Moontown

Controversial world champion athlete Caster Semenya has arrived home in South Africa to a rapturous welcome.

Hundreds turned out to greet Ms Semenya and fellow medallists, men’s 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena.

Police restrained the singing and dancing crowds as she left the airport.

South Africans have rallied behind Ms Semenya, who won the 800m women’s final last week, hours after news broke that she had to take a gender test.

The whole team is expected to meet President Jacob Zuma later.

The BBC’s Karen Allen in Johannesburg says the intention is to shift the emphasis back to the country’s sporting achievements and show that it stands proud despite the controversy.

‘100% female’

The ruling African National Congress had helped transport people to the OR Tambo airport wearing the national colours of gold and green. Some sang and danced as they waited.

We are here to tell the whole world how proud we are of our little girl Winnie Madikizela-Mandela The complexities of sexual identity ‘We know Semenya is a girl’

Others held up messages of support. Posters read “our first lady of sport”, “welcome home Caster, our champ”  and “Caster 100 percent female”.

After their arrival, the athletics team was whisked off to the airport’s parking area where more crowds waited to catch a glimpse of them.

They were taken to a stage, where Ms Semenya gave a thumbs-up to the crowd and said: “Hi everybody”.

The BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Johannesburg says she was mostly subdued, although the crowd was trying to raise her spirits and she did smile a couple of times.

Ms Semenya’s family was at the airport to welcome her home.

AT THE SCENE Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Johannesburg airport Large crowds have gathered at the OR Tambo International Airport to welcome Caster Semenya. Most were here from as early as 0600 and braved the chilly winter morning. There is an air of excitement with crowds dancing and cheering in celebration of the team’s return. People of different ages and races have united in support of the “golden girl”. Vuvuzelas (plastic horns generally used at football matches) are blaring, some people are beating drums while others are dancing to songs from the local artists who are performing here.

AFP news agency quoted her uncle, Ben Semenya, as saying: “Caster is a girl… I am not worried about that too much. Caster is like my child. I know where she comes from. For myself, I know Caster is a girl.”

The ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, also greeted her.

“We are here to tell the whole world how proud we are of our little girl,” the Associated Press quoted her as telling the cheering crowd of fans.

“They can write what they like - we are proud of her.”

Our correspondent says Ms Semenya then sat silently through an hour-long news conference, looking mortified as various officials spoke in her defence.

Ms Semenya’s family in Limpopo province has shown the BBC her birth certificate, which states she is female.

Athletics South Africa President Leonard Chuene last week told a local paper he had had to “persuade” the athlete to go to the podium to accept her gold medal because she was so upset about the gender row.

Internal inquiry

The ANC women’s league said it viewed the order for the test by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) “as [a] vicious attack on the dignity of Caster Semenya and all women athletes because they suggest that women can only perform to a certain level and that those who exceed this level should be men”.

IAAF President Lamine Diack accepted that the affair had been handled badly.

“I deeply regret that confidentiality was breached in this case and that the IAAF were forced into a position of having to confirm that gender testing was being carried out on this young athlete,” AP quoted him as saying on Sunday.

“It is a regrettable matter and I have requested an internal inquiry to ensure that procedures are tightened up and this never happens again.”

The IAAF ordered Ms Semenya to take the “gender verification test” after she improved her personal best by more than eight seconds over the past year.

The IAAF stresses that it does not suspect her of deliberately cheating, but questions whether she may have a rare medical condition which gives her an unfair advantage.

FIELD PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE

GROUND PROVISION; FRIED BARRACUDA

GRILLED SNAPPER; FRIED POT FISH

BAKED CHICKEN; GRILLED PORK

PLAIN GRAVY; LAMB STEW

STEAMED VEGETABLES; TOSSED SALAD

Sir R. Allen Stanford remains behind bars and it now appears he will be kept there for a while longer after a federal appellate court denied his application for bail yesterday.

The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Senior US District Judge David Hittner did not abuse his discretion when he had earlier refused to let Stanford go free on bail.

The closest brush to freedom for the former Antiguan investor was when Federal Magistrate Frances Stacy agreed to a $500,000 bond to secure his release.

But the US government’s fears that Sir Allen will take flight kept him behind bars as Hittner overturned the ruling.

Hittner said Sir Allen was a flight risk because he has dual citizenship in the U.S. and in Antigua and Barbuda, has travelled the world and could have access to financial resources.

“Stanford has the means, the motive, and the money to flee,” a three-judge panel of the appellate court wrote.

The panel further noted that he “faces a potential sentence of 375 years in prison, has access to an international network of contacts, has previously concealed his travels” and has limited ties to Houston though he is a Mexia native.

Sir Allen’s lawyer Dick DeGuerin argued that the judge made unsubstantiated findings about Stanford’s residence, family ties to Houston, passports, access to money and ability to travel.

Sir Allen faces several counts of conspiracy, fraud, bribery and obstruction of justice following allegations that he and others committed a $7 billion fraud involving certificates of deposit issued by the Stanford International Bank Ltd. based in Antigua.

Prosecutors Gregg Costa and Paul Pelletier agreed that Hittner was correct in his assessment that Stanford cannot be trusted to appear in court.

Stanford has been left with the opportunity to appeal his detention to the US Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Stephenson King and LIME CEO David Shaw.

LIME’s Chief Executive Officer David Shaw, visited the St Lucia business unit earlier this week and undertook a hectic round of activities during his one-day visit. Mr Shaw, who was appointed CEO of LIME in July, was warmly welcomed by LIME staff in St LuciaHe met with several local LIME colleagues, including the management team and the staff at the LIME Blue Coral outlet, the company’s flagship store, and also the staff at LIME affiliate E-Services. He also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Stephenson King.
Mr Shaw is responsible for leading LIME Caribbean through the next phase of its transformation with the objective of making it the best business in the Caribbean—delivering great service to LIME customers.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mr Shaw was LIME’s Chief Operating Officer. Before joining LIME, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Cable & Wireless Europe, Asia and the US, where he was responsible for international sales and marketing.

Mr Shaw’s visit is part of a familiarization tour of all LIME businesses in the Caribbean. It also represents a reaffirmation of LIME’s pledge to continue along its path of transformation and become the number one choice for businesses and customers across the region, delivering top-class service and customer satisfaction.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica government is bracing itself for possible industrial unrest after teachers and public servants yesterday expressed disappointment over the non-payment of outstanding arrears to them.

The Union of Schools, Agricultural and Allied Workers (USAAW) said it will be issuing a 10-day ultimatum to the Ministry to Finance to honour its commitments under the third Memorandum of Understanding (MOU3).

USAAW represents administrative and ancillary workers at several public schools, community colleges and teacher’s colleges as well as railway workers and employees at municipal bodies.

The union said it is disappointed that the Bruce Golding government has not paid the fringe benefits to workers that are due under the agreement.

Opposition Leader Lester Bird wants air-time on ABS Radio and Television and he wants it tonight.

This was the opening salvo of his return letter to Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, both of whom have engaged in a tit for tat exchange of letters over the past few days.

Bird, in a letter he dispatched to PM Spencer yesterday, said after listening to the prime minister’s “shameless hypocrisy and your unwarranted threat of violence against the leaders of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ALP)” that he wants time to have his say.

“I demand, as leader of the opposition in Parliament, equal time to appear on ABS-TV/radio to respond to you, on Tuesday night, 25 August, 2009, at 7:30 pm,” Bird insisted.

Bird went on to cite a number of incidents in which Spencer used different tactics to unseat the government when the ALP was in power.

This was his response to PM Spencer’s accusation that his letter was a “direct threat to public order and stability.”

PM Spencer had further put the nation on alert that the relevant resources stood on the ready should the country’s stability and welfare come under threat.

“Let me remind you, Mr. Prime Minister, that during a Cabinet meeting in 1997, when I was the prime minister and you were in opposition, I had to order the police to escort you from the Prime Minister’s Office after you barged in and would not remove yourself voluntarily. It was you, prime minister, who led a riotous march through the City of St. John’s in January 1995…”

And the letter went on with Bird pointing out several other incidents.

“You relied upon disruption, threats, intimidation, and violence when you were the leader of the Opposition, in order to attempt to unseat a lawfully elected government,” Bird stated.

He further criticised the UPP government for its economic policies, particularly “the 52 per cent increase of liquefied petroleum gas, and your government’s misguided and mis-informed intention to enter Antigua and Barbuda into an IMF programme.”

The ALP will be staging what it calls a “mega-picket” this Thursday in the heart of St. John’s on Redcliffe Street in front of the offices of the Prices and Consumer Affairs.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada  – Prime Minister Tillman Thomas s delivered a damning indictment on attempts to develop a Caribbean Community (Caricom) Single Market and Economy (CSME), saying they have “been stuttering at best and stalled at worst”.

Addressing a symposium organised by the Grenada-Guyana Friendship Society over the weekend, Thomas said the region has found itself at a crossroad that “forces us to focus on finding concrete solutions (to) traverse this crossroad by using the collective resources within Caricom.”

He said in addition to a decline in remittances, the pressures on salaries brought about by the increase in the price of food, fuel and increase in layoffs have forced the region to look very closely at how it manages its resources so as to ensure its survival.

“It is against this background that I call for a greater focus on ways of achieving what I regard as a single, cohesive approach to the development of our region.

“The people of this region have the opportunity to influence and drive the integration process forward,” the prime minister said.

BELMOPAN, Belize  – The Belize government yesterday introduced legislation designed to nationalise the privately-owned Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL).

Prime Minister Dean Barrow introduced an amendment to the Belize Telecommunications Act “to provide for assumption of control over telecommunications by the government in the public interest.”

“What the government is doing by way of introducing this measure is preparing to take control of the company formerly known as Belize Telecommunications Limited, and currently going by the name of Telemedia,” he told a special sitting of the Parliament.

He told legislators that the government would offer “fair and proper compensation” and that the move against BTL “is not, I repeat, some cowboy action but something done in the full plenitude of, and compliance with, our Constitution.”

Barrow said the government would put the legislation through all the stages on Monday and the Senate would meet on Tuesday with the Bill being signed into law on Wednesday.