World Athletics Championships: Seven tested positive at Moscow
Seven athletes failed drugs tests at August's World Championships, the International Association of Athletics Federations has announced.
Roman Avramenko of Ukraine, who finished fifth in the men's javelin, was the only one of the group to reach a final at the event in Moscow.
The IAAF said that all seven have been sanctioned or provisionally suspended.
It had promised a stringent testing programme in Moscow after a recent series of high-profile doping cases.
Former world champion Tyson Gay and ex-100m world record holder Asafa Powell both tested positive for banned substances ahead of the championships.
Their doping positives were made public in July, a month after it was announced that Veronica Campbell-Brown, 200m champion at London 2012, had tested positive for a banned diuretic - something which is viewed as a masking agent by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The 25-year-old Avramenko recorded a personal best throw of 84.48 in June before competing in Moscow, Vítezslav Vesely of the Czech Republic won the gold medal.
Avramenko tested positive for the steroid dehydrochloromethyltestosterone.
The other athletes found to have tested positive at the World Championships were Massoud Azizi (Afghanistan, men's 100m), Elyzaveta Bryzgina (Ukraine, women's 200m), Ayman Kozhakhmetova (Kazakhstan, women's 20km walk), Ebrahim Rahimian (Iran, men's 20km walk), Yelena Ryabova (Turkmenistan, women's 200m) and Jeremías Saloj (Guatemala, men's marathon).
The IAAF said that in addition to taking urine tests from 538 athletes in Moscow, 1,919 blood samples were collected as part of its Athlete Biological Passport programme, designed to detect abnormalities in an athlete over time.
The president of the IAAF, Lamine Diack, said: "The specialised analyses and the blood samples taken in connection with the Athlete Biological Passport emphasise the IAAF's firm commitment and resolve to use the most sophisticated methods at our disposal in the fight against cheating in sport."
Source-BBC
West Indies outplayed by India
West Indies A were outplayed by India A in the only Twenty20 match of their tour, at the M Chinnaswammy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday.
After India A set the visitors a 215-run target, the hosts' bowlers skittled the opposition out for 121 in 16.2 overs.
After Yuvraj Singh cracked a half century and along with quick-fire knocks by Unmukt Chand and Kedar Jadhav and took the team to 214, Rahul Sharma had a five-wicket haul, while Vinay Kumar and Yuvraj Singh two wickets each. Singh cracked 52 off 35 balls with three sixes, while Jadhav made 42 off 21.
Scores: India A 214/7 in 20 overs (Y Singh 52, U Chand 47, K Jadhav 42, A Russell 4/45) beat West Indies A 121 all-out in 16.2 overs (A Fletcher 32, R Sharma 5/23, V Kumar 2/22, Y Singh 2/24) by 93 runs.
Ambrose turns 50
Former West Indies cricketers have lauded their colleague Curtly Ambrose on his 50th birthday. The former Antiguan, Leeward Islands and West Indies pacer celebrated his half-century yesterday, and former captain Sir Vivian Richards, former pacers Courtney Walsh, Kenneth Benjamin and Winston Benjamin all appeared on a local radio programme alongside Ambrose last Friday, as they spoke of the player's cricketing achievements while congratulating him on reaching this milestone.
Sir Viv, who captained Ambrose from 1988 to 1991, said the determined bowler put a lot of work into his game, calling him a "dream to captain".
Walsh, who doubled with Ambrose to become the most dangerous pair in both Test and one-day internationals between 1988 and 2000, said: "I say it without fear anywhere I go: Ambrose is like my brother. I played more against Winston and Kenny in County cricket because 'Ambi' came on the scene late in terms of that and didn't like much of it, and we have always been friends. But Ambrose and I have built up a certain bond, and if it wasn't for cricket and the things we did on the field probably that bond would not be there," said Walsh.
Source-CMC
Bermuda U17s claim win over Dominican Republic
Bermuda 3 Dominican Republic 1
Bermuda Under-17s national team made a winning start to their final round of the CFU World Cup qualifiers with a 3-0 win over Dominican Republic in Haiti.
Goals by Eva Frazzoni and Zahra Gibbons handed Aaron Denkins’ side a two-goal lead at the interval, but Dominican Republic reduced the deficit in the 76th minute.
Bermuda, who finished runners-up behind Puerto Rico in their first round group, restored their two-goal lead when DeShae Darrell scored in injury-time.
Denkins’ team take on group favourites Trinidad and Tobago in their next game on Monday.
Bermuda Football Association National Academy director Richard Todd said: “Next up for Bermuda is Trinidad who steamrollered their way through the last round by defeating US Virgin Islands 13-0, Antigua 4-1, and St Kitts 7-0.
“This will be a real test and measure of where our girls rank in the Caribbean.”
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals to be played next Friday.
The final and third-place game will be played on September 29. The two finalists from the Haiti tournament will participate in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers scheduled to be played in Jamaica from October 30-November 9.
USA, Canada, Mexico, hosts Jamaica, Central American qualifiers El Salvador and Guatemala will await the two CFU advancing teams.
Bermuda Under-17s
M Pond, T Fubler, K Burch-Waldron, S Dill, N Burgess, K Lespere, Z Gibbons, A Nolan (J Samuals, 89), E Frazzoni, L Smith, D Greaves (S Lowe-Darrell, 70)
Substitutes: D Darrell, V Davis, A Denkins, D Foote, T Durham, Z Durham, K Jackson S Lowe-Darrell
Assault On Iraq Funeral, Other Attacks Kill 96
Two suicide bombers, one in an explosives-laden car and the other on foot, struck a cluster of funeral tents packed with mourning families in a Shiite neighbourhood in Baghdad, the deadliest in a string of attacks around Iraq that killed at least 96 people yesterday.
The assaults, the latest in a months-long surge of violence, are a chilling reminder of insurgents' determination to reignite sectarian conflict more than a decade after the US-led invasion.
Thousands of Iraqis have been killed in violent attacks in recent months - a level of bloodshed not seen since Iraq pulled back from the brink of civil war in 2008 - despite appeals for restraint from Shiite and Sunni political leaders.
The attack on the funeral was one of the largest single terrorist assaults on civilians in Iraq in recent years. It happened shortly before sunset in the densely populated Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City in northeastern Baghdad.
Police said at least 72 people were killed and more than 120 were wounded in that attack. One bomber was able to drive up near the tent before detonating his deadly payload, and another on foot blew himself up nearby, police said.
The explosions set the tents and several nearby cars on fire, sending a towering plume of thick black smoke over the city.
"I saw several charred bodies on the ground and tents on fire and also burning cars. Wounded people were screaming in pain," said Sheik Sattar al-Fartousi, one of the mourners. "The scene was horrible. The funeral turned into an inferno."
He said the first blast went off as dinner was being served in one of several tents set up for the funeral of a member of the al-Fartousi tribe. He estimated that more than 500 people were attending the event.
Civilian pickup trucks loaded with casualties and ambulances with sirens blaring were seen racing from the scene.
Hussein Abdul-Khaliq, a government employee who lives near the bomb site, said the tents were packed with mourners when the blasts went off.
He described seeing several lifeless bodies on the ground, and wounded women and children. The clothes of several victims were soaked with blood, and firefighters had to leave the scene to refill tanker trucks with water as they struggled to contain an immense blaze, he said.
"This funeral was not a military post or a ministry building, yet it was still targeted," Abdul-Khaliq said. "This shows that no place and no one is safe in Iraq."
Less than two hours after the funeral attack, another car bomb blast struck a commercial street in the nearby Ur neighbourhood, killing nine people and wounding 14, according to police.
Gunmen later shot up a shop that has been discretely selling liquor in the largely Sunni neighbourhood of Azamiyah, killing four people, police said.
Earlier in the day, insurgents launched a suicide attack on a police commando headquarters in the city of Beiji, an oil-refining centre 250 kilometres (115 miles) north of Baghdad. Guards managed to kill one suicide bomber, but the three others were able to set off their explosive belts inside the compound, killing seven policemen and wounding 21 others, police said.
Source-AP
Caribbean Grads Struggle For Jobs - World Bank
The World Bank says despite spending nearly 11 years acquiring an education, school leavers in the Caribbean often struggle to find formal employment.
The Washington-based financial institution has released a new report titled 'Quality Education Counts for Skills and Growth' and offers some suggestions why it is difficult for Caribbean students to obtain employment, highlighting key areas where system-wide changes are needed.
It said while early-childhood education is essential to a child's development as it builds the foundation for primary schooling, unlike primary and secondary education, "there has been no national push for preschool education.
"This has resulted in huge variations to education services and often meaning children from rural areas or lower-income families miss out," according to the report, which noted that, currently, less than 15 per cent of school leavers in the subregional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) move on to further education.
"Consequently, boosting tertiary education attendance is key," the report said, adding that attracting qualified teachers is a "chronic challenge" for the Caribbean, and is particularly pronounced within the core subjects - English, maths and science.
With such a predominance of unqualified teachers, the report says the pass rates for these subjects in particular have suffered.
In 2009, the report said, less than 50 per cent of students region-wide passed CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) exams in English and maths.
With a highly centralised system, the report said there is little decision-making authority within the schools themselves in the Caribbean, stating that inter-national studies have shown that giving schools the ability to make certain decisions themselves is closely linked to education quality.
The World Bank report also indicated that closing the digital skills gap would be key if graduates were to flourish in the quickly evolving Caribbean labour market.
It said as traditional trades and sources of employment disappear, 21st century technology is taking their place, "but employers regularly complain that school leavers do not have the appropriate skills for a digital workplace".
Bernadette Lewis of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) said it was vital that the region's youth were sufficiently supported to realise the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
"It calls for a certain amount of education and awareness. We have seen tremendous talent in the area of young people making innovative use of ICTs, but there's little support."
Noting that critical soft skills such as ICT are best taught within a formal education setting, the World Bank report highlights a need for them to be maintained within the private sector.
"Learning is a lifelong activity and, as such, both public and private sector involvement is needed to support learners throughout their career."
The report notes that the unemployment rates for 15-19 year olds in the Caribbean are between two and four times the adult average.
"School leavers struggle to find formal employment because their education doesn't sufficiently prepare them for the job market and employers are then left to train up those who they do hire.
"Systemic changes with the education sector are therefore needed if learners in the Caribbean are to be given the opportunity to realise their potential," it adds.
Source- CMC
Pilot Error Caused Caribbean Airlines Crash
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Zulfikar Mohammed, says pilot error led to the July 30, 2011 crash of a Caribbean Airlines flight.
According to Mohammed, the report on the mishap will be studied and released by Transport Minister Robeson Benn.
Last Thursday, the GCAA boss explained that the report would say exactly what happened and emphasise several areas for safety. "They will tell you what actions should be taken in terms of improving safety, preventing accidents of this sort from happening again," he said.
Mohammed's explanation followed confirmation by presidential adviser on governance, Gail Teixeira, earlier last Thursday of what had been known hours after the crash - the pilot engaged in a "long-landing" on the CJIA runway that prevented him from stopping the Boeing 737-800 before it could have ran off the 7,400-ft long runway half way over a ravine. The plane cracked in half.
The GCAA-led probe received support from the United States' National Transportation Safety Board, the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight, Caribbean Airlines, Trinidad and Tobago's Civil Aviation Authority and Boeing Aircraft Company.
In July, eight Guyanese passengers filed lawsuits claiming a total of GUY$8 million associated with alleged negligent operation of Caribbean Airlines Flight BW523.
Source- CMC
Gunmen Kills 59 in Mall Attack in Kenya
Kenyan security forces are continuing to work to apprehend gunmen who killed at least 59 people and wounded 175 others at a busy shopping mall in Nairobi.
Officials said the operation to capture the gunmen and rescue an unknown number of hostages was still ongoing midday Sunday inside the Westgate Mall, about 24 hours after the attack began.
Interior Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said more than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the mall so far, calling the situation "very fragile."
He said officials believe there are between 10 and 15 attackers involved and he vowed that they will face the full force of the law.
The Somali terrorist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it is retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia. An al-Shabab spokesman said in an audio message, "Either leave our country or live with constant attacks."
Kenyan forces entered Somalia two years ago to fight al-Shabab militants who had often crossed the border to stage attacks.
The U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack. Mr. Ban called it a "premeditated" and "totally reprehensible" act targeting defenseless civilians.
Witnesses said the gunmen wore masks and tossed hand grenades at the Westgate Mall during busy shopping hours. Children were among the wounded.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta sought to reassure shaken Kenyans in an address to the nation just hours after the attack. The president condemned what he called the cowardly act and praised Kenyans for their solidarity in the face of the terrorist threat.
The president said, "Terrorism in and of itself is the philosophy of cowards. The way we lead our lives in freedom, unity and consideration for each other represents our victory over those who wish us ill."
President Kenyatta vowed that the perpetrators will be caught and dealt with. He said the government stands ready to defend the country from within and from outside.
Canada and France each say two of their citizens were killed. The United States says no Americans were killed, but that some have been injured. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the attack and said the United States has offered Kenya's government its full support to help bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
Suicide Bombers Kill 50 in Pakistan
Officials in Pakistan say two suicide bombers have attacked a church in the northwestern part of the country, killing at least 50 people and wounding about 100 others.
The head of a nearby hospital where victims were taken says many of the wounded are in critical condition. Many of the victims were women and children.
The blasts happened Sunday at the main church in downtown Peshawar as worshippers were leaving after services. Several hundred people were there at the time of the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts.
Militant Islamists in Pakistan have carried out attacks against minority Christians and other Muslims they see as heretical.
Local Entertainers For RCI Cruise Line
Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell spoke today [Sept 20] in the House of Assembly regarding an entertainment employment initiative in partnership with Royal Caribbean International [RCI].
The Minister said the initiative will provide opportunities for local entertainers to perform onboard RCI ships whilst in port.
The Department of Tourism hosted an open audition for entertainers at Chewstick on September 11th, which saw 25 local artists perform in front of the RCI Executives .
The Minister said RCI was “very pleased with the caliber of performances of our local entertainers, and indicated that they were optimistic in providing entertainment opportunities on board, prior to seasons end.”
Minister Crockwell added that RCI would also like to source local entertainers to provide a pier side “Departure Performance” for their passengers on the Explorer of the Sea and the Grandeur of the Seas.
“We consider these initiatives as positive steps to broaden the exposure of our local talent and also enhancing our local tourism product,” said Minister Crockwell.
Minister Crockwell’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, the creation of jobs and employment opportunities is a clearly stated goal for this Government and it is the view of this government that we will take the initiative to provide meaningful employment opportunities wherever possible and to think out of the box in creating these opportunities.
Therefore, I am extremely pleased to report today on another employment opportunity initiative that will soon bear results.
Mr. Speaker, the plight of the local entertainers is very well chronicled, there is a dearth of employment opportunity on the island, and the opportunities that are available are very often for a limited period.
Many of our seasoned and aspiring local entertainers seek the assistance of the Bermuda Department of Tourism to create and provide opportunities for them to perform and display their talents at various locations and venues throughout our Island.
Mr. Speaker, in support of our local entertainers the Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport has commenced an entertainment employment initiative working in partnership with Royal Caribbean International (RCI).
This initiative will provide opportunities for local entertainers to work and perform onboard RCI ships whilst in port for the remainder of this cruise ship season, with the intent to continue this initiative in the 2014 cruise season and beyond.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Tourism hosted an open audition inviting all interested entertainers to perform at the Chewstick Headquarters and this event was held on Wednesday September 11th from 6pm to 9pm. The range of entertainers included musicians, vocalists, dancers, comedians, actors, magicians and cultural performers.
Entertainers were requested to provide a photographic image, as well as their Entertainment Resume, and they were invited to perform for five (5) minutes. Following their performance a short list was created and those who were successfully shortlisted were invited back to participate in an Entertainment Showcase.
Mr. Speaker, the Entertainment Showcase saw twenty five (25) of our top local musicians and artists perform in front of the RCI Executives which was headed by Mr. Mike Ronan who is the Vice President of Government Relations for the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia, and he was accompanied by Mr. Rob Waterfield who is the RCI Specialist for Contracted Musicians and Entertainers.
The Showcase was held the following day on Thursday, September 12, at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in the Gazebo Room. Mr. Ronan and Mr. Waterfield experienced, first-hand, Bermuda’s remarkable talent and they were able to evaluate and determine how to amalgamate and include some of our local entertainers into their onboard entertainment programs.
Mr. Speaker, both Mr. Ronan and Mr. Waterfield of RCI were very pleased with the caliber of performances of our local entertainers, and indicated that they were optimistic in providing entertainment opportunities on board, prior to seasons end.
Most importantly they considered the visit, and the viewing of the talent, to be excellent timing for their decision making in planning their entertainment schedules for the 2014 season.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to RCI’s commitment to providing entertainment opportunities onboard their ships, we are also pleased to announce that for the remainder of the cruise ship season, RCI would also like to source local entertainers to provide a pier side “Departure Performance” for their passengers on the Explorer of the Sea and the Grandeur of the Seas.
Mr. Speaker, we consider these initiatives as positive steps to broaden the exposure of our local talent and also enhancing our local tourism product. I would like to thank the principals of RCI for working with us to develop and offer solutions that will assist our local entertainers by providing much needed employment in this sector.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Department of Tourism staff for their role and efforts in organizing the auditioning and Entertainment Showcase that received rave reviews.
Thank You
Source-Bernnews