Latest news with #Blain
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poway sues councilmember Tony Blain over alleged public records violations
POWAY, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The City of Poway is suing Councilmember Tony Blain for allegedly withholding and destroying public records in violation of state law. The civil lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court is seeking to compel Blain to comply with the California Public Records Act after numerous public records requests over the past few months have gone unanswered. 'Despite multiple warnings, he hadn't been following the rules,' said Poway Mayor Steve Vaus. Vaus, along with other city leaders, are taking one of their own to court. The lawsuit announced Wednesday against Blain claims he is refusing to produce requested public records from private email accounts, apps and devices. While Blain denies using private email for official business, the city claims it has evidence showing otherwise. 'Texts and emails from Blain to Councilmember Maeda. He would say, 'I don't have any,' or he would say 'I destroyed them,' which is against the law. Meanwhile, Councilmember Maeda would turn them in.' The city also alleges Blain has asked others to delete messages, while encouraging them to use the encrypted signal app. Attorney Bob Ottilie says the CPRA ensures transparency and accountability from local government. 'The public, a member of the public can file a lawsuit to compel production. If that member of the public wins, the city is responsible for attorneys fees,' Ottilie said. Vaus says taxpayer dollars are funding the lawsuit. 'The expenditure thus far, just to this point, is about $40,000. It will probably be well over six figures if this goes to trial,' Vaus said. Blain refused to comment on the lawsuit, only stating his attorney will issue a press release Thursday. 'This is where the trust starts, is in this transparency, that doesn't exist in this case if you're concealing things or if you're deleting, and it's potentially criminal as well and I would think that the district attorney would want to take a look at this,' Ottilie said. Moving forward, Ottilie said it'll be up to the court to decide whether Blain must turn over and retain the requested communications – and if Blain violates that order, he could be held in contempt and sent to jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Herald Scotland
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Shamed cricketer John Blain fighting to clear name after racism storm
'My old dear said to me, 'I hope you find justice in my lifetime son…' Blain tells Herald Sport. 'That's a big thing to hear from your 78-year-old mum. 'My dad was a proud man, a policeman. And it's so hard for them because, while you try to keep your family away from it as much as possible, they are affected. It's their image around the town and so on. 'My dad used to come to every game and liked being around cricket grounds. He doesn't go to cricket grounds any more. 'My son has had abuse at school as well. All the 'your dad's a racist' stuff.' Blain was one of seven individuals charged with promoting a culture of racism inside Yorkshire Cricket Club Summoned to appear before a Cricket Discipline Commission on charges of bringing the game into disrepute Michael Vaughan – the former England captain – successfully contested the claims and won his case. Others, including Blain, accepted legal advice from the players' union to steer clear of an expensive and 'irredeemably flawed' process. Hearing testimony from Rafiq that Blain had referred on separate occasions to people of Pakistani origin as 'P***s', the allegation was supported by similar claims from Majid Haq, his former Scotland team-mate. In absentia the six men were found guilty and ordered to pay fines of £2500, the findings igniting an inferno in Scotland. Haq and his former international team-mate Qasim Sheikh submitted claims similar in nature – and wording – to those of Rafiq. In 2021 sportscotland appointed Plan4Sport to conduct a review of the allegations of racism. The result was 'Changing the Boundaries', a report citing 448 examples of alleged institutional racism in the Scottish game. A total of 53 allegations were progressed against 31 people, two clubs and two regional associations. Thirteen of the cases went as far as the Conduct in Sport manager. Despite sportscotland paying £189,000 to Plan4Sport for the report and £647,849 to legal firms Harper Macleod, Bishop Lloyd & Jackson Solicitors and equality support group Sporting Equals, none of the referrals met the criteria for further action. There was no action or findings of guilt against any individual or sporting body. Neither, for that matter, was there a public exoneration for those with a stain on their reputation. 'I didn't do this, I didn't say this, I didn't behave like this,' adds Blain. 'So when you ask me what I want from this, I want a meeting with the Sports Minister Maree Todd. I want to be publicly cleared. 'I know that certain people have met with the Sports Minister. I have never been afforded that opportunity. 'I have written to her. In fact I had to write to her a second time in order to get her to respond. 'She delegated the matter down to Maureen Campbell of sportscotland. But I will not stop at this. I can't stop.' Former Cricket Scotland chair Tony Brian has come to regard the Changing the Boundaries investigation as a kangaroo court established to make an example of an entire sport. It destroyed reputations, then spent fortunes failing to make the evidence stack up. Quietly spoken, the weight of Brian's anger and indignation is loud and clear. 'In my life I can't think of a bigger scandal in Scottish sport,' he states. John Blain at the Grange Cricket Club (Image: Gordon Terris) 'We have come to a decision where a sport was found guilty of institutional racism and absolutely pilloried, not just by media accusations, but by a national sport governing body. 'There was evidence produced – allegedly – supporting these claims. And that evidence has now all evaporated. 'Yet they are still refusing to admit that or to even take further any investigations which will clarify the whole thing. 'I would say there is an obligation to publish the outcome. 'Especially when it reached a conclusion which is unclear. 'Where is their evidence? If they have it why won't they publish it? 'The amount of money spent on this investigation by sportscotland must be close to £1 million now. And for what?' After sitting on a letter from former Cricket Scotland chief executive Pete Fitzboydon which, he believed, exonerated him of all charges Cricket Scotland subsequently informed Blain that the letter merely indicated an inability to proceed further with the allegations against him. Since then correspondence has flown back and forth. Blain wrote – twice – to Sports Minister Todd at the end of last year requesting a meeting. Informed that the Scottish Government were 'unable to intervene in individual cases' he was urged to engage with Cricket Scotland instead. Tony Brian also wrote to Todd, receiving a reply on April 8 refuting allegations of a breach of governance by sportscotland. In a statement to this newspaper Forbes Dunlop, chief executive, of sportscotland, reiterated that defence. 'We are clear there has been no breach of governance. We have a robust complaints process at sportscotland and we have been clear with all parties that if anyone has a specific complaint they wish to raise, then this is the route they should take. We follow the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) process for handling complaints. If someone is unhappy with their response, they can then contact the SPSO.' Read more: John Blain wants answers and justice as cricket racism claims quashed 'How can racism in cricket be worse than football' Brian has already been advised by the SPSO that the case won't be reviewed. He is equally non-plussed by the reluctance of sportscotland chair Maureen Campbell to meet six 'senior and well-respected' figures in Scottish cricket concerned by the way in which the Changing the Boundaries investigation was carried out. Campbell did agree to a face-to-face meeting with Blain on January 15, informing him afterwards that the Referrals Investigation Team had been unable to progress the cases he was involved in due to 'insufficient evidence, the absence of an applicable rule at the time of the complaint and/or a lack of jurisdiction or authority for formal action.' Cricket Scotland, the letter added, had already relayed the information that a 'procedural inability to progress these matters to a conduct in sport panel was not a statement of exoneration.' When we meet the former seam bowler turns up in a long, padded puffer jacket emblazoned with a Grange Cricket Club badge on the breast. For much of the last three years he has felt like a man with 'guilty' plastered across the back. 'The easiest way for me to describe is as if I was walking around with a jacket on that I can't remove. It's a dirty jacket. 'I did a statement last June and it was cathartic to get the information out there that I had been exonerated. 'But the truth is that I still have the jacket on. I still wear it every day. 'I can't work in England again, I lost my job at the BBC, I worked at Heriot's School in Edinburgh, I worked at Kibble in Paisley until someone phoned them and I was sacked from there as well. 'I think the dial has shifted somewhat now. 'But to take the jacket off I would like a public apology from the authorities. 'I would like an investigation into the whole business and I would like to be cleared. 'I would like a public apology, a public confirmation, that I have been through this process and cleared. I would like to be exonerated. 'I would also like Cricket Scotland and sportscotland to write to the ECB to help with that side of things as well.' To fight the accusations against him Blain has started a Go Fund Me page to raise funds. To date the total stands at £37,000, enough to cover the first wave of legal bills, if not the next. In her communication Campbell advised Blain that, in order to address the outstanding sanctions imposed by the ECB in 2023 he would need to pay the outstanding fine and undertake Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training at his own expense. In 2022 he was 'temporarily suspended' from the Scottish cricket hall of fame over the ECB finding with no sign of the suspension being lifted until he pays the fine and undertakes the EDI course. In December 2023 the ECB established the Cricket Regulator. A body responsible for monitoring compliance with the game's regulations, the regulator is overseen by the independent Cricket Regulatory Board and ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB. For Blain it's another avenue to pursue. Another mountain to climb in search of absolution. 'John was not found guilty,' concludes Tony Brian. 'He needs and deserves a chance to clear his name.'
Syyaha
23-02-2025
- Business
- Syyaha
Shard Capital Partners LLP leads landmark investment alliance to establish Egypt's first petrochemical complex in New Alamein
With investment of $7 billion, and 20,000 jobs Opportunity Shard Capital Partners LLP, in collaboration with UAE-based Royal Strategic Partners and Saudi Arabia's Al-Qahtani Group, has announced the signing of a Framework Agreement with Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Ministry of Investment to develop a ground-breaking petrochemical complex in the industrial zone of New Alamein City. In addition, Shard Capital is having initial discussions with Orascom Construction for the investment in the construction and operation of the complex outside battery limits on a Build Own and Operate basis. The project, with an estimated investment of $7 billion, is set to create 20,000 jobs during the construction phase and 3,000 permanent positions upon operation, supporting Egypt's economic development through job creation. This transformative venture will bolster Egypt's local economy, enhance Egyptian expertise in the petrochemical sector, and strengthen strategic ties between Egypt, the Gulf countries, and the United Kingdom. It aims to contribute to sustainable development while boosting Egypt's global industrial competitiveness. The project will establish an integrated complex with a production capacity of approximately 3.1 million tons annually of eight specialized petrochemical products. Using crude oil as its primary feedstock, the facility will include a refinery, and a mixed steam cracker unit designed to achieve one of the highest global conversion state-of-the-art complex represents a transformative step for the industry by employing cutting-edge global technologies to maximize production efficiency and convert crude oil into high-value end products. Additionally, it will significantly enhance Egypt's export capabilities in the petrochemical sector, playing a pivotal role in driving economic growth and strengthening global market complex will rely on the most advanced American and European technologies, including solutions provided by Honeywell and other leading global companies, ensuring maximum efficiency and sustainability while reducing waste and carbon Blain, Capital Markets Advisor at Shard Capital Partners LLP, said: 'Signing this agreement marks a historic milestone for Shard Capital LLP and reflects our deep commitment to advancing Egypt's petrochemical sector. We are proud to be part of this critical project that will revolutionize the industry by leveraging cutting-edge American and European technologies to ensure maximum efficiency in converting raw materials into specialized petrochemicals while delivering exceptional returns for both the complex and Egypt.'He added:'We are committed to implementing the highest environmental sustainability standards and minimizing carbon emissions. Our ongoing collaboration with U.S. partners on blue hydrogen production feasibility studies represents a step toward a more sustainable future.'Toby Raincock, CEO of Shard Capital Partners LLP, concluded: 'Through close cooperation with our esteemed partners in the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along with the support of the Egyptian government. This complex will enhance Egypt's industrial capabilities, open new export markets, create extensive job opportunities, and drive economic development across the region. 'In addition, our legal team, headed by Yasser Hashem, Managing Partner of Zaki Hashem Attorneys, and assisted by Nour Ossama, Senior Associate, has been instrumental in getting us to this point and receives our heartfelt thanks.'
