Africa Oil Week this year introduced the Adrian Bligh Memorial Award to give recognition to someone who has made a ‘Lifetime Contribution to Africa’ The award was accepted on his behalf by his PGS colleagues Rob Holden and Dawn van Zeelst Henk KombrinkHenk.Kombrink@geoexpro.com+44 77 8899 2374 Sales DirectorIngvild Ryggen CarstensSales Enquiries+47 974 69 090 Kate Richardson of the Alba Development team has taken a deserved general classification win at Rás na mBan after the final day of action today with a crash on the final stage and a couple of bike changes almost derailing her efforts The 19-year-old won the 2.5km morning TT at Kilkenny Castle this morning beating race leader Lieke Zeelst (Greenmount Cycling Academy) by five seconds It appeared the two women were then level on time at the top of the overall standings though Richardson took the race lead by virtue of being 0.13 of a second faster than Zeelst in the TT Richardson then went into the final criterium stage this afternoon with no comfort zone and when she crashed with six laps to go the destination of the final overall win was very much in the balance Despite suffering a mechanical as a result of that fall – and also needing to change bikes twice – the young Scot kept her head and managed to hold her place in the bunch after a lap out which was permitted for all crashed riders Richardson finished 9th on the stage just one place ahead of stage 2 winner and former race leader Zeelst which meant Richardson wrapped up overall victory from the Dutch woman by 0.13 seconds after six stages of racing The final stage went to Maddie Leech of Cams-Basso She had finished 2nd in the TT this morning and was so close to the win; missing out to Richardson by less that four tenths of a second Leech has clearly come out of this race in great shape and after coming so close to victory in the TT she attacked in the final kilometre of the criterium today Double stage winner Lara Gillespie (Team Ireland) was best of the Irish today after she was caught up in the same crash as Richardson Overall winner Richardson was 2nd on the opening two stages won stage 3 and also won the morning TT today meaning she won the points classification as well as the final overall The Scottish rider also collected the climbers’ classification Amelia Tyler (Cycling Ulster) won the best Irish rider classification Cycling Ulster were also best Irish team overall while Cams Basso won the international team classification aside from Richardson taking victory by 0.13 seconds from Zeelst Becky Storrey (Cams Basso) rounded out the general classification podium Gillespie was best-placed Irish rider overall Maddie Leech @CAMS_BassoBikes Wins the final stage of @RasnamBan 👏#rasnamban pic.twitter.com/WZ9srDUKT6 We’re determined to make stickybottle.com much better for your enjoyment So become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ now from just €5 per month We’ve grown our audience significantly in recent years but the advertising market has become harder and harder each year In order to survive and grow – and create much better content – we need to develop an income from our readers By signing up to become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ you’ll be helping to secure independent coverage of Irish cycling for years to come Every cent collected from readers will be used to directly fund content Sign Up Lieke van Zeelst stormed to a superb solo victory in Woodstock Gardens today holding off late challenges from Kate Richardson and Danni Shrosbree on the final climb from the picturesque Inistioge The Dutch rider broke clear of the main bunch with 18 kilometres remaining just after the summit of the day's second Queen of the Mountains climb of Coppenagh wet roads led to a gap that steadily grew to a maximum of 44 seconds by the time she reached the foot of the final ascent to Woodstock Gardens A late bid for glory by Alba Development Team's Richardson on the short with the Scottish rider crossing the line just 10 seconds down Her second runners-up finish in two days was enough to secure the lead of the Sport Ireland Points Classification going into Stage 3 Danni Shrosbree (Cams-Basso) also had a successful day taking maximum points in the first two categorised climbs to extend her lead in the IVCA Wicklow 200 Queen of the Mountains classification before leading the main bunch home for third on the stage The day started in damp conditions for the peloton as they rolled out from the Hoban Hotel in Kilkenny City,  and with three categorised climbs along the way it was a race of attrition with a steadily dwindling group.  Less than 30 riders were left as a result of the strong pace being set by the Cams-Basso and Pro-Noctus - Rotor - Redchilli Bikes teams on the second climb before Van Zeelst launched her winning move just after the crest of Coppenagh The reduced numbers in the bunch led to some hesitation in the chase of Van Zeelst which allowed the gap to grow to what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.  The Greenmount CA guest rider held a strong pace on the final brutally steep Woodstock climb ensuring she retained a lead of 12 seconds going into the flat final 1.4 kilometre run to the line Richardson attacked from the chasing bunch at the foot of Woodstock in a bid to bridge across to Van Zeelst with the Scottish rider's effort falling short by just 10 seconds Stage 1 winner and overall leader heading into today's stage fought valiantly to defend her lead but was unable to match the pace of the winner and came home 39 seconds down in 16th place The lead of the Best Irish Rider classification changed to Cycling Ulster's Amelia Tyler after overnight leader Caoimhe O'Brien (Cycling Leinster) was hampered by an untimely puncture on the Coppenagh climb and wasn't able to regain contact with the main group The Women's Cycling Ireland Best Young Rider classification also changed hands with Alba Development Road Team's Kate Richardson now sitting best of the Under-23 riders Tomorrow sees another likely explosive stage with riders heading to County Laois to take on a highly challenging 96 kilometre route the peloton will wind its way towards the Slieve Bloom mountains before a back-to-back Category 1 climbs of Wolftrap and a summit finish at The Cut In a tremendous shift that is affecting all financial markets Interbank Offered Rates (IBORs) are currently in the process of being replaced (for example USD LIBOR the most important of which has long been LIBOR (the London Interbank Offered Rate) are interest rate benchmarks that designate unsecured funding rates between banks in the market they have been used by financial institutions as well as financial market participants (such as institutional investors and corporations) as a reference interest rate for transactions like interest rate swaps The balance of financial contracts that refer to LIBOR alone is enormous (approximately US$350 trillion). Because used benchmark rates have to comply with the EU-BMR as of 1 January 2020 (critical benchmarks and third country benchmarks as of 1 January 2022) this has a significant impact on a wide range of corporate activities and stakeholders in the financial market Financial professionals are to manage the transition of the IBORs in parallel with the implementation of the EU’s Benchmark Regulation (BMR) These reforms take place as a result of the manipulation scandals that recently shook the indexes which had until then been regarded as important pillars to the financial sector Het volume aan financiële producten dat verwijst naar LIBOR is enorm (naar schatting USD 350 biljoen) Omdat IBORs vervangen of hervormd worden in de periode tot eind 2021 tekent zich nu al een grote impact af op een breed scala bedrijfsactiviteiten en belanghebbenden in de financiële markten Financiële instellingen moeten de impact van de transitie van de IBORs managen naast de implementatie van EU Benchmark Regulation (BMR) Deze IBORs transitie vloeit onder meer voort uit de manipulatie schandalen die de afgelopen jaren in het nieuws gekomen zijn over deze indexen die tot dan toe werden beschouwd als solide pilaren onder het financiële systeem only benchmark rates that comply with the EU-BMR are allowed to use in new contracts they will trigger necessary changes in for example risk models Global factors driving the transition are among others: Adjustments of these benchmark rates will have significant consequences for business operations It is necessary to deploy active and timely preparations to ensure readiness for the transition to new benchmarks There are vast challenges linked to the IBORs transition - from identifying the scope of contracts that refer to the current benchmark rates to updating these contracts and potentially renegotiating them with your clients and counterparties Uncertainty remains regarding the termstructure for new benchmarks (e.g with markets still needing to develop in this aspect contractual and conduct risk matters at hand financial institutions will also have to change their internal processes and the adoption of new rates will trigger valuation adjustments in management reporting and annual accounts with pricing adapted to alternative benchmarks Communication with customers about these changes will be fundamental especially given the current environment of distrust of financial institutions Companies with a transition plan differentiated to include product types scenario analysis and clear milestones are considered best practice in the preparation for the transition round tables and by acting on best practices insights and guidance from regulators and oversight bodies financial institutions and financial market participants will be able to keep up with the transition and will have a head start in the new environment The IBORs transition will affect companies in multiple industries Given that the pricing of many financial instruments is tied to an IBOR upcoming changes could have considerable implications for financial management treasurers will need to carry out an evaluation and impact analysis of transition risks and look at areas such as contract management and documentation It will also be crucial to assess what will happen to swaps and other instruments used in covering interest rate risks when the benchmarks they are based on cease to exist or are reformed can contract fallback provisions be trusted to cover transition risks If you are the CFO or the treasurer of a financial institution or another company the time has come to ask yourself a series of questions: Have you assigned the responsibility of identifying your group's exposure to contracts linked to an IBOR to someone in your team Do you know the (effects of the) fallback provisions that will be implemented in case your group does not adjust all contracts on time Will your company enter into new contracts based on a given IBOR even knowing that the index will disappear in 2021 Do you know the average difference between €STR and Eonia Do you have enough information and data to renegotiate your contracts on advantageous terms?  institutions and countries are preparing themselves for the different benchmarks PwC’s IBOR and reference rate reform specialists across the globe can help you assess prepare and execute reforms linked to the transition.  We have the experience required to carry out coordinate and formalise both qualitative and quantitative impact analyses that include valuation and hedging in your portfolios – similar to the requirements in to various ‘Dear CEO’ letters Or we could review your own efforts (completeness)if you are doing the reform internally Do you want to know what we can do for you Our expert consultants take a broad view and will work alongside you to ensure that you innovate and grow reduce costs and develop and exploit talent In a global economy people are an increasingly valuable source of sustainable competitive advantage the criteria to be satisfied are not always clear at many companies The introduction of IFRS regulations has meant.. Tax within organisations is undergoing a transformation that requires modern processes and a redefinition of the role of tax within your business