| Five Bids For Five Netball Franchises
The franchise make up for next year's trans-Tasman netball competition look to be a fait accompli, with Netball New Zealand receiving five expressions of interests for the five New Zealand places in the competition.The five likely franchises are based along similar lines to rugby's Super 14 competition.Netball North, Auckland-Waitakere and Counties Manukau have lodged a submission while Waikato and Bay of Plenty are set to make up another franchise.Wellington, Tasman, Eastern Netball and Western netball another, Canterbury the fourth, and Southland and Otago the fifth franchise.Netball New Zealand chair Don MacKinnon says he is heartened by the cooperation between the provinces to come up with the five bids and over the next two weeks Netball New Zealand will meet with the regions involved.Netball New Zealand is expected to ratify the five franchises by mid-May.
Experts suggest bidding for broadcasting licenses
Claiming it is the optimal mechanism to preserve diversity and plurality as to information, the joint judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia, Guillermo Puyana, suggested granting broadcasting licenses through public biddings. His proposal came following his speech at an international seminar taking place in Caracas called "Freedom of Expression in Democratic Societies."
When asked about President Hugo Chávez Government's threat not to renew a broadcasting license for private TV network RCTV, Puyana conceded the State has the capacity to renew licenses or not. However, he suggested that radiofrequencies should be subject to transparent and equitable biddings. "Regarding the issue of RCTV, if I was in a position to choose, I would rather open a bidding process (on the broadcasting license), in order to preserve information diversity."
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William Hill Bids to Break up Greece’s Gambling Monopoly
Bookmaker and online casino giant William Hill announced that it has requested a license to open betting shops in Greece, challenging the stronghold over the market established by the countrys official betting organisation, OPAP.
If the license is not granted by the Greek government, as some expect will happen, the firm is prepared to fight it out in the in European courts in an attempt to put a dent in OPAP's monopoly.
William Hill chief executive David Harding said, We believe the recent European cases mean that what is happening is in breach of EU law. If it is rejected we will go to the courts to argue our case and that could involve going to the European Court of Justice.
The company may receive the EUs support to enter the market after Marchs European Court of Justice (EJC) ruling barring Italy from using criminal law to shut out foreign bookmakers in a case presented by Stanley Leisure.
YOUNGSTOWN: Hanson bids for her 14th term
When the village polls open next month, voters will see one candidate's name on the ballot for the 14th time.Trustee Margaret Ann Hanson has served 13 terms — 26 years — in the village government.As a Republican who received her party's endorsement, Hanson is vying for one of two seats in the three-candidate race."When there comes a time when I feel like it's a time to stop, I'm going to say it's time to stop," Hanson said.A former teacher, Hanson is a Niagara Falls native and grew up on Long Island. She taught remedial reading in junior and senior high schools in Michigan and Indiana after graduating from Adrian College in Michigan.She plans on retiring next month from her position as clerk for the Porter Justice Court, a job she's held since she moved back to the area 29 years ago to raise her three children.Hanson never went back to teaching, even though she took the court clerk job thinking she'd eventually make the jump back to the classroom."It was more important to parent," said Hanson, 63.If re-elected, she said she plans to continue working to draw a development of senior housing into the village.Hanson has been involved in the annual community project of creating Christmas baskets for less fortunate families in the area.She is also active in the Youngstown Presbyterian Church and the Youngstown Women's Club.After more than two decades of public office on the local level, she's never had an inkling to run for a higher political office."I think you can be the most effective there, you're closest to the people there," she said.Political newcomer Bill Oddy has received the Democratic Party endorsement in the race.
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