Call to change first home owner grant
Keyes & Co principal Damien Keyes says the Townsville property market will improve.WE were recently negotiating with a buyer on a five-year-old property when well-meaning friends whispered in his ear that he was missing out on $20,000 from the Government’s First Home Owner Grant by buying established, instead of building a new home. Now, in one sense, that is correct. By purchasing an established home the buyer did not qualify for the grant. However, when we broke down the numbers, outlining all costs associated with building in Townsville and compared them with the deal we were negotiating, the numbers told a different story. More from news01:21Buyer demand explodes in Townsville’s 2019 flood-affected suburbs12 Sep 202001:21‘Giant surge’ in new home sales lifts Townsville property market10 Sep 2020To buy a block of land and build a home similar to the one we were negotiating, the cost would have been $530,000. Deduct the $20,000 that the grant would have provided and the cost came to $510,000. Based on similar recent sales in the area the price of the home being negotiated was $460,000, representing a dollar saving of about $50,000, not to mention the time and hassle saved from going through the building/construction process!This case highlights the situation throughout most of regional Queensland – homes are so affordable that you can buy an established home for cheaper than you can build, at the moment. The State Government continues to ignore the REIQ’s recommendation to include established homes in the First Home Owner Grant eligibility criteria, at least in regional Queensland where the market needs as many buyers as possible.An additional point to consider is that a first homebuyer in regional Queensland won’t have to borrow as much when they buy a more affordable established home. This means they will have a buffer in the event that rates rise. This is an important consideration with a recent report suggesting a half a percentage point rise in interest rates could result in thousands of homeowners becoming mortgage-distressed.The grant is designed to help create jobs through the construction of new homes. However, as my anecdote illustrates, regional Queensland is not using the grant. Why would we? Established homes are cheaper and easier!As we head into a State election, it’s worth remembering that if the State Government was truly interested in helping young people get their foot on the property ladder they would help them no matter what type of home they wanted to buy – established or new.
In December, WADA imposed a four-year ban on Russia over what it considers a state-sponsored doping scheme – prohibiting Russia from participating in such events as this year’s Tokyo Olympics. WADA says Russia “manipulated” data from an anti-doping laboratory in Moscow in the latest move in a long-running scandal that began with the 2015 revelation of long-term institutional doping involving senior Russian officials, secret agents and trafficked urine vials. Loading… Read Also: Accused cyclist Fuglsang contests link to banned doctor Under the sanctions, Russians would be allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics only if they can demonstrate they were not part of the doping network – the same situation Russian athletes faced at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. RUSADA disputed the WADA executive committee ban on December 27, setting the stage for WADA to send the case to CAS. WADA investigators retrieved data from the RUSADA Moscow laboratory last year, but in analyzing the data, WADA and independent investigators confirmed the data had been manipulated and some data had been deleted. FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Monday it has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a public hearing on its case for Russia’s exclusion from international sporting competitions. At stake in the hearing will be the fate of Russian athletes hoping to compete in such events as this year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and 2022 football World Cup. WADA director general Olivier Niggli said Monday that WADA has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have a public hearing on its case to ban Russia from international sporting events for four years WADA director general Olivier Niggli said his group made the formal request for a public forum to resolve the dispute would ensure the world hears the case from both sides and understands how punishment, if any, is administered. “WADA’s investigations on Russia, and this latest case of non-compliance, have generated huge interest around the world,” Niggli said. “It is WADA’s view -– and that of many of our stakeholders –- that this dispute at CAS should be held in a public forum to ensure that everybody understands the process and hears the arguments.” WADA sent its case against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to CAS, the world’s highest sport court, last month. It will be a CAS panel that must decide whether to confirm the four-year ban WADA imposed on Russia last month after considering Russia’s case against the epic sanction.
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (May 27) – Adam Bell and Steven Struck were both repeat winners Friday at CJ Speedway.Shane Paris and Billy Faler led the Kauffman Electric IMCA Stock Car field to green. Paris took advantage of his starting spot to move out into the lead on lap one. A couple early cautions allowed Bell, who started sixth, and Kirk Kinsley, who started eighth, to quickly move toward the front and challenge Paris for the top spot.Bell slipped under Paris on lap four to grab the lead, leaving Paris to battle with Kinsley for the runner-up spot. Kinsley tried to get under Bell over the final few laps of the race but Bell was able to hold him off to capture his second win of the season at CJ. Kinsley was second and Paris third.The Louisa Communications IMCA Sport Compact feature saw John Whalen and Jake Benischek making up the front row with Benischek scored first on the opening circuit.Struck, who started 10th, and Bill Whalen Jr., who was scheduled to start 11th but had to go to the tail in a borrowed car, worked their way towards the front. Mechanical gremlins continue to haunt Benischek at CJ Speedway, as he slowed to a stop on lap seven.Struck inherited the lead and then held off Whalen to pick up his second win in a row and third overall of the season locally. Brendon Schultheis was third.
The striker is in trouble after giving an unauthorised interview to Sky Sports News this week where he said he hoped to move “on to bigger things” if he helped the Baggies beat the drop. Tottenham and Liverpool were linked with the England Under-21 international but the Baggies did not receive any bids during the transfer window. Saido Berahino faces being disciplined by West Brom – but has not been put up for sale. Press Association
Albion put contract talks on hold with the 14-goal top scorer late last year but have not transfer listed the hitman after his interview – although he faces the threat of disciplinary action – Press Association Sport understands. Berahino pleaded guilty to drink-driving in January and was banned from driving for 12 months after being stopped on the M6 in October. Despite this, boss Tony Pulis has praised Berahino’s attitude since the head coach arrived at the club last month and is likely to address the 21-year-old’s situation again at his press conference on Friday afternoon. The Baggies go to Burnley on Sunday in the Barclays Premier League, three points above the relegation zone. But it remains to be seen whether Berahino will be included for the trip to Turf Moor. Berahino told Sky Sports News HQ: “I’ve got to stay focused on what I’m doing right now, which is scoring the goals and keeping West Brom in the Premier League. “If I can keep them in the Premier League and score as many goals as I can, I’m pretty sure the fans wouldn’t mind me pushing on and going on to bigger things.” 
Majestic Queen gave Curragh trainer Tracey Collins a notable British success in the Betfred Membership ‘Play Your Way’ Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield. William Buick produced the 16-1 shot to overtake long-time leader Fresles and scamper clear. New Providence, the 5-2 favourite, tried to claw her back but the five-year-old mare had enough in hand to lift this Group Three prize by two lengths. Evita Peron was three-quarters of a length away in third place. Collins said: “I said to William Buick to be positive on her as she was very well and in good form, and he gave her a lovely ride. “When she’s quiet I worry, but she was full of herself and I was glad to see that. “She had a super year last year and was very consistent and only put in one bad run. “The owners were going to have her covered and not bring her back, but they decided to bring her forward and hopefully she can go on to something else now. “She was heading for the Wokingham, but we are going to have to change those plans now. She’s in the Greenlands Stakes on Irish Guineas weekend.” Buick added: “She looked magnificent beforehand. Her trainer was very confident. She got there going well and she ended being well on top at the end.” 
Press Association
THE Guyana NRA Executive paid a courtesy call on Nicolette Henry, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, at her office on Friday last.The Executive members attending the meeting were:Hon. Secretary,Ryan Sampson;Treasurer Lt. Col (ret’d) Terrence Stuart;Asst. Secretary Treasurer,Hemant Narine and Committee Member,Lennox Braithwaite.The Minister was updated on the progress of the Association’s plans for the 150th Anniversary Championships in October.At the conclusion of the meeting,the Minister stated that her Ministry will be very willing to assist not only in monetary ways but in providing transportation and connections to the relevant authorities in tourism and even planning, as these are also important for hosting.Confirmation of shooters was received from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, Bermuda, Canada, USA, Ireland, England and Falkland Islands.The shooting format to be used will be similar to what is used at Bisley,England for the Imperial Championships: three days of individual shooting from which the top seventy-two go forward on the fourth day and shoot at the 300, 500 and 600 yards ranges.The top 48 from those three ranges then move forward for the finals to shoot at the 900 and 1000 yds ranges.The Friday will be a rest/tour day when shooters and their family members will get to tour the Kaieture Falls, as the Guyana NRA continues to push Sports Tourism as part of the package to the participants and to let them see more of Guyana.The Saturday will be the Milex Long Range Championship,to be followed on Sunday by the WIFBSC Short Range Championship. Guyana is defending both titles,having been dominating the shooting sport over the last nine years.There will be a Presentation and dinner on the Sunday night where the Association’s Patron, His Excellency Brig. David Granger and Minister Henry are expected to be in attendance.The cost for hosting the championships is almost Gy$20M,with the ammunition cost taking about half of this amount while money is being spent on major rehabilitation works ongoing at the ranges.Last week the GDF hierarchy,lead by Brig. Patrick West,made an inspection of the works and was very impressed and pleased with the development that the Guyana NRA has completed. He reiterated his support and assistance for the completion of the ranges to meet international standards.The Association will soon be sending letters to the business community seeking assistance to offset some of the associated costs for the ongoing works as well as for the hosting of the Championship.
..to face Indonesia on November 25GUYANA’s senior Men’s national football team, popularly known as the ‘Golden Jaguars’, will make an historic maiden voyage to the continent of Asia, where they will face Indonesia on Saturday November 25.The game against Indonesia will be only the second time Guyana will be facing a team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), having faced India twice – 1984 and 2011.However, Wayne Forde, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), said that while the trip to the predominantly Muslim country is their first, it will not be their last.In fact, Forde said that the GFF will also be announcing another engagement against the team from the AFC shortly.“What you’re seeing is a strategic rolling out of our plan for our senior national programme” Forde told reporters, adding that his administration had spent a considerable amount of time in office building capacity and putting in place, plans for continued development at the youth level; both male and female with the setting up and rolling out of the Academy Training Centres (ATC) across the country.“The thing is, we will also, very soon, be announcing engagements as far as Africa and with the resumption of the Elite League, it will bring added incentives for our senior players” said Forde.Both Guyana and Indonesia are ranked at 165 in the world by the sport’s global governing body (FIFA) and Forde said that the GFF will continue to target countries around similar rankings, and, eventually, will face the more prominently ranked teams in other confederations.Meanwhile, Technical Director of the GFF, Ian Greenwood stated that the engagement against Indonesia “will be a fantastic opportunity for our players to experience a different type of play and a different type of opposition.”“The GFF Technical Department has been pushing our players to have adaptable skills and to function effectively in any environment, as we are looking to build in 2018 which will be a competitive year,” Greenwood added.Prior to their journey to Indonesia, Guyana will face Caribbean football powerhouse Trinidad and Tobago on November 14, an official FIFA date, at the Ato Boldon Stadium.Guyana’s head coach Wayne Dover pointed out that “these games are very important as they will allow for assessment of our team’s calibre and serve as platforms to expose our local talent.”Dover added, “Should we get a positive result, it will augur well for sponsorship, attract more local players to the fraternity and improve our Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) ranking. All this will serve to create a firm national team that can truly reflect a strong Guyana National Team.”
…Baksh, Driffield and Hunte cop MVP awardsBy Frederick HalleyHAWAIIAN Sensation (HS) stole the spotlight when the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) held is 19th annual presentation, dinner and dance at the Qssis Banquet Banquet Halls, Scarborough here last Saturday night.Making their debut in the Over-40 Division 2 category, Hawaiian Sensation were simply sensational, losing one game on their way to running away with the regular season title before making hash of All Stars in the Grand Championship final.While it was a magnificent team performance throughout the season, all-rounder Zaheer Baksh stood out and was rewarded for his outstanding efforts, copping the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for Division 2, marking his second consecutive MVP albeit for Impac in 2018 while playing in Division 1. Baksh’s 106 and 82 were his best innings.
Division One MVP Richard Driffield is presented with his award.Not to be outdone, HS skipper Azib Ali Hanif, a former Guyana national wicket-keeper who led brilliantly from the front, was also in the limelight, his six sixes in one over, the first-ever in the 19-year history of the leafue, earning him a special incentive.With the Division 1 Grand final being abandoned, Rebel Masters had to be contented with the regular season championship. However, their seasoned campaigner Richard Driffield was voted MVP for Division 1, reviving memories of 2017 when he played in Division 2. Driffield tallied 354 runs, including a fine knock of 104.The evergreen Rickey Hunte, who turned out for Legends, hit the most runs (429) in the Legends Over-50 category and was fittingly judged the MVP. Innings of 128, 90, 81 and 60 bolstered his ratings.The Captain-of-the-Year award, introduced for the first time in 2017, and sponsored by Dr Rudy Singh, went to Ramblers Patrick Shivrattan.Four players, Naresh Bodo (Dirty Dozen), Dan Patram (OSCL TC3), Hazari Girdhari, Mahendranauth “Bobby” Parasnauth (Our Own) and Tariq Hussain (Ramblers) collected awards for recording a century, taking a hat-trick, taking six catches, a hattrick and five wickets in an innings respectively.Special awards went to Jydeo Singh – outstanding fielding achievement in the Inter-county game and Sunil Dhaniram and Desmond Chumney of Our Own for outstanding catch in the Toronto Cup 3.There were five-feat batting/bowling awards for Ganesh Ramraj of Miracles/Caribbean Sensation for scorers of 86, 94, bowling figures of two for 16 and two for 32 and a batting average of 57.50.Geenarine Ram was the six-feat star, registering 279 runs which included scores of 81, 80, 102 and claiming two for nine and two for two.
Over-50 MVP Rickey Hunte collects his prize.Two players, former Guyana National Sunil Dhaniram (Toronto Blizzards) and Rajen Paul (Friendship Masters) were the four-feat recipients in the batting category, Dhaniram for 112, 86 not out, 74 not out and 73 while Paul hit 78 and 64 and averaged a phenomenal 198. The four-feat bowling feat went to Pegasus’ Uniss Yusuf for figures of four for 16, three for four, three for 14 and taking the most wickets (14) in Division 1.Outstanding bowling awards (economy rates) went to Jerry Brittania in the Over-50, Gavin Glasgow (Division 1) and Sasenarine Panday (Division 2).Appreciation Awards were given out to Hardat Paul, Peter Ramnarain, Rita Singh, Rickey Hunte, Ramkumar Singh, Nirad Lall and Guyana Chronicle freelance journalist Frederick Halley for their contributions to Toronto Cup 3; Nashenka Kistow (Ramblers), Simone Lall (Reliance Lions), Jennifer Baksh (HS), Naseer Baksh (Toronto Blizzards), Rommel Rampersaud (Pegasus) Nyssa Narine (Rebel Masters) and Terry Ramraj (Our Own).Special recognition awards went to Anthony Whyte (Gologistics), Mohan Harihar (Our Own/Toronto Blizzards, John Ten-Pow (Friendship Masters), Roger Sunich (Trophy Stall), Harri Sukhu (DTE Industries) and Sharon and Errol Budhoo (All Trade Rentals).
Nenagh Ormond’s Ivan Muldoon believes the boarding school has played a huge role in nurturing talent from across Ireland.Its ability to do so was spectacularly demonstrated when the college won the Leinster Senior Cup for the first time in their history two years ago.Ivan thinks many potential stars of the future could lose out because of Cistercian’s departure from the rugby arena.
Until now, sports gambling in the United States has faced harsh restrictions. With the Professional and Amateur Sports Act of 1992, all sports gambling was made illegal except in Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon as those states had already made sports gambling legal. As esports gambling falls into the same category, citizens of the United States that wish to gamble on tournaments have had to do so through third-party off-shore websites that don’t operate under United States restrictions. All that changed with the Supreme Court ruling the PASPA unconstitutional as a result of Murphy v. NCAA. Sports and esports gambling is now legal in the United States but each state must set its own regulations. New Jersey has already introduced a law that actually specifically bans esports betting but the wording leaves a very grey area.We sat down with Zach Smith, CEO of MoneyMatches – a Las Vegas-based analytics company and free-to-play esports betting platform where players win prizes, not cash. We discussed the advancements in the MoneyMatches platform along with how he thinks the Supreme Court ruling will affect esports betting in The United States.Esports Insider: Thanks for joining us today Zach! First of all, for those unfamiliar with MoneyMatches how did the platform get started and why?Zach Smith, MoneyMatches CEOZach Smith: MoneyMatches has been active since 2015 and we actually started as a betting company. We wanted to be the go-to for esports gamblers but it didn’t make sense to do that yet in the United States at the time. Through our beta testing of the platform, we collected so much data that people wanted. People bet on odds in esports just like in traditional sports and those odds are based on data. People are constantly changing the betting odds in person so we looked at that and wondered ‘why aren’t we creating algorithms for this?’. We decided instead of spending finances on licensing for strictly betting, which hadn’t be regulated yet, that we would instead become the bookies of esports, not the casinos. Primarily we sell our data to betting websites, our public platform is free to play, you don’t have to spend a dime on our website and we actually encourage you not to but there is an option to buy tokens as well.“It was a great ruling but I think what a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not instantaneous”ESI: With this Supreme Court ruling, how do you think it will affect MoneyMatches and esports betting as a whole?Zach: I’ll steal a line from Mark Cuban: “It doubled my companies net worth overnight.” The more people that see the opportunity to utilize this and see the profit margin, the bigger the players that come in. It was a great ruling but I think what a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not instantaneous, it’s now purely state by state. For example, the Indian casinos in California have already lobbied for horse racing to be legal so they were already one step ahead of that. When you think about it, there are five states that are in the process of passing the bill to become law for betting and as it goes state by state you’re going to see 30 states legalize it in the next two to five years. Everyone else will be the Indian casinos, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.“We would rather be the bookies, not the house.”ESI: Do you see MoneyMatches as staying in data and analytics or will you focus more on betting now that it’s legal?Zach: I think as a whole our company is widely known as the go-to for data and analytics and diving into real money would change our entire model. I think we would lose a large majority of our fan base. I don’t think the margins from the monetary side would be beneficial but we’re an ever-changing company. I can’t say that we won’t do it but it’s definitely not on our roadmap to change. We would rather be the bookies, not the house.MoneyMatches esports betting platformESI: How do you see it affecting companies looking to come into esports betting in the United States? Will it be a ‘wild west’ of people making these platforms or do you think it will be gradual?Zach: From a morality standpoint a majority of people think gambling is evil. Unfortunately, anything that is addictive needs regulation so there will be an adoption rate. With that comes the boards like the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). I think at first it will be the wild west and everyone’s going to get screwed over. You’ll see a lot of skin betting scams again and coin flip websites but I think the big players will get bigger and better with regulations. The small players in the back room with the secret entrance won’t affect the overall scope of esports betting. I wouldn’t say the change is going to be as fast as everyone thinks it’s going to be but it will take a turn.ESI: What issues or growing pains do you think the United States esports betting platforms will face despite the ruling?Zach: I think that platforms that have the backing behind them really have the room to grow. The companies that have 11 employees aren’t publicly backed, didn’t do a round of funding or are looking to do a round of funding will most likely fail. The small to mediums are going to disappear, merge, or get bought out. The tycoons like Unikrn and GGBet are going to excel exponentially. I hope they do because you always want to see your friends do well, especially the people that buy stuff from you [laughs].ESI: MoneyMatches has been making a lot of acquisitions lately. Tell me about those and what it means for the platform.Zach: MoneyMatches is owned by Elysium Holding, which is operated by myself and Jacob Cecil and we like to put our hands in many honeypots. With our acquisition of EasternMedia, we saw a lot of disconnect in dealing with designers. I hated dealing with 15 or 16-year-olds and getting a design two weeks after it was due. It was frustrating in its own right so we wanted to partner with them so people don’t have to worry about it. If there are issues people know it’s MoneyMatches backed. We also recently acquired ConcurApp after six months of negotiation. They’re a data company that creates a systematic platform to track where players go and the style of coaching, like white-boarding for a basketball coach. They’ve only been in Gears of War and Call of Duty and we see potential to get them into Halo, Smite and other games. Obviously, more money means more data for us so that was a strategic buy. We’re always looking to expand and not just sit in our bubble.We are excited to announce that we’ve reached a purchase agreement with @theMoneyMatches, a very exciting time for the future of coaching and statistics! #ConcurApp pic.twitter.com/zdxOMpgX2c— ConcurApp, LLC (@ConcurApp) June 5, 2018Zach: As a final thought I just want everyone to know with the new betting laws in the States to bet responsibly. You never want to put yourself in a situation where you run out of your income because you think you can make it big. Just like anything else in life, 99% of the time it’s not going to work.Sign up to our newsletter!