As the infection rate of the Ebola virus disease reduces in the Mano River Union (MRU) basin, countries devastated by the virus, (Liberia Guinea and Sierra Leone), through their spokesperson, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has called for a long-term response to the crisis and its glaring impacts. This plan is to be centered on economic recovery.Speaking at the opening of the high level conference on Ebola in Brussels on Tuesday, President Sirleaf called for an Ebola “Marshall Plan” to help rebuild the region’s fragile economies and for “international partners to remain committed” to bringing an end to the epidemic.The conference is being held under the theme: “Ebola: from emergency to recovery.” It is under the patronage of the European Union and jointly organized by the EU, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, and the United Nations.The conference’s objective is taking stock of the current fight against Ebola, coordinate further action for the total eradication of the disease, and discuss the recovery process in the three most affected countries.”The most important long-term response to Ebola rests on plans and strategies for economic recovery,” President Sirleaf told global leaders, adding, “this will require significant resources, perhaps even a Marshall Plan,” referencing the massive United States aid program in the late 1940s that helped Europe rebuild after WoThe Marshall Plan, which was officially known as the European Recovery Program (ERP), a four year plan from 1948-1952, was the American initiative to aid Europe and Asia, in which the United States gave US$13 billion in economic support to help rebuild European economies. Its goals were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make Europe prosperous again.President Sirleaf’s appeal is seen as countering the danger of Ebola ‘donor fatigue’ but while the focus remains on eradication, President Sirleaf and other regional leaders have started to emphasize the need for long-term international support.The conference, in its concluding statement, said “The principal objective is to stop all transmission of the virus.” It acknowledged that there is much work ahead to achieve the goal.”This will require continued political engagement, a sustained level of funding and the constant mobilization of technical staff and specialized assets,” the statement indicated.Countries and international organizations as well as individuals around the world have so far pledged $5.1 billion to fight Ebola, with $2.4 billion already disbursed, according to credible sources.Since it began nearly a year ago, the outbreak has devastated the three countries’ human resource capacity and undermined the already fragile economies, exacerbating many of their pre-existing challenges.Financial and health experts say that Ebola’s socio-economic side effects will put the current and future prosperity of households at high risk in Liberia and its neighbors. “We must pay careful attention to those who are most vulnerable to both health and economic shocks, and ensure that they are supported throughout and after the crisis,” a World Bank official was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, a report released Tuesday by Save the Children reinforces the case for an urgent investment in healthcare in the three countries. The report found that global effort to combat Ebola has cost $4.3 billion, more than twice as much as the $1.58 billion it would take to improve healthcare systems in the three most affected countries. This clearly emphasizes the importance of the dictum “Prevention is better than cure.” “The world woke up to Ebola, but now people need to wake up to the scandal of weak health systems,” a Save the Children official was quoted.Though the number of new cases of Ebola has drastically dropped, health experts, including the Dean at the A. M. Dogliotti Medical College at the University of Liberia, Vuyu Golakai, have warned that eradicating the last cases still pose a huge challenge.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
US trafficking hero’s selfie video sparks backlashIn civilised democratic nations, a Parliament is always a very high deliberative forum where laws are passed and the most important issues affecting people, both nationally and internationally, are articulated. It is for these reasons that the precincts of our Parliament and its chambers are regarded as hallowed and sacrosanct.It is against this backdrop that the unparalleled exhibition of Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes, a sitting member of the House, must be viewed.Former Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall posits, “It is difficult to decipher whether the Honourable Member was engaged in an act of humour or whether she was serious.”He was making reference to the now infamous social media post by Broomes, done in the style of Allison Hunt who is currently in Paris.According to Nandlall, “Those of us who troll the social media would know that she was mimicking the antics of a Guyanese holidaying in Paris using the sacrosanct and sacred chambers of the National Assembly as her stage.”Nandlall said, “What is perhaps most befuddling is that the Honourable member obviously did not think that what she was doing was at a minimum abnormal, if not heretic, because she took the liberty of sharing it with the world via the social medium of Facebook.”The selfie video rant by Minister Broomes, awarded by the United States as an anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) hero, has sparked a backlash for her on social media with thousands of users criticising her.According to Nandlall, “This bizarre act of a member of the House and a minister of the Government must be condemned in the strongest possible manner. It simply cannot be justified. Irrespective of which side of the political aisle one is, one will be forced to accept that such an exhibition can only bring odium and ridicule to the hallowed halls of the House and lower it as an institution in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public.”“…. It is of little difference whether there are actual proceedings taking place at the time. Over centuries, an entire compendium of conventions, customs and practices have evolved, all intended and designed to protect and preserve the majesty of that institution called Parliament,” Nandlall argued.He pointed out that they are all applicable and are invoked during parliamentary sessions and, most specifically when there is a sitting of the National Assembly.He noted, too, that these conventions, customs and practices find expression in the Constitution, the laws, Standing Orders and all leading texts dealing with Parliaments. They include certain privileges and immunities with which Parliamentarians are clothed when they are on their way to Parliament, within the precincts of Parliament or while they speak or act in the Chambers of Parliament. These include immunity from arrest, service of legal process and from suit for anything done or said in Parliament. Indeed within the precincts and Chambers of Parliament, Parliamentarians and members of the public are enjoined to adopt a sober mode of attire and the content of speeches in the National Assembly are regulated by rules which prohibit the use of certain expressions which are deemed “unparliamentary”.Nandlall alluded to the fact that the Speaker was responsible for order and decorum in the house. “Regularly, Members, in particular, in the Opposition, are upbraided for their behaviour in the House. I was restrained several times from merely alluding to matters pending in the court, though I had no intention of discussing the merits of the case in a way that may prejudice its outcome – which is the rationale for not discussing matters which are the subject of pending litigation. In one instance, I was prohibited from completing my presentation because I referred to a newspaper article which I did not have on me at the time.”Nandlall further noted that, “Only recently, the Speaker withheld his consent from the Economic Services Committee visiting communities and holding discussions with citizens on the future of the sugar industry. The Speaker did so on the basis that he cannot be satisfied that the decorum attendant to the proceedings of Parliamentary Committees would be observed. More to the point, Members of Parliament were treated to a scathing lecture by the Speaker, not so long ago for using their phones to take pictures in the House. Now we have an entire movie broadcast to the cyber world, filmed, narrated, directed, edited, choreographed and produced by Ms Simona Broomes.”“Against this background, and based upon the sentiments of thousands of Guyanese expressed in the social media and elsewhere, a nation awaits to see how the Speaker will treat with this matter,” Nandlall declared.
0Shares0000Statement of intent: Liverpool thrashed West Ham 4-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season © AFP / Oli SCARFFLONDON, United Kingdom, Aug 13 – Liverpool lived up to their billing as the biggest threat to Manchester City retaining the Premier League title as both sides shone on the opening weekend of the season.So often outgunned by the oil wealth of Abu Dhabi backed City or commercial giants Manchester United in recent years, Liverpool were the biggest spenders from the world’s richest league this summer with a reported £170 million ($217 million) splurge in the transfer market. The first return on that investment came in Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of a limited West Ham that even Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted “are not the Uniteds or Citys.”Start of champions: Bernardo Silva struck as Manchester City outclassed Arsenal 2-0 on Sunday © IKIMAGES/AFP / Ian KINGTONCity showed just what a task overturning a 25-point deficit last season will be for Liverpool in outclassing Arsenal in a 2-0 win at the Emirates despite a far more disrupted preparation for the campaign due to the World Cup commitments of most of their squad.On the contrary, Liverpool have benefited from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane’s early exits in Russia with Egypt and Senegal as they returned in time to join the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.Salah started where he left off from an incredible 44-goal debut campaign at Anfield by opening the scoring before Mane struck twice and Daniel Sturridge added a late fourth.– Keita impresses –Naby Keita impressed on debut for Liverpool © AFP / Oli SCARFFKlopp conceded it had been impossible to ignore the excitement and expectation among the club’s fans that a near three-decade wait to win the league could come to an end in May.That hype is because Liverpool have built from a position of strength. After reaching the Champions League final last season, key areas of the team have been bolstered.Midfielder Naby Keita was a bundle of energy and the star performer of the new boys that showed why Liverpool were willing to shell out £52.75m and wait a year for the Guinean after agreeing a deal with Leipzig last summer.“You can only imagine how good he’s going to be with more time,” said Liverpool midfielder James Milner.Finding the net is nothing new for Klopp on opening day. His side scored four at Arsenal in 2016 and three at Watford last season, but also conceded three on both occasions.As he was quick to point out, the clean sheet was just as pleasing as his side’s attacking play.Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, signed for £65 million from Roma, was rarely troubled, but looked assured in starting attacks from the back, while Virgil van Dijk was imperious in sniffing out any sense of danger.Liverpool beat City in three of their four meetings last season, but the key to a title challenge will be a consistency Klopp has so far failed to nail in nearly three years in charge.The German, though, now has a wealth of options never previously afforded to him as evidenced by the sight of new signings Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri plus England internationals Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana on the bench on Sunday.“I am not blind. I can see them and I can read the line-up and see then who is on the bench,” said Klopp when quizzed if he will have a difficult balancing act to keep all of his squad engaged over the campaign.“The plan is they are all happy because they played an important part in our season, so from my point of view all good.”Despite the positivity and investment, Klopp has insisted Liverpool remain just the challenger to champions City.“We are still Rocky Balboa, not Ivan Drago,” he said on the eve of the season, invoking the underdog spirit of the fictional American boxer.No knockout blows have yet been landed, but Liverpool have come out swinging.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
0Shares0000Lionel Messi salvaged a 1-1 draw for Argentina with a penalty against Paraguay in the Copa America © AFP / Luis ACOSTABELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, Jun 20 – A Lionel Messi penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw for Argentina against Paraguay on Wednesday as the two-time world champions once again struggled at the Copa America.Messi swept in a 57th-minute spot-kick at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao Stadium to cancel out a first-half opener from Paraguay’s Richard Sanchez. Argentina also had goalkeeper Franco Armani to thank for a second half penalty save that prevented Paraguay from taking a 2-1 lead in the Group B battle.The draw left Argentina with one point from two games and on the bottom of the table with one game remaining.However with the two best third placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals, Argentina can still reach the last eight with a decisive win over Qatar in their final group game.“We have to win,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said of his team’s date with Qatar. “We will take stock of what we did well and what we did not do well and we will make decisions. We are lucky that we are still alive in this tournament,” added Scaloni, singling out goalkeeper Armani for special praise.“We trust Franco,” Scaloni said. “He is our starting goalkeeper. He saved a penalty and kept us alive. I’m glad he had a good performance.”The South American giants will need to raise their game however to advance any further after another disjointed performance which followed their opening defeat to Colombia on Saturday.A lacklustre opening saw both sides struggle to generate any sort of attacking momentum, with neither side managing to get a shot on goal until Paraguay striker Derlis Gonzalez’s effort was deflected behind for a corner in the 29th minute.From the ensuing setpiece, centre-half Junior Alonso scooped a half-chance wide as Argentina escaped.– Penalty drama –That flurry of activity spurred Argentina fleetingly at the other end, with Lautaro Martinez winning a free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the area after a foul by Paraguay skipper Gustavo Gomez.Messi however was unable to conjure anything from the free-kick, floating his effort up and over the wall but without the pace to trouble goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez, who gathered comfortably.In the 37th minute however, Paraguay’s more organised performance got its reward.A swift counter-attack saw the ball transferred to Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron near halfway.The livewire forward turned on the after-burners to roast Roberto Pereya down the left wing before crossing for Sanchez who drove a low finish into the bottom corner of the Argentina net.A rattled Argentina were given a huge let-off moments later when Armani came racing out of his area to shut down Gonzalez.A wild kick brought down the Paraguayan player but Armani somehow escaped a red card and was only cautioned.Scaloni went for broke at half-time, bolstering his attack with the introduction of Sergio Aguero and the move paid instant dividends.Aguero deftly lost his marker on 51 minutes and pulled back for Martinez, whose shot cannoned off the woodwork. Messi pounced on the rebound but Fernandez blocked with a diving save.The chance appeared to have gone begging but VAR had spotted that Martinez’s shot had in fact struck Ivan Piris’s arm before hitting the bar and Brazilian referee Wilson Sampaio pointed to the spot.Messi stepped up to sweep in the spot-kick and Argentina were level.Yet there was more drama in the 62nd minute when Paraguay’s Gonzalez burst into the box and was clumsily hacked down by Nicolas Otamendi for a clear penalty.Armani, who was fortunate to be on the pitch, dived the right way and parried Gonzalez’s spot-kick wide.0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
The town of Killybegs is known today mainly for its connection with the fishing industry. But it was not always so.KillybegsThe development of Killybegs in the late 19th and early 20th century will be discussed by historian and author, Helen Meehan, in a special Heritage Week lecture on the evening of Tuesday, August 25.Appropriately, the talk will be delivered in the Killybegs International Carpet Making & Fishing Centre – the old Donegal Carpets factory – and will deal in some detail with the foundation of the hand-knotted carpet making industry here by Scottish industrialist, Alexander Morton, in 1898. It is hoped that some of the workers who were employed in the factory before it closed will attend also. Morton’s initiative was encouraged and supported by the Congested Districts Board, a British Government agency established in 1891 to deal with poverty in the west of Ireland. As well as Killybegs, Morton set up carpet-making factories in Crolly, Anagry and Kilcar.The 1890s also so the coming of the railway to Killybegs and the building of the first deepwater pier in the harbour.Helen Meehan is an accomplished author and public speaker and her book, “Inver Parish in History”, is a scholarly and fascinating record of local history in that area. She is a past president of Donegal Historical Society.Her talk on the industrial development of Killybegs will begin at 7.30pm in the old carpet factory meeting room on August 25. There is no admission charge and light refreshments will be served. SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW KILLYBEGS? was last modified: August 7th, 2015 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:donegalhistoryKillybegs
John Moran who was found not guilty of al charges. (North West Newspix)A man charged who was charged with threatening to kill a Garda and unlawful possession of a gun during a disturbance outside an Inishowen pub has been cleared of all charges after a three-day trial.John Moran, 57, of Serpentine Road, Belfast went on trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court charged with making threats to kill, possession of a .22 revolver, possession of ammunition and threatening and abusive behaviour during a fight outside the Orchard Bar, Gleneely in the early hours of April 5th, 2010. The accused had denied all charges and a jury took less than an hour of deliberation to find him not guilty.Mr. Moran, a car trader, had argued that he had acted out of necessity to protect his children who had been attacked by a group of three men. His son suffered a fractured cheekbone when he and a friend were kicked and punched and one of his daughters suffered broken fingers.A number of local men had been previously convicted for their part in the incident.The prosecution had argued that he had acted unlawfully and with a degree of premeditation in bringing the gun to the scene and that gardaí who attended the scene felt threatened.Mr Moran had admitted producing the pistol from his pocket and shouting ‘I’ll shoot you’ after he had been called by his daughters who were hysterical and screaming.He told gardaí that when he arrived at the scene he was struck on the head with an object by a man and was left with blood streaming down his face. It was then that he produced the pistol and pointed it at the man.A retired garda told a court how he thought he was going to be ‘mortally injured’ when the gun was pointed at him.Former Garda John McGrath and two colleagues arrived at the scene they found four to five groups of people fighting with each other.As Garda McGrath and his colleagues tried to break up the fighting, a man came towards him and shouted “I’ll shoot you, I’ll shoot you.”Ballistic examination revealed the gun was not capable of discharging a bullet.However, the gun was considered a firearm as described in the Firearms Act, 1985 as amended in 2006.Mr Moran had left a group including three of his children in the bar. His children told the court they were attacked as they left.CCTV footage from outside the bar showed a melee taking place involving a group of people who spilled out of the bar. Family friend of the Morans, Bradley Beattie, was 16 at the time. He told gardaí he said he was assaulted by three people outside the bar. He was lying on the ground being kicked and stamped on. “I thought I was going to die as they kept kicking me when I was pushed to ground.” Bar Owner Dermot McLaughlin said one of the men involved in the assault had been barred previously after he had an altercation with the Morans but he had lifted the bar about four months earlier.He said there was scuffling outside the bar and he did his best to separate the groups.He let the Morans back into the bar and phoned a taxi for them and they then left in the taxi.The accused’s son, Jonathon Moran, said his sister Andrea was knocked to the ground and as he tried to help her he was hit and forced to the ground. He was stamped on and kicked and received a fractured cheekbone which required surgery.His father arrived after they got onto the taxi and got him and others from the group out of the taxi and into his jeep.He then saw one of the men who had attacked them reach over and hit his father on the head.“He screamed at me with blood coming down his face and he told us to get in Tourag jeep,” he said.Stacey Donnelly, a daughter of the accused, said she got knocked down when she went to help Mr. Beattie and was trailed across the ground.Her trousers were ripped, she suffered broken fingers and was left with over two dozen bruises.Andrea Moran said she was hysterical when the phone call was made to her father. “I shouted to Dad please come and save us. They are beating us, they are killing us.”In a statement to gardaí Mr. Moran said he got the phone call to go to the pub and Stacy said they “were getting murdered”.He had been on his way to the pub and went back to his holiday home and got the starting pistol which he had got in 1995 after a burglary at his home. When he arrived at the pub he said he saw his son or Mr Beattie being kicked on the ground and he parked the middle of the road. He saw four or five men come running towards him and he was struck on the forehead by one of the men, which left him bleeding. He pulled the pistol out, pointed it at him and told him to ‘fuck off’.He said he threw the gun away and said to a female garda that he had a licence for it.Garnet Orange (SC) for the defence, instructed by solicitor Frank Dorrian, said that Mr Moran had acted in a way that he thought was “right, reasonable, proportionate and necessary at the time to protect his children and get them out of there”.Prosecution Counsel Patricia McLaughlin (BL), instructed by State Solicitor Ciaran Liddy, told the jury Mr Moran had brought the gun and produced it in a threatening way. “In no circumstances could that be considered lawful,” she saidThe jury returned the unanimous verdict to Judge John O’Hagan of not guilty on all counts.MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO KILL GARDA WITH GUN FOUND NOT GUILTY was last modified: February 7th, 2016 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:chargescourtdonegalgunJOhn MOranthreats to kill
But who are favourites with bookmakers to lift the gleaming trophy on July 15? Check out the latest odds below. 7 7 talkSPORT will be with listeners all day and all night at this year’s 2018 FIFA World Cup™ with over 800 hours of World Cup content and all 64 games live across the talkSPORT network. 7 Learn the words for England’s catchy Gareth Southgate song 7 ‘It could have been me’ – Allardyce admits World Cup was tough to watch Pure class 6. Sweden are 20/1 to win World Cup 2018 Watch every goal England scored at the 2018 World Cup 3. England are 7/2 to win World Cup 2018 7 Dele Alli reveals pre-match rituals and lucky charms he has before matches Latest World Cup 2018 news 5. Russia are 18/1 to win World Cup 2018 Olivier Giroud confirms N’Golo Kante is the nicest man in football Shy guy LU BEAUTY A reminder to Liverpool fans about the very comical threat Neymar offers Arsenal star Laurent Koscielny admits he didn’t want France to win World Cup Why does Luis Suarez kiss his wrist when he celebrates a goal? 7 You’re the one NO JOY Southgate makes young England fan’s day by replying to his letter SUPERSTITION Germany are out of the World Cup and can no longer retain the trophy. Fallon d’Floor 1. France are 2/1 to win World Cup 2018 7 Paul Pogba buys France World Cup winners specially designed rings Good times We’re well into the World Cup knockout stages of World Cup 2018 and the tournament is certainly wide open now.Some huge teams have left us, including reigning champions Germany, who will now relinquish their crown, while Spain, Argentina and Portugal and pre-tournament favourites Brazil have also exited the tournament. diamond geezer Odds from SunBets are correct as of 21:15 on Friday, July 6 4. Croatia are 11/2 to win World Cup 2018 2. Belgium are 5/2 to win World Cup 2018 misery 
A young Donegal businesswoman is to feature on RTE’s The Secret Millionaire programme.Ramona Nicholas started the hugely-successfully chain of Cara Pharmacies.The 35 year old from Tullan Strand, Bundoran now has 12 shops across Ireland. Now Ms Nicholas is to put herself in the shoes of someone less well-off by taking part in the television show.Ms Nicholas will swap the glitz and glamour of a millionaire’s life for a secret life as a job-seeker.At the end of the show Ms Nicholas will give some much-needed cash from her own pocket to deserving causes. SECRET DONEGAL MILLIONAIRE TO SHARE HER CASH WITH LESS WELL-OFF was last modified: September 8th, 2012 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:Cara PharmaciesRamona NicholasRTEThe Secret Millionaire
Three years later, Hornish averaged 207.151 after 200 laps, just fast enough to edge Scott Dixon by 0.3563 of a second. But all that is set to go away following Sunday afternoon’s Toyota Indy 400. The Indy Racing League announced last month it was not returning to Fontana for the 2006 season. The open-wheel history at the speedway dates back to before the first fan walked in. Paul Tracy, then driving for Roger Penske’s team, took the first hot lap around the two-mile track in a car with a gold-plated bottom to determine whether there were any bumps. The track passed the test and it has been the home to close and fast racing since 1997. Here are 10 things to remember for this weekend: Danica Patrick. The 23-year-old rookie has been the face of the Indy Racing League in 2005, appearing virtually everywhere. Including at the front of the field at the Indianapolis 500, the first woman ever to do so. She also has nailed down the rookie of the year honor. While she won’t be the first woman ever to race at Fontana – Tammy Jo Kirk holds the honor in a 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event – she will end the weekend as the fastest. Patrick, who drives for the Rahal Letterman Racing, has won three poles this year. There is no faster speedway for open-wheel race cars than California Speedway, as witnessed by Gil de Ferran’s world record for a closed-course single-lap and a 400-mile race that averaged more than 200 miles per hour. In 2000, de Ferran zipped around the two-mile superspeedway at 241.428 mph in his CART-sanctioned Penske Team Marlboro racer. 
She is among the favorites to win the pole Saturday at the speedway. And because she will be in a fast car, there also is a good chance she will be the first female to win a major open-wheel racing event in the country. After all, the speedway has that type of reputation. Tony Hawk Show. The addition of the skateboard legend demonstrates how far the speedway has gone to promote the IRL race. Hawk and four other skateboard performances will fly off the ramp beginning at 10:30 Sunday morning outside Gate 14. It takes a great deal of skill to driver a race car at more than 225 mph, and it takes a great deal of skill to soar into the sky on a skateboard before doing acrobatics, including spinning more than twice while in mid-air. Race fans also will get to see Hawk wave the green flag to start the race. Dan Wheldon. The Brit is the current Indianapolis 500 champion and also won the IndyCar championship with once race to go. Wheldon drives for Andretti Green Racing and started the season with four wins in the first five races, including Indy. He has increased that total to six – a series record. He is no stranger to the speedway, having competed in Indy Lights and twice in the IRL. In 2001, he was second in the Lights race and has finishes of third and fourth in IndyCar races. 12-and-under are free with paid adult admission. It’s an attempt by International Speedway Corp., the track owner, and the speedway staff to create an generation of fans. Imagine this scenario: Danica Patrick wins the race and 40 years from now, there will be an untold number of 50-year-olds telling anybody that will listen they were there. Champions crowning. Following Sunday’s victory circle ceremonies, fans will be invited onto the track to help celebrate Wheldon’s championship. Fans will get a plastic glass and sparkling cider and will raise a toast for Wheldon, and open-wheel memories. John Elway. What’s an NFL Hall of Famer doing at a race track? Well, it’s a race sponsored by Toyota, and Elway is part of the Crown Toyota ownership group, it’s a natural tie-in. Plus, he will be tossing footballs into the stands, although they will be the soft, foamy kind as opposed to NFL ones. Hall of Fame induction. The last time Adrian Fernandez was at the speedway, he was racing in the NASCAR Busch Series race. A year ago, he was winning the Toyota Indy 400. Therefore, Fernandez gets another bronze plaque outside Gate 14 on Sunday beginning at 9:45 a.m. His first plaque came after winning the 1999 CART Marlboro 500. CARA party. For $100, racing fans can mingle with IndyCar drivers, owners and officials while aiding CARA Charities and the CHL Child Passenger Safety Program. The third annual event, this year called “Guns and Garters” will feature entertainment, food, gambling, raffle and an auction of motorsports items. It is scheduled for Friday from 6 to 11 p.m. at “Miss Kitty’s Saloon,” in the Toyota hospitality tent. Erik Estrada – remember Ponch on the old TV series CHiPS? – will be among the celebrities. But the real action will take place at the driver’s poker contest. We’ll see who keeps the poker face usually hidden behind the helmet. Andretti Green Racing. The racing world did not end for Michael Andretti when he climbed out of the car. Indeed, with Kim Green, ownership seems to fit. Andretti Green Racing has racked up 10 wins this season, including Wheldon’s half dozen. That total also includes a pair by Tony Kanaan, last year’s IndyCar champ, and one each by Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta. AGR has done what Team Penske has been unable to achieve: IndyCar driving titles. Close races. Al three previous IRL races at Fontana have been decided by a combined total of less than a second. In the inaugural IRL race at Fontana, Sam Hornish Jr. and Rancho Cucamonga’s Jaques Lazier battled for the win, slightly touching wheels in Turn 4 before Hornish pulled ahead. Hornish won by 0.0281 of a second and the tone for great IRL racing was set. In 2003, Hornish scored another close win and also topped the 200 mph average for the first time. And if that wasn’t enough, Fernandez beat Kanaan to the line by 0.0183 of a second in last year’s event. The combined total for all three race margins is 0.0827 of a second. Now that’s real racin’. IndyCar Series Toyota Indy 400: Sunday, 200 laps (400 miles), 12:45 p.m. Pole Day: Saturday, 3:00 p.m. Television: ESPN, 12:30 p.m. Announcers: Todd Harris (play-by-play), Scott Goodyear (analyst), Dr. Jerry Punch (pit reporter), Jamie Little (pit reporter), Vince Welch (pit reporter). Radio: IMS Radio Network, XM Channel 152, IndyRacing.com. Announcers: Mike King (anchor), Dave Wilson (analyst), Pancho Carter (driver analyst), Mark Jaynes (turn reporter), Kevin Lee (pit reporter), Nicole Manske (pit reporter). Defending race champion: Adrian Fernandez. Pole record: Helio Castroneves, 31.752 seconds, 226.757 mph, Sept. 19, 2003. Race record: Sam Hornish Jr., 207.151 mph, Sept. 21, 2003. Menards Infiniti Pro Series Infiniti 100, Sunday, 50 laps (100 miles), 10:15 a.m. Television: ESPN2 (tape-delayed to Oct. 20. Announcers: Todd Harris (play-by-play), Scott Goodyear (analyst), Dr. Jerry Punch (pit reporter), Jamie Little (pit reporter), Vince Welch (pit reporter). Defending race champion: James Chesson. Pole record: Thiago Medeiros, 37.9284 seconds, 189.831 mph, Oct. 1, 2004. Race record: James Chesson, 146.894 mph, Oct. 2, 2004 Tickets Sunday: $45 general admission Saturday: $10 general admission (children 12 & under free with a paid adult admission) Tony Hawk Show 11 a.m., Gate 16 The only skateboarder to land the “900” – a two-and-a-half rotation mid-air flip above the lip of a vertical ramp – will bring the Tony Hawk’s Grand Jam. X Games champion Hawk and four other first-class action sports athletes will perform tricks and stunts on the state-of-the-art half-pipe ramp. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORERose Parade grand marshal Rita Moreno talks New Year’s Day outfit and ‘West Side Story’ remake Hamadi was in temporary Lebanese custody, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations with the Lebanese are confidential. A senior Lebanese judicial official contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment. Trans World Airlines Flight 847, with 145 passengers and nine crew members, was flying from Athens to Rome on June 14, 1985, when it was hijacked by Shiite Muslim militants demanding the release of hundreds of Lebanese from Israeli jails. During a 17-day ordeal, the plane was forced to crisscross the Mediterranean from Lebanon to Algeria and landed in Beirut three times before it was finally allowed to remain there. An urgent radio transmission to the Beirut control tower from the unflappable TWA pilot, John Testrake, was broadcast around the world: “We must – I repeat, we must – land, repeat, at Beirut. … Ground, TWA 847, they are threatening to kill the passengers; they are threatening to kill the passengers. We must have fuel; we must get fuel. … They are beating the passengers; they are beating the passengers.” The ordeal produced one of the most enduring images of terrorism: a picture of Testrake leaning out of the cockpit window as a hijacker clamped a hand over his mouth and waved a pistol. BEIRUT, Lebanon – A hijacker in a terrorist drama that riveted America – the 1985 seizure of a TWA jet in which a U.S. Navy diver was killed – has returned home to Lebanon, paroled by Germany after serving 19 years of a life sentence. The United States wants Lebanon to turn over Mohammed Ali Hamadi for trial in the killing of the diver, Robert Dean Stethem, a U.S. diplomat said Tuesday. “We have demonstrated over the years that when we believe an individual is responsible for the murder of innocent American civilians, that we will track them down and that we will bring them to justice in the United States,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. He said U.S. diplomats are talking with the Lebanese government about Hamadi, but the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon. On the second day of the seizure, the hijackers beat and fatally shot Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Md., and dumped his body onto the runway in Beirut. Witnesses later identified Hamadi as having beaten the tied-up Stethem. According to testimony at Hamadi’s trial, when Stethem complained about his bonds, Hamadi responded: “Let the pig suffer.” The plane’s flight engineer testified at the 1989 trial that Hamadi bragged that he had killed Stethem. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!