on the issue in a crucial
debate in the House of Commons. Why did you speak out so strongly
on the issue?
A: It seemed to me there was only one line that could reasonably
be taken; Saddam Hussein is a threat to the region. He had started
two wars. It was recognized after the invasion of Kuwait that
his weapons of mass destruction had to be limited. Indecisive
leadership in Washington in the late '90s allowed Saddam Hussein
to obstruct these efforts. From then on, repairing our alleged
sins of omission concerning Saddam Hussein was very much on the
agenda.
The collective road through the United Nations had run out of steam. There was a paradox. It was only going to succeed as long as there was the threat of credible force behind it. Therefore without a credible military threat, the pressure was not going to succeed. But the behavior of the French and to a lesser extent the Russians in the U.N. Security Council actually removed the pressure on Saddam Hussein and therefore actually brought war closer. So one of the factors producing the war was the action of those nations that blocked the U.N. route.
However, the problem of turning to the use of force are that these consequences not easily calculable.
Q: Prime
Minister Blair faced very significant opposition to his pro-U.S.
policy from within his own Labor Party. Is this likely to have
significant future consequences?
A: There may be consequences that we do not know. It has
brought something out to the surface. Blair rebranded the British
Labor Party as New Labor. It was enormously successful. But concealed
underneath was a significant section of the party that really
preferred Old Labor.
Former Leader of the House of Commons Robin
Cook has resigned from the Blair government. That resignation
in fact was pending since Blair destroyed his plans to reconstruct
the House of Lords. Cook will now put himself at the head of Old
Labor. These people will probably now conduct guerrilla warfare
against Blair from within his own party. I estimate that Cook
may enjoy the support of at least one-quarter of the parliamentary
strength of the Labor Party - around 100 MPs (members of Parliament).
That will mean a huge problem for Blair in the longer term in
terms of parliamentary and political management, but not a fatal
one.
Blair calls IRA's bluff
By GARY KENT
LONDON (UPI) - After weeks of tortuous negotiations between the British and Irish governments and the Irish Republican Army and its political wing, Sinn Fein, British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week decided to postpone the elections to the still suspended Northern Irish Assembly.
The elections were originally due early this month, then later this month and now might take place in the fall.
This decision will infuriate a curious
alliance of forces - Sinn Fein and the Irish Government but also
the hard-line Protestant unionists in the Rev. Ian
Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party who felt they could have defeated
the
moderate unionists in David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party.
It is also a shot in the arm for those who argued that the IRA was not unequivocally committed to peace.
Successive British Prime Ministers have often been accused of appeasing the IRA over the past two decades. In return for the IRA not killing soldiers or bombing London, Sinn Fein has been offered concession after concession. Its political power has soared and its leaders have been made ministers without the IRA carrying out its promises of complete disarmament.
But last week, Blair called their bluff
and put an end to years of fudge about republican intentions.
His new pungent sound bite is: "Clarity is our friend. Ambiguity
is our enemy."
In a recent and highly unusual move, Blair decided to put the
IRA's intentions under the spotlight by calling a televised news
conference. Blair deliberately exposed weeks of tortuous and secret
negotiations to the public gaze in order to ramp up public pressure
on the IRA.
Dismissing the IRA's previously confidential clarifications and their endorsement by Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, he said: "As far as we are concerned ... they are not clear and unambiguous, they are uncertain."
"Let me spell them out for you because
these are the three fundamental questions.
"When the IRA say that their strategies and disciplines will
not be inconsistent with the Good Friday agreement, does that
mean an end to all activities inconsistent with the Good Friday
agreement, including targeting, procurement of weapons, so-called
punishment beatings and so forth?
"Secondly, when they say that they are committed to putting arms beyond use through the decommissioning commission, does that mean all arms so that the process is complete?
"And thirdly, when they say that they support the Good Friday agreement and want it to work, does that mean that if the two governments and the other parties fulfill their obligations under the Good Friday agreement and the joint declaration, does that mean the complete and final closure of the conflict?"
Once again, the IRA is under heavy public pressure to do the right thing and finally and fully implement its commitments.
This is not a position favored by the Irish
republican movement. It refuses to be seen to bow the knee to
its old enemy, the British or the local pro-British unionist population.
Sinn Fein President Adams has mutilated the English language in
seeking to respond to Blair's questions but has completely failed
to clarify if it meant, for instance, that punishment beatings,
exiling, arms procurement and development, intelligence gathering
and targeting are at an end.
So the elections have been postponed to allow him time to do this and for the peace agreement to be reviewed fundamentally.
After the IRA's adventures in Colombia with the FARC narco-terrorist movement, which infuriated the Bush administration in Washington, and in the context of public revulsion against terrorist tactics after the al Qaeda atrocities in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, the IRA would reap a whirlwind of punishment if it ever resorted to such terror tactics.
Most commentators believe that the IRA will not return to war but keen observers also caution that Sinn Fein's political base feels angry that Irish unity is no nearer now than before and that it is just possible that the IRA could be bloody-minded enough to revert to terror.
But for now the peace process has been given a breathing space in which the parties can establish trust and the possibility of reviving the Assembly in the fall.
Return
Ask Dr.
Brothers
Making choices
Dr. Brothers
Are our choices always rational? Does choosing always mean losing? Why is it so easy for some and so difficult for others? Is it just a matter of intelligence? How much do you know about how we make decisions? Here's a way to test yourself.
1. Whether or not we make decisions easily
is simply a matter of how intelligent we are.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
2. Decision-making is one area where family
background and early childhood aren't important.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
3. Making decisions without worry and concern
almost always leads to happiness and therefore a longer life.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
4. Most people want and expect positive
consequences when making choices, and they're less concerned about
negative outcomes.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
5. Some people get married mainly to avoid
having to make choices in the future.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
6. The way we feel about time itself is
unrelated to the outcome of the choices we make.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
7. Observing a person's living quarters,
the rooms in his or her home, reveals personality and temperament
as well as taste.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
8. Being given a wide number of choices
is seen as positive by most people, who think the more, the better.
TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )
ANSWERS:
1. FALSE. Ability to make decisions easily is usually unrelated
to intelligence. Intelligence often plays a role in whether a
decision is correct, but those who experience intense anxiety
about making any decision are often unusually intelligent.
2. FALSE. Family background plays an important role in determining whether or not a child grows into an adult who handles making choices and decisions without panic or undue anxiety. Fear of failure, of making any error, can be related to parents who demand children be perfect in anything they do or try to do.
3. FALSE. A total lack of concern about negative consequences, leading to unnecessary risks, can lead to a great deal of unhappiness. Concern over negative consequences has an evolutionary advantage for human survival.
4. FALSE. Most people spend more time worrying about the negative consequences of decisions. This might partially explain why people are more depressed about losing money than they are pleased about winning it.
5. TRUE. Apparently, a surprising number of people get married in large part because they want to have someone with whom they can share decision-making, and sometimes they avoid the process altogether by making a spouse responsible for a wrong choice.
6. FALSE. How we feel about time is closely related to the outcome of our choices and our attitudes about them. Those who live only in the moment have problems imagining consequences, as they rarely think of the future -- just as they don't learn from past mistakes.
7. TRUE. The person whose rooms are always cluttered with possessions and papers in every possible space probably has some serious problems making any decisions, so he or she finds it unusually difficult to throw anything away.
8. FALSE. Being given too many choices produces anxiety in most individuals. If asking for directions, most would prefer not to be given three or four different sets of directions to get to the same place. Even trying to select from too many boxes and brands of cereals can be difficult and stressful.
If you answered six of these eight questions
correctly, you're better informed than most on this subject.
Return
Health
News
US first in health costs but not in care: study
WASHINGTON (AFP) US health care costs are starkly higher than elsewhere in the developed world, but that does not translate into a higher level of care, according to a study published Tuesday.
In 2000, US patients paid around 44 percent more for their health care than the world's second-biggest spenders, the Swiss.
However, US residents saw their doctors less frequently and spent less time in hospital than patients in most other developed countries, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The study suggests that higher US health care spending can be accounted for by higher costs.
As a country, we need to ask whether increased
spending means more resources for patients or simply higher earnings
for health care providers," states the main author Gerard
Anderson in a study that compared the health systems of 30 industrialized
countries.
Health expenses in the United States rose 6.3 percent in 2000
from 1999 figures, to 4,631 dollars per person. That is about
83 percent higher than Canada's costs per person, and 134 percent
higher than the average for the countries examined.
The gap between US health costs and those of other developed countries
widened between 1990 and 2000, say the authors of the study published
in the May-June edition of the review Health Affair.
The United States spent 13 percent of its gross domestic product on health in 2000, while Switzerland spent 10.7 percent of its GDP for the same purpose, compared with 9.1 percent for Canada.
The researchers found that the average in the 30 countries was eight percent.
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Greek PM
suggests health should be included in EU constitution
ATHENS (AFP) Health issues must be included in the European Union's future constitution if the bloc is to deal with epidemics such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said on Monday.
"Until now, and this became evident during the discussions on the project of the (European) constitution, there was a strong tendency to consider health questions as national issues, and there is no possibility for a supranational policy or intervention on health," Simitis said.
"By reaching Athens, it (SARS) could
hit London, or it could hit Lisbon from Helsinki, because there's
free movement in Europe," Simitis told a meeting of parliamentary
committees dealing with European issues from throughout the EU,
held in Athens.
"As a result, it's impossible that the fifteen or twenty
five (member states) confront it each from its own little corner.
There must be coordination, we must face it in together to avoid
the danger," Simitis said.
Greece currently holds the EU rotating presidency.
Athens already convoked last Tuesday an extraordinary meeting of EU health ministers for May 6 in Brussels, for member states to look into a common approach in dealing with the SARS virus.
UNICEF: Time to make kids No. 1 priority in Iraq
By WILLIAM M. REILLY,
UPI United Nations Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS (UPI) - The U.N. Children's Fund Friday warned that thousands of Iraqi youngsters will die and hundreds of thousands more will suffer injuries, disease, abuse, exploitation or just falling behind in school if not protected.
UNICEF's executive director, Carol Bellamy, issued a plea to all involved in shaping the post-war future to protect the children.
"The war may be over, but the work is far from done," she said in a message issued the day after some of the agency's international staff returned to work in Baghdad for the first time in more than six weeks. "Children are still dying, and they're still at grave risk. Let's make protecting children as comprehensive and urgent an objective as ending the war was."
The New York-based agency cited the insecurity of stopping aid from reaching communities; degradation of the water system with widespread health hazards like diarrhea, cholera and other diseases. Added to that were unexploded munitions with daily reports of injuries and deaths, and stress on hospitals, including insufficient medical supplies.
The children's agency also said there was insufficient emphasis on the opening of schools, leaving children on the streets exposed to hazards. More than a quarter of all children under age 5 were already malnourished.
"We're calling on both Iraqis and the
parties shaping Iraqi society to make the protection of children
job No. 1," Bellamy said. "Iraq's future depends on
the health and well-being of its children. At the moment we are
failing them. They should be our first priority - not only in
words but in action. And, frankly, I'm not seeing nearly enough
action for children."
For UNICEF, she said, "There is no more obvious and urgent
priority than getting learning underway as widely and as quickly
as possible."
Bellamy said, "Nothing will do more to immediately improve the well-being and protection of Iraq's children than getting them back in the classroom. Classrooms give children a positive focus, they allow the sharing of vital information, they keep children off the streets, they protect them from exploitation, they relieve parents and help them focus on their own recovery."
The World Health Organization's international staff, also freshly returned to the Iraqi capital, estimated that despite the damage done to the health system by years of under-investment, economic sanctions and more recently by weeks of conflict and looting, $20 million a month was needed to "jump start" hospitals and health centers across the nation.
In Geneva, a WHO spokesman said that in Baghdad, nine out of the 38 hospitals assessed by its team had been directly or indirectly hit by the bombings. However, it said that out of the 168 health facilities - including hospitals and specialized centers surveyed - 128 health facilities were intact, 25 were mildly damaged, and 14 were severely damaged with one completely destroyed. However, that tally did not specify whether facilities fell victim to bombings or looting.
With much of U.N. agencies' international staff returning to Baghdad, the daily humanitarian briefings in Amman, Jordan, have been discontinued, with the slack being picked up as best as possible by briefings in New York and Geneva while the staff is getting settled in the Iraqi capital.
Also in Geneva, Kris Janowski, of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said the agency was gradually returning its international staff to Iraq as the security situation slowly improves, at least in parts of the country.
On Saturday, five more international staff were scheduled to go into southern Iraq from Kuwait to get a first-hand impression of the situation inside the country, see how pre-war refugees from other countries were faring under the current circumstances, and eventually begin some preparations for their repatriation, he said.
Local UNHCR staff in Baghdad reported speaking
with representatives of the Palestinian Red Crescent on the insecurity
facing some Palestinians in the Iraqi capital, Janowski said.
The PRC said that 250 Palestinian families had to leave their
rented apartments and settle in a makeshift camp close to the
PRC's hospital, apparently because their landlords were no longer
receiving Iraqi government rent payments.
The PRC reported poor conditions at the makeshift encampment where
the now-doubled refugees were sheltered, he said.
On the Jordanian-Iraqi border, dozens of Iraqis were still stuck in the frontier only meters from border post at Al Karama, waiting to enter the refugee camp at Ruweished, the spokesman said. Some of the people have been there for a month. The area also holds nearly 1,000 other people, mainly Iranian ethnic Kurds from Al Tash's camp.
On Wednesday, the Jordanian authorities permitted 14 Iraqis to leave no man's land and enter the Red Crescent's camp for third-country nationals, he said. The Iraqis apparently were allowed into Jordan because they carried valid United Arab Emirates residence permits in their passports.
"Under our April 15 agreement with the Minister of Interior, all Iraqis should be permitted to cross into Jordan for temporary protection in the refugee camp at Ruwaished, but only some of them are actually allowed in," Jankowski said.
The recent conflict has been notable for the lack of refugees fleeing Iraq. Most of those leaving were third-country nationals, not qualified as refugees, but who were helped, nonetheless.
The refugee agency in Iraq now faces internally displaced persons.
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Overseas
People
John Malkovich makes directorial debut
Enigmatic US actor John Malkovich
By Anna Cuenca
LOS ANGELES (AFP) Enigmatic US actor John Malkovich makes his debut as a director with the film "The Dancer Upstairs", a story based on Peru's Shining Path guerrilla movement, which goes on US release this weekend.
The film, based around the hunt for Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman, who was captured in 1992 above a Lima ballet studio, is adapted from a novel by US writer Nicholas Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, who also wrote the screenplay,
lived in Peru in the 1980s.
Though he sets his story "somewhere in Latin America in the
recent past" it clearly takes place in Lima and the surrounding
area, and many details such as the use of dead animals packed
with explosives as bombs, ritual executions and city-wide powercuts
are reminiscent of the Shining Path.
Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who received an Oscar nomination three years ago for his portrayal of gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in "Before Night Falls", plays Agustin Rejas in Malkovich's new film.
Rejas is a former lawyer turned idealistic cop enlisted to investigate a series of terrorist attacks and track down their perpetrator, the mysterious Ezequiel, leader of peasant revolution which has the country living in the grip of fear.
An affair with his daughter Yolanda's ballet teacher lead him to understand the emptiness of his marriage and the frustration of his search for Ezequiel, whose character is clearly based on Guzman.
In the 1980s, Guzman, a former university
lecturer and founder of the Peruvian communist party, became a
legendary figure after he formed the Moaist Shining Path.
"In the film, Guzman is a presence in the shadows. He's always
there although he's not seen, like a ghost. He is a mysterious
leader, idolised by his followers," the 49-year-old Malkovich
said in an interview with the Spanish film distributor Lolafilms.
Although the film is based around events in Guzman's life, "The Dancer Upstairs" does not attempt to be faithful reproduction of 1980s Peru, and Malkovich says he was more interested in the emotional makeup of the character Rejas than in the Shining Path's ideology.
"I don't know a single member of the Shining Path. I've read some of their statements, but I'm not really interested in their ideology. I struggle to understand their revolutionary principles... I don't believe assassination and dismemberment to be the best way to resolve a problem of social inequality," said Malkovich.
"The novel hooked me from the outset," he added. "I acquired the film rights before I'd got to the end. I had no hesitation in giving the screenplay to the original author. I was very interested in the personality of the protagonist Rejas."
The star of "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988), "Object of Desire" (1991), "In the Line of Fire" (1993) and "Being John Malkovich" (1999), confirms that he is generally not overly interested in politics.
"I'd be a political person if politics were about solving problems. But politics diminishes and devalues the meaning of intellectual curiosity," he told The New York Times recently.
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Nauru parliament
to elect president
South African President Thabo Mbeki (L) and the President of Nauru Rene Harris make friends with a koala at a barbecue dinner for the heads of delegations and their spouses hosted by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Janette at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Coolum, 04 March 2002AFP PHOTO/POOL/Martin Cleaver.
AUCKLAND (AFP) Nauru's 18-seat assembly is to meet this week to elect a president after general elections, a government official said Monday.
The deeply troubled country, now fending off bankruptcy and lawsuits around the world, could however face the same stalemate that has produced two elections and three presidents this year.
Radio Australia reported last Monday that
with all seats declared, most of the sitting members have been
returned, including Rene Harris, president at the beginning of
the year, and Derog Gioura who has been president since Bernard
Dowiyogo died in March.
Nauru has not had formal political parties until recently and
a new Nauru First grouping, promising reform, has returned three
members including founder David Adeang, the radio reported.
Last week the Asian Development Bank (ADB) slammed Nauru's state, saying it was "in a long-term decline, resulting from prolonged economic and financial mismanagement and the progressive exhaustion of its phosphate reserves".
In an unusual move the ADB appeared to single out Harris as a cause, saying that when he lost office "the international community welcomed the installation of a new administration."
Although Harris is seriously ill with kidney failure and diabetes he is a prospect for return to office.
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Overseas
News
United States refuses to rule out war with North Korea
U.S. Defense
Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld
WASHINGTON (UPI) U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last Sunday refused to rule out the possibility of war with North Korea.
When asked what would happen with the defiant
Pyongyang, Rumsfeld responded: "I don't know what will happen
there. The president obviously is on the track, and Secretary
(of State Colin) Powell, of moving it toward the United Nations.
China has been helpful recently. We'll have to see what path they
decide to take," he told "Fox News Sunday."
However, Rumsfeld added, "The United States government ...
has never really leapt up and ruled things out. It's not a helpful
thing."
Rumsfeld admitted the government has a contingency plan for a U.S. response if North Korea launched a first-strike attack, but refused to discuss what the plan might look like. "Oh, I'm not going to get into what our contingency plans are, but certainly the responsibility of the president, and certainly the secretary of defense and the department, is to see that we are prepared to best serve the American people," he said.
In an interview Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," Rumsfeld also refused to comment on whether the United States would launch a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if it continues to pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons.
"I'm not one that speculates about things like that. I know that back in the 1990s, in the Clinton administration, Secretary (of Defense Bill) Perry called in the former secretary of defense, and we had a discussion, and they clear(ly) had teed up a military option that they were considering ... but those are very serious issues, and I'll leave them for the president," Rumsfeld said.
North Korean radio broadcasting to South
Korea Sunday vehemently denied U.S. claims that Pyongyang presents
a threat, referring to the claims as "another version of
slogan."
"The great leader, Comrade Kim Jong-il, taught as follows:
No matter what deceptive trickery they may employ, the U.S. imperialists
can never deceive the people of the DPRK (North Korea). What is
called the talk of threat which the United States is babbling
about is a fake," the report said, according to a translation
by the British Broadcast Corp.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell
WASHINGTON (AFP) It is not necessary for the United States to take military action against Cuba as it did against Iraq, because the island's regime will eventually fall of its own accord, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.
"We don't believe that it is appropriate at this time...to use military force for this particular purpose," Powell said on NBC television, after he was asked whether the US military should "liberate" Cuba as it had done Iraq.
"We believe that Cuba is isolated. It is an anachronism, and history will catch up with it," he added.
Washington continues to list Cuba, along with Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, North Korea and Saddam-era Iraq as nations which sponsor international terrorism.
 |
 |
WASHINGTON (AFP) Iraqi National Congress
(INC) leader Ahmad Chalabi has taken possession of 25 tons of
documents from Saddam Hussein's secret police, some of them onerous
for the Jordanian royal family, Newsweek reported in its latest
edition.
"It's a huge thing. Some of the files are very damning,"
Chalabi told Newsweek in an interview, implying that some of the
most incriminating material concerned Jordan's King Abdullah.
The monarch, who has ruled Jordan since 1999, "is worried about his relationship with Saddam. He's worried about what might come out," Chalabi told Newsweek, though failed to provide further details.
Chalabi built and lost a banking empire in Jordan in the 1980s. After he was forced to flee the country, he was convicted in absentia of fraud and embezzlement.
Senior Jordanian officials have repeatedly expressed their distaste for Chalabi, who in turn claims that he and his brother were the victims of a conspiracy between deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the Jordanian royal family.
Chalabi's latest claims in Newsweek are just the latest salvo in a series of mutual recriminations.
US Attorney General John Ashcroft speaks to reporters at the Justice Department in Washington, DC 24 February 2003. AFP PHOTO/Luke FRAZZA
WASHINGTON (AFP) US Attorney General John Ashcroft, the first senior member of the Bush administration to visit France since the rift over Iraq, is an ultra-conservative who, like his boss, believes he is engaged in the fight for good against evil.
In a little over two years since taking up office, Ashcroft, 60, has extended the powers of his ministry and those of the police in the name of the US war against terror to an extent which has alarmed human rights advocates and civil libertarians.
He has authorised telephone taps, tough new immigration laws, the prolonged detention for suspicious foreigners, and surveillance of e-mail traffic, both of private individuals and religious groups, to name but a few of his policies.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, he has also instituted a programme which allows for the indefinite detention without trial of some 650 alleged Taliban and al Qaeda members at the US naval base at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba.
Many of the detainees, including a number of minors, have been held in a judicial void for as long as a year.
Gentle and somewhat bland in appearance and in his oratory, Ashcroft's often weary-looking face with bags under his eyes is a regular feature on US television as he announces the latest arrests of suspected terrorists or the discovery of allegedly toxic substances which threaten US security.
He is also the man behind the US national
terror alert system, which places the country under red, orange,
yellow, or green alert according to the perceived level of danger.
Ashcroft is opposed to abortion in any circumstances, yet the
ardent pro-life advocate is an equally enthusiastic supporter
of the death penalty.
Following the arrest last year of the alleged Washington sniper and his teenage accomplice, Ashcroft did not hesitate to push for the two to stand trial in the state of Virginia, where they would be most likely to be executed if found guilty.
John Muhammad, 42, and John Lee Malvo, 17, are accused of murdering 13 people in a month-long, multi-state killing spree that terrorized the Washington area in September and October.
Ashcroft also announced in March 2002 that his department would seek the death penalty against the Frenchman Zacarias Moussaoui in relation to the September 11 attacks, a unique case in US judicial history as Moussaoui is accused only of conspiracy.
At the same time, he defends to the hilt
the right of US citizens to bear arms.
In 2001, he directed his department to adapt its interpretation
of the second amendment of the US Constitution which enshrines
the right to bear arms in a way which critics claim hinders
the enforcement of gun control laws.
As far as US President George W. Bush is concerned, he said recently Ashcroft who hails from a family of Pentecostal preachers was doing "a fabulous job."
But defenders of civil liberties are far
less sure, especially when it comes to US Muslims.
"Since he's been in office, American Muslims have lost many
of their civil rights," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for
the Council of American Islamic Relations.
Paul Bremer
WASHINGTON (AFP) US President George W. Bush is to appoint career diplomat Paul Bremer as civil administrator to oversee the reconstruction of Iraq, a US official said Friday.
The White House will release an official statement on the matter early next week, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The 61-year-old conservative has worked as a counter-terrorism specialist since 1986, when he served under former US president Ronald Reagan.
Bremer who US press reports claim will be senior to Iraq's current administrator, retired general Jay Garner is said to be close to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other Pentagon hawks.
However, the State Department is also expected to take some comfort from Bremer's appointment, as it endorses the view that a civilian administrator is seen as more acceptable to the Iraqi people, and also to other countries that Washington hopes will participate in the reconstruction.
The New York Times said it is still unclear
whether Bremer will be placed under the authority of the US military's
Central Command, or whether he will "have a
line more directly to the White House."
The Washington Post, meanwhile, said that Garner will retain responsibility for re-establishing Iraq's infrastructure and public services, while the president's special envoy to the Middle East, Zalmay Khalilzad, will continue to lead negotiations with Iraqi political leaders.
Bremer has a reputation for plain-talking and steadfastness. He also worked for former secretary of state Henry Kissinger's consultancy firm, and had warned of the dangers of terrorist strikes on the United States prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Saint's blood liquefies on schedule for Naples' "miracle"
Archbishop of Naples cardinal Michele Giordano smiles as he observes the reliquiary containing the powdered blood sample of San Gennaro after it liquefied, repeating the miracle which happens twice a year and which is regarded as a good sign by the local population.
ROME (AFP) Thousands of Neapolitans breathed a collective sigh of relief Saturday as the dried blood of the city's patron saint liquefied, an event which according to tradition will safeguard their city from disaster for another year.
In an event derided by sceptics but hailed as a miracle by believers, the dried blood of third-century martyr San Gennaro liquefies at least twice a year, on the first Saturday of May and on his September 19 feast day.
Naples archbishop Cardinal Michele Giordano triumphantly proclaimed the good news during prayers in a packed Naples Cathedral, and showed the substance to local dignatories, including the left-wing mayor Rosa Russa Iervolino.
The archbishop had earlier led a traditional procession through the streets of the city, as thousands of people tried to catch of glimpse of the dark dried substance contained in a gold reliquary.
The blood of the saint, known in English as Janaurius, turned liquid after it was placed near the saint's skull, which is kept in the cathedral.
Neapolitans revere the third century martyr as a protector of their city against disaster, especially eruptions from nearby Mount Vesuvius. Failure to liquefy is taken as a bad omen.
Giordano called in a team of scientists in 1988 to examine the blood. Headed by Professor Pierluigi Bollone, head of the International Centre for study of the Shroud of Turin, they concluded it was human but could offer no scientific explanation for its behaviour.
Officially, the Catholic Church has made no pronouncement attributing miraculous qualities to the normally powder-like substance.
Former exiled prince Emmanuel Filiberto of Savoy, ringed by bodyguards, also participated in Saturday's ceremony.
Under a 1946 law revoked only last year, the male heirs of the House of Savoy were banned from Italy because of King Victor Emmanuel III's support for the wartime fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.
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Controversial
Czech nuclear plant powers up
An aerial view of Czech Temelin nuclear plant in Temelin, South Bohemia, Czech Republic, pictured 29 May 2002. The disputed plant near the border with Austria will start activating its second reactor after the management received permission from the Czech State Nuclear Safety Institute last Wednesday.
PRAGUE (AFP) A controversial Czech nuclear power station that has caused problems in relations with neighbouring Austria powered up to full strength Saturday, a plant spokesman said.
The two reactors of the plant at Temelin were now operating at their full 1,000 megawatt capacity, he said.
The Temelin plant has soured Prague's relations with nuclear-free neighbour Austria, which had demanded safety and environmental guarantees before the plant just 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the two countries' border went into full operation.
Temelin's first reactor went onstream in October 2000 despite repeated technical problems and Austrian threats to veto the Czech Republic's 2004 entry into the European Union.
The first reactor was plugged into the national
grid last June for an 18-month trial period.
Prague maintains that Temelin's two Soviet-designed reactors have
been upgraded to Western safety standards.
The second reactor, currently undergoing tests, first reached full strength two months ago.
In January, one of the reactors had to be temporarily shut down after an oil leak developed.
Saudi's Prince
Al-Walid buys Hotel Des Bergues in Geneva
Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud
RIYADH (AFP) Billionaire Saudi businessman Prince Al-Walid bin Talal has purchased Geneva's prestigious Hotel Des Bergues for 87 million dollars, his office said.
The deal was concluded through an investment fund owned by the Saudi royal and his family, said a statement issued by the Kingdom Holding, the investment body that oversees Prince Walid's assets worldwide.
Founded in 1834, Hotel Des Bergues is the Swiss city's oldest hotel and is frequented by world statesmen and royalty.
After renovations expected to be completed next year, the hotel, overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps, will be managed by Four Seasons, the statement added.
Hotel Des Bergues is one of four luxury hotels now owned by the prince in Europe after London's Four Seasons Park Lane Hotel, George V in Paris and a 23 percent stake in Disneyland Paris Hotel.
It is also the 187th hotel owned by the Saudi tycoon worldwide including The Plaza in New York, Riyadh's Four Seasons and Movenpick Beirut.
Prince Walid already owns 27 percent of the Swiss group Movenpick, 23 percent of the Four Seasons hotel group and five percent of the Fairmont hotel and resort chain.
The 44-year-old prince, a nephew of King Fahd, has amassed a personal fortune of 20 billion dollars.
He built his global financial empire by investing in major companies experiencing hard times.
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SARS situation
in Beijing still grave: China's premier
BEIJING (AFP) Beijing has made some progress in the fight against SARS but the situation is still grave, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a report on state media Monday.
A great deal of work is needed before the epidemic is brought under control, the premier said during an inspection of Xiaotangshan Hospital in the northern suburbs of the capital, the Xinhua news agency reported.
More than 7,000 workers built the hospital for SARS sufferers in eight days.
Beijing has the highest official death toll from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in China, with 103 dead and 1,897 confirmed cases from a national total of 206 dead and 4,280 cases.
All entertainment venues in the city have already been shut, indoor sports banned and schools closed because of the outbreak.
Nearly 16,500 people have been quarantined in Beijing following their close contact with confirmed and suspected SARS patients, Xinhua said.
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News
From Our Region
New Airline for St. Kitts
Monarch Airlines touched down in St. Kitts for the first time last Saturday.
By Felicia Persaud
St. Kitts, the 69-square-mile island located in the Eastern Caribbean, welcomed a new airline to its territories last Saturday. British-based Monarch Airlines inaugurated its weekly charter service to the island last weekend with a flight from London's Gatwick Airport to the St. Kitts' Sir Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport.
The Monarch brought in 125 passengers including five British journalists, to the obvious joy of St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of Tourism Mr. Dwyer Astaphan and Ms. Esther Smith, director of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority in London.
"We are certainly going to work very hard with the private sector and all of our partners and stakeholders both here and in the United Kingdom to beef up the numbers on the flight and so we can build a very strong bond with this particular carrier," said Mr. Astaphan, in commenting on the new deal.
"For some time, the Ministry of Tourism has been reaching out to schedule and charter carriers from the UK and Europe for much needed airlift to St. Kitts. Efforts have been rewarded with the 3 May 2003 commencing of Monarch Airlines on a weekly basis non-stop to St. Kitts from London-Gatwick," added Ms. Smith, soon after the airline touched down on Kittian soil.
The Monarch Airlines will fly directly to St. Kitts out of Gatwick, London and then go on to Tobago before returning to London.
The start of the London to St. Kitts service comes a few weeks after the inauguration of the Caribbean Sun flight from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan to St. Kitts. Caribbean Sun operates three daily round trip flights.
Mr. Astaphan also disclosed that the Labour Cabinet has approved and given him the greenlight to begin talks with a small airline from New York to service St. Kitts hopefully starting in June with weekly flights on Saturdays.
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Jamaica's
banana sector gets EU aid
The European Union is coming to the aid
of Jamaica's struggling banana sector.
Jamaica's Information Service recently reported that the industry
will benefit from a $278.9 million boost from the EU. Over 20,000
banana farmers in five key banana-growing parishes, including
St. Mary, St. Thomas, Portland, rural St. Andrew and Clarendon,
are expected to benefit under the EU Banana Support Programme.
The goal of the aid will to boost productivity and fruit quality, export banana certification, transfer of technology and provide training programmes for estate workers in business management and marketing.
Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Roger Clarke, signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Jamaica. He commented after that, "This continuing assistance has been invaluable to a developing country like ours, as we seek to grapple with macro-economic issues of free trade, poised against the need to improve the competitiveness and quality of our export product, to meet the changing demands of the global market, and ultimately to prepare the industry for the coming into force of full liberalisation of agricultural trade in 2008."
Head of the EU delegation, Mr. Gerd Jarchow, who signed on behalf of the body, said, "The Jamaican banana now faces far stiffer competition than ever before. Not only have traditional European markets tightened their import regulations, but globalisation has also opened the playing field to other larger and often cheaper banana producing countries."
He added that the objective of the EU Programme was to develop a more efficient banana industry that could compete in a liberalised market.
Caribbean
Examination Council and UWI to host Conference on Evaluation in
Education
The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the University of the West Indies Education Evaluation Centre, will host a four-day Conference on Evaluation in Education in Barbados later this month.
The Conference will be held at the Divi Southwinds Hotel, St Lawrence Gap, from May 26 to 30, 2003.
Delegates to the conference will come from over 17 countries, representing examination boards, ministries of education, universities, colleges and secondary schools.
Among the institutions that will be represented at the conference are the National Examinations Council of Tanzania, West African Examinations Council, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board of Nigeria, University of the West Indies, Education Testing Service (USA) and The Berkley Institute of Bermuda.
The featured speakers at the conference will include Professor Todd Rogers of the University of Alberta, Canada; Professor Patricia Broadfoot of Bristol University, UK; Mr Colin Robinson of the United Kingdom's Qualification and Curriculum Authority and Dr Desmond Broomes and Dr Stafford Griffith of CXC.
During the conference, several papers on recent research and trends on evaluation in education will be presented and discussed.
The conference forms part of activities to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Caribbean Examinations Council.
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Sports
West Indies lose again, Aussies make history
Windies bowler Jermaine Lawson earned the distinction of being the first West Indian bowler to take a hat trick in the Caribbean.
Captain Lara's hope for a draw against the Aussies was not to be, as the young Windies side caved in under pressure from the World Champs to lose the third test match, which ended on Monday in Barbados.
Chasing a first innings deficit of 277 runs,
the West Indies were dismissed for
a mere 284, leaving Australia with a mere eight runs for victory.
The Aussie side made the runs off one in 2.3 overs with 9 wickets still in hand, earning them the historic title of the first visiting team to win three successive test matches in the Caribbean.
Still, at least one West Indies cricketer made the region proud. Jamaican fast bowler Jermaine Lawson gave the die-hard fans at the Kensington Oval something to cheer about when he trapped Justin Langer leg before wicket with his first delivery making him first West Indian bowler to take a hat trick in the Caribbean.
Lawson was also the pick of the Windies attack squad in the first innings, where he took 3 wickets.
Batting, C. Gayle and D. Smith were the only two batsmen to make it past the 50 mark in the first innings. Even skipper Lara floundered and was bowled for 14, while Daren Ganga, who shone on his home turf in Trinidad, went for 26.
Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan hit 40 but Shiv Chanderpaul was not so lucky and went for a duck.
In the second innings, both Gayle and Sarwan were the pick of the batsmen, with 56 and 58 respectively. Lara reached a respectable 42.
SYDNEY, (AFP) Former world champion cyclist Stephen Pate of Australia was handed a 20-month jail term Tuesday for wife beating.
Pate, 39, pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court to 11 charges related to assaults on his wife in November and February.
Judge John Barnett said in addition to the
damage and injuries caused by Pate, the gravity of his offences
was worsened by the fear he had instilled in his wife and children.
Pate was a dominant figure in track cycling in the 1980s and 1990s,
winning the world professional sprint championships in 1988.
He violated court orders and returned to the home twice in February, the court was told.
Return
Spanish rider's
Tour ban highlights asthma drug use
Spain's Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano.
PARIS (AFP) Spaniard Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano's drugs ban from this year's centenary Tour de France has underlined the growing number of riders reported to be using an asthma drug that could be used to improve stamina.
Galdeano was banned for six months after France's Council for Prevention and Fight against Doping (CPLD) found traces of the banned drug salbutamol in his urine following a doping test in last year's Tour.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) cleared Galdeano, who was holding the leader's yellow jersey, saying the Spaniard had a medical prescription to use the drug Ventoline, which contains salbutamol, as an asthma treatment.
However, the CPLD has now ruled that the quantity of 1,360 nanograms found in Gonzalez-Galdeano's urine was over the limit accepted for therapy and banned him from competing in France.
The decision is in line with the World Anti Doping Agency's new code on drugs but is opposed by the UCI.
A French sports ministry survey has found that more and more professional riders are using Salbutamol for asthma and since January the French cycling federation has notified all asthma-sufferers to register with the CPLD.
"We can't do better to monitor this therapy," Armand Megret, president of the French cycling federation's medical commission told Le Monde.
Megret said 30 percent of
professional riders claimed to be asthma-sufferers, compared with
7 percent of the total French population. He described the condition
as a
"professional illness".
And he agreed that differences in the French list of banned substances and that of the UCI meant riders competing in France would face tougher sanctuions.
Jean-Jacques Menuet, the
Cofidis team doctor, said there was a simple explanation.
"Riders ventilate six times more and consequently inhale
more pollen and aggressive agents such as tar and pollutants,"
he said.
Cayman Bridge Club tournament results
Cayman Islands Duplicate Bridge Club tournament winners. Mr. Ron Tompkins (left) and Mr. Paul Canham.
Mr. Paul Canham and Mr. Ron Tompkins were the winners of a recent tournament held by the Cayman Islands Duplicate Bridge Club.
The annual tournament concluded in April and determined the best pair of players over a previous six-week period.
The winners received individual trophies and had their names added to a perpetual plaque that is displayed in the West Shore Branch of the Bank of Butterfield.
British four-year-old on the trail of a Tiger
LONDON (AFP) A proud British father said Wednesday his four-year-old son had achieved a hole-in-one beating world No. 1 Tiger Woods by several years.
Jonathan Huggins, 33, said his son David had holed a tee shot on a 105-yard hole at a course in Bramford, Suffolk.
Huggins, a banker, said he believed David was one of the youngest players to achieve the feat.
He said the youngster had holed in one at the sixth hole on the Suffolk Golf and Water Park on Good Friday using a three wood.
He said an adult would probably have used a 9-iron on the hole which is on the park's short golf course.
Huggins said his son had been playing golf since the age of two and had achieved a one-under par birdie not long after beginning lessons.
"I believe there has only been one younger in the world and he was only slightly younger," said Huggins.
"Tiger Woods was significantly
older than four when he achieved his first hole-in-one.
Woods does not record his first hole-in-one but on his official
website he says he shot 48 for nine holes at the age of three.
"David has been playing since he was two and got his first birdie when he was two. He certainly has a talent.
"He's a little young
to know whether he wants to be a golfer but I think he would be
happy
playing golf for the rest of his life."
Kareem strikes
silver in Mexico City
Kareem Streete-Thompson
Kareem Streete-Thompson
jumped 8.15 meters to finish in second place among
the world's best long-jumpers in Mexico City last Saturday night.
An electrified crowd of 50,000 people many there to watch their adopted daughter Ana Guevara compete in the 300m track event was on hand to witness the latest success of Cayman's most noted track and field competitor.
The meet took place at Olympic Stadium, the same hallowed venue where Bob Beamon launched himself 8.90 meters into the long jump record book in the summer of 1968. It was a record that stood for 23 years and has only been bettered once.
So when Savante Stringfellow (USA), the World Ranked #1, and Miguel Pate (USA), the World's #3, lined up to compete in the long jump, the stadium went wild with anticipation. However, the real wild card in the group was the man that has jumped further than both; Kareem Streete-Thompson, and on this night he would not be denied.
"I opened up with 7.92m, but I knew there would be a huge battle ahead", noted Kareem. "My coach had been preaching to me about running faster down the runway, so I decided to take his advice. It was more difficult than I imagined! I ended up running through my 2nd, 3rd and 4th jumps because I just couldn't get the timing down! On my 5th jump however, I finally completed a jump and 8.04m was the result. At this point I was in 4th place behind Pate, Stringfellow and Ignisious Gaisah from Ghana (8.08m). I knew I couldn't change anything about my approach I just had to take off and I would be okay. When I took off I thought it was a horrible jump, but when the officials pulled out the tape I couldn't believe it. I jumped 8.15m! I was so shocked."
Kareem's leap put him ahead of Stringfellow, the World #1 who had won gold last week in Martinique. It not only served notice that Kareem again belongs with the world's elite, but it also brought home the silver medal. Only Miguel Pate had bested Kareem this Saturday night, and now many of Kareem's top competitors have some newfound respect for his comeback. And well they should. Kareem ventures, "I now know that much better jumps lie ahead."
Kareem heads to Modesto next weekend to continue his journey to the Athens Olympic Games in August, 2004.
It's Shaolin and G.T. Sports Club in basketball finals
In the final and deciding game of
their semifinal series, underdog Shaolin defeated Wendy's Tarheels
98-90 last Tuesday to advance to the Wendy's/Texaco Men's Basketball
League finals.
After losing the first game of the best-of-three series, Shaolin rebounded with a 80-69 victory last Monday to set up the deciding game.
The highly confident Shaolin wanted a repeat of the previous night's game, and the Tarheels were out for revenge. The Tarheels opened up with fury and quickly took the lead. They gave the ball to their main center Andrew Wisdom who was unstoppable and scored 16 of the 21 Tarheels points in the first quarter. Delroy "the Glue" Brown responded to Shaolin's call by showing deadly three-point range and sparked a 12-0 run to regain the lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tarheels came out in the second quarter with the same tenacity and again took a commanding lead. By the end of the first half the Tarheels led by 13 points. Then as if things weren't already looking bad for Shaolin, out of the shadows appeared the main man for the Tarheels, Dwight O'Garro, who was unable to play in game two because of illness, and was still looking under the weather.
But Shaolin was not discouraged and responded with a flurry of offensive attacks led by Collin Anglin and Delroy Brown, as well as some incredible defensive stops. Shaolin quickly cut the Tarheels margin, and after retaking the lead in the fourth quarter, they never looked back.
The final minutes of the game were decided at the free throw line, as Shaolin made 13 of 15 free throws down the stretch.
Top scores of the game for Shaolin were Collin Anglin with 46 points and Delroy Brown with 29 points. The Tarheels were led by Andrew Wisdom with 36 points and Daniel Augustine with 18 points.
In the other semi-final
series, the George Town Sports Club defeated the Island Pharmacy
Rebels 85-51 in game two of the series, after winning the first
game as well.
George Town used their athleticism to beat the Rebels down the
court and capitalize on fast break points. They also designated
one person, usually one of their guards, to stay back as a safety
man to slow down the Rebels' fast break opportunities. They then
executed a variety of set half-court plays and caused the Rebels
to work harder on defense than they normally do.
George Town took a commanding lead, and despite a few runs led by the Rebels Daniel "Chunky" Spence, they cruised to a two-game sweep of the series. Andres Kirchman scored 18 points and Antonio Thompson tallied 16 points to lead George Town, while Daniel Spence scored 20 points in a losing effort for the Rebels.
The victory advanced George Town to the finals, where they will meet Shaolin.
The Cayman International Rugby Sevens 2003 takes shape
The Global Fijian Barbarians Winners of the 2002 Cayman International Sevens.
There are even more reasons to visit this years 2003 Cayman International Rugby Sevens tournament. Taking place on 20 to 21 June, the tournament has attracted top teams from the leading playing regions around the world including: The British Army, winners of the 2001 Middlesex Sevens; Samurai, whose members include eight of the 2002 Global Fijian Barbarians, winners of the 2002 Cayman International Sevens; Rugby Ecosse, winners of the 2002 Trinidad Sevens; Marauders, 2002 Dubai Plate winners; Red Rock Qauia, Fijian National Sevens Champions; OMBAC, 2002 USA National Champions; the always popular Canadian side Wild Geese; and the hard hitting Old Boys Club from Uruguay.
Rugby Sevens 2003 is all an avid sports fan could ask for. Combining international, hard-hitting, action-packed rugby with a laid back, relaxed island where the diving is world class, the beaches unspoiled, and the Caribbean Sea crystal clear adds up to a rugby enthusiasts' vacation of a lifetime.
Building on the success of last year's event, the 2003 tournament promises to be bigger and better, with ten teams set to battle it out at the Truman Bodden International Sports Stadium for US$50,000 worth of prize money.
Recognising that this tournament will elevate the status of the game of rugby in the Caribbean, organisers are committed to making it a first-class experience for all those who participate. Added to this is the realisation that the Cayman International Rugby Sevens is a vehicle for attracting new visitors to the Cayman Islands during the slow summer months.
These two factors heavily influenced the decision to bring the tournament forward in the calendar year to May and June, which are usually very popular months for rugby clubs in the northern Hemisphere to undertake post-season tours.
Sports tourism is a growing niche market and by working closely with the Ministry, and the Department of Tourism to promote the event, the tournament's organisers are confident that this tournament will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Comprehensive promotional efforts have been made this year, and leading sports tour operators in Europe, Canada and North America were provided with packages to sell. Additionally, the international Department of Tourism offices distributed promotional literature on the event at the many trade and consumer shows they attended.
Building on the belief that rugby enthusiasts will travel to the Cayman Islands to watch top international rugby, a second 'arm' of the tournament makes it's debut this year the Supporters' Competition that will be held on Thursday 19th June. In this competition, eight men's teams and six women's team will enjoy a rugby competition "Cayman Style" as a prelude to watching the international rugby festival.
The principal objectives
of the organisers are to support the development of the junior/schools
rugby programme in the Cayman Islands, to raise the profile of
the Cayman Islands as a premier sports vacation destination and
to create the leading select/invitational sevens tournament in
the world after the IRB World Series events.
The support of the Cayman Islands Government, and particularly
the Ministry responsible for Sport and the Ministry responsible
for Tourism, has been crucial to the success of this tournament
to date. It is encouraging to see that public-private sector partnerships
can flourish and grow for the betterment of the Cayman Islands.
D &
T trims Red Sail Sports in Little League action
Mark Soto stroked a double to centerfield with two out in the bottom of the fourth inning driving in Tom Kelly to give Deloitte & Touche a 9-8 win over Red Sail Sports in the 13-16-year-old division of the Cayman Islands Little League last Friday night.
Red Sail Sports broke on top in the first inning with four runs thanks to RBI hits from Joseph McField and Lascelles Johnson. But Deloitte & Touche promptly responded by scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, with Chris Clark and Michael Owens coming through with two-run doubles.
Red Sail Sports added three runs in the third inning, with Josh Clark's two-run triple being the big hit. Once again, Deloitte & Touche promptly responded, scoring four runs thanks to an RBI triple by Chris Clark and a two-run homer by Michael Owens.
In the top of the fourth inning, Red Sail Sports managed to score a run to tie the game, but a pair of walks in the bottom of the inning set the stage for Soto to deliver the game-winning hit.
Deloitte & Touche goes for another victory on Wednesday, 7 May when they take on CUC at 6:45 at the Field of Dreams.
Sport Summary
Heavyweight
boxer Lennox Lewis.
AFP PHOTO/Henny
RAY ABRAMS
Lewis promoter lines up Klitschko title defence
BERLIN (AFP) Britain's Lennox Lewis will defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Ukraine's Vitali Klitschko by the end of the year.
Their respective managers,
Gary Shaw and Hans-Peter Kohl, signed a contract Monday.
Lewis will not put his WBC crown at stake when he fights Canada's
Kirk Johnson in Los Angeles on June 21 when Klitschko fights on
the same bill against an opponent who has yet to be named.
The WBC had threatened to strip Lewis of his crown if he did not face Klitschko, the top-ranked challenger.
Lewis cancelled an April 12 fight against the Ukrainian in order to concentrate on a more lucrative Mike Tyson bout which has failed to materialise.
Ballesteros disqualified from Italian Open
BRESCIA, Italy (AFP) Spanish golfing legend Seve Ballesteros was disqualified from the Italian Open on Saturday for refusing to accept a one-stroke penalty for slow play during the third round at Gardagolf.
Winner of five major championships,
Ballesteros alleged European tour officials were out to get him
because of his membership of the so-called 'Gang of Four', who
complained about how the tour was being run.
"It's a personal problem from the past it's a war and this is the continuation of that," Ballesteros said.
"We disagreed with
the way the tour was being run. We think it is bad in many ways."
Swedens Fredrik Widmark shared the lead with first round pacesetter
Peter O'Malley at the halfway stage.
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