Monday November 16, 2015
paper
-PAGE 4
AIRPORT SECURITY BOOSTED PPP REPLACES ROBERT PERSAUD AND OMAR SHARIFF -PAGE 5
LADY NORTHCOTE TO RESUME OPERATIONS BY MONTH END The Motor Vessel plying the Georgetown – Port Kaituma, Region One route, Lady Northcote, which was docked in S e p t e m b e r f o r rehabilitation works is expected to recommence operations by the end of November. This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure; Annette Ferguson who says “95% of the works have been completed. The works have progressed excellently and it should be handed over next week…the Lady Northcote should be back in service by month end”. Rehabilitation works are being conducted by E.C. Vieira a t t h e E . C . Vi e i r a
Dockyard. Wo r k s w e r e estimated to cost $70M, by the contracting firm. Wasted steel was cropped and replaced on top of the wheel house deck above the captain's cabin on the sun deck, passengers' deck, main deck, bow deck, the exterior of the hull, the bow and stern above the waterline, six toilet areas, and all cabins. Repairs were done on the derrick (the ship's lifting device) and all pertaining mechanisms along with the installation of Cummins engine to drive dynamo. Also, the beds and bunks are being constructed and prepared for installation on the new wood decking for the passenger deck.
Currently, the MV Kimbia is used for transporting passengers to the North West, while private ferries are used to take cargo. However, the Minister disclosed that the M.V Kimbia is also scheduled for immediate rehabilitation works, noting that assessments are being conducted on the works which are to be done. However, the administration still intends, on a long-term basis, to acquire a new vessel to ply the North West route. When Lady Northcote was docked in S e p t e m b e r, C a b i n e t Secretary Joseph Harmon had told a post-Cabinet media briefing that the
Minister of Public Infrastructure was authorised to look into; firstly, leasing a new vessel
from overseas, and in the s econd ins tance, the government had commenced talks with the
government of India to build two new vessels for that route.
Harmon donates salary increase for street lighting Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has begun donating his salary increases in aid of street lights, for several villages across the country. According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), Harmon, while addressing the People's National Congress Reform 's
Regional Conference yesterday at the Vreed en Hoop Secondary School, noted that he had been approached by the residents of Poudreyen, West Bank Demerara, for street lights to be installed in preparation for Village day 2015. It was reported that the Regional Democratic Council
(RDC) did not have a budgetary allocation for the installation of Street lights. Harmon said, “I took my salary for the month of June and I gave it to the people of Poudreyen to run their lights,” Soon after, he was approached by residents of Crane Housing Scheme, who
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon handing over the cheque to Mr. Bowman, resident of Crane Housing Scheme
were facing a similar problem. “I promised them that I would do something for them and so today I donate to the people of Crane, the value of the salary increase I received for this month,” he said. He handed over a cheque for the sum of two hundred, seventeen thousand dollars
( $ 2 1 7 , 0 0 0 ) t o M r. Bowman, a resident of the Crane Housing Scheme, for the installation of street lights. Harmon has promised to donate his November increase to the community of Angoys Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice and the December
salary increase will be given to a community on the Essequibo Coast. He encouraged those present to become their brother's keeper and to assist the government in the pursuit of its goal of national unity.
SHOPKEEPER ROBBED AND MURDERED Police are investigating the murder of 23 – year – old Errol Bowen, whose body was found with a gunshot wound to the back of his left ear. According to the police, the body of Bowen, of Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, was found at about 23:30 h o u r s o n S u n d a y, November 16 at Bone Yard Backdam, Omai, in
the shop he managed. I t w a s subsequently discovered that the shop was ransacked and 2 ounces 6 penny weight of gold was missing. Bowen's body is at Bone Yard Back Dam, Omai, awaiting to be transferred to Georgetown. Investigations are in progress.
YET ANOTHER CHILD KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT An accident at Bath Settlement Public Road, West Coast Berbice has claimed the life of 11 year old Omar Veerasammy of Block 'D', Bath Settlement. According to a police report, the accident occurred around 21:30 hours on Sunday November 15. I n v es tig atio n s
revealed that the driver of motor car - PRR 266- was proceeding along the roadway, when it collided with another car that was coming in the opposite direction and then hit two pedestrians who were standing on the southern side of the road. The victims were taken to the Fort We l l i n g t o n H o s p i t a l
w h e r e S o m r a j Harricharran was a d m i t t e d a n d Ve e r a s a m m y w a s pronounced dead on arrival at Mahaicony Hospital. The driver is in police custody assisting with the investigations.
CARVIL DUNCAN CONTACT POLICE
Carvil Duncan
Trade Unionist, Carvil Duncan, on Monday contacted ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department and promised to make himself available
as part of their investigations into his alleged illegal transfer of state funds to his personal bank account. Sources close to
Duncan told the Guyana News Network that he give the police the commitment that he would be showing up at the CID Headquarters on Tuesday but no specific time was given. A d d i t i o n a l l y, reports suggest that the police are checking records at the Immigration Department to see if the former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana P o w e r C o m p a n y, Aeshwar Deonarine, is in the country since the last time they checked, he was out in Canada. On Friday the
police received the files from the Guyana Power and Light regarding the internal audit which showed that Duncan a former Board Member of the power company and the DCEO allegedly transferred huge sums to their personal bank accounts totaling some thirty million dollars. It is alleged that the two executed the transactions without the proper customary process being followed. Reportedly, the transactions were not authorized by the company's Board of Directors.
Aeshwar Deonarine
PPP/C MPs deposit salary increase in bank account -Rohee The salary increases given to the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Members of Parliament (MPs) by the coalition government has been deposited into a bank account. T h i s w a s disclosed by PPP General S e c r e t a r y, C l e m e n t Rohee, during his weekly press conference at Freedom House today. Chief Whip of the PPP/C, Gail Teixeira last week told this newspaper that the MPs were still meeting to reach a decision as to what they will be doing with the increases. Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo told the media last month that the Party was mulling two options, one being to hand over the excesses to
Charity every month or to return the money to the treasury with a cheque. Then, Rohee could not say definitively what the PPP MPs will be doing with the increases that they have refused to accept, but stated that discussions were ongoing. Now, with regard to the bank account, Rohee explained that it has been in existence for some time now. “Since June 1976 the PPP established a bank account at the Royal Bank of Canada now Republic Bank Guyana Limited. This account was established to facilitate PPP Members of Parliament making part of their Parliamentary salary available as a donation to the party, since the PPP
MPs have been doing so on a voluntary basis. With the recent salary increases granted to the PPP MPs the Party took a decision that its current MPs will not be accepting the increases. All MPs were therefore obliged to take steps in keeping with the established practice and based on the recent party's decision concerning salary increases,” Rohee said. “My increase usually goes into a PPP bank account,” he declared. He admitted that the account has a substantial amount of money in it. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo had described the government's salary i n c r e a s e f o r
Clement Rohee
Parliamentarians and M i n i s t e r s a s “reprehensible,” chiding the David Granger administration for displaying double standards. The PPP/C also chastised the coalition government for the recent pay out of salary increases
deeming the action as “unconscionable.” The Party's criticisms of the increase also stemmed from the A P N U + A F C g o v e r n m e n t ' s pronouncement that the economy was bankrupt when it assumed Office in
May 2015. The Opposition has since tabled a motion in the National Assembly to annul and reverse the increases that it deemed “astronomical.”
US assisting to strengthen airport security here
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and US Ambassador to Guyana Perry Holloway shake hands following the signing of the MOU between the GCAA and USA-TSA at the Ministry’s boardroom, Wight’s Lane. Also in photo is Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson
The Civil Aviation sector needs constant upgrading to ensure that it safeguards against trafficking and other illegal crimes. In this regard, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was today established between
the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the United States to provide technical support and specialised equipment to the GCAA.
This is expected to aid in the improvement of relevant protocols and processes to improve aviation security oversight and security operations at the international airports.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Public Infrastructure; David Patterson and United States Ambassador to Guyana; Perry Holloway at the Ministry's Boardroom today. Ambassador Holloway says “every airport is under a constant revision and change because unfortunately, the bad guys; they may be bad but they're also smart and always changing with the trends so it involves inspection of passengers, employees, cargos, luggage, the actual procedures, the actual physical safeguards, a whole series of things and as we work more, at the beginning of the new year, we'll be doing a lot more inspections.” He added that “it
has to do with inspection, cargo inspection, then possibly the equipment provided, things like (I'm not saying this is what's coming but we have to do evaluation together with the government of Guyana), things like…specialized equipment that allows you to search cargo and aircraft to ensure that the facilities of the aircraft are safe”. Meanwhile, Patterson reminded of some reservations that were expressed in the past by the TSA with the pace at which aviation security matters were being handled by the GCAA which he says is 95% addressed. He expressed gratitude for the contribution noting that “It is needed not only for us to
satisfy your requirements, but one that will also assist us significantly in meeting ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices”. Noting that the TSA has been working closely with the GCAA and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Minister Patterson asked that the TSA include the Ogle International Airport in their assessment on their next visit. Through this new Memorandum of Agreement, the US-TSA has already given a commitment to provide two (2) aviation securitytraining courses to the GCAA in 2016. These courses are designed to provide capacity building and development for GCAA's Aviation Security Inspectors.
Granger not a racist – US Ambassador
US Ambassador Perry Holloway
U n i t e d S t a t e s Ambassador to Guyana; Perry Holloway says he does not support the notion that President David Granger is racist as was published by a WikiLeaks cable between the US Embassy and Washington of June 27, 1974. T h e U S diplomatic cable on the Guyana National Service (GNS) from the US embassy here to the State Department and other American Missions gave an assessment of Granger who was a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major at the time. It stated that “…Granger have reputations as ideologues and anti-East Indian racist….”.
At that time, A m b a s s a d o r Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary serving here was Max V. Krebs. P r e s e n t Ambassador to Guyana, H ollow ay during an interview with GNN today stated that “if you read what it says very carefully does not reflect my own personal observations in interactions with the President nor does it reflects what he has been saying in public and doing in public as part of the coalition government” He added that he has no knowledge of what surrounded the thought at that time. “I was in
elementary school when the cable was written and the ambassador at the time is no longer with us so we can't get what his thought was and what else was surrounding it but I can say that the one comment which was referring to his reputation; “we did not call him that”, Holloway said. The 30-year-old cable surfaced on the Wi k i l e a k s w e b s i t e recently and was first published by the local media yesterday (Sunday, November, 15). The People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) which is headed by Granger, also came out to condemn the publication. The PNCR
in a statement said “Granger has dedicated his entire working life to public service and at all times a major pillar of his written works and his personal philosophy has been the pursuit of national unity.” It added that “As Leader of the PNCR, Brigadier Granger has articulated on numerous occasions that national unity is an imperative in Guyana's current fragile political, social and economic circumstances.” The Party said President Granger's personal life and his life works clearly debunks this malicious and unfounded claim.
PPP replaces Robert Persaud and Omar Shariff Former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud and Omar Sharief, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, have been replaced on the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Central Committee. This is after the Committee unanimously declared the seats vacant during its November 14 meeting due to the non-
attendance of the members at meetings. In addition, Navin Chanderpal, who is now deceased was also replaced. Filling those seats are long serving members Bibi Shafora Shadick, Majeed Hussain and Harrinarine Baldeo. These revelations were made by the Party's G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y, Clement Rohee during his weekly media conference
today. Reading from a prepared statement, Rohee noted that the Central Committee reserved for consideration at a later date, the status of the seats of the Central Committee occupied by Hydar Ally, Chitrekha Das and Gurdat Shivperaud. Rohee told the media that “Filling of two seats at the ExCo Robert Persaud
[Executive Committee of the Party] declared vacant long ago with the passing of Navin Chandarpal and non-attendance by Robert Persaud as well as a vacant seat on the Secretariat with the resignation of Hydar Ally will all be considered at a later date by the Central Committee.” Following the May 11, 2015 General and Regional elections, reports surfaced that Persaud could be joining the coalition government,
along with former Labour Minister Nanda Gopaul. Persaud has apparently severed all ties with the PPP since he has not been active in the work of the party since it was defeated by the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in May of this year. Persaud was among the first from the PPP camp to accept a defeat at the 2015 General and Regional Elections. Reports are that he was
Omar Shariff
offered a high profile job in the coalition government and will soon be taking up the post. On the other hand, government has denied holding any talks with Persaud or anyone else from the PPP/C camp for government posts. Minister of State Joseph Harmon was quoted in the media as saying that he is unaware of any such likelihood, assuring that no such talks took place.
SCHOOL-BOY KILLED IN ACCIDENT THIS MORNING The road carnage continues even as Road Safety Mouth is being observed. This morning the figure went up by one following the death of Parfaite Harmony Primary School student, Keith Adams. According to reports, the lad, who resided in Westminister, Parfaite Harmony, died after he was hit by a car which was allegedly speeding.
Reportedly, due to speed, the driver lost control of the car causing it to slam into the boy, killing him on the spot. The lad was on his way to school. The driver is in police custody.
ONE DEAD, SIX INJURED IN ACCIDENT One person was killed and six others injured after the truck they were travelling in toppled at Itabali, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) on Saturday. Dead is thirty-six year-old Jermaine Khan, a m i n e r, o f O n e M i l e , Pataro, Bartica. Four of the injured persons were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital while the other two are being treated at the Bartica Hospital. According to information the truck was
travelling down a hill when the driver reportedly lost control. The truck is believed to have toppled several times before coming to a halt. Those who were in the tray were seriously injured. The accident is reported to have resulted from alleged speeding. Khan's death is yet another in Road Safety Month.
BERBICE BRIDGE TO REDUCE -River taxis to remain TOLLS FROM DEC 01
Even as Government looks to have the Berbice Bridge tolls reduced from December 01, it has opted to keep the Berbice River taxi service as well. This was disclosed by
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson during a press conference at the Ministry's Boardroom today. Patterson noted
that “If successful in everything, all the standing, we do hope to start the reduced tolls from the first of December, 2015”. He added that the subvention to the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) remains at $40M as was p r o v i d e d f o r, b y t h e government in the 2015 budget. “In budget we catered for 40M and that remains for the remainder of the year” he said. Following the first three months, the government will do an analysis of the Bridge's revenue from
crossing before the next payment is made. “ We a s t h e government will do an audit of the vehicles that passed at the end of the three months and there will be a credit or we will have to make another payment to them and that's how the agreement will proceed quarterly…What it is, the agreement says we'll make payment within three months” Patterson said. However, he disclosed that the government will also keep the River taxis, stating that he is working to have scheduled timing for the service to operate.
“The service is for the students and the elderly, what I am reviewing is how it's working, scheduling to the time of the students and for the elderly… (upto last Friday, Nov, 13) 51, 861 persons would have used the crossing, of that, 11,623 were either students or elderly...obviously it is something which the government had said, we do intend in some form or fashion to keep even after the signing of the agreement”. The government then moved to introduce the River Taxis to provide a cheaper mode of transportation for persons
across the river following some resistance from BBCI to lower its tolls- a campaign promise made by the Coalition. The Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) then submitted a proposal to the Government to accept subvention to lower its toll last month. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan told the National Assembly on August 10, 2015 that the toll for passenger cars and buses will be reduced from $2,200 to $1,900, a 13.6 percent decline while the toll for all other types of vehicles would be reduced by 10 per cent.
'Economy in a bad shape' – Jagdeo -'Things picking up' - Jordon Opposition leader and former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has responded to Finance Minister Winston Jordan's comment that the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is criticizing the economy. Jagdeo, who appeared on a recently televised programme, took Minister Jordan to task over the state of the economy. According to him, the economy is indeed in a bad shape and is compounded by the lack of prudent economic policies to stimulate growth. Jagdeo does not share the sentiment expressed by Jordon in sections of the media that there is no problem with the local economy. “Jordan has said that there is no problem in the economy and he is urging the PPP to stop bad mouthing the economy. I think Jordan takes these things personally, our criticism of what is
happening, the lack of focus of the government, the clueless economic policies that it is pursuing. This focus on ratio and speeches without focus on the real sector, on what's taking place will harm us irreparably in the future,” Jagdeo said. He said Jordan has to by now be talking to ordinary people across the country, hence he ought to be aware that the economy is falling. He said miners have reduced their activities significantly, by as much 50 percent. According to Jagdeo, The rice and sugar industries are in crisis. The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) announced last week that it has increased rice exports in comparison to last year. To t h i s , t h e f o r m e r President questioned “If they are doing so much exports how is it that farmers are receiving
GYD$1.500 to $2,000 per bag of paddy? They were getting GYD $3,000 to $3,500 in the past, in addition, they were promised $9,000 per bag.” The Opposition leader pointed out that retail trade has dropped. “If you talk to the people who are selling vehicles, talk to the bankers to find out how many people are not servicing their loans. The housing industry has come to a standstill, talk to the real estate agents he will find out that the economy is in serious trouble,” he noted. Jagdeo is of the view that the government is doing nothing to try and fix the problem. He added that the coalition government can help the rice industry, pointing to his seven point plan. In his view, the only thing that is saving the economy is the low fuel prices. “Because there
is not a big demand for foreign currency in this regard to pay for fuel because the supply of foreign currency has come down, economic activities have shrunk so the demand for foreign currency has shrunk too, including the demand for importation of fuel, what happens if that changes? You're going to have major problems with the exchange rate unless you can support the activities that generate foreign currency,” he stated. He posited that the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) living in a “cocoon,” noting that their focus is on looking after themselves. “They're far divorced from what people think on the ground. They promised to create jobs, where are the jobs? The call centre that is about to open up which will create about 500 jobs for Guyanese was built under
Bharrat Jagdeo
the PPP. The call centre that was built in Linden under the PPP got closed. Where are these jobs creating endeavours,” the Opposition leader questioned. While the midyear report released by the Finance Ministry last month stated that Guyana's economy dipped by 2.5 percent during the first six months of 2015, the government has expressed confidence that “things will pick up by December.”
Jordan is of the view that there are several contributing factors to the slowdown both locally and internationally. He attributed the slowdown in the local economy to the political instability during the period leading up to the 2015 General and Regional elections held in May. He said based on reports from the ordinary man in the street, things are picking up.
Efforts to re-negotiate loans on behalf of rice farmers stalled
Nizam Hassan
The Guyana Rice Development board (GRDB) has not yet met with the banking sector to re-negotiate payments for loans owed by rice farmers. Guyana News Network (GNN) had
reported that a meeting was scheduled to take place some two weeks ago, however, General Manager (ag), Nizam Hassan in updating this newspaper on the issue stated that they are hoping
that the meeting comes into fruition this week. “We wrote the bankers association but I think all the members were not available as yet, so we are waiting on a feedback from them right
now,” Hassan stated. The GRDB's move to engage the banking sector was as a request made by the rice farmers who said they were having difficulty in honoring the obligations to the bank given the low prices they are receiving f o r p a d d y. T h i s w a s explained by Hassan, “It is for them to look at refinancing and things to do with the interest rates in their portfolio to soften the impact of the low paddy price.” In some cases farmers have pledged their houses, machinery, and equipment and could lose those if they do not pay the bank. The GRDB last week assured rice farmers that their paddy will be sold and that measures will be put in place to ensure they are paid in a timely manner. T h e R i c e Producers Association
(RPA) has also indicated that it will be meeting with the bankers association with the hope that there can be some intervention on the part of the bank to ease the burden of the farmers who have outstanding loans and mortgages. F a r m e r s throughout the country are under a lot of pressure due to the current crisis the rice industry is facing. Some of them have indicated that they will not be replanting for the next crop since it is not feasible. They say the only way they will be able to venture into the next crop is if the Government offers its immediate assistance and/or they receive subsidies on every bag produced. Government said it continues to search for international markets for Guyana's rice, in wake of the closure of the Ve n e z u e l a n m a r k e t .
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder advised that Guyana currently sells rice to 50 countries around the world, and too much of an issue is now being made out of the collapse of the Venezuelan market. President David Granger had announced that the government will be stepping up its efforts in finding markets for Guyana's rice as he lobbied the international community on his various overseas engagements. During a recent visit to Mexico by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, that country's Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada has given the assurance that he will fast track arrangements to buy Guyana's paddy. He also made a commitment to encourage the private sector to enter into contracts with Guyanese millers.
Guyana's security to be discussed at upcoming Commonwealth meetings -President
President David Granger has committed to prioritize discussions surrounding the security of the country in light of Venezuela claims to the Essequibo region and part of its oil rice rich maritime space at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM). According to the President who appeared on a television programme at the weekend, “This will be Guyana's priority matter in keeping with my concern for the security of small states.” He noted that Guyana is considered a small state given that its population is a fewer less than one million people. The President believes that Venezuela is hindering Guyana from developing its hinterland for the past 50 years. Granger stated a
few other issues that will be dealt with, which are, global warming, since Guyana along with many other small states are prone to flooding due to rising seas levels. The President, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge and delegation are scheduled to depart Guyana next week to attend the Commonwealth Meeting in Malta. The meeting will run from November 27-29. M o r e t h a n 4 0 Commonwealth Heads of Government are expected to attend. Malta is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for a second time, having successfully done so in 2005. As an island state in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has served throughout history as a bridge between North
Africa and Europe. Now, as the CHOGM host for 2015, Malta provides a platform for Commonwealth countries to come together to build bridges of cooperation. T h e Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which is the Commonwealth body that deals with complaints raised by member countries had intervened in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy when it endorsed Guyana's call for a judicial s ettlement. CMAG had pledged its full support for Guyana in this regard. Granger has said that Guyana will be moving to the courts to have the GuyanaVe n e z u e l a b o r d e r controversy resolved once and for all.
President David Granger
Mocha wins 'A' Division
Spelling B The community of Mocha Arcadia on the East Bank of Demerara on Saturday walked away with the top spot of the Police 'A' Division Commander inter Youth Group Spelling 'B' Competition which was running for some time now. Coping the first place was Taheerah Cave, Second place Jermaine Simon of Albouystown and the third spot to Janice Stoll from the Grove/Diamond Youth Group. The event was sponsored by Commander 'A' Division Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken and also received support from the Department of Youth of the Ministry of the Education and was held at the Guyana Police Force Officers Mess Annex, Eve Leary. The competition commences when the first
place and second place winners were selected for the finals. Those included young people from the communities of Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke, G r o v e , G o l d e n Grove/Diamond, Mocha Arcadia, Central Georgetown, Alberttown, and Albouystown. Those are the communities that the police in 'A' Division has been executing its Social Crime Prevention programs and interactions since Commander Hicken took over the helm of 'A' Division. In addressing the gathering before the start of the competition Commander Hicken told the young people in the presence of their group leaders that the competition was one of the many new initiatives the police would
engaging them in as it seeks to build their capacity and broaden their horizon. He stressed the importance of young people being familiar with the spelling and use of common and non-common words as it's also builds their capacity to relate with persons at their level and even higher in some instances. On Saturday there were sixteen youth groups who vied for the top three position and it was also while addressing them that commander Hicken spoke of the need for the young people to also know the meaning of the words that they have been practicing over the couple of weeks so that they can be able to use them in the construction of proper sentences. The young people
The winner receiving her trophy
who topped the competition would also be receiving monetary prizes also in addition to the trophies which were presented to them on Saturday. The competition was held under the theme: “Minimizing Errors,
Producing Competitive Speller” The competition would be called again next year and is expected to bring young people from the other police youth groups across the country. Commander Hicken also stated that he
would be approaching the Top Cop Seelall Persaud to introduce the competition into the schools country as part of an annual National Guyana Police Force Spelling 'B' Competition in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
JUSTIN BIEBER: I'M DEPRESSED 'ALL THE TIME' In a new interview with NME, Justin Bieber told the magazine that he feels depressed “all the time,” according to People. “I feel isolated,“ Bieber told NME. "You're in your hotel room and there are fans all around, paparazzi following you everywhere, and it gets intense. When you can't go anywhere or do anything alone you get depressed. I would not wish this upon anyone.” The 21-year-old has been on a public apology tour recently, but this twist reveals what we should have all realized on our own: that growing up in the spotlight does a number
on a person, and his notgreat actions are likely the result of some pretty mixed up emotions. Bieber told the magazine he related to what Amy Winehouse experienced when w a t c h i n g h e r documentary. "People see the glam and the amazing stuff, but they don't know the other side. This life can rip you apart,“ he shares. "I watched the Amy Winehouse documentary on the plane and I had tears in my eyes because I could see what the media was doing to h e r, h o w t h e y w e r e treating her.”
Bieber's not the first one to draw attention to the isolation that comes with celebrity life and he highlights a very real message: That as much as we see mega-stars as imperturbable, the Biebers of the world are people too, just as easily hurt by hurled insults. Bieber's raw statements also remind us that depression comes in all shapes and sizes, and affects all kinds of people, regardless of money or success. We're not saying Bieber's the next American role model, but a little compassion is in order — for him and all
SALMAN KHAN'S 'PRDP' SETS BOLLYWOOD RECORD ON OPENING WEEKEND Bollywood audiences have embraced the love and family themes of Salman Khan's latest blockbuster. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, from Fox Interna onal Produc ons and Fox Star Studios, was poised to do record‐ breaking business; and it has. The reteaming of Khan with director Sooraj R. Barjatya grossed an incredible $31M from 4,801 screens in seven markets which lands it at No. 2 for the international weekend across all titles.
That doesn't happen very often. The film opened at the beginning of the lucrative Diwali holiday frame. In India, its first day did not beat the record set by Shah Rukh Khan's Happy New Year in the same period last year. But it smashed the record for the biggest Bollywood opening of all time, taking $27M over the four-day weekend. That puts the movie in the coveted 100 crore ($15M) club which it joined after just three
days. It is one of four films to cross the benchmark in such a short time; those four include Khan's own Bhajrangi Bhaijaan from earlier this year. Elsewhere, the UK had the biggest opening weekend of all time for a Bollywood title earning $1.5M which was good for the No. 4 spot. In the U.S., the FSS is $2.4M in 286 cinemas. Khan now boasts the most 100+ crore grossers of any Bollywood actor at nine films total. One of the
industry's top grossers, he last excelled in July release Bajrangi Bhaijaan which became the No. 2 Hindi movie of all time in India ($48.2M) and grossed over $8M in the U.S. The opening of PRDP bodes well for the romance drama that costars Sonam Kapoor. Khan plays Prem, the same moniker he's had in each of his films with Barjatya, albeit a different character. (Yahoo)
MADONNA BREAKS DOWN ON STAGE DURING SPEECH HONORING PARIS TERROR VICTIMS
Madonna was unable to hold back tears during her first concert of the "Rebel Heart Tour" following Friday's terror attacks in Paris, France. While performing in Sweden on Saturday, the 57-year-old
singer shared a moving message to the packed Tele 2 Arena in Stockholm, asking them to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks. "It's been very hard for me to get through
this show up to this point and not forget about what happened last night,” she said in a video that was posted to YouTube by her manager on Saturday. “I need to take this moment to acknowledge the tragedy, the tragic killings, assassinations and the senseless endings of precious life that occurred last night in Paris.” "It's been really hard, actually, to get through the show, because in many ways, I feel torn. Like, why am I up here dancing and having fun when people are crying over the loss of their loved
ones?" she continued. "However, that is exactly what these people want to do. They want to shut us up. They want to silence us. And we won't let them. We will never let them, because there is power in unity, and I do believe that as much chaos and pain and senseless violence and terrorism that occurs around this world, not just in Paris, as much as that that does occur, there is more goodness in this world. We are here to prove it." A u d i e n c e members clapped and cheered in support of Madonna's statements,
clearly moved by her words. Madonna, who visibly teared up during her speech, went on to say that she felt conflicted about performing on Saturday and considered canceling her show. "I was gonna cancel my show tonight but then I thought to myself, 'Why should I give that to them? Why should I allow them to stop me and to stop us from enjoying freedom?” she told the audience. “All of the places where people were killed were places where people were having fun, people were enjoying
themselves, eating in restaurants, dancing, singing, watching a soccer match.” “These are freedoms that we take for granted of course and we must not but they're freedoms that we deserve. We work hard, and we deserve to have fun, and there is no one in this world that should have the right to stop us from doing what we love!” she added. (Adapted from Fox Entertainment)
HEALTH
The 'most extensive' face transplant in history gives firefighter new life A 41-year-old volunteer firefighter from Mississippi now lives with the face of a 26-year-old Brooklyn bike mechanic. A plastic surgeon at the New York University Langone Medical Center performed the "most extensive" face transplant s u r g e r y i n h i s t o r y, according to an article in New York Magazine. The volunteer firefighter, Patrick Hardison, has undergone o v e r 7 0 s u rg e r i e s t o recreate the face that was burned off 14 years ago while he fought a mobile home fire thinking its resident was still inside,
according to the story. The resident was OK, but Hardison was not when the mobile home ceiling crashed on his head. A variety of surgeries doctors tried to help him. They took skin from his thighs to help create a face. They put posts in his skull from which to hang prosthetic ears. They turned his lips inside out to give him new ones, but nothing was enough to keep him from scaring the neighbor kids, he told the magazine. D a v i d Rodebaugh was a mechanic died after a bike a c c i d e n t i n J u l y.
LiveonNY contacted Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez to let them know there may be a potential face donor for Hardison. The New York University plastic surgeon performed the operation, but it was not without its challenges, according to the magazine. The jugular was not a perfect match, and Hardison lost a lot of blood. But the Johns Hopkins-educated surgeon was able to save him. Hardison will have to take medicine for the rest of his life so his body will not reject his new face. Of the 30 face transplants to date, five
patients have died. The bike mechanic's mother asked to see Hardison, according to the magazine, but she did not recognize her son's face
on Hardison. The face has already taken on a different look adapting to Hardison's bone structure. Hardison will
spend the rest of his life in constant pain, but to have a face of his own, he told the magazine, "I can live with the pain." (CNN)
Bangladeshi baby reportedly born with 2 heads A set of conjoined twin girls in Bangladesh reportedly were delivered Wednesday with two heads and one set of vital organs— a
rare birth that doctors are calling a miracle because the newborns are stable. AFP reported that their doctor, Abu Kawsar, owner of the
Standard Hospital of Total Healthcare, SAID? early tests showed only one set of organs, so the birth of twins was a surprise. “Except for having two heads, the newborn has the rest of her organs and limbs like a normal newborn,” Kawsar told the news site. Their father, Jamal
Mia, reportedly said he was “awestruck” when he saw his newborn daughter. “Still, I thank Allah that she and the mother are now okay," Mia told AFP. Her birth reportedly drew in flocks of people to the hospital in Brahmanbaria, about 75 miles east of Dhaka, when the community
learned the news. Mia, who is a farmworker, said he felt “sad” for his daughter, as he didn't know how he would care for the baby if extra expenses are required. Doctors are treating the baby for breathing problems after she was transported to the intensive care unit at the hospital.
“I don't have money to even properly treat her mother,” Mia told the news site, which referenced a similar birth of a baby with two heads from 2008. That baby later died. (Fox Health)
You've been fighting morning breath all wrong Take note, Listerine. In the near future, the cause of our stinky morning breath could be the thing that helps us beat it. Our body is filled with trillions microorganisms. Some of those microbes hang out in our mouth, which is nice and humid. While we sleep, our mouths sometimes dry out, which can kill off some good bacteria and cause gas-emitting bacteria to thrive. That's the reason you sometimes wake up with a putrid-smelling mouth. But, there's a solution, and its name is Streptococcous salivarius K12. Researchers think the
bacteria strain could soon be put into a lozenge or spray and used as a probiotic, or beneficial mix of bacteria, to knock out the bad bacteria that causes bad breath. The delicate balance of microbes living inside each one of us, collectively called our microbiome, help keep our body running. Unfortunately, things we do — like taking antibiotics, for example — can wipe out many of these beneficial microbes, throwing off the balance. Susan Perkins, one of the curators of a recent exhibit at the
American Museum of Natural History focused on the microbiome, told Business Insider she wouldn't be surprised if we started using bacteria to treat morning breath within the year. A 2006 study of 23 people with halitosis, or bad breath, found that those given S. salivarius K12 lozenges had lower levels of smelly breath. The participants started by using an antimicrobial mouthwash followed by either a placebo lozenge or one with S. salivarius K12. They found that the addition of the bacteria
reduced the levels of smelly breath better than the mouthwash on its own. I d e a l l y, t h i s probiotic could be used in addition to mouth washes like Listerine, which kill all the bacteria — good and bad — in your mouth. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, the director of the University of North Carolina's Microbiome Research Core, told Business Insider that antibacterial solutions like mouthwash and hand sanitizer are being overused to the point where they could be doing more harm than good. Even so, the
probiotics industry is expanding. The hope is to eventually use these probiotics to treat everything from cancer to
b a d b o d y o d o r, s a i d Perkins. In the meantime, keep your eye out for S. salivarius K12. (Yahoo)
OUR WORLD
Mother dropped newborn from high-rise building
A nineteen year-old woman, Mubashra Uddin, dropped her newborn girl from an eighth-floor window late Wednesday, killing the baby, because
she feared discovery by her family, prosecutors said Saturday. She was ordered held without bail on a first-degree murder
charge Saturday after a hearing in Cook County Bond Court. The newborn, being called Baby Jane Uddin in police reports, was found
in the grass outside a highrise in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to authorities. Uddin did not appear in court Saturday because she is hospitalized. When Uddin became pregnant by her boyfriend and took a pregnancy test, she told her boyfriend and a friend, but did not tell her family because she knew her Pakistani parents, who are Muslim, would not approve, said Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Turnock. Judge Peggy Chiampas said Uddin's family circumstances
would be important in the case and would be considered. During her p r e g n a n c y, U d d i n , a s t u d e n t a t D e Vr y University, wore clothing to help hide the pregnancy and kept it a secret from her family, Turnock said. On Wednesday, Uddin went into labor in the bedroom she shares with a sister and gave birth about 11:20 p.m. to a full-term, 7 pound, 11 ounce girl. After the baby was born, Uddin heard her mother approaching the bedroom, and opened a bedroom window and dropped the girl out, Turnock said. The baby
fell eight stories and landed on a grassy area near the apartment building. A man found her naked and bloody, but still breathing, and alerted security at the building to call 911. The girl suffered complex skull fractures, a fractured spine, a broken left shoulder, fractured left and right ribs and a lacerated aorta, lacerated liver and lacerated bowel and suffered from blood in the abdomen, Turnock said. The Cook County medical examiner's office later declared the death a homicide by blunt-force trauma. (Adapted from Yahoo)
Quarrel Saves Couple from Paris Cafe attack We often hear about twists of fate that save people from tragedy, like travelers missing a flight that later meets with disaster. In the case of the terror attack on a French cafe Friday, it was a quarrel that spared a French couple from a fusillade of bullets, Le Huffington Post noted. Q u e n t i n Bongard said in a video interview posted by
iTELE that he and his girlfriend were dining on the sidewalk at La Belle Equipe restaurant. They argued and he left, he said. His girlfriend went inside to pay -- and that's when the terrorists opened fire on the sidewalk full of customers. His girlfriend hid behind a couch inside until the shooting was o v e r, h e r e c a l l e d . "Luckily we fought,
because if we hadn't, we would both be dead now," he said. Gunmen killed 19 and critically wounded nine others at the cafe, The New York Times reported, as part of several assaults Friday that have left at least 129 people dead. (Yahoo)
Society 'to be hit by climate change'
Human societies will soon start to experience adverse effects from manmade climate change, a prominent economist has warned. Prof Richard Tol predicts the downsides of warming will
outweigh the advantages with a global warming of 1.1C - which has nearly been reached already. "Most people would argue that slight warming is probably
beneficial for human welfare on net, if you measure it in dollars, but more pronounced warming is probably a net negative," Prof Tol said. Asked whether societies were at the point where the benefits start to be o u t w e i g h e d b y consequences, he replied: "Yes. In academic circles, this is actually an uncontroversial finding." But it is controversial for climate contrarians, who often cite Professor Tol's work to suggest that we shouldn't worry about warming. Matt
R i d l e y, t h e i n fl u e n t i a l Conservative science writer, said he believed the world would probably benefit from a temperature rise of up to 2C. "I think we probably will see 1.5 degrees of warming. The point is most people think 2C is when it turns catastrophic. That's not right. The literature is very clear; 2C is when we start to get harm. Up until then we get benefit," he said. "We've got a greening in all ecosystems as a result of CO2. We've got a b o u t 11 % m o r e g r e e n vegetation on the planet than 30 years ago, much of which is down to the CO2
fertilisation effect." Tim Lenton, professor of Earth systems science from Exeter University, told us this was a highly optimistic prognosis under a 4C rise. "The land surface of central Europe would be quite a lot more than 4C warmer on average, changing potentially the pattern of seasonality over Europe. "We would have lost the summer Arctic seaice, [and] would have sea-ice cover radically thinned in w in ter s . " We' r e s eein g already that appears to have some connection to changes
in the pattern of weather and weather extremes and the changes in the distribution of rivers and river flows. "We might then speculate about how intense Mediterranean drying might drive... movements of people. It would be a very different Europe." Johan Rockstrom, director of the Resilience Centre at S t o c k h o l m U n i v e r s i t y, warns that the further we go above 2C, the more we risk triggering irreversible effects. (Adapted from the BBC)
Regional
Regional
Gunmen on weekend shooting spree Several children playing in the open yard of their homes at Queen Street, Coffee Beach, La Brea on Saturday morning, miraculously escaped death when four masked gunmen entered the area and began shooting i n d i s c r i m i n a t e l y. T h e children had to scamper to safety when the shooting began. Newsday was told that the men who came in search of an elderly man also firebombed three
vehicles which were parked in a yard. Newsday further learnt that the indiscriminate shooting only stopped when some residents, dodging bullets called out to the men pleading with them to stop it. The trigger-happy men who came by boat and landed on Coffee Beach hastily made their escape in the same vessel, but not before injuring residents Gregory Williams and
Keon Jackson. Jackson, the brother of San Fernando attorney Jason Jackson who reports said only recently moved into the area, was shot through the left leg. He was expected to be discharged yesterday from the San Fernando General Hospital. Williams was shot in the leg and hand and remains warded in stable condition at the southen city's general
hospital. Newsday was told that while trying to evade bullets, one of the men was shot and wounded while diving into a boat which was moored near a house. The incident happened at about 11 am on Saturday with police saying four armed men, brandishing their weapons arrived shooting - two of them from behind a chain link fence. The man they claim managed to elude
them - Jackson and Williams were injured while trying to escape the mayhem, a report further
said. Up to yesterday investigators were searching for the gunmen. (Trinidad Newsday)
Man stabs wife and daughter before killing himself Police are currently investigating a murder/suicide in Penal where a 25-year-old man stabbed his wife and threeyear-old daughter before hanging himself. Reports are that
Premanth Ramkhelawan was at his Laltoo Trace home where he stabbed Aarika Bhim, 26, and his daughter Aarti Ramkhelawan multiple times. He then hung himself.
Bhim has since died, and his daughter is currently being treated at the Siparia District Health Facility. (Trinidad Guardian)
89 Trinis join Isis fighters There are now 89 Trinidad a n d T o b a g o nationals—including families—known to Government who have joined the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) in the last three plus years, T&T Guardian has confirmed. That is the most up to date figure on the situation which was given by Government early last Saturday morning, shortly after deadly terrorist attacks on Paris claimed 129 victims, left 350 wounded and the world reeling in shock and anger.
Isis has claimed responsibility. Former National Security Minister Gary Griffith and former National Operations Centre head Garvin Heerah were among experts who yesterday came out in support of laws to block T&T-born Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFS) returnees on their way back, well before they reach T&T. M u s l i m community leader attorney Nafeesa Mohammed also urges
rapport between state apparatus and the fragmented leadership of the Muslim community to ascertain who's gone to Isis and why so “innocent” people in the scenario wouldn't suffer. N a t i o n a l Security Minister Edmund Dillon was quoted yesterday as saying ISIS poses “no threat to T&T right now” and there's no law to stop them returning. He said if they'd committed international crime, T&T could work with foreign
partners to bring them to justice, but “for now they're still T&T citizens.” Dillon yesterday subsequently assured, authorities are monitoring returnees. On the 89 persons with ISIS, which T&T Guardian learned about on Saturday, Dillon said there are 80-plus, including about 35 men and other persons who are family members. He said several of the T&T fighters have been killed. On assessments earlier in the year from intelligence sources that a
number of those who had gone were from T&T's criminal fringe element, rather than conservative Muslim basis, Dillon said
that assessment was still on par and those persons were believed to be intelligent. (Adapted from the Trinidad Guardian)
Portia waits on God for election date Jamaica's Prime Minister and People's National Party President Portia Simpson Miller says she will announce an election date when the Lord "touches" her. "You will be appropriately informed when my master touches me and say 'my daughter
go nigh'," Simpson Miller told supporters gathered for a mass rally at Independence City in Portmore, St Catherine on Sunday. She said she would travel around and feel the pulse before announcing the election date. At the same time, the party
president urged Comrades to get ready because she could "feel the victory". A general election is due between December 29, 2016 (the day of the previous election in 2011) and April 16, 2017 (within three months of the date of
the first sitting of the new Parliament on 17 January 2012). The decision on when Jamaicans go to the polls is the prerogative of the p r i m e m i n i s t e r. (Jamaican Observer)
INTERNATIONAL
Media forsake killings in Beirut the day before the Paris attacks -Facebook criticized
A day before the French attacks which killed 129 people in Paris, two suicide bombers had killed 43 people and wounded 239 more in the Lebanese capital in an ISIS-
p r o p a g a t e d m u r d e r. A s buildings lit up in the colors of the French flag and the killings in Paris on Friday filled headlines, many people in Beirut felt the West -- and
its news media -- had forsaken them. The explosions in Beirut detonated within 150 meters (490 feet) and five minutes of each other in the Bourj al-Barajneh district on Thursday. But on Friday, Western cameras turned away, focusing intently on France. It threw Western media's reporting into sharp relief, with strong cri cism leveled at what some saw as hugely uneven coverage of the two assaults. The global outpouring of sympathy did the same. Many of the world's monuments illuminated in the blue, white and red of France's tricolor. The Lebanese flag, however,
was not afforded the same treatment. "When my people died, no country bothered to light up its landmarks in the colors of their flag," Elie Fares, a Lebanese doctor, wrote on his blog. "When my people died, they did not send the world into mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world." As in the Paris attack on Friday, the Beirut attack on Thursday was the deadliest in decades. As in the Paris attack, the killers in Beirut appeared connected with ISIS. ISIS also appeared to claim responsibility in a
statement posted on social media. CNN hasn't confirmed the authenticity of the statement. So, why the global thimble full of sympathies for Beirut amid the outpouring of grief for Paris? Beirut's proximity to ISISheld territory in neighboring Syria paired with a history of violence has numbed many overseas watchers to the horrors of terror attacks in Lebanon. In criticism of the handling of the two events, social media giant Facebook was itself not immune. It had deployed its relatively new "safety check" feature for the first time in response to a terror attack following
Saturday's Parisian shootings and bombings, but not for events in Beirut two days prior. In a Facebook post which aimed to address users' condemnation of the apparent double standards, Facebook's Vice President of Growth Alex Schultz said, "There has to be a first time for trying something new, even in complex and sensitive times, and for us that was Paris. "This activation will change our policy around Safety Check and when we activate it for other serious and tragic incidents in the future." (Adapted from CNN)
France bombs ISIS The French air force carried out bombing missions on ISIS targets in Raqqa, Syria, for a second day in a row. France is retaliating against Islamist extremist terror a acks that killed at least 129 people in Paris. ISIS claims Raqqa as the capital of its so-called caliphate. O n M o n d a y, France targeted a command center, a recruitment center, an ammunition storage base and a training camp in the city, the French military said. On Sunday, the air force struck similar strategic targets in multiple sorties, reinserting France, a partner in the U.S.-led coalition striking ISIS from the air, into the battle
against ISIS. A group of antiISIS activists in Raqqa reported 24 bombs dropped and 30 explosions overnight into Monday. Mostly the suburbs were hit, but in the city, the stadium and the museum were also struck, said Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. ISIS uses the museum and the stadium as jails. Its headquarters are also in the stadium, the activists said. On Sunday, 12 aircraft dropped 20 bombs on ISIS positions in Raqqa, destroying all targets, France's Defense Ministry said. But French bombs may have killed
few of the militants. The Islamist terror group has withdrawn from its sites in anticipation of the retaliation, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said. Streets have been empty, markets less crowded. No civilian casualties have been reported, the activist group said, and the civilian population does not seem particularly worried. The activists said there have been ISIS casualties but could not say how many. An ISIS media wing has said there were no casualties Sunday. Also on Monday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that "war" had been
declared on France and that fight back." "It is not they "anybody who attacks the w h o w i l l d e s t r o y t h e Republic, the Republic will Republic. The Republic
will destroy them," he said. (Adapted from CNN)
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians
Three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli security forces after a gun battle in the Qalandiya refugee camp just
before dawn on Monday morning. Dozens more were injured, some seriously, after hundreds of Israeli soldiers
and Special Forces raided the camp, just north of Jerusalem, at around 2am. They demolished
the home of Muhammed Abu Shaheen, currently imprisoned in an Israeli jail for his alleged role in a July shooting attack that killed an Israeli settler. The gun battle between members of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Israeli forces went on for at least an hour. Israeli sources said none of their soldiers were wounded. Several weeks ago, an attempt by Israeli forces to demolish Abu Shaheen's home was aborted when hundreds of Qalandiya residents turned out in protest. This time around, Israeli forces forcibly evacuated everyone inside the home, located on the third floor of an
apartment complex, before destroying it. Neighbouring houses were also seriously damaged by the explosives the Israelis used to blow up Abu Shaheen's home. An Israeli drone flew over Qalandiya camp for hours, apparently monitoring the situation as hundreds of young men flooded the streets and threw stones at the soldiers who had entered from three different directions. The sounds of gunfire and exploding tear gas canisters could be heard. Al Jazeera saw more than half-a-dozen ambulances trying to enter the camp to evacuate the wounded, but they were prevented from doing so by
Israeli forces. After the Israeli soldiers had withdrawn, the ambulances streamed into the camp before rushing the injured to Ramallah's Palestine Medical Complex. Later in the day, the streets leading to the camp were barricaded by burning tyres manned by young men, as black clouds of smoke billowed into the air. Some of the young men directed the traffic that had backed up for hundreds of metres, while others inspected the cars for possible Israeli agents. Meanwhile, 23 other Palestinians were arrested overnight elsewhere in the West Bank. (Adapted from Al Jazeera)
nd
AUD vs NZ – 2 Test
High scoring match seem set for a draw
The fourth day at the WA C A w a s a d a y o f contrasts. Ross Taylor fell short of a one-year-old record but broke a 111year-old one. The captains shared a laugh on the pitch
before play but no Australian shook Taylor's hand after his 290. And though a draw remained the most likely result throughout, New Zealand spent the first half of it with
the best chance of winning, but by stumps Australia were in the better position. The one thing that stayed constant was the amount of runs in the
pitch. Two batsmen scored centuries in the first innings, two did in the second and by stumps, two more had joined them in the third. Steven Smith and Adam Voges, two batsmen
who were hardly required for anything but late hitting at the Gabba, both reached triple-figures late on the third day as Australia built their lead back up to 193 runs, setting up a fascinating day five. Smith was the man who would likely decide the fate of the match, for unless New Zealand's bowlers found a way to skittle Australia quickly, the declaration was in his hands. Australia hold the TransTasman Trophy and a draw would be enough to retain it, and last summer against India, Smith at times showed himself to be more conservative than his predecessor Michael Clarke in playing for draws. And he will know that New Zealand can score very quickly. I t w a s a
remarkable record for Taylor to break, yet he fell 12 runs short of New Zealand's all-time highest Test score, the 302 that Brendon McCullum struck against India in Wellington only last year. There were concerns for Australia late in the day when Smith was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Boult and appeared momentarily shaken, and later received a nasty blow to the elbow off Matt Henry. But Smith batted on after both incidents and what he decides regarding Australia's declaration will go a long way to determining the result of this Test. S c o r e s : Australia 9 for 559 dec and 2 for 258 (Smith 131*, Voges 101*) lead New Zealand 624 (Taylor 290, Williamson 166, Starc 4-119, Lyon 3-107) by 193 runs. (Adapted from Espncricinfo)
Pakistan refusing to play in India PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has asserted Pakistan cannot play a bilateral series in India as desired by the BCCI. A day after he revealed that BCCI president Shashank Manohar had offered to host Pakistan in December, Khan made it clear that the series would only be possible only if India come and play in the UAE. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had pointed out that the Indian government would not give the permission for India to play Pakistan in the UAE. But Khan wants to know the reason. "There is no question of playing in India. I still awaiting the reason of not
playing in UAE," Khan told ESPNcricinfo. With both sides adamant about their stance, the issue has now officially become a deadlock. Khan said Pakistan had already played two away series in India and he failed to understand why the Indian government would not allow the players to compete in the UAE when the first leg of the IPL's 2014 edition was held there. "We went there in 2007 and 2012. This time not again. It is our series and we will play at our home venue which is the UAE," he reiterated. "What is the problem playing in UAE as they had also played
their IPL there as well so why not Pakistan series?" According to the MoU signed in 2014 between the two boards, Pakistan were meant to host India for a home series comprising two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s. However, it is understood that only about a month's window is available for the series as India travel to Australia on January 8 for limited-over contests from January 12. According to a PCB official, Pakistan would not mind a similar 50and 20-over series and drop the Tests considering the profits would amount to the same.
Before both sides start dealing with the minutiae, the PCB is waiting for the BCCI to send a formal proposal, which Khan had asked of
Manohar during their telephone conversation last Friday. Khan is also of the opinion that the issue would be eventually
be decided not by the PCB, but by the Pakistan government. (Adapted from Ecpncricinfo)
Monday November 16, 2015
paper e-Mail
: gnn@gnngy.com | Website: www.gnngy.com
-See page 14
PAKISTAN REFUSING TO PLAY IN INDIA