Kaieteur News

Thursday Edition

Online readership yesterday 105,415

Price $80 August 15, 2013 - Vol. 6 No. 33 (VAT Inclusive) Online: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

On the run: Dacia Bourne

Woman flees after beating reputed husband to death

Dead: Clifford Singh

World renowned scientist calls for full disclosure on Amaila Strictly no parking!

This City Taxi ride, last evening, failed to adhere to the no parking zone located at the corner of Sussex and Lombard Streets.

AFC to consider members' Student nurse

National Economic public declaration of doused with acid forum convened to draft external affiliations on way to work 10-year strategic plan

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Student nurse doused with acid on way to work

S

tudent nurse AnnMarie Hutson, of Lot 616 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was forced to rip off her clothes in public and run to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday morning, after being doused with acid by two men who fled on a motorcycle.

The incident occurred around 07:30 hours while the 33 year old woman was on her way to work at the said

hospital.

Speaking to this newspaper Hutson explained that she had disembarked a route 45 minibus close to the Hospital when she noticed two men bracing on a parked motorcycle, a short distance away. Not thinking much of it, the woman said that she continued on her way to work.

“When I see them, the thought came into my mind that they waiting on somebody,” Hutson said.

The mother of one explained that as she walked past the men, she felt when a “cold liquid” was splashed on her back, and turned around only to see one of the men closing a bottle before he and his accomplice got on their motorcycle and rode away.

Hutson related that the coldness of the substance was soon overpowered by an intense burning sensation.

Suspecting that it was acid, the student nurse said that

she dropped “everything”, and began ripping her clothes off, while running in the direction of the GPHC, which was just a few meters away.

“While running, I see one of the Sisters, and I told her what happened.

They took me quick to the Accident and Emergency Ward and tell me to go and bathe right away. Then they start treating me from there,” Hutson said.

When asked about enemies, the woman said that the father of her child is the only person that she has problems with.

According to her, ever since she served the man with a restraining order two months ago, he had been begging her to take him back.

“I told him that I am not taking him back. I don't know if that is why, maybe he do this. But at least that is my suspicion,” Hutson said.

The woman is believed to have suffered first and second degree burns to her back, right arm, neck, and parts of her chest.

Hudson displays the burns on her back.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

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National Economic forum convened to draft 10-year strategic plan …Ramotar, Ashni Singh, Ron Webster continue to gripe over Amaila fall out Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, yesterday convened a National Economic Forum meant to chart a 10-year strategic development plan for the nation.

Held under the theme ‘Promoting Economic Growth through Innovation, Diversification and Partnership,’ the national confab saw a coming together of government, private sector, labour and other stakeholders, inclusive of representatives of the political opposition, at the Guyana International Conference Centre.

The two day forum has been specifically tasked with addressing the issues of Energy, Infrastructure, Land Use/Development, Agro Processing, Manufacturing, Aviation, Tourism, Human Resources and Manpower Planning as well as NonCaribbean Trade, among other key developmentrelated factors.

Held under the auspices of the National Competitiveness Council, which is chaired by the President, the forum benefitted from opening charges by Ramotar; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; Private Sector Commission Chairman, Ronald Webster and Minister with responsibility for Industry and Commerce, Irfaan ali.

ALL HANDS ON DECK The President, as he sought to outline the importance of the event, spoke to the fact that it sees a bringing together of critical stakeholders under one roof in an effort to chart a roadmap for Guyana.

According to Ramotar, “at this stage of our country’s development we need all hands on deck.” He conceded that government will not be able to meet the needs of the people if there isn’t an enlarging of the national economy.

“We need to bring our resources together to face the exogenous challenges,” Ramotar said.

The Guyanese leader said that while Guyana has managed to build on its international portfolio and relationships, the greatest constraints to the nation is internal.

He stressed that there must be a coming together of stakeholders in order to harness the country’s capacity to develop the country effectively.

President Donald Ramotar addressing delegates at the National Economic Forum.

Ramotar cautioned also that ‘we have to move efficiently in the implementation of the decisions we take.”

Government, he said, is doing its part by seeking to put the necessary infrastructure in place, drawing reference to the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the construction of the Marriott brand hotel among others.

Responding to critics of the Skeldon Sugar Factory, which many have labeled as a proverbial ‘white elephant,’ the President predicted that with the recent works and tests at the factory, its fortunes will turn around.

AMAILA BASHING Ramotar used the opportunity to lash out at the critics of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, particularly the main opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity, which voted against it recently in parliament.

Ramotar said that it was a serious blow, adding that Guyana cannot afford to not have cheap electricity.

He said that questions that surfaced over the financial architecture of the project were never raised previously by the opposition even as he made an overture for reconsideration of the project by APNU. He said that what happened with the Amaila Falls Project is a lesson to all that the world is not waiting, and drew reference to the

recent hiccup over the AntiMoney Laundering legislative amendments.

Ramotar said that the actions on the part of the opposition baffled him as he urged that “we have to work to remove the constraints we have created for ourselves.”

Finance Minster Dr Ashni Singh, who also addressed the opening of the National Economic Forum, sought to press home the point that government has been working tirelessly to put in place an enabling policy framework.

Dr Singh conceded that it is the input of the Private Sector that has fuelled the continuous economic growth trajectory but this was only possible because of the framework in place.

He cited as an example the government’s approach to the Information Communication

and Technology (ICT) Sector that is being pressed as an economic pillar.

He spoke to the fact that government has not only provided for free distribution of 90,000 laptops, but that through its fiber-optic cable, it is also enabling connectivity.

RETARDED DEVELOPMENT The Finance Minister also used his opportunity to speak at the forum to lash out at the APNU for its non-support of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.

He questioned whether time permitted an uncertain alternative to the Amaila Falls Project.

According to Dr Singh, every single user of electricity in Guyana pays more than it should, and further, businesses have had to invest in back-up power as a

result of the non-reliability of the current system.

He said that for the first time in the nation’s history a solution to its energy problems was in sight.

“I believe that this generation has a responsibility to ensure we don’t miss our chance,” said the Minister.

Dr Singh, as he had indicated in the past, said that the single greatest impediment to Guyana’s

development is access to cheap and reliable energy.

He said that when the Peoples National Congress Administration failed to secure hydro power, it suffered the nation to endure four decades of “retarded development.”

Should the Amaila Falls Project fail now, according to Dr Singh, it would again leave Guyana with decades more of “retarded development” Private Sector Commission Chairman, Ronald Webster in his presentation to the forum also bashed the political opposition for its stance on the Amaila Falls project noting that Guyana’s development is pinned to a ‘green economy.’

He said that as the forum gets down to work, as long as there can be a combination of youth with experience and political acumen, then mountains can be moved.

LEAP OF FAITH The Private Sector Commission Chairman said that in charting a course forward, all of the answers are not known up front but what is sometimes required, is a leap of faith.

According to Webster this is precisely what was required with the Amaila Falls Project, “a leap of faith.’

He urged the grouping to (continued on page 21)

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Creating a false sense of euphoria Many parents are smiling because their children have done exceedingly well at the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). This year, the performance seems to have exceeded the previous years, given that the children seem to have pursued an even wider array of subjects.

However, the celebrations must be tempered with commonsense andanunderstandingofwhatisactually happening.

The results also seem to reveal that rural schools are more than holding their own against the once leading secondary schools in the country. There were two girls who secured a whopping eighteen Grade One passes in subjects, having offered twenty subjects at the CSEC examinations.

According to the results revealed by the Ministry of Education, the children, for the greater part, offered twenty subjects ranging from the traditional subjects, to the unheard of subjects as karate and Theatre Arts, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Physical Education and Sport.

Many of these may be useful to the student who may seek to pursue studies in the areas of Theatre Arts and Sport, but we cannot see any of them doing this, since Guyana does not set store by these subjects. Theatre was once a flourishing fact in Guyana but always at the individual and private level.

Those actively involved always sought employment elsewhere since those spheres of activities could not readily afford them a meal.

All of the new subjects saw the students doing remarkably well. However, there continues to be poor performances in the subjects that matter. A release from the Government InformationAgency (GINA) stated that English B (once referredtoasEnglishLiterature)improvedfrom59.72percentin2011, to56.5percentin2012to61.06percentin2013(GradesOnetoThree).

This is a subject area that demands comprehension and expression. It also involves the use of imagination. The results tell a story about the performance of the students.

Many of them would be hard pressed to be gainfully employed in those entities that demand imagination, comprehension and detailed expression of information.

The GINA release continued that passes in English A (once called English Language) improved from 37.02 percent in 2012 to 45.69 percent in 2013. English is supposed to be the native tongue and one would have expected that every child would have at least the rudiments of the languagespelling, subject and verb correlation and vocabulary. Surely, with such a low pass percentage, this cannot be the case with the majority of students who offer the subject at examination.

To make matters worse, English Language is a demanded subject for every form of employment. That less than half of the children who write the examination can claim to be proficient in the subject is disappointing.

Mathematics scored even worse among the children.

GINAstated that 28.92 percent, even less than the previous year unless a greater number of students sat the examinations (29.69 percent in 2012)couldhavebeenconsideredtohavebeensuccessful.

There appears to be a continuing decline in the percentage of passes in Mathematics; from 30.35 per cent in 2011, to 29.69 percent in 2012 to 28.92 in 2013. It may be better to have the children focus on these compulsory subject areas rather than burden them with the plethora of subjects that now adorn certificates, many of which would not be worth the paper on which they are printed. We will continue to have people stating that they have “ten or more subjects but cannot seem to find a job.” How many of us have not seen job applications that reveal the ability of the applicant to understand basic grammar?

The Education Ministry, when examining the performance in Mathematics notes that, Additional Mathematics, which was written for the first time in 2012 and had a pass percentage of 58.33 percent improved to 80.83 percent in 2013.

If five people write the subject and three of them pass then the percentage pass would be 60 per cent. The percentage pass does not indicate better performance. It is time we review the entire education system and not allow many parents to become excited over nothing.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

Extracting US$80M from Norway for Amaila Falls needs a formal project proposal DEAR EDITOR, SN readers may recall former President Jagdeo’s preference for referring to the Norwegian aid funds as ‘my money’. Ramotar/Jagdeo also seem to think that the scanty justification for the Amaila Falls hydropower facility in the various versions of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) from June 2009 to March 2013 was sufficient to liberate the Norwegian aid cash (‘Fallout from Sithe pull out…US$80M from Norway in jeopardy’, KN 13 August 2013).

The operational manual of the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) in chapter 3 indicates the mechanisms for funding projects. Either a ‘fully developed, appraised Project Proposal’ or a ‘Project Concept Note’ is required for consideration by the joint NorwayGuyana steering committee of the GRIF.

In spite of the more than four years since the start of the LCDS, and in spite of a Norwegian grant of US$3.1 million to the Office of the President for ‘institutional strengthening’ just before the November 2011 election, the Office of Climate Change in the Office of the President has failed so far to develop a project concept note for the Amaila Falls US$80 million, let alone a fully developed and appraised proposal.

Instead of giving a present to Sithe Global Power LLC of the Norwegian money, when the Office of the President still has little idea of the realistic and complete cost figures for the Amaila Falls hydropower facility or of the ability of GPL to pay Sithe’s gluttonous 19 per cent annually for 20 years plus the cost of the commercial-rate loans, etc., the Office of the President could write a project concept note (PCN) to use some

of those US$ 80 million to develop a Green Paper for the National Assembly.

The Green Paper, a conventional device in European parliaments, could review the options for the energy sector as a whole, review strategically the technical and financial management of GPL, and update the evaluations for generation of electricity from updated demand projections.

Given that the GRIF Secretariat already has the ‘boiler plate’ from previous project concept notes, the development of the PCN should be a matter of just a few hours’ work by the institutionally strengthened Office of Climate Change. Perhaps Norway would even be pleased to see a worthwhile proposal developed for the first time by Guyana rather than farmed out to IDB or UNDP as heretofore.

Janette Bulkan

Nigel Hughes ought to seek other avenues to fulfill his commitment to empower the people DEAR EDITOR, As persons continue examination of the relationship between Sithe Global and Nigel Hughes within the context of conflict of interest as the company’s secretary and a leader in the AFC, we must also look at it in the wider context of what it means to society.

Nigel Hughes came to the political fore in 2011 and has created an impact on the young and those desirous of change.

What has now unfolded has seen a man who by his subsequent action is setting the tone for a change in behaviour by resigning from political leadership, an act that must be seen as lifting the political bar.

What Hughes has done has never been done by anyone who holds public office in this government and he must be commended. In examining his decision it needs not be stopped at him, but we must hold Bharrat Jagdeo, Donald Ramotar and others to the same level of probity.

It is obvious that some who today have zeroed in on Hughes were obviously silent and even enabled

government actors who were involved in other issues of conflict of interest, inappropriate behaviour in managing the state’s resources, transgressing the laws and violating the citizens. There is enough evidence in the public domain of tax waivers/concessions and high offices being given to friends and family of the PPP, but many remain silent. Primarily because they are afraid that state power can be used in an illegal manner to destroy them.

Many ignore that a government that fears its people is a government that governs best and has become captive to the thinking that a people must fear its government as government continues to trample them and plunder the nation’s resources.

Let us use this opportunity to take back our power that is being abused by our politicians. A failure to hold each and every one accountable as we seek to do with Hughes today can contribute to some section of this society interpreting this matter that right and wrong or acceptable and unacceptable behaviour is not universal, but premised on personality,

race and/or political association.

The passion being brought to the Hughes issue must be the same carried to the Executive, all parliamentarians, politicians and public officials.

Let me reiterate Hughes in stepping down from office has set a new standard for this society. Let us all in going forward hold every person, similarly spotlighted and the evidence provided, to emulate Hughes and apply the same level of consistency to ensure they do, if they do not willingly comply.

Nigel Hughes has been making a contribution to the society and while he has as of now withdrawn from formal politics it should not see a withdrawal of his desire to bring about change in society. He ought to seek other avenues to fulfill his commitment to empower the people, because politics is not only confined to formal titles and offices, it is about people and people’s development and a niche can be found anywhere once the desire and commitment exist.

Lincoln Lewis

THE NIGEL HUGHES INCIDENT IS MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING DEAR EDITOR, Permit me a few lines to put into perspective the revelation that Mr. Nigel Hughes was the Company Secretary for a business entity that was a principal in a national project that which was not supported (at least until the very end before the project’s demise) by the political party he is a leading member of.

I support Mr. Hughes’ decision to inform the political party he is a leading member of and I posit he did no wrong, suffice to say that he should have indicated that he was Company Secretary earlier.

This situation reflects a level of collective consciousness that clearly indicates the Guyanese society has not matured to the point where we can see the difference between one’s personal business and that of a group he/she belongs to. Mr. Hughes is not accused of any corrupt act, he is simply being unfairly

castigated by persons who as we say in Guyana, “like a story.” Because he is a member of the Alliance for Change and also Company Secretary for Sithe Global, then he must have done something wrong.

This is the worst case of funneling accusations without any shred of fact and evidence and many persons, especially pro-Government, are misleading the reading public by using this faulty line of reasoning. It’s akin to saying that if I support a political party then I cannot work in Government or for Government for the national development of my country. Only when my political party is in power then I will work with or become a part of the Government of the day. This is utter rubbish and reflects a general weakness of our society and Guyanese collective consciousness.

This sort of petty and immature thinking/reasoning is exactly what keeps

ethnic, civil society and communities disunited and under-developed in Guyana. It’s also reflective of a general lack of trust Guyanese have toward politicians and the rampant corruption that has engulfed Guyana since 2001.

Mr. Hughes is a victim of a number of cultural biases, moreso than guilty of wrongdoing or unethical practice.

I salute Mr. Hughes for being the principled national leader he is and do hope that during his time of reflection, he uses this opportunity to speak candidly with the Guyanese public and continue to support a change in the political culture of Guyana. We need leaders that are not afraid to engage the broader public, think outside the box, and take practical actions to bridge and dissolve tension and misunderstanding between groups and communities in Guyana.

Mike Archer

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Letters... Where your views make the news

Ramjattan failed to save Guyanese $100 billion on Amaila DEAR EDITOR, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan had an opportunity to save the hard working Guyanese a sum of 100 billion Guyana dollars and he just blew the opportunity.

This money represents excess expenditure on the proposed Amaila Hydro project, in other words this money is for the PPP boys to full their pockets with 100 billion dollars, inclusive of interest.

Instead, Guyanese will have to work their backs out for the next 20 years to repay this amount while the loot of 100 billion will be cherished by about 20 persons.

There was a big party thrown by the PPP after the vote in parliament to let the 100 billion slip through.

This huge sum seems to be like chicken feed to toy with in parliament. Don’t worry about the Sithe Global pullout, it’s just a trick, they will be back after getting some sympathy.

The PPP will now get everything to go full speed ahead with the project. There is no more requirement or approval from anybody including the Parliament to proceed with this barefaced theft. The parliament had their opportunity and Ramjattan just threw caution to the wind fully knowing that no one again will require his approval for anything on the project.

The only lifeline has been wasted and poor Guyanese

will shortly begin the suffering to repay.

I remember Ramjattan publicly spoke against the proposed increase on the debt ceiling, citing his concern on the fact that this Bill has nothing to do with the project, but in effect can facilitate more spectacular theft in the future. This argument spearheaded by Ramjattan went on for weeks and even months, but in a moment’s flash, this individual did the unthinkable and swallowed his own vomit while fooling his loyal supporters and the Guyanese public.

Ramjattan in his response indicated that he is giving a lifeline to the project and doesn’t want to quash this particular project. But this argument has no merit on the basis that the Amaila Falls will not fail to exist anymore. It will always be there for harnessing, it just cannot go away like Sithe Global.

There are hundreds of capable hydro developers worldwide who are willing to do an honest job like in so many countries. These developers can do the job for 100 billion less, so it’s best to let the current arrangement through the window. But lo and behold, Ramjattan just turned on his own argument.

One thing we all as Guyanese should learn about politicians and that is to never take what they said for granted. Tomorrow they will support their enemy and

leave the public to face the wrath of destiny like what Ramjattan just did. He gave 100 reasons why the project is bad for the country but in a flash, he hoped to extract 100 billion from our pockets.

Ramjattan even turned his wrath on the Kaieteur News, labeling it as an enemy of the Amaila Project, when in fact all that the newspaper did was to bring to the public what Ramjattan and Company have been preaching for the past months. Such is the hypocritical nature of his action.

Guyanese would have wanted a new party to emerge, because the two major political parties were based solely on racial grounds, and the AFC came to the domain as that independent party. With this sellout by Ramjattan to the Government, a vacuum now exists for a new third force to cater for more independentthinking Guyanese.

Now is the time for a third party to thrive, so I am appealing to potential party candidates to take the slack that is now created by the AFC. The AFC now shows its opportunistic mentality rather than a third force capable of conquering racism and corruption.

Messrs Goolsarran, Christopher Ram, Joe Singh and others might be names to pull more supporters if they should form a party as the true third force option for independentthinking Guyanese.

Sharmilla Tiwari

Let us make sure we recognize and applaud our students fairly DEAR EDITOR, I join with all in offering heartiest congratulations to all the successful candidates in the CSEC and CAPE examinations offered in May/June 2013.

Their stellar performances speak volumes for focus, commitment and dedication to their studies. The support mechanisms attributable to all related played no smaller a part in these performances.

In reporting the statistics with regard to CAPE, I wish to point out that unlike CSEC examinations, CAPE is a two-part examination offered over two academic years, viz. Unit 1 and Unit 2 taken in year one and year two respectively.

Each year is separately certified for the particular subjects offered by candidates. In

addition, some candidates re-sit subjects pertaining to Unit 1 in year two to improve on the unsatisfactory grades previously obtained.

Totals of Grade One obtained may be misrepresented if a distinction is not made between Unit 1 taken in year one and re-sit subjects for which a candidate would have had two chances at offering the subject.

It would be an injustice to report favourably that Student A secured 6 Grade One, which may be Unit 1 or Unit 2 but included re-sit/s against Student B who secured 5 Grade One, and who in fact secured that grade for subjects taken in Unit 2 and included no re-sits.

Let us make sure we recognize and applaud our students fairly.

R. Mahadeo

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Woman flees after beating reputed husband to death A 23-year old Plaisance, East Coast Demerara woman is on the run after she allegedly battered her reputed husband to death early yesterday morning, leaving her 10-month-old baby behind.

Thirty-five year-old Clifford Singh called ‘Yaka’ was found dead in front of his yard on Prince William Street, Plaisance, around 01:50 hours, minutes after he and his reputed wife Dacia Alida Bourne were seen fighting.

The murder brought a tragic but not unexpected end to an abusive three-year relationship between the couple, and is yet another deadly case of domestic violence.

On this occasion it was a male victim, however, within recent weeks there were several incidents of domestic violence in which females and children were the victims.

In the case of this latest murder, neighbours claimed that Singh had been abusive to his reputed wife on many occasions, even as his mother insisted that it was he who was the real victim of domestic violence.

Police in a statement yesterday said that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Clifford Singh, 35 years, of Prince William Street, Plaisance, ECD, whose body was found with suspected marks of violence.

Kaieteur News understands that Singh’s murder stemmed from a drunken argument that he had with Bourne a few hours earlier, on Tuesday night.

According to one of the couple’s friends, who was initially reluctant to speak to the media, he went to their house at around 20:00 hours and found them arguing.

“They went drinking Banko Ginger wine, and I tell dem, ‘man y’all humble nah man’, and I lef and go pon de road and come back with another bottle (wine) and dey still arguing,” the friend who

The suspect Dacia Bourne

Dead: Clifford Singh

declined to give his name told this newspaper.

However, he disclosed that the argument was over money and “who don’t go in bush and dem ting”.

According to the couple’s friend, Bourne previously travelled to the interior where she “used to hustle”.

He said that in the heat of the argument, Bourne left the house and he and Singh continued drinking. He declined to give further details of what transpired after.

A neighbour next door told the media that she was in her bed when she heard a scream at about 01:45 hours.

“When I peep through the window, I see a girl deh pon de road deh,…beating away pon something,” the neighbour said.

She added that she got up and went to another section of her house to get a closer look at what was taking place.

“Dis girl continue beating, and she beating, and she beating,” she said.

At the time she could not see what the woman was hammering away, and since she heard no further screams, she could not be certain that it was a person who was being beaten.

“She fire like about six lash and when de last lash wha she fire, she cellphone ring and she answer it and then she run straight up de road,” the neighbour stated.

She said that she eventually came out of her house and stood by her fence and saw what appeared to be a body lying on the road.

She said she looked closer and realized that the body was motionless and it was then that it dawned on her that the person might be dead or seriously injured.

By then other neighbours were aroused and upon investigating, they

discovered that it was Singh’s lifeless body, which was covered with blood.

“De man lie down flat pon he back, all he head buss away, he face smash in, he two eye open, all he teeth gone. Did girl proper lash away pon dis man,” she said.

According to the neighbour, the police recovered a bloody piece of wood at the scene.

The woman described the couple as abusive to each other, the pair constantly fought whenever they consumed alcohol, which they regularly did.

“From de time they living together is fighting all de time.

We done know dat something woulda happen. De two ah dem like dey does drink and when dey drink, dey does end up in dis fight.”

The woman said that at first she would intervene by calling the police, but she stopped after word got back

to the couple that it was she who had been calling in the law enforcement officers.

The woman said although she knew that the couple’s relationship would have ended violently, she was surprised that it was the woman who killed the man.

“Although he thin bone, he, as a man, always got the upper hand over she, but she never used to tek lef.”

She told the media that during all the commotion, the couple’s 10-month-old child was left lying in the house and was subsequently rescued by the police, who later handed the child over to relatives.

Singh’s mother, Leah Singh gave a different version of her son’s relationship with

his reputed wife. She said that her son’s death came as no surprise since she knew that the woman he was living with was a violent person.

“I know dis girl is running the bush, and she runs the bush with weapons. She’s always with a knife. Well, she always attack him…in front of me she did it once,” Leah Singh told the media.

She said that on many occasions the woman threatened to kill her son.

“It has a reason and the reason is that his mother is cooking for him, his mom takes care of him.”

She said that whether her son works or not, she cooks for him or would give him money.

She said that she never spoke to her son’s reputed wife, despite them living together for almost three years.

The dead man’s mother said that early yesterday morning someone came calling at her residence which is situated not far from where her son’s body was lying.

“They said, ‘come, look ‘Yaka’ lie down dead on the road.’ I said this is the end, God in charge…I expected it, son. Three years now I’m crying, asking God what is it that he (Yaka) is lusting after this girl. He used to tell me ‘mommy is meh girlfriend’,” Leah Singh reflected.

She said when she reached the spot where her son’s body was lying she could only stare in shock.

According to Leah Singh, her son was one of those men who was ashamed to disclose that he was being abused.

“She always used to abuse him, but he would hide it.” Singh stated.

Police believe that the woman may try to flee to the interior since she is familiar with that part of Guyana.

The dead man’s mother, Leah Singh

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Egypt forces assault protest World Bank approves 80 megawatts, US$340M loan for Africa’s hydro camp, many scores shot dead

CAIRO (Reuters) Egyptian security forces crushed a protest camp of thousands of supporters of the deposed president yesterday, shooting dead scores of people in the bloodiest day in decades in the Arab world’s most populous country.

The health ministry said 149 people were killed, both in Cairo and in clashes that broke out elsewhere in the country. Deposed President Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood said the death toll was far higher in what it described as a “massacre”.

While dead bodies wrapped in carpets were carried to a makeshift morgue near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, the army-backed rulers declared a one-month state of emergency, restoring to the military the unfettered power it wielded for decades before a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.

Thousands of Mursi’s supporters had been camped at two major sites in Cairo since before he was toppled on July 3, and had vowed not leave the streets until he was returned to power.

With the assault, the authorities ended the six-week stand-off with a show of state force that defied international pleas for restraint. Egypt is the strategic heart of the Middle East, striding the Suez Canal and with a peace treaty with Israel.

Violence spread beyond Cairo, with Mursi supporters and security forces clashing in the cities of Alexandria, Minya, Assiut, Fayoum and Suez and in Buhayra and Beni Suef provinces.

The bloodshed also effectively ends the open political role of the Brotherhood, with the harshest ever crackdown on a movement that survived underground for 85 years to emerge after

the 2011 uprising and win every election held since.

Security officials said senior Brotherhood figures Mohamed El-Beltagi and Essam El-Erian were arrested, joining Mursi himself and other Brotherhood leaders in jail. Beltagi’s 17-year-old daughter was among the dead.

Before he was arrested, Beltagi warned of wider conflict, and singled out the head of the armed forces who deposed Mursi on July 3 following mass protests.

“I swear by God that if you stay in your homes, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will embroil this country so that it becomes Syria. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will push this nation to a civil war so that he escapes the gallows.”

In one a rare sign of unease from among the Brotherhood’s opponents, Mohamed ElBaradei, a former U.N. diplomat, quit his post of vice president in the armybacked government, saying the conflict could have been resolved by peaceful means.

“The beneficiaries of what happened today are those call for violence, terrorism and the most extreme groups,” he said.

But his own political movement, the anti-Islamist National Salvation Front, showed no such qualms, declaring “Egypt has held its head high in the sky announcing victory over political groups that abuse religion”.

Since Mursi was toppled, the security forces had twice before killed scores of protesters in attempts to drive Mursi’s followers off the streets. But they had held

back from a full-scale assault on the tented camp where followers and their families have lived behind makeshift barricades.

After the assault on the camp began, desperate residents recited Koranic verse and screamed “God help us! God help us!” while helicopters hovered overhead and armored bulldozers ploughed over their makeshift defenses.

Reuters journalists on the scene saw masked police in dark uniforms pour out of police vans with sticks and tear gas bombs. They tore down tents and set them ablaze.

“They smashed through our walls. Police and soldiers, they fired tear gas at children,” said Saleh Abdulaziz, 39, a secondary school teacher clutching a bleeding wound on his head.

After shooting with live ammunition began, wounded and dead lay on the streets near pools of blood. An area of the camp that had been a playground and art exhibit for the children of protesters was turned into a war-zone field hospital.

“We also strongly oppose a return to a State of Emergency law, and call on the government to respect basic human rights such as freedom of peaceful assembly, and due process under the law. The world is watching what is happening in Cairo.”.

Kigali (AllAfrica.com) — The Rusumo hydro power, a project under the Great Lakes Regional Initiative has received a World bank financing boost of worth US$340 million out of the overall total cost of US$468.60 million.

The financing that is the first operation of the World Bank under its Great Lakes Regional Initiative has given US$113.30 million to each of the governments of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania that share the hydro power project seen to benefit over 62 million persons.

“This landmark project will have transformational impact, bringing lower-cost energy to homes, businesses, and clinics in Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania,” says Colin Bruce, Director, Strategy, Operations and Regional Integration.

Its eventual 80 megawatt generation capacity will boost reliable power supply to the grids of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania, reduce electricity

costs, promote renewable power, spur job-led economic development.

All three countries will benefit from job created by construction and installation activity associated with the power plant and pave the way for more dynamic regional cooperation, peace and stability among the countries of the Nile Equatorial Lakes (NEL) sub-region in east Africa.

Bruce notes that by choosing a run-of-the-river option to reduce social and environmental impacts, the participating governments have demonstrated careful and responsible decisionmaking. “By connecting grids, people and environmentally sensitive solutions, the project will help to catalyze growth and to encourage peace and stability in the sub-region.”

He said Accordingly, energy still remains a challenge towards regional growth with Only four percent of the population

in Burundi has access to electricity, corresponding numbers for Rwanda and Tanzania are 13 and 15 percent respectively. Moreover, the region entirely depends on Agriculture with many growing agribased processing which are always hampered by shortage of power thus crippling the growth of the industry and manufacturing sector in the region.

Experts believe that Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project is anchored in the World Bank Group’s development approach to the region pegged to increase power generation and interconnectivity to take advantage of low-cost and renewable sources of hydropower and shared infrastructure development.

The project will strengthen the capacity of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) and its emergence as a regional center of excellence.

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Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 9

DEADLINE SET FOR POLITICIANS, PUBLIC OFFICERS TO DECLARE ASSETS Officials in public offices, including Ministers and Parliamentarians, have until August 23rd to declare their assets for this year to the Integrity Commission.

According to a notice of the Office of the Integrity Commission published yesterday in the Kaieteur News, public officers who have not yet submitted declaration forms for the period 1997-2012 have to do so as soon as possible.

Kaieteur News has since learnt that quite a number of politicians and senior government officials have not being complying.

The Integrity Commission has taken more significance in recent years as the spotlight of corruption and transparency continues to take centre stage.

Many countries have moved to establish oversight bodies like the Integrity Commission as part of the measures to tackle corruption but despite laws being assented to since 1997, there have been criticisms that the Commission continues to remain toothless.

Under the laws, public officers also include the President, Permanent Secretaries, Director of Public

Prosecutions, Auditor General, Commissioner of Police, the Army Chief, Heads of the Services Commissions, Foreign Affairs officials, Judges and Magistrates and Department Heads.

Also required to the submit declaration forms of their earnings and of gifts received are Regional Executive Officers, the Chief Elections Officer, Mayors, Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of state companies, Registrars of Lands and the Commissioner of Guyana Revenue Authority, along with Presidential Advisors, and Heads of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission.

The idea behind the declarations is to ensure that no official has suddenly acquired large amount of cash or property without proper justification.

Political wrangling between the administration and the Opposition over the makeup of the Commission has been blamed for the body not carrying out its mandate.

There just has not been any agreement on the name of the Chairman.

In addition, there have

Dem boys seh...

Some people selling dem house If Amaila cancel fuh now then Guyana save money. Of course Guyana always want every cent it could get but people was prepared to forget de money that de country spend on Amaila so far. Is more than US$20 million but nuff people rather lose that than de US$1 billion dem feel that dem woulda lose.

Fuh one, de people who plan de hydro use GPL as a scapegoat. Couple blackout and everybody suddenly want something better. That was de plan and it wuk. De next part of de plan was to sell hydro as never ending power—no more blackout.

Jagdeo allow GPL fuh run down. De GPL people even talk how fuh ten years dem never get a cent fuh repair equipment. In some case, dem rent generator which dey woulda done pay for, if dem did tek de rent money fuh a year and buy. Instead dem rent dem generator fuh a year and give dem back. De GPL people boast how dem didn’t have to pay fuh repair. De system collapse.

But Amaila ain’t dead. Dem boys asking de government to review de project. Dem got nuff other company who come in to replace Sithe Global and people sure that de cost gun be cheaper. Why dem ain’t tender fuh de project is something that got people scratching dem head. Is not that Sithe Global is de only people who could build a hydro dam.

People forget that IDB was de first to ask questions.

When Brazzy talk how de people who involve in de project had to do dem own due diligence, he didn’t realize that de IDB woulda really do one. Up to now dem ain’t release dem report. But dem boys sure that Sithe Global know de answer.

Now, some other company sending message to de government, but it look like if de government ain’t want talk to nobody right now. Perhaps dem busy trying to wuk out how dem gun give back de money dem collect. Some people already selling dem house but people ain’t mek de connection yet.

Talk half and watch de housing market.

been criticisms on whether the Commission itself would have the capacity to investigate the truthfulness of the declarations, with just a handful of staffers at its disposal.

Earlier this year, Leader of the Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, laid the blame squarely at the feet of President Donald Ramotar for not ensuring that the situation is rectified.

Presidential Advisor, Gail Teixeira is also on record as saying that the disagreements between political parties have been the major stumbling block.

In effect, it was agreed that the oversight body has been reduced to operating as a mere collection agency for the declarations which are left to gather dust.

The notice yesterday called for defaulters to submit their outstanding declarations for the period starting 1997, an admission that there may have some degree of noncompliance.

The US 2012 Human Rights Report had highlighted Government’s apparent ineffectiveness in implementing laws that provide for criminal penalties for corruption by public officials. It zeroed in on the fact that public officials are subject to financial disclosure laws and are required to submit information about personal assets to the Integrity Commission.

On June 14, 2012 the National Assembly approved a motion for Members of Parliament to comply with the

Integrity Commission Act. Failure to comply would have resulted in names of the defaulting Parliamentarians being published in the local press and the Official Gazette.

The Integrity Commission Act of 1997 provided for the establishment of the Integrity Commission and make provisions for the purpose of securing the integrity of persons in public life. The act also provides for the appointment of a Chairman to head the Commission, no less than two and not more than four other members of the Commission, a Secretary to oversee the day to day work of the Commission and other officers for the proper performance of the Commission.

The Chairman and other

members are appointed by the President after consultation with the Opposition Leader.

The Commission is not subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority. The Commission has the authority to regulate its own procedure and may make rules for that purpose.

Public officers are mandated to disclose their financial assets and liabilities on or before June 30, each year. When a public officer ceases to be a person in public life, a declaration of assets and liabilities have to be filed within 30 days from the date that the individual ceases to be a person in public life.

The Commission has its office at 94 Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

Massive low voltage affecting local communities - rehabilitation of network underway It has been months, and intense regular low voltage continues to be of concern to several communities across the country.

According to residents on the West Bank of Demerara, countless reports have been made to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) regarding this, and despite several fixtures, the situation continues.

Residents of La Grange, Stanleytown, and La Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara remain fearful that the current situation may cause damages to their household and other appliances.

Nalini Motilall who runs a printery at La Grange told Kaieteur News that the frequency of the power outages result in her having

to complete her work late at nights with the use of a generator.

She explained that while her work can still go on, there are other businesses that depend solely on the electricity provided by GPL. The woman made mention of several joinery shops.

The residents are complaining that they do not fall short on paying their electricity bill, and should therefore not be faced with these continuous bothers.

Some are of the opinion that GPL should compensate those who face losses due to the company’s negligence.

Nonetheless, a GPL advertisement in Sunday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, read that contracts have been awarded for the “Rehabilitation of the Low Voltage

Distribution Network”.

It said that areas to be targeted include East and North La Penitence, Georgetown; La Grange Old and Public Road, Inner Stanleytown, Canal No. 2 all on the West Bank of Demerara; Windsor Forest on the West Coast of Demerara, Mon Repos, Blossom Scheme-Enmore, Victoria Village and Now or Never on the East Coast of Demerara, and Rosignol and Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice.

Two months ago, consultation on the aforementioned project was conducted in Berbice, and residents were promised that the works will be completed before the end of the year.

Kaieteur News understands that the project is part of a US$5M loan from the InterAmerican

Development Bank (IDB), which seeks to build capacity and energy conservation and rehabilitate the low voltage distribution network.

It was reported that as works begin, customers will be affected with power outages, but these will be done in isolation, meaning that small areas within villages will experience blackouts for 12hour periods (or less), perhaps once or twice a week. There are reportedly about 100 areas that may need upgrading.

The distribution system is said to be designed to reduce losses by the company due to illegal connections and substandard network, and to enable customers to become more energy conscious through the use of the Pre-paid Metering System.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 11

AFC to consider members’ public disclosure on external affiliations As the buzz continues on Nigel Hughes’ seemingly compromising affiliation with the now jeopardized Amaila Falls project, executives of the Alliance for Change (AFC) say that they have no right to pronounce or advise on the professional endeavours of its members.

The party said that they respect the right of a professional to earn a living in their professional capacity, while recognizing the importance of decisions in the national sphere, and the perceptions that could arise from certain types of issues.

AFC Member of Parliament Trevor Williams, party Treasurer Dominic Gaskin and General Secretary David Patterson were answering questions yesterday at a press conference, called specifically for questions on any issue, some of which have seen the party treading on troubled waters over the past few weeks.

The party members admitted that there might be loose ends and questions lingering in the minds of the public that had to be clarified.

Patterson told the gathering of media personnel that in politics, image is paramount. He highlighted that the party’s image is one of the hot topics scheduled for discussion at the party’s upcoming National Executive

Meeting on August 31.

As it relates to Hughes, the former party Chairman, Patterson said the party’s position remains the same about his resignation.

Following a publication by this newspaper last Tuesday, revealing Hughes’ link as Company Secretary of the controversial Amaila F a l l s Hydro Inc., the prominent attorney at law tendered his resignation to the AFC, but the party has refused to accept it.

The Amaila Falls Hydro

Even as the country celebrates the good results of the Caribbean Secondary Certificate Education (CSEC) Examination and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination which were on Tuesday unveiled, there is still need for more focus to be given to teachers in the achievement of such successes.

In fact according to President of Education International (EI), Ms Susan Hopgood, teachers must be recognised as the key to quality education and are the ones who are the most instrumental in achieving education for all.

“But, in order for this very important work to be sustained, teachers must be aptly supported”, said Hopgood, during an interview with this publication.

EI, which is recognised as the “voice of the teaching profession,” is the global international union representing more than 13 million teachers and

education workers in about 190 countries with more than 400 member organisations.

And one of the many things that EI has been advocating for globally is the need for qualified teachers in the education systems, Hopgood disclosed.

“We must have teachers supported in terms of the resources provided. We must be able to provide teachers with class sizes which enable them to give children individual attention that they need and deserve,” she insisted.

Added to this, she opined that the relevant authorities cannot deny the fact that the support for quality teachers must include proper pay and working conditions. “All of those things make up a quality teaching force and will provide us with quality teaching and learning for our students,” she noted.

As such, she underscored that “it goes without saying that if we recognise the important role of teachers in achieving quality education

party was aware of Hughes’ legal representation to the company.

He explained that Hughes’ appointment as Company Secretary of Amaila Falls Hydro Inc came in 2009, while the Chairmanship of the AFC came in 2012. When the Sithe Global issue came up, Hughes’ professional affiliation was related to the AFC, Patterson continued.

Dominic Gaskin injected that like many other organizations, regular people can be elected to serve on a

voluntary basis. The Amaila Falls issue came at an unfortunate time, he said.

“The way the Amaila Falls issue became an issue is not that it wasn’t there when Hughes assumed Chairman; it wasn’t an issue. If the revelation was made six months ago, then no one would have said anything. It just comes at a very unfortunate time when the Amaila Falls issue is a hot issue, with perceptions, some of which may be to the detriment of the party.”

It was mentioned too that the AFC has no built-in mechanism that would speak to party member’s business affiliation in their professional capacities. It was mentioned further that it was not in the party’s right to ask Hughes to sever its ties with the Amaila Falls project; so to say the party “blundered” on the issue was out of the question.

For now, Nigel Hughes is on leave, Patterson told the media. However, on his return, the AFC plans to sit with the former Chairman and the National Executive Committee to determine the way forward.

Additionally, the party might be considering guidelines on public disclosure on external affiliations. Patterson said that the party needs to figure out if there should be clearly defined roles in the executive

committee on how they should disclose publicly, involvement in future matters other than national issues.

AFC’s stripes began to fall as persons speculated on the revelations on Hughes being so closely linked to the Amaila Falls project, and the party’s sudden support of it.

The other opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) continues their non-support for the governmentintroduced hydro project, in its present form, citing major inconsistencies such as the lack of parliamentary oversight and the lack of indepth information concerning the project.

The government however remains optimistic that the seemingly unmovable APNU will change its mind and lend support for the hydro plan, even after Sithe Global declared the need for parliamentary consensus and dropped out of the race due to the lack of it.

Alluding to the level of dedication that comes with being a teacher, Hopgood, who herself served as a Mathematics teacher in Australia for many years, said that there is nothing more gratifying than to see students grasping a complex idea. “I think that is what motivates teachers around the world,” she speculated.

UNIVERSALEDUCATION But according to Hopgood, there are currently 61 million children around the globe who have not even been enrolled in primary school. Moreover, she emphasised that the world has not been able to achieve the promise made by many Governments to achieve education for all by 2015 in accordance with the associated Millennium Development Goals.

According to her, not even the basic, in terms of education, has been achieved by some countries. She underscored too that while many countries are able to adequately offer primary

education, many children are not able to complete their secondary education.

Guyana has already attained universal primary education and is currently making zealous strides to achieve universal secondary education. This development is however not unique to Guyana, as according to Hopgood, there are many countries around the world that are struggling to achieve this goal of universal education.

“It is not just about basic education, it is about early childhood, primary and secondary school education and access to post compulsory education, whether it be vocational education and training or tertiary education,” asserted the EI President.

Moreover, she noted that the ongoing efforts of the Guyanese Government in this regard are rather laudable.

Hopgood, who recently attended the 36th Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Union Teachers, which took place at the Princess

International Hotel, was tasked with meeting with the various representative unions and highlighting the important factors to achieve quality education.

At that forum, she listed funding as one of the crucial factors to aid the process of universal education even as moves are made to raise the professional status of teachers in the society which requires Governments’ intervention. “Too often Governments are critical of teachers for things they do not have control of, and so, raising the status of teachers is an important issue,” said Hopgood.

She also spoke of the need to put an end to discrimination against teachers, which according to her, can occur in various forms. She is convinced that too often teachers are discriminated based on their age, sexual preference and even their race, all of which must be addressed forthwith in order to fast-track universal education.

FROM LEFT: Trevor Williams; Dominic Gaskin and David Patterson Inc. is the Special Purpose Vehicle/ Company created for the development, construction and operation of the US$858M Hydro Power plant.

Patterson said that the AFC will continue to support Nigel Hughes, whose contribution is massively significant to the party’s functioning.

“We think that Nigel is significant and plays a major role in the country. He has the party’s full support,” the General Secretary posited.

Patterson stated that the

AFC chairman Nigel Hughes

Government support to teachers crucial to realise quality education - EI President

Education International President, Ms. Susan Hopgood for our children, then Governments must support teachers.”

And since it is a known fact that one of the primary objectives of a Government is to provide education for every child, Hopgood said that it is therefore crucial that teachers are not only qualified but are afforded ongoing professional development and training throughout their careers.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Tragic death of a woman When you read about the tragic dimensions of the lives of our fellow Guyanese in foreign lands, trust me, these things break your heart. You are deeply hurt. I once met a young lady from a respected family whose life was almost destroyed over her sexual relationship with a visa officer.

She told me she thought he would have given her the visa, but in the end all he wanted was all types of sex.

She entered UG after her

disaster, graduated, applied for Canadian selfsponsorship, married and is now a happy Canadian resident. Why didn’t she do that in the first place?

Carpenters were holed up in Barbados, living in primitive conditions, only to be rounded up in the night under the Thompson Government and deported back to Guyana.

These stories are just the tip of the iceberg. Guyanese face humiliation and loss of

dignity in the Caribbean islands. These are countries that have less than ten percent of the wealth that inheres in this big territory. If you take away the bestial political and ethnic mismanagement that characterize Guyana’s history, this place is a rich land whose wealth could be harnessed to provide a comfortable future for its people.

There has to be a quick solution to our ethnic and

political perversities before more tragedies as what happened in Trinidad keep proliferating. I read that a Guyanese woman hung herself in a detention centre in Trinidad. Why was she arrested and why was she not sent back to her homeland instead of languishing in a detention centre? She wasn’t eighteen or twenty so she could have used her robust youthfulness to endure her imprisonment. She was fortyeight and maybe was completely depressed.

Not much has been published about this woman.

We don’t know if she has children. But surely, it was an unnecessary death. Please forgive the words that are about to flow if you think they are encapsulated in an attitude of arrogance, but what was she doing on an island of 1,980 square miles while her country is so large and so rich? Couldn’t she have shaped a living for herself and family in Guyana?

When I read about this death I was overcome by the contradiction of sadness and rage. Why do our people have to be treated like this in the Caribbean? Why are we running like mad to and want to stay in Barbados, an island that is a mere 166 square miles?

This suicide has really pained me, because our

people have no right to be locked up in a detention centre in Trinidad when the flight takes an hour to get to Timehri airport Do we know how she was treated in the prison? Was she assaulted by other inmates?

Was she bullied? Did the prison authorities just turn a blind eye to her condition?

Knowing where she came from, they probably couldn’t have cared one bit. She was Guyanese. Do you think her death will be investigated by the Guyanese authorities? Do you think there would be any communication from the Guyana Government?

Times like these I remember the story of Amanda Knox, an ordinary American university student with no connection to wealth and fame in the US. She was on an exchange programme in Italy, where in a night of sex and drugs, she was accused of the violent stabbing to death of her British friend in the university hostel. She was convicted and jailed.

Amanda Knox became an international celebrity overnight. The power of American society came down on her side. All the major television networks and newspapers and powerful politicians publicized her case, insinuating that Italian justice was flawed. The evidence pointed to Knox’s

Frederick Kissoon guilt, but the American nation said that Italy cannot jail an American citizen. This was no rich girl, no heiress, no pop star, no woman of status, just an ordinary girl, as ordinary as they come. But for America, she was from the US and therefore she must be protected.

The unfortunate death of the Guyanese woman in Trinidad is going to pass as just another statistic in this country. No one from the Government is going to ask the Trinidadian authorities for an explanation. Perhaps they will not get an answer if they do. Regional authorities are so contemptuous of Guyana in the past forty years that complaints to regional governments are tossed in the bin. What an irony of life.

In an integration movement where one country is larger than the entire grouping and whose wealth exceeds every other unit in the family of nations, the citizens of that land are the pariahs in the family.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 13

World renowned scientist calls for full disclosure on Amaila World renowned scientist, Professor Suresh Narine, has called on Head of State Donald Ramotar to urgently convene a nonpartisan Presidential Task Force to come up with an energy policy for Guyana.

He said that there should also be a public two-day forum set up where the populace can be adequately briefed, and discuss the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.

Dr Narine was at the time presenting the findings of a working group on energy development in Guyana to the National Economic Forum held at the Guyana International Conference Centre yesterday.

He said that the energy policy is critical, given that 94 per cent of Guyana’s energy is imported, coupled with the national fallout over the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project along with the fact that oil prices are projected to increase to prohibitive heights in the future.

Two hospitalized after gas bottle explosion Three persons including two teenagers suffered injuries when a gas cylinder mysteriously exploded yesterday at a dealer in Freeman Street, La penitence.

The injured persons were identified as Shamar Barrow, 17; Tameka Maxwell, 18 who are both patients at the Burn Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Five year-old Kevon Chance was injured during the explosion but was treated and sent away for minor burns.

According to reports around 3:00 pm, three persons who are all related were at the dealer located at lot 55 Freeman Street, East La penitence when one of the bottles at the bottom shelf of a metal rack exploded injuring them in the process.

An eyewitness told this publication that at the time of the explosion, there was nothing nearby that could have ignited the explosion.

“We didn’t had anybody with no lighter or a cigarette around here, is just suh we hear a ‘boom!’ and people start running,” the man explained.

After persons scattered for cover, the man said that the two injured teens were then immediately taken to the nearby health centre before they were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Barrow suffered burns to his right arm while his cousin Maxwell suffered burns to her face and left arm.

…wants President to set up task force to create national energy policy He stated that expensive energy is the single largest hindrance to Guyana’s development.

Guyana uses primarily Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Diesel for the generation of its electric energy and according to Dr Narine, with the US moving towards using oil from shale, it is decommissioning more and more traditional oil refineries.

This, he said, will inherently drive up the cost of fuel for countries such as Guyana.

He pointed also to the fact that the Petro Caribe initiative, which the Caribbean and Guyana depend heavily on, is now also in question.

According to Dr Narine, the price of oil on the international market will soon become a matter of security.

“What we have in Guyana is an opportunity with hydro...We simply can’t keep doing things the way we do,” Professor Narine said.

He posited that the future for Guyana is bleak should the production of energy not be addressed.

According to Professor Narine, should government be forced to continue to hand over billions each year to the Guyana Power and Light in subsidy, is “simply madness.”

He said too that even food production is linked to energy and added that even though Guyana has been long recognized for its agricultural potential, this would never be realized given that value added products require cheaper energy.

Affordable and sustainable energy, according to Dr Narine, requires policy and political will hence it is imperative for the government to have a national policy in place.

He urged that there should not be a repeat of the debacle over the past month over the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.

He suggested that while wind, solar and bio mass are all added options for the generation of cheaper energy, they would not be able to deliver the levels of energy required and while they can supplement, hydro power should be pursued.

Professor Narine stressed

Professor Suresh Narine

that the development of hydro power in Guyana makes sense, given the lucrative returns.

“Guyana can’t afford to lose this opportunity.”

According to Professor Narine, what has been playing out in the media over the past month regarding the project would leave even a technically proficient person confused hence the

suggestion to convene a two-day symposium where all of the details on the project can be presented to the public.

This he said must be done to adequately address the financing of the project and aspects such as political risk among other facets.

“If we have an educated public, politicians will listen,” Professor Narine declared.

Page 14

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Public health facilities must 11 maternal deaths already recorded by Health Ministry for 2013 offer abortion services As at the end of July, the Ministry of Health has on record a total of 11 maternal deaths. This is according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who related during an interview with Kaieteur News that all cases of women’s deat h throughout the period of pregnancy, even up to 42 days after delivery, are mandatorily reported to his office. He disclosed that both private and public health facilities throughout the country are, by law, required to make such reports within 24 hours.

However, he noted that there are instances when the law allows for far-flung Regions (One, Seven, Eight and Nine), to be granted a three-day grace period, since some of the facilities there do not have established communication links. Reports can be submitted by telephone, radio set or even email.

Once these deaths are reported, a file is immediately opened by the CMO’s office and the ensuing actions are closely monitored. Among the actions, is the requisite convening of an internal investigation at the facility

where the death occurred in order to determine the causative factors. The health facilities, according to Dr Persaud, are usually given a seven-day period to examine all relevant records before submitting the findings and copies of all relevant records, including all clinic charts, to the Ministry of Health.

The relevant documents, Dr Persaud said, must be sourced at all hospitals where the patient would have been attended to until the time of death.

“Sometimes a patient may die at the Georgetown Public Hospital but might have been referred from Paramakatoi and somebody has to actually go in there and get charts and copy them...so we allow for about 14 days for some institutions to submit their records,” the CMO disclosed.

The CMO’s office must also be furnished with a copy of the post mortem examination as according to Dr Persaud, each maternalrelated death must have a post mortem regardless of the cause.

“Even if she was involved in a road traffic accident or had a disease such as malaria or HIV, a post mortem must

be done so we must also have a copy of that as part of the investigation,” Dr Persaud said.

The submitted documents and the findings of the internal probe are then reviewed by the CMO in order to determine whether the deaths were avoidable or not.

Moreover, deaths can be classified as direct or indirect.

“If determined that there is need for further reviews, the CMO can decide that an investigation be convened by a standing Expert Committee, an independent body from across health disciplines, and all of the documents are handed over to that Committee,” related Dr Persaud.

And according to him, all of the 11 recorded deaths have been investigated and relevant actions have been taken. These actions could include disciplinary action meted out at the level of the institution where the death occurred or even at the level of the Medical or Nursing Councils, both of which could enforce censorship or even revoke the licences of health professionals.

But although the ideal (continued on page 20)

A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Member of Parliament Dr. George Norton, believes that public hospitals should have been offering free abortion services years ago as provided by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. According to Dr. Norton, the legislation legalizing abortion at public hospitals has been in place about two decades ago.

He emphasized that many poor women who could not have afforded to pay fees ranging from $20,000 to $30,000 to have abortions at private hospitals; died because of botch operations either by “quack doctors” or by themselves.

He referred to Karen Bahdal, an 18-year-old mother of two who died from a botched abortion done at a “bottom house” clinic on the East Coast of Demerara.

“Karen was about one year old when this legislation was passed in the National Assembly and she could not have gotten a free abortion,” Dr. Norton said.

He said GPHC is already physically prepared to deliver this service and that is essentially why Government

Dr. George Norton and the National Assembly passed this legislation. He emphasized that those in authority need to stop treating abortion like “hot air” and start acting.

Dr. Norton recalled that during his Budget 2013 presentation to the National Assembly, he spoke extensively on making abortion accessible to all.

He said pronouncing on the pros and cons of the legislation should not be a matter of discussion. No legislation is perfect but withholding this service to perfect a document that could be amended is wrong,

Patricia Bisnauth he stressed.

Dr. Norton stated that there is a need for public hospitals to perform abortions and Government officials should stop stifling their consciences. This, he said would help to reduce poverty and maternal deaths.

In addition, if counseling is provided on contraceptives, the system would not be abused.

According to Dr. Norton, Government’s commitment to this legislation is questionable since not all mechanisms are in place to accommodate abortion. For instance, the list of 12 doctors (continued on page 24)

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

R.K Security Services contracts…

Sick residents forced to man Amerindian Hostel guard hut

Residents of the Amerindian hostel manning the guard hut at the facility With R.K. Security Services pulling its security o ff i c e r s f r o m v a r i o u s government locations countrywide, the Amerindian Hostel has been forced to use its residents to fill in the gap at the location' security outpost.

When a visit was made at the Amerindian Hostel on Princes Street, by this newspaper, a young male resident, when questioned about the security guard who was supposed to man the gate, confirmed that he was “filling in”.

Such is the situation that even those who are sick have been called upon to provide security at the hostel's guard hut.

“This boy is a recovering TB case they have at the gate. And the other day they had a man with a crutch,” an occupant of the hostel, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

“This place real sad, even the rails on the bridge has spikes on them. The people at the hostel put it on there so nobody can sit on it, but if somebody fall on it, or grab onto it, they could get real serious injury.”

Approximately 50 persons stay at the Hostel at any given time. Most of them are from Regions One and Seven.

Roshan Khan, Chief Executive Officer of R.K

Security Services, when contacted confirmed that security personnel's from various government agencies were withdrawn.

This was as a result of government not making monetary adjustments to contracts awarded to R.K. Security Services to match the new minimum wage which came into effect from July 15, 2013.

Adding that service notices to several state entities were dispatched, Khan said his company has written to Government requesting increased rates under his contracts, however, the company did not receive any acknowledgement of the notices and had no other choice.

M e a n w h i l e , Amerindians believe that some of them are being victimized following recent protests outside parliament.

One resident of the hostel noted that after the picketing exercises against the Government, a notice was dispatched to Amerindian vendors who would normally sell on the lawns in front of the hostel.

“This happen because an Amerindian Affairs official see one of the vendors in the protest line at the Ministry of Amerindian affairs when they had a protest,” the resident explained.

Last Friday, on the occasion of International D a y o f t h e Wo r l d ' s Indigenous People, Amerindians protested the Amerindian Affairs Ministry to voice their concerns about their rights to their lands being trampled on.

However, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs has made it clear that progress has been a resounding feat in most hinterland communities ever since the present ruling party came to power.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 17

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Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Heightened security checks credited for cocaine in ochro bust Management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri has lauded the agencies involved in the latest drug bust at the facility, which resulted in the seizure of 15.055 kilos of cocaine.

In a press statement i s s u e d y e s t e r d a y, t h e Corporation said that the bust was successful due to heightened security checks,

enhanced profiling techniques, greater intelligence gathering and sharing, and an increased presence of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.

At around 15:00hrs on Monday last, security officials, including ranks attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), unearthed the cocaine stuffed in vegetables which

were packed in boxes destined for a Bronx, New York address.

Kaieteur News understands that after security officials at the airport observed the shipper acting in a suspicious manner, a decision was taken to inspect the cargo. Upon closer examination, the ranks stumbled upon boxes of ochroes.

The recovered cocaine which was stuffed in ochroes They reportedly cut open several of these and discovered the drugs packed neatly in one of the vegetables.

This encouraged them to continue cutting open the hundreds of ochroes and sure enough, more cocaine was discovered. Kaieteur News understands that there were a few cocaine stuffed ochroes in close to about 100 boxes.

According to the CJIA statement, the perpetrators cut the heads off the ochroes, removed the seeds, placed the illegal substance inside, and then glued the heads back on.

The shipper, who bore witness to the police operations, was promptly arrested. He claimed that it was the first time he was making such a shipment.

The man appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates'

Court yesterday.

Monday's discovery came less than two weeks after a bag containing more than 20 pounds of cocaine was discovered at the airport.

Cocaine stuffed ochroes are just another ingenious way that Guyanese have been using to traffic the South American-produced drugs to North America and other destinations such as Europe and Asia.

Cocaine has also been discovered in other vegetables, pepper sauce, polourie, ornaments, and even lumber for export.

As if these aren't bizarre enough, two Guyanese women were also busted in September of last year at the J o h n F. K e n n e d y International Airport, when security officials found cocaine sewn into their hair weaves.

Nonetheless, the CJIA said that despite the craftiness of these individuals, the security team will continue to work alongside Government security agencies to crack down on the illegal drug trade.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Sooba to appoint acting Mayor of Georgetown

Carol Ryan-Sooba Town Clerk (Ag)

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green

By Rehanna Ramsay

Town Clerk to call a Special statutory meeting to have a nominated Acting Mayor in place to perform their duties while the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are out of the country.”

Despite her advice, Sooba said, Jordan has accessed the Mayor’s office and is performing the duties of Mayor.

A meeting is planned for Friday August 16, at which the Town Clerk (Ag) is expected to act in accordance with several sections of the Municipal Act and nominate a new acting Mayor of Georgetown.

She has since instructed the Chief Constable to retrieve the keys to the Mayor’s office since it is the property of the Council, until the (continued on page 24)

In an unprecedented move, Acting Town Clerk Carol Ryan-Sooba, has announced that she will be appointing a new person to act as head of City Hall in the absence Mayor Hamilton Green and Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase Greene.

Sooba, is however not alone in her move, as she informed the media yesterday, in the presence of several senior City Hall staffers, that she has been “instructed” by Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker to ensure that certain sections of the municipal regulations are complied with.

Sooba disclosed that Mayor Green left the jurisdiction last Tuesday for an indefinite period, while his Deputy Patricia ChaseGreene has left Council without leave for in excess three weeks.

The Town Clerk (Ag) claims that both, the Mayor and his Deputy had left their posts, without undertaking the ‘legitimate’ process of selecting someone else to act in their capacity.

Whilst Sooba noted that at the last statutory meeting “the Mayor and some Councilors decided to select Councilor Ranwell Jordan to perform the duties of Mayor.”

She added, “The Town Clerk (Ag) had advised the Council this was illegal, since legally, it is the duty of the

Page 19

GPHC gets new Board

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) officially installed its new Board of Directors on Tuesday afternoon at its Multipurpose Hall.

According to the hospital, the Board comprises six old members Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, Ms. Renata ChuckA-Sang, Mr.Sheik Amir, Col. Mark Phillips, Ms. Norma Semple, Bro. Kemtom Alexander; and four new members Dr. Mahendra Carpen, Dr. Dalgleish Joseph, Ms. Bibi Zaheeda Hack, and Mr. Nirmal Rekha.

The new Board became operational in July and is expected to serve until June 2014. At the installation ceremony, Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran presented GPHC’s Licence to Board Chairman Col. Mark Phillips.

Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran presents GPHC’s Licence to Col. Mark Phillips in the presence of newly appointed Board members.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Cocaine in Ochroes…

Amerindians accuse Venezuelan “soldiers” of constant robberies Campbellville man sentenced Amerindian residents of White Creek, Matthew’s Ridge, North West District are being robbed of all their valuables by Venezuelans dressed in uniforms of the Venezuela National Guard.

This is according to residents, who claimed that the last robbery occurred on Tuesday afternoon when money, gold and other valuables were taken from a group of Amerindians.

“These robbers continue to come and rob us because they know nobody from Guyana military is not stopping them,” one resident noted.

“The men have machine guns and would threaten us if we didn’t give them what they wanted. They would even take the birds and wildlife that were caught and everything else that they want.”

It was noted that the Toshao/Captain for White Creek, Ernice Samuels

reported the robberies to the police at Mabaruma, however, police and soldiers never made an effort to visit the location to investigate.

Most residents in the area are involved in fishing or bartering.

The robberies have reached such proportions that Amerindian are even afraid to go out and fish.

“These Venezuelans even bully a man to stay in his house while people are walking about in the area until they are ready to do whatever they want,” residents explained.

“Imagine these Venezuelans so strange, if they catch Amerindian with their liquor they would have to drink out all the liquor they get on the spot and other strange things.”

In April 2012, five Venezuelan young men were sentenced after they pleaded guilty to the charges of robbery brought against

them. Josua Medina, Jhosmel Eurealuces, Jhon Andeszo Munoz Marcano, Ramon Bermudez and Jonathan Beuitez all appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to five counts of robbery under arms.

The victims were tied up before the defendants escaped through the bushes.

Most of the times, the robbers are dressed in uniforms of the Venezuela National Guard.

When contact was made with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, it was related that the Minister and Permanent Secretary who are authorized to speak to the media were engaged in a meeting.

Contact with the Guyana Defence Force Public Relations office for a response on the reports, also proved futile since the designated person to speak was not around.

to 5 years, fined $40M

Handrick Cummings, 25, of Lot 23 John Street, Campbellville, was yesterday sentenced to five years imprisonment along with a fine of $40.5M after he admitted to attempting to ship cocaine through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Cummings told Magistrate Ann Mc Lennon at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court that he tried to ship the cocaine in the ochroes in order to acquire enough money to help his ailing mother.

The prosecution’s case is that on August 12, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Cummings had in his possession 15.055 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

According to Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, the defendant is the registered owner of a business under the name, “Ebiney Imports & Exports,”

Handrick Cummings

which is located at his home.

He said that on the day in question, Cummings went to an agent at Total Air Cargo and one at Ameri-Jet International Inc. at the Airport where he presented all the relevant documents to facilitate the export of 195 boxes of vegetables.

The vegetables included; bora, ochroes and egg plants.

Ranks attached to the Police Anti- Narcotic Unit examined the contents of the boxes in the presence of the defendant and discovered that 99 of those boxes with fresh ochroes were packed with cocaine.

The defendant was told of the offence and taken with the discovered drugs to Police

headquarters where the suspected cocaine was weighed. Whilst being cautioned, he told the officers that he conspired with others to do the shipment. He was subsequently charged for the said offence.

Prosecutor Jeffers noted that the street value of the narcotic amounted to $13.5M and he was consequently fined three times the amount.

Cummings then told the court, “Your Worship I am very sorry for what I did. I only did it because my mother sick bad bad, bad and me ain’t really got no sort of money fuh look after she. Is me alone the burden deh pun. I try a thing but unfortunately I didn’t succeed. I am sorry.”

11 maternal deaths ...

From page 14 outcome would be that no woman die during the period of pregnancy or even childbirth, such a goal may be classified as near impossible, according to Dr Persaud.

Nonetheless, he insists that astute efforts are being made

by the Ministry of Health to not only monitor the situation of maternal and child mortality but also to reduce such incidents by providing better quality care.

According to him, there is no eluding the fact that there are some risks involved in the child bearing scenario, especially given the change of the social demographic whereby more women are now opting to be educated and delay becoming pregnant. This development has resulted in an annual five to 10 per cent increase of older mothers.

A notable challenge in the older mothers, Dr Persaud disclosed, is that of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension that could develop. This however does not change the fact that there are at times equal, if not greater challenges, faced by younger mothers.

“Even though we have seen a considerable amount of teenage pregnancy over the last five years, we do still have young mothers below 19 and even below 16 that become pregnant and fall in the high-risk group,” disclosed Dr Persaud.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Guyana’s unique tourism Guyana-born D.C. man charged product to be highlighted at for beating four year old to death British Bird Watching Fair Guyana will once again be represented at the annual British Bird Watching Fair in Rutland, London which is slated for August 16th – August 18th, this year.

The Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh confirmed the country’s presence, disclosing that the Guyana team will comprise representatives from GTA, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Rupununi Trails, Wilderness Explorers, Dadanawa and the Guyana High Commission in London.

Specialist bird guide, Mr. Luke Johnson will also be on hand to answer pertinent questions.

With over 860 bird species found in the destination, Guyana has over the years evolved into a bird watcher’s paradise, and the increase in interest to sell the destination is as a direct result of market driven strategies focusing on bird watching as a niche market.

After the fair, a seminar titled ‘Guyana Summer Evening’ will be staged to attract the international press and tour operators. This event will feature presentations being made by members of the Guyana delegation.

In recent years, Guyana

has been ranked by numerous tour companies, international travel publications and given very good branding and endorsements.

The destination was labeled “God’s Garden”, a Birder’s Paradise, and branded as the hottest new neo-tropical birding destination. Guyana was also listed as one of the top 20 places to visit and in the top 100 adventure destinations of a lifetime.

According to Haralsingh, with over 10 years of exposure at the BBWF, the largest bird fair in the world, Guyana will be presented in a more magnified way, adding to its credence as a birding hotspot.

Birds of Essequibo- a Checklist, will also be displayed at the event.

This publication is an integral part of the development of the Essequibo Tourism Circuit, which is a project that seeks to highlight the tourism potential of Essequibo.

Through the study done by the Guyana Amazon Tropical Bird Society (GATBS), a number of locations, which already house interior lodges and resorts, were found to be homes for a number of much sought after bird species, making Essequibo a hotspot for birding activities.

National Economic forum convened to ...

From page 3 re-think the project and support it, even as he called for a national policy as it relates to the development of land and energy in Guyana.

Minister with responsibility for the Industry and Commerce Sectors in Guyana, Irfaan Ali, indicated to the forum that the two-day meeting was not the beginning of the process given that working groups had been meeting for months hammering out the agenda to be dealt with.

This he said resulted in the thematic areas that the forum has been tasked with addressing.

The forum was yesterday

presented with some of the core issues dealt with by the working groups in recent weeks and were given a number of recommendations.

These recommendations will be further discussed and fine-tuned today when the stakeholders convene the breakout sessions after which a report will be submitted to the President for Cabinet approval and subsequent implementation.

Alluding to additional features of Guyana’s participation this year, the GTA Director revealed that for the first time, the country will be promoting BUTTERFLY SPOTTING, which he said will add to the appeal of the destination.

“For the very first time, we will be showcasing, along with the opportunity for bird watching, Guyana’s potential for butterfly watching,” Mr. Haralsingh added.

To boost this potential, the GTA will also be promoting the publication, “An introduction to Butterflies of the Iwokrama Forest and Communities of the North Rupununi District”.

The GTA/ THAG booth number 86 will be located in Marquee 4, in the Travel/ Tourism category.

As to the importance of continued participation in this event, the GTA Director said, “This platform provides the perfect opportunity for networking, for the promotion of Guyana and for the generating of important feedback that will lead to the development of this important niche market.”

This year’s Bird Fair is expected to be bigger and better than ever. As the event is in its 25th Anniversary year, there will be hundreds of stands selling the latest products for wildlife enthusiasts, from scopes to sculptures, binoculars to bird food, e-Guides to ecoholidays.

The event also attracts the who’s who in the birdwatching industry.

Described as the birdwatcher’s Glastonbury, The British Birdwatching Fair is jointly organised by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB and encompasses the whole spectrum of the bird watching industry whilst at the same time supporting global bird conservation.

Washington, US (Washington Post) - A man upset when the four-yearold boy he was babysitting rode his scooter on the wrong side of the street, was charged Wednesday with beating the child, and police say he then went outside his Northeast Washington apartment to s e l l m a r i j u a n a as the youngster died.

D.C. police made the allegation in court documents that charge Peter Ignatius Hendy III, 33, with felony murder in the death of his girlfriend’s child, Kamari Zavon Taylor.

According to the documents, the suspect, said to be born in Guyana, told detectives that Kamari was a “smart-mouth kid.”

A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered Hendy detained until an Aug. 30 preliminary hearing. His attorney with the D.C. Public Defender Service did not return a call seeking comment.

The boy’s mother was not identified in court documents, and attempts to reach her were unsuccessful. On Tuesday, a police officer guarded the second-floor apartment, which had been sealed by authorities, in the 5600 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue.

Neighbours declined to comment.

The charges offered new details in the case, which had been a mystery since Kamari’s body was found about 2 p.m.

Monday, when police said the suspect called 911.

By then, according to the court documents, the boy had been badly injured for some time.

Police said in the court papers that the boy’s mother took Kamari to the apartment on Sunday and that she did

Killed: Kamari Zavon Taylor not notice any bruises when the child bathed that night.

She did note that he appeared congested.

She left for work on Monday, police said, leaving Kamari with Hendy. Police said Hendy called her at work several times to report that he had disciplined Kamari for riding on the wrong side of the street. Police said he told her that he had hit the child.

Hendy told police that when he scolded the youth, Kamari told him, “I don’t have to listen to you — you’re not my daddy.”

Hendy said he then punched the child twice in the abdomen, according to the court documents. Police said the suspect told the child, “Now you’re going to listen to me.”

Police said the child rode off on his scooter again and

returned 45 minutes later, sweating profusely and shaking.

Hendy told police that he brought him inside, gave him water and put him in bed.

“Hendy admitted that he then went outside to sell marijuana,” the charging documents say.

He returned about an hour later, and the boy had a “blank look” and “looked spent,” the court papers say.

Hendy also later told police that he noticed pronounced bruising on the boy’s abdomen.

Still, police said, he went back outside to sell more marijuana, returning after another hour to find the child unresponsive. Police said he then called 911.

Kamari was pronounced dead at Children’s National Medical Center.

Page 22

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Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Ex-Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. sentenced to 30 months in prison WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - Former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., once one of the most promising black politicians in the United States, was sentenced yesterday to 2-1/2 years in prison for misuse of campaign funds.

Jackson, a former Democratic representative and the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., apologized before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him yesterday.

Jackson, 48, had pleaded guilty in February to misusing about $750,000 in campaign funds on luxuries such as fur capes, celebrity memorabilia, mounted elk heads and a Rolex watch.

“I misled the American people,” Jackson said at the hearing. “I also want to apologize to my dad and my mother,” Jackson said, wiping away tears. “I take responsibility for my actions and I’m very sorry for what I have done,” he said.

His wife, Sandi, a former Chicago city council member, was sentenced to one year for falsifying tax returns that failed to report the campaign money as income.

The couple has two children. Prosecutors have

recommended the sentences be served at different times to reduce the impact.

“I stand before you today asking for mercy,” Sandi Jackson said, adding that “my heart breaks every day with the pain it has caused my babies.”

Jackson Jr. asked on Monday that the judge recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that he serve his time at a federal prison in Montgomery, Alabama, because it would allow him to be nearer to his wife and children. The judge said yesterday she would make that recommendation.

Jackson Jr. served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned after re-election last year, citing health reasons.

Jackson Jr. also was sentenced to three years supervised release and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service. Sandi Jackson was given 12 months supervised release and 200 hours of community service.

U.S. prosecutors asked in June that two of the Jacksons’ houses, in Washington and Chicago, be subject to forfeiture, along with a bank account holding $80,000, as part of a $750,000 judgment.

Prosecutors asked in a filing this month that the forfeiture motion be delayed

VACANCY 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistant- Call:6889611/684-2838 Refrigeration, A/C Technician. Call 231-0655/ 683-8734 Vacancy exists for 1 Parts Sales Clerk: Sound Secondary education with knowledge in Japanese vehicles spare partsCall:231-7839

Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife Sandi arrive in court for their sentencing hearing in Washington, yesterday, Reuters/Kevin Lamarque. until October 25 since Jackson has said he is trying to pay off the judgment.

Most letter writers expressed outrage at the couple’s behavior and asked for the maximum punishment as a way to combat persistent corruption in Illinois and in Chicago’s Cook County.

Vacancy exists for able bodied male cleaners: Apply at Alabama Trading G/Town Stabroek.

(From page 22) WANTED PORTERS & HANDYMAN FOR WAREHOUSE. BUILDING MATERIAL DEPOT- TEL:231-8529

Furnished 2 bedrooms bottom flat @ Uitvlught Housing scheme, W.C.DCall:663-2882

Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad.

Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

Furnished house for rent, long and short term on Essequibo Coast- Call:6219380 House to rent in ‘CC’ EcclesCall:696-0573/642-2583/6847807 Subryanville- furnished US$1000, Turkeyen house US$1200, Farm 5 bedrooms, Lusignan, Carida Park sea side, Alberttown- bondCall:231-2199/626-4890

LAND FOR SALE 2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at Parika. Call 226-7968

PUBLIC ROAD BUSINESS PROPERTY, W.C.D, suitable for food/ liquor restaurant, supermarket etc.

Call:609-8132/672-8569 (Max)

House lot for sale: Friendship, D i a m o n d EBD & drafting of house plans. Call:223-0733, 2230730, 692-8513

Business property- upstairs 3 bedrooms, for Pharmacy, Hair Salon, Boutique, Baber Shop, Internet, Haberdashery- Call:223-9727/ 673-0373/665-0077

Parfaite Harmonie $1M & $1.2M- Call:675-7292

Cement mixer (Ransome)Call:681-5988/672-6000

Transported land 58’×30’ at Garnett and Republic streets- Call:601-6000 House lots 50’×118’ New Hope, E.B.D: Serious enquires only. No prices on phone- Call:266-2711/6094594 Kuru Kururu 20 acres farm house & creek, 18 acres with creek & 26 acres with creekCall:261-5500/643-1861

Machine Operator to work in Garment Factory- Call: 2222541 1 General domestic between ages 35-45 years & 1 housekeeper/ nanny to work evening hours, age 45 & over- Please call:663-4866 Workers for land dredgeTel: 694-2310 Sailors/ Welders- Call:6893846/227-2027 Receptionist, room attendant, bar attendants, washer & presser , cook & helper– Contact: Hick’s Ville Hotel @ 231-0951/231-0953 One Live in domesticCall:614-6053/600-6053

FOR RENT

SALON

WANTED One three bedrooms apartment anywhere around town- Call:617-7865

Contract cars to work in Taxi Service- call: 627-9424/ 2270638 Old Guyana Currencies $1,$5,$10 bills and stampsCall:653-5696 Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665 Driver, salesperson, male merchandiser & porter needed, bring resume ( include reference) & passport photo at Vegetarian Gardens - Tele: 227-7714 Skilled and semi skilled joiners- Call:220-4247 One experienced general domestic, must know to cook tasty Creole dishes.

Must be honest & trustworthy- Call:656-6388 Experienced male counter servers, waiters, cashiers, roti/ puri cooks & pastry makers: Apply @ Hacks Halaal 5 Commerce St. One live in nanny, preferably from country side- Call:697-3904 Carpenters and Labourers to work in the Georgetown areas: Carpenters $6000, Labourers $3,500- Contact 646-9087 Pastry chief, cook must have experience- Call:2231719 Waitress & cleaner: Apply in person @ Chilly’s Bar 7 public road, Ruimveldt

PEN PAL Female looking for unmarried male for serious relationship, age 44-45Call: 670-2498 (No texting)

Cooks, assistant cooks, waitresses and bartenders to work in Kitty areaCall:226-7084/ Cell:610-8269/ 623-9645

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

Diamond Nursery School drops scores of students Residents of Diamond Housing Scheme on the East Bank Demerara, are now demanding answers from the education sector after receiving news that their children have been denied admission into the community’s only nursery school.

It has been confirmed that the recently constructed Diamond Nursery School would open for the start of the new school year. As such, parents jumped at the opportunity to have their children enrolled in the nearby educational institution, which would ultimately cut transportation costs.

Previously, residents of the Diamond Housing Scheme were left with little or no alternatives other than to enroll their children at the nursery schools in nearby communities; since there was no such facility existing in the new housing scheme.

Contrary to their expectations however, several parents were on Tuesday informed that their children were no longer accepted into the new school.

The news comes weeks after the registration process had been completed at the new building in July, and after many had already sewn their children’s school uniforms in preparation for attendance at the institution.

According to one parent, who requested anonymity, telephone calls were made by the Regional Education

The newly built Diamond Nursery School

Office, notifying parents of a meeting at the Grove Nursery School on Tuesday last. The meeting served to inform the parents that the Diamond school can only accommodate 120 students and as such, scores of other applicants had to be rejected.

Additionally, the parents were told that the school was built for solely ‘first year’ nursery applicants but ‘second year’ applicants would be accepted on the basis that they were kin to a ‘first year’ student.

It was informed that the majority of rejected students were ‘second year’ applicants, however, ‘first year’

applicants were also rejected.

The Regional Educational Officer (REdO) was reportedly among those who had related the information at the meeting.

According to the parent, no one had been previously informed of the ‘cut off ’ number of students that the school can accommodate, until Tuesday.

Another parent, Susan Singh, recounted that the school had accepted approximately 200 students on the days of registration.

“Some apply for first year, some apply for second year.

The registration was done for everyone and we were given

sketches of the uniform.”

Singh, noting that she had no knowledge of the meeting that was called on Tuesday, said that she acquired her information through phone calls to the Regional Education Office on the East Coast of Demerara.

She said that upon calling the Education office to confirm the news, she was told that the Diamond Nursery School was not a government owned facility.

She said that the officer with whom she spoke informed her that the school was “a trust fund donated to the government.”

When the officer was

Sooba to appoint acting Mayor of ...

From page 19 nomination meeting is finalized.

While the Local Government Minister could not be reached for a comment, Region Four Chairman, Clement Corlette views the actions of the Acting Town Clerk as prohibited.

“She cannot nominate an Acting Mayor … the Mayor and Councilors are supposed to meet and nominate a presiding member of the Council”

The Town Clerk Ag also made mention of the recent protest activities conducted by vendors. Sooba held that the protest exercises were incited by Mayor Green and some Councilors within his political party.

“The people who were motivated to join the protest happen to be a few irate vendors. In fact, a mixture of irate illegal street vendors and thugs and other persons of that ilk…This was a protest that was not organised by the Council.”

As such, Sooba admitted that “these illegal actions” affected the work of the Town Clerk and staff of the Municipality.

“Our properties and our lives were at risk. We had to be ever so vigilant as to how we treated that situation. The protest also escalated to my home, candles were lit around my yard, mannequins, red flowers and all sorts of garbage dumped, while protestors hurled abuses at the Town Clerk Acting.”

Sooba believes that the protest stemmed from the lack of action on the part of the Local Government Ministry to support calls for her removal as Town Clerk (Ag).

The Council had expressed no confidence in Sooba as Town Clerk on several occasions.

According to Sooba, legal action will be taken against the Council on her behalf.

“While I don’t want give in depth detail of circumstances that caused this call for a no confidence motion against me. I will give a hint to the media because of legal implications and other actions that the Town Clerk

and the Ministry of Local Government will be taking.”

The Acting Town Clerk subsequently, cited demands that Mayor Green made on the Council to have taxes written off from his wife’s property, Jelante’s Pharmacy.

Sooba explained that the Council was forced to write off in excess of $ 9 million worth of taxes, which was owed by that enterprise.

“There is no provision in law that exists for such ….

The Mayor was advised that he is to cause his wife to pay up the taxes and it did not go down well…”

Sooba made mention of several other illegalities within the Council that lie at the foot for the protest and calls for her removal.

She however promised to work assiduously in maintaining law and order for the protection of the property, lives and well-being of the city.

Senior officers present at yesterday’s undertaking include Solid Waste Director (Ag) Walter Narine, Chief Constabulary Officer Andrew Foo and Deputy Town Clerk (Ag) Sharon Harry-Munroe.

asked what would become of the students that were rejected, she responded by saying that there was nothing that the office can do to resolve the matter. She added that if they were to admit any extra student beyond the capacity of the school, “the people would take back the school from the government.”

Singh said that she was told that there was no alternative but to send the children to the nursery

schools that they had previously attended.

Concerning the Diamond Nursery School uniforms that were already sewn, the parents were told that the children will be allowed to wear the uniform to the school they would now have to attend and that “the teachers will have to accept it.”

It is now an added wonder whether the neighbouring nursery schools will have the space to accommodate those students that have been refused.

The aggrieved parents are adamant that the situation is highly unethical. “We live here. We supposed to get first privilege for the school,” Singh, who lives merely a few yards from the school, stated.

“We know the school build for people in Diamond Housing Scheme, and it can’t be fair that you got to pay $400 passage to take your child to another school in another area when a school was built for people in this area. That is unfair!” she said.

“If they know the school build for first year children, they should tell the parents from the beginning rather than letting people go through all this,” another parent lamented.

Public health facilities must offer abortion ...

From page 14 authorized to perform abortion has not been reviewed in recent times, he added.

Last year Mother’s Day, members of Red Thread Women’s Organization protested the Ministry of Health for the lack of safe and affordable abortion services offered in Guyana.

During that protest, Sherlina Nageer explained to this publication that since there are too few medical practitioners authorized to perform this procedure, and none of them is working within the public sector, safe abortions are inaccessible by poor women, who, as a result, are forced to choose the least expensive way out, which mostly en t a i l s being operated upon by an unlicenced doctor working “off the record” in a “bottom house clinic”.

During an interview with Nageer yesterday, she revealed that Government is making small strides to train some doctors to perform medical termination of pregnancy. But she is concerned that women in the hinterland and rural communities who need free abortions would not have access to this service.

She said last week Red Thread supported a workshop held by the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) and Women on Wave, an international organization, for health workers on the medical termination of pregnancy.

According to Patricia Bisnauth of GRPA, the workshop was facilitated by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, who is the founder of Women on Wave.

She said GRPA has a policy of safe abortion and takes cognizance that the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act has been in place since 1995. Even with the Act in place many poor women die from botch abortions while women with money afford to have safe abortions, she added.

Bisnauth stated that many women after performing botch abortions would go to public hospitals for the “clean up” aspect and the need for this should not exist.

Bisnauth emphasized that GRPA is not advocating irresponsible abortions and sexual activities. The association wants women to have options and be educated about family planning and safe sex.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Chinese to buy Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall

A

sales team appointed to seek buyers for the Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall on the East Bank Demerara, is now wrapping up arrangement with a new prospective buyer-some Chinese nationals.

This is according to Keith Burrowes, who is acting on behalf of Government in overseeing the sale of the property, in collaboration with the original investors.

The incomplete building was being constructed as a hotel to accommodate visitors for the Cricket World Cup in 2007.

However its completion was set back by a number of years as the original investors apparently ran into financial difficulties.

The Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall has been on the market for about four years, with numerous persons and businesses expressing interests.

However, the sales team was unable to secure a buyer that was willing to pay the requested price. They were reportedly hoping to secure US$5M (G$1B) for the incomplete structure.

Withholding the actual amount now being offered for the hotel, Burrowes said the Chinese have placed the highest bid since the structure has been put on sale.

In March, Burrowes told Kaieteur News that the sales team was hoping to have the contract inked for the sale of

the hotel. However, that did not materialize and the sales team had considered taking that failed prospect to court.

Apparently, modifications were made to the building at the behest of the “potential buyer” at the expense of Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall.

According to Burrowes, negotiations have been completed between the Chinese and the sales team.

Amendments are currently being made to the contract, which is expected to be inked shortly.

He said the agreement is being done to benefit all parties involved, especially the proprietor.

Work on the hotel – originally slated as a US$3.5 million (G$700M) project – began in late January 2006, and was to have been completed by the end of the same year. At the time of the construction, the government facilitated $ 3 0 M f r o m t h e Consolidated Fund.

That money was turned over on the agreement that it was an advance payment for rooms, but with no business being conducted, the money will be repaid when the structure is sold.

Burrowes related that he is hopeful that the structure would finally be sold since there are no plans to invest further. He said to maintain the building is quite costly and from time to time persons would have to clean it. In addition, with irregular upkeep, the building has begun to deteriorate.

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Cacique Palace and Banquet Hall

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 15, 2013

CARICOM food import Barbadian students no longer to enjoy free university studies bill crosses US$2b yearly BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC - The Barbados government says it will no longer pay tuition fees for nationals studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Chris Sinckler in his 2013-14 budget presentation on Tuesday, said that effective 2014, Barbadian students purusing studies at the university’s three campuses will be required to pay their own tuition fees, while the government continues to fund economic costs.

Sinckler said the tuition fees range from BDS$5, 625 to BDS$65,000 (One Barbados dollar=US$0.50 cents) and that the new policy would reduce the transfer to UWI by an estimated BDS$42 million a year.

“The government of Barbados recognizes that access to education at all levels has been a key factor in the success of Barbados as a society and an economy,” Sinckler said, adding that the Freundel Stuart administration “remains committed to, and fully supportive of, the continued growth and development of UWI Cave Hill and increased access to tertiary education for Barbadians”.

He said in 2003/04 the Cave Hill Campus began a major expansion in terms of the numbers of students and the amenities offered.

“In 1999 for example, there were around 3,568 undergraduate students at the Cave Hill and by 2007 this number had increased to

around 6,718 and currently stands at around 7,200 students. The expansion has meant major increases in the government of Barbados’ contribution to UWI.” He said in 2007, the financial contribution of the Barbados government to the university was BDS$79.3 million, a figure that increased to BDS$120.5 million a year later.

“To put things in context, for the entire period 1999 to 2007 combined, the total contribution required from the government of Barbados to the Cave Hill Campus was $543.2 million, compared to the $636.3 million dollar contribution required for the 2008 to 2012 period. The reality is that the amount required in the last five years was $93 million greater than the previous nine years combined.”

Sinckler said the “stark reality” is that since 2006 the total contribution by the government to UWI has exceeded the combined contribution to all of the island’s nursery, primary, secondary schools as well as the Barbados Community College and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic.

“While remaining committed to providing continued access to university education, the government cannot simply continue to preside over a situation where the growth and development of the non-university component education system is severely retarded. The country needs to be able to build capacity at all levels of the education system.

Trinidad Guardian - More than US$2 billion is spent on the annual food import bill by Caricom countries, which have a combined population of only six million people.

Dr Richard Cox, capacity building officer of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, shared the statistic yesterday. “It is worth noting that Caricom itself produced the figures to show that our import food bill runs over US$2 billion every year,” he said. His comments were part of a capacitybuilding workshop on the NAP/IFS Alignment Process in the Caricom subregion.

“A place that has such great soil is importing $2 billion and more of food every year. What sort of food security are you talking about when you have such an import bill and the Englishspeaking Caribbean is about six million people?” Cox said this was significant and stakeholders must get involved in proper sustainable land management and finding solutions.

“If we appreciate that land degradation is really about achieving sustainable development and about the livelihood and the very future existence of some of the most economically vulnerable people on this planet, then we agree that increased land degradation will exacerbate poverty, create greater threat

UNCCD secretariat representative Dr Richard Cox chats with Minister of State in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ramona Ramdial at the opening ceremony of the sub-region capacity building workshop at Capital Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Tuesday.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON to food security resulting in greater social and economic dislocation,” he said.

The situation is “particularly acute” in Small island Developing States (SIDS). UNDP resident representative Richard Blewitt said like most SIDS, Caribbean countries faced challenges originating from their small size and geographical location, small economies, limited infrastructure, and high vulnerability to natural

disasters such as hurricanes.

The workshop, which concludes on August 15, is being held at the Capital Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain, by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, in collaboration with the UN. Minister in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ramona Ramdial said since 2010 to the present there had been a two per cent decrease in T&T’s estimated $4 billion annual food import bill.

Integrity Commission to probe corruption claim against minister Trinidad Express - The Integrity Commission yesterday disclosed that it has taken a decision to investigation corruption allegations made against a Government Minister, by interim leader of the Independent Liberal Party, Jack Warner.

In a press statement, the IC noted that it was acting in accordance with “Section 33 (a) of the Integrity in Public Life Act, the Integrity Commission may, on its own initiative, consider and inquire into any alleged breaches of the Act or any allegations of corrupt or dishonest conduct

...Commission acting on its own initiative, claim first raised

by Warner on election platform

by Persons in Public Life”.

The following is the IC’s full statement: The Integrity Commission of Trinidad and Tobago in the exercise of its mandate under Section 33 (a) of the Integrity in Public Life Act (IPLA), has taken a decision to initiate an investigation into allegations of corruption made by Mr. Jack Warner, M.P. against a Government Minister.

Mr. Warner, at a political campaign meeting on July 23, 2013, for the Chaguanas West Constituency, made statements alleging that a Government Minister had, “since becoming a Minister acquired six houses, one of which was received from a contractor in exchange for that contractor receiving a $

36 million contract.” It was also alleged that “a Minister of Government allegedly received a house from a businessman in exchange for the businessman having some of his properties rented by the Minister’s Ministry.”

In accordance with Section 33 (a) of the IPLA the Integrity Commission may, on its own initiative, consider and enquire into any alleged breaches of the Act or any allegations of corrupt or dishonest conduct by Persons In Public Life. The Commission has decided to pursue this matter.

The Commission intends to inform the public from time to time, when it has decided to carry out investigations on its own initiative.

Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

Letters... Where your views make the news

The AFC’s positions seem perfectly reasonable to me DEAR EDITOR, As a member of the Alliance For Change’s National Executive Committee, I wish to make a few comments regarding our party’s recent actions in the National Assembly.

Firstly, it is important to note that at no time was anything ever put before the National Assembly seeking its approval for the Amaila Falls Hydro Project in its entirety, and therefore no such approval could have been given at that forum.

Earlier in the year the AFC took the position that it would await the completion of the various IDB reports before deciding whether or not to approve this project.

This position was taken with respect to budgetary support for the project contained in the 2013 estimates.

The AFC voted not to approve the sums requested for Government equity in the project. This position never implied that in the interim we would block any supporting measures required to allow further developments to take place.

Nor did it imply that we would be throwing our weight behind any of these measures.

As it turned out, there were only two such measures put before the National Assembly and the AFC’s positions on both seem perfectly reasonable to me.

However, I believe that the events in the National

Assembly on July 18th may have led to some confusion as to where the party stood on each of these since our MPs ended up rejecting both.

I will not go into the details of why this occurred, but I’m sure most will agree that this was a messy day in parliament that no one can be proud of.

The fact of the matter is that the AFC had taken an earlier decision to support the amendments to the HydroElectric Power Act, since it was made clear to us by representatives of the IDB that they could not make final presentations to their Board of Directors unless certain environmental safeguards were incorporated into the licensing act.

The vote to support this on August 7th did not therefore constitute a shift in position, but a return to an original position that had been compromised by the July 18th fiasco in the National Assembly.

On the motion to raise the limit on Government’s guarantee of loans to public corporations to G$150Bn, the AFC’s position was to not support this since it had not been made sufficiently clear why it was necessary.

This position was later revised based on considerations that included

Government’s support for Local Government Bills (albeit amended). The AFC, however, proposed amendments to avoid any misuse of the new limit. The final resolution makes this guarantee specific to GPL’s obligations in respect of the project, and is reviewable within three months.

It also guarantees a significantly lower amount than was previously sought

by Government, an amount which according to former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran in an August 5th newspaper column, represents a “more realistic figure”.

The AFC’s vote by no means gives the government a “blank cheque”, as some have suggested, nor does it deviate from the original position to await IDB due diligence.

It should also be noted that what was achieved was the passage of Local Government legislation which the government has successfully managed to stall for over a decade, to the detriment of the people of this country.

This is a significant achievement that would never have occurred had the AFC not revised its position on the loan guarantee motion.

Dominic Gaskin

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Kaieteur News

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Thursday August 15, 2013

Kaieteur News

RBC/Bryden & Fernandes Seawall Bandstand Cycle Race now set for Sunday It should have come off a few weeks ago but had to be put off due to the unusual rainy season which has become unpredictable.

But organisers, Roraima Bikers Club (RBC) and sponsors Bryden & Fernandes, part of the John Fernandes Group of Companies, have disclosed that the inaugural 10-race Meet around the Seawall Bandstand will now come off this Sunday, August 18, 2013.

RBC would have also teamed up with the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) to bring off a Seawall Bandstand Meet (10th annual CARICOM Day Meet) and they have said that this is geared towards restoring spectator interest in the sport.

This event is expected to attract the best exponents of the sport in Guyana, the feature battle will be the 30-lap showdown, dubbed the Bryden & Fernandes Classic which will see the top six

being rewarded, and first prize is $10,000.

Other races set for Sunday include the 12-14 Juveniles (3 laps), Junior/Category Four (5 laps), Category 1-3 (5 laps), Veteran Over-50 (5 laps), Veteran Under-50 (5 laps), Team Time Trials (4 laps), Win and Out (8 laps), Mountain Bike Open (5 laps) and Female Open (5 laps).

The first three riders to cross the line in the above races will all be rewarded.

Thursday August 15, 2012 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): Not much will happen until you decide to give up a few vices that have a serious effect on your well-being, Aries. Realize that if there are certain things that control you, you don't have complete control over your life. *************************** TAURUS (APR 20 MAY 20): This is a whirlwind day for you. You will finally feel like you're getting things back on track, Taurus. Any lag you've felt in the past few days will be eliminated. *************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 JUN 20): Try not to rock the boat too much today, Gemini. Hold fast to your point of view, but don't get down when other people don't share your sentiments. *************************** CANCER (JUN 21 JUL 22): Let the child within come out and play, Cancer. Return to and relish your most primal state.

Some of life's most important lessons are the ones you learned when you were a child.

LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): Your dander might be up today in reaction to someone's strong opinion.

You don't want to back down, Libra. The fire burns hot within you. Use this power wisely. Try not to use it in an aggressive, manner toward those you don't want to offend. *************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 NOV 21): Move boldly toward your dreams today, Scorpio. Your sense of reality may not be perfectly in tune with the actual situation, but don't worry about it. *************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 - DEC 21): There's extra action in your day today, Sagittarius, so go with it. Don't fight against the wave of unconventional support that's brewing at your back door. *************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): Today is a great day for you. You should communicate a lot, Capricorn.

Talk in riddles and say your sentences backward. Be fanciful and outlandish.

*************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Try not to be a stick in the mud today, Leo. Other people aren't going to want to take the time to drag you along. Take the initiative. If you want to have fun, create it.

*************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): Your emotions and fantasies are strongly tied today, Aquarius. Let your feelings revel in a surreal state. Let your daydreams filter into your decisions.

************************ VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): Be a little selfish, Virgo.

Be honest and straightforward with what you want. There's no need to beat around the bush simply because you want to spare someone's feelings.

*************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): You should enjoy a good mood today, so head toward something you believe in, Pisces. There will most certainly be a magical element to this day that you should not only believe in but also encourage.

Page 31

Digicel Senior Caribbean Squash Championship

Guyana, Jamaica win opening Team matches The Digicel 2013 Senior Caribbean Squash Championships powered by POWERADE and SMALTA continued with the commencement of the team event yesterday at the Georgetown Club squash courts.

Men’s team matches commenced at 9:00am with Guyana taking on the OECS and Jamaica matched against Barbados. Both teams recorded victories to be on course for honours. Guyana rolled over the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) 5-0.

Results: Guyana beat OECS 5 - 0 Richard Chin beat Jules Snagg 11-5,11-4,11-8 Alex Arjoon beat Kevin Hannaway 11-8,12-10,11-6 Kristian Jeffrey beat Kevin Bailey 11-6,11-9,11-6 Jamaal Callender beat Jason Doyle 11-6,11-2,11-6 Jason Ray Khalil beat Dion Anselm 11-9,11-6,11-5 Jamaica beat Barbados 5 0 Chris Binnie beat Gavin Cumberbatch 11-5,11-3,11-8 Dane Schwier beat Bryant Cumberbatch 11-5,6 -11,811,11-1,11-2 Bruce Burrowes beat Shawn Simpson 11-3,11-5,113 Bruce levy beat Zaki Williams 12-10,11-9,11-6 Julian Morrison beat Rhett Cumberbatch 11-8,117,9-11,15-13

The veterans team competition started at 1:00pm yesterday with home team Guyana matched up against the OECS. The Guyana team suffered a surprising loss with wins only from Brendon Mounter Vets 50+ and Jillian Griffith Lilico Vets 40+.

Results: Garfield Wiltshire lost to James Bentick 7-11,9-11,119,8-11 Dennis Dias lost to Winston Findley 7-11,11-6,911,9-11 Chauncey Lee lost to Sherian Slater 5-11,3-11,1-11 Brendon Mounter beat

Keith Boyea 11-7,11-4,11-5 Jillian Lilico beat Monique Lovell 8-11,11-6,11-9,11-8 The opening ceremony took place at 4:00pm yesterday followed by the second set of men’s team matches with Guyana taking on the Cayman Islands, Jamaica playing the OECS and Barbados playing Trinidad & Tobago.

At press time Guyana had beaten Cayman Islands 4 - 1, Jamaica beat OECS 4 - 1 and Trinidad & Tobago beat Barbados 4 - 1.

Matches continue at 9:00am today.

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Mohammad Asif admits spotfixing role and apologises BBC Sport - Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif has apologised for his involvement in a 2010 betting scandal after publicly accepting his guilt for the first time.

Asif was jailed in 2011 and banned for seven years, two suspended, for bowling deliberate no-balls for money during a Test against England at Lord’s. The 30-year-old fast bowler failed to have the ban overturned in June.

“I admit what I did was wrong and I am ashamed for bringing disgrace to my family and my country,” Asif said. “I apologise to the nation and the Pakistan Cricket Board. I feel sorry for what has happened. I deserved the punishment I got,” he told a news conference.

Asif and team-mate and former captain Salman Butt were jailed after being found guilty by a British criminal court of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. A third team-mate, fellow paceman Mohammad Amir, admitted the charges before the trial and was also jailed.

All three were also given bans from playing by the International Cricket Council

50km walk gold for Ireland’s Rob Heffernan

Mohammad Asif (Getty Images) (ICC). Asif served half of his 12-month sentence and was released in May 2012.

In April, Butt and Asif lost appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) to have their bans from cricket overturned and judges also rejected an appeal by Asif at London’s Court of Appeal in June.

Butt admitted his involvement in the scandal for the first time later that month.

Asif, who took 106 wickets in 23 tests before his career came to a halt, is the

last of the three to admit his guilt and says he now wants to work with the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to fight corruption in the game.

“I don’t know what is going to happen now that I have admitted everything.

But my conscience is clear now,” Asif added.

“I want to play a role now in at least warning the younger players of the pitfalls of corruption and fixing. I want to tell them don’t step into the path of corruption.”

Maria Sharapova loses first match under coach Jimmy Connors

Maria Sharapova (Getty Images) BBC Sport - World number three Maria Sharapova made 62 unforced errors as she lost her first match since hiring Jimmy Connors as her coach.

Sloane Stephens beat the former champion 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The 26-year-old was making her return to tennis seven weeks after her last match, a shock early Wimbledon defeat.

Connors tweeted: “Every good round starts with a bogey - not the start we wanted, so back to work

Thursday August 15, 2013

t o m o r r o w. ” A m e r i c a n Connors topped the world rankings from July 1974 to August 1977 during a career that saw him win five US Open titles, Wimbledon twice and the Australian Open. He coached compatriot Andy Roddick for two years until the pair split in 2008.

Sharapova parted with coach Thomas Hogstedt after losing to world number 131 Michelle Larcher de Brito in the second round at Wimbledon. A hip injury has kept the four-time Grand Slam champion off court since that defeat.

She enjoyed a first-round bye in Cincinnati but struggled to find any rhythm as she lost to world number 15 Stephens.

“I started the match off pretty well, but when you put yourself in a really good position you can’t let it go.

That’s what I did tonight,” she said.

“I didn’t continue what I was doing well for the first set and a half, and that hurt me.

“I stopped being patient.

I started making a lot more errors, especially off the first ball. Just errors that I shouldn’t make.”

Rob Heffernan won the 50km walk in Moscow to give Ireland their first World Athletics Championships gold in 18 years. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Rob Heffernan won the 50km walk in Moscow to give Ireland their first World Athletics Championships gold in 18 years.

The 35-year-old beat Russia’s Mikhail Ryzhov, 32, to claim his country’s thirdever world gold and first since Sonia O’Sullivan’s 5,000m win in 1995.

The Cork athlete’s time of three hours 37 minutes and 56 seconds was the world’s fastest this year.

“It’s hard to take it all in at the moment. I’m delighted,” he said.

“I wanted to go to Moscow and take on the Russians in Moscow and that’s what I did.

I’m very proud that an Irish man can come to Russia and beat them in walking. “It’s surreal, it’s just a great feeling,” added father-of-two Heffernan, who was embraced after the race by his wife Marian,

who represented Ireland in the 4x400m relay at last year’s Olympics. “When I came into the stadium it just felt like an out-of-body experience.”

Heffernan, who finished fourth at London 2012, produced his fastest 5km between the 35-40km mark and never looked in danger of being caught as he clinched his first medal at a major championships.

He was with the leading pack at the halfway point and pulled clear of Ryzhov (3:38:58) at 40km, winning by 62 seconds, with Australia’s two-time Olympic silver m e d a l l i s t J a r e d Ta l l e nt (3:40:03) taking bronze.

However Heffernan was close to missing out when he was issued with a second yellow card warning in the closing stages, one away from disqualification.

His winning time was two seconds slower than his personal best set at the

London Olympics.

Heffernan had to withdraw from the 2011 World Championships in Daegu after the sudden death of his mother.

That was a year after his fourth places in both the 20K and 50K events at the European Championships in Barcelona.

Eamonn Coghlan won 5,000m gold for Ireland in t h e i n a u g u r a l Wo r l d Championships in Helsinki in 1983, before O’Sullivan won the 5,000m in Gothenburg 18 years ago.

I r e l a n d ’s l a s t t w o m e d a l s a t t h e Wo r l d Championships - silvers for Gillian O’Sullivan and Olive Loughnane, in Paris in 2003 and Berlin in 2009 respectively - have also come in race-walking.

Heffernan’s team-mate Brendan Boyce finished 25th in Wednesday’s race in a new personal best of 3:54:24.

Bolt photo worth ‘millions’ to marketers From page 37 at the Toronto Sun, reasoned that “images are only worth how much one is willing to pay”.

While he rates it as a “nice photo”, advertisers can create the perfect world for the shot through graphics, White said.

“Gatorade could redo it themselves,” he noted.

White added that the photo may be more valuable to a market that appreciates art in its purest form, such as newspapers. It was a point supported by Schmidt.

“Digicel could get the value out of him without the photo,” Schmidt suggested. “For instance, I could get a shot of him and put a lightning bolt on a track.” In an article in the The Guardian, under the headline “Usain and the lightning bolt - the story behind the photograph”, the photographer downplayed the significance of the shot.

“It’s of course the lightning that makes the photo, because we’re talking about Usain Bolt here. Without the flash in the sky, it wouldn’t

really be anything that special. I knew it was a good shot, but I didn’t anticipate the amount of reaction it would get,” the AFP’s Olivier Morin told The Guardian.

“This was, I think, a oncein-a-lifetime moment. In my 25 years as a photographer, I’ve never had an uncontrollable external element make a photo like this, and I imagine if I tried again for a similar result for the next 50 years, it wouldn’t happen again. So, I only really give myself credit for one per cent of this picture.”

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8th C’bean Regional pre-Cadet Table Tennis C\Ships ‘I’d have jumped at the chance to play T20 cricket’ - Haynes Guyanese Clarkston takes

Girls U-11 Singles Gold

ESPNCricinfo - Desmond Haynes, the former West Indies opener, has thrown his full support behind the Twenty20 bandwagon permeating throughout cricket today. Haynes, who once held the world record for the most ODI runs (8648), is currently coaching the Barbados Tridents in the first edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

He highlighted the tournament as a case study of success.

“People focus too much on the cons and negatives but how many people look at the positives (of T20s)? This needs to come out more,” Haynes said. “If I had T20 cricket to play in my day, I’d have jumped at it. Do you know how hard it was to earn a living back in my day? You had to travel all over the world to earn a living outside the international game. A lot of cricketers didn’t get the chance to see their families often and to see their kids grow up. T20 offers the financial means to ply your trade and make a living, especially for younger players.”

Haynes spoke about worldwide T20 tournaments that are refurbishing grounds, adding infrastructure such as pitches, cricket academies and training clinics. He also mentioned the protracted benefits of this renaissance within contemporary limited overs.

“While young players train for ODIs and Tests, they get the chance to play in T20 tournaments and land sponsors, money for tools and gears...and the stability for their futures, on and off the field,” Haynes said. “T20 helps settle a player’s career in ways we, the old guard, never experienced.”

Haynes cautioned that there would continue to be conflicts with players, T20 windows, international clearances from respective

boards, and much more issues that would arise as the cricketing fraternity is still adapting to embrace this format of the game.

He said that a balance needs to be struck to allow all formats of the game to exist.

Currently overseeing the table leaders Barbados, he stipulated that aspiring international batsmen needed to hone their craft to play all versions, and not be pigeonholed into one aspect of the game. Haynes spoke highly on the influx of sponsors, revenues and the boosts to the marketing, advertising and corporate industries of the sporting landscape.

“Seasoned veterans like myself, Andy (Roberts), Gordon (Greenidge) and

(Curtly) Ambrose also get to coach in something like the CPL and help develop the game with the youngsters. It’s a great opportunity to get old players, young ones and international players mingling and learning from each other.

“Everyone, or most people, love T20. You’ve got to have the passion back in the stands and crowds at the games. Look at how things are happening here in the Caribbean again. People are flocking to back their franchises. Everyone’s backing each other, no matter where you’re from. It adds unity to the Caribbean and it’s doing us a lot of good. This is a great thing for Windies cricket. The atmosphere with the fans and supporters show this right now.”

Jamaica Observer MOSCOW, Russia — After taking a well-earned day off on Monday, after winning his second IAAF World Championships 100-metre gold medal on Sunday, double world record holder Usain Bolt will continue his preparation to defend his 200metre title yesterday.

Bolt, the winner of the events at the two previous World Championships in Berlin, Germany, in 2009, and Daegu, South, Korea, in 2011, is seeking to create even more history by

becoming the first man to win three straight 200m titles.

Currently, he is tied with American Calvin Smith, who won back-to-back titles in 1983 and 1987, as the only men to repeat as champions.

Dennis Gordon, the Jamaican media liaison officer, told the Jamaica Observer that Bolt was scheduled to get back on the track as he prepares for the start of the 200m tomorrow morning.

Bolt ran a season’s best 9.77 seconds to win the 100m

in steady rain inside the Luzhniki Stadium, beating American Justin Gatlin, while Jamaica’s Nesta Carter took the bronze for his first major outdoor individual medal after winning silver i n t h e I A A F Wo r l d Indoors in Turkey last year.

Bolt told journalists after Sunday’s race that h i s l e g s h a d f e l t s ore after the semi-finals and as a result he had not pressed too hard in the final, just doing enough to win and then get ready for the 200m.

Locals capture 26 medals; T&T are overall champs

Guyanese duo of the Selinas Jackman and Neveah Clarkston (right) battle in the Girls U11 singles final.

Desmond Haynes believes the emergence of Twenty20 will only be good for the game, both on and off the pitch © Getty Images

Bolt back to training

By Zaheer Mohamed Guyanese Naveah Clarkston captured Gold in the Girls U-11 singles category when the Caribbean Region pre-Cadet Table Tennis (CRTTF) championships ended last evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Clarkston defeated fellow Guyanese Selinas Jackman (silver) 11-8,11-9,11-5 in the final. Both players recorded convincing wins in the respective semifinal games.

Clarkston overcame another Guyanese Abigail Martin who took bronze 10-12,117,11-7,11-4, while Jackman hammered Ackayla Lucas of Trinidad and Tobago 1311,11-3,11-8.

Jackman and Clarkston drew the bye to the semis. In the other two quarterfinal games, Martin defeated Shurjah Welch (T&T) 3-1 and Lucas overcame Mikayla Mathilda (Aruba (3-0).

The boys U-11 Singles final was won by Messiah Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago who came back from two sets down to beat fellow Trinidadian Brandon Lee Young 7-11,9-11,12-10,117,11-9. Walcott overcame Guyanese Tyriq Saunders 119,9-11,11-8,13-11 while Lee Young defeated Niron Bissu of Guyana 11-3,11-4,11-4 in the semis.

Walcott beat Terence Raush (GUY) 3-2, Lee Young defeated Ronico Sealy (BAR) 3-0, Saunders overcame Darron Douglas (T&T) 3-2 and Bissu quarterfinal match against Asaba Moore (BAR) ended 2-0 in favour of Bissu after the latter forfeited the game due to an injury.

Jasher De Gannes of the twin island republic earned a hard fought victory over Idelsa Beaz of the Dominican

Republic 13-1,11-9,11-7 to take the Girls U-13 Singles title. De Gannes got the better of Chelsea Fong 11-6,11-7,911,10-12,11-4 in the first semi while Beaz took care of Kristie Lopes (GUY) 11-7,11-7,11-4 in the second.

De Gannes beat Rayj Thomas (T&T) 3-0, Fong trounced Jazel Griffith (BAR) 30, Beaz routed Priyanna Ramdhani (GUY) 3-0 and Lopes crushed Shanekah Johnson (T&T) 3-0 in the quarters.

Marcus Smith of Barbados turned back the challenge of Jesus Lozano (Dom. Rep.) 511,11-10,11-2,7-11,11-6 to capture gold in the Boys U-13 division.

Smith triumphed 11-7,12-10,11-5 over Guyanese Miguel Wong, while Lozano nailed Brandon Beharry (T and T) 11-5,11-1,11-4 in their respective semifinal games.

In the quarterfinals Smith beat Jakeem Welch (T&T) 3-1, Jackman lost 3-1 against Beharry, Lozano overcame Joshua Maxwell (T and T) 3-0 and Wong defeated Khalil Ninvalle (GUY) 3-0.

Trinidad and Tobago were crowned overall champions with a haul of eight gold, four silver and six bronze. Guyana took the runner up spot with six gold, seven silver and thirteen bronze. Barbados placed third with one gold, one silver and eight bronze.

Dominican Republic captured two gold and three silver, while Aruba grabbed one silver and five bronze.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Director of Sport Neil Kumar complimented the Guyana Table Tennis Association for hosting a highly successful tournament. He commended the parents for their presence and urged the players to continue training hard so that they can become national,

Caribbean and International champions. He stated that the ministry has budgeted over fifty million Guyana dollars for a table tennis academy.

Kumar also thanked the media for their coverage.

Technical Director of the CRTFF, Bob Rupnarine, urged the players to stay focused with the sport while the president of the CRTTF Juan Villa said that the future of the table tennis in the Caribbean looks good and congratulated the participating countries for the high level of tennis that was played and thanked the sponsors.

In an invited comment head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team Dexter Abbott said the victory is a reward for the hard they put in. He stated that the sport is developing in the twin island republic, but until they can get a venue for tennis then they can lift its standard. Abbott stated that De Gannes created history by becoming the first junior player to make the country senior national team.

The competition was sponsored by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Wartsila Operations Guyana Inc, P and P Insurance Brokers, Grace Kennedy Remittance Services, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry ltd, Banks DIH, S A Nabi Inc, Kings Jewellery World, Vegetarian Gardens Inc, H A Snacks, Noble House Sea Foods, Toucan Industries, Kayman Sankar, Bakewell Guyana, Courts Guyana Ltd,Silvie’sGeneralStore,DeSinco Trading,HJTV,NCN,KaieteurNews, Guyana Chronicle, Guyana Times, Stabroek News, Bounty Farms Ltd, Jai Signs and Designs, DD Signs, National Sports Commission, CARICOM’s Secretariat, Guyana Tourism Authority, Guyana Red Cross and Caribbean Containers Inc.

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Defending Squash champs retain individual titles Even though it was done in contrasting styles, both defending champions Jamaica’s Chris Binnie and Guyana’s Nicolette Fernandes successfully retained their individual titles as the Singles competition in the 2013 Digicel Senior Caribbean Championships powered by Powerade and Smalta ended on Tuesday evening, at the Georgetown Club.

In the Men’s final, Caribbean No.1 player Binnie was taken to five sets by a determined Sunil Seth of Guyana, before prevailing 811, 11-7, 11-4, 8-11 and 11-8 in an entertaining encounter, while another Caribbean No.1 player, Fernandes, produced a high quality performance to dispatch old rival Barbados’ Karen Meakins in straight sets 11-6, 11-2 and 11-5.

Binnie, who is ranked at 119th in the world and who recently registered an impressive win over world number 66th ranked Harinder

Pal Sandhu of India 12-10, 118 and 12-8 at the World Games in Cali, Colombia had to dig deep to fend off Australiabased Seth.

In the opening stanza, Seth urged on by a partisan band of supporters played some exquisite shots to keep the usually efficient Binnie scrambling to retrieve.

He mixed some powerful forehands with deft volleys and well disguised drop shots on the frontcourt that seemed to frustrate the regional No.1, before wrapping up the set.

Binnie needing to level the proceedings and not let the confident Seth get away, raced to a handy lead in the second set through some wonderfully placed forehand shots that Seth found difficult to return and he tied the contest at 1-1.

Once again Binnie, who seemed to have found his range and confidence marched to a 6-2 advantage in the third set and never

allowed Seth to recover to take a 2-1 lead.

Seth once again urged on by the Guyanese supporters responded immediately as he produced a string of delicately placed shots interspersed with some booming forehands took the fourth to set up the decider.

Both players entered the arena to the applause of the large crowd and proceeded to treat the fans to a fine exhibition of Squash as they traded powerful forehands that had each combatant scattering to the backcourt to return and that was followed by some cheeky chips and slices that landed deep on the frontcourt.

In the end, Binnie’s superior array of strokes and court coverage proved pivotal and he was able to successfully defend his title.

The Ladies affair was totally different as Fernandes never allowed longtime rival Meakins the opportunity to put up a fight.

The two battled closely in the first half of the opening set, before Fernandes pulled away for a decisive one set lead.

The world No. 28 was in no mood to entertain a close match and she delivered some telling forehand shots that Meakins had no answer for and pulled away once more for an easy win and to go 2-0 up in the best of five rubber.

The third set brought no reprieve for the Barbadian as Fernandes’ merciless forhands and clinical drop volleys proved too much for Meakins to handle as she meekly surrendered to the superior Fernandes to give her a third consecutive crown at the regional event.

Speaking after the win, Fernandes, who will leave shortly to compete in the Malaysian Open, said that even though she mamaged to pull off a relatively easy victory, “it is never a walk in the park,” because it is all

about winning 33 points.

The local and regional queen in the sport admitted that playing at home is something she enjoys, especially with all the support that she receives and it really motivates her.

Asked whether the win is a good build up for the team championship, Fernandes said it will help, adding that she firmly belives that Guyana have a very good chance of taking the title, judging from the form of the other Guyanese girls.

“The girls are in pretty good shape and form as the results would have shown,” the reigning champion noted.

Meakins speaking about the loss admitted that even before she entered the match she knew it would have been extremely difficult to beat Fernandes, especially judging from the way she was hitting the ball in the earlier rounds.

Quizzed on whether she anticipated such a resounding performance from

Fernandes, she responded by saying that ‘it was totally expected’.

She, however, felt that in the team competition it was most likely be decided between Barbados and Guyana.

Binnie in his remarks said he was very happy to scrape a win, while confessing that it was a very tough match.

“I try to be 100% ready for every game, but this was the first time that I played him so I knew very little about him and he played a fantastic match,” Binnie told this newspaper.

Binnie asid he was looking forward to the team competition and was hoping that Jamaica could do well.

Seth, who was representing Guyana for the first time, said he fought hard and tried to play the best he can, but conceded that Binnie is an excellent player and difficult to beat.

The team competition was expected to commence last evening, at the same venue.

MCY&S\NSC holiday swim programme concludes

Minister Anthony urges parents to focus on child’s all-round development

By Zaheer Mohamed Minister of Culture Youth and Sports Dr. Frank Anthony, advised that parents should not only pay attention on their children academics, but must also focus on their all-round development. Anthony was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport\ National Sports Commission holiday swimming programme yesterday at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

“Many parents only focus on their children academics and take it for granted that they will develop in other areas, but they must also pay attention to their children development in sports,” added Anthony.

He stated that the programme will continue and other children can join. “We feel that every child once given the opportunity can do well, but they must stay with the programme. I am happy to see so many turnouts and hope that it would have helped introduce children to swimming and sports,” he said.

The minister told the gathering that exercise is important since it promotes a healthy lifestyle which

Minister of Sports Dr. Frank Anthony speaks to the gathering at yesterday’s closing ceremony. reduces the risk of illness. He also encouraged the parents to get involved in one of their sports programmes and advised that participants give back to their community.

Anthony stressed the need for more coaches and life guards in order to expand the programme. He informed that the ministry is willing to train, certify and employ coaches.

“We want more people to use the swimming pool so that our swimmers can compete with anybody around the world.

The pool is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean so we have the facility to produce champions.”

He indicated that they will install another pool at the location shortly which will be

used for warming up and competition. He stated the ministry will sign a contract with a local company to build the foundation for the said pool which will be imported from Italy.

In an invited comment coach Isabel Maria Cousa Fals from Cuba said that the students benefitted tremendously from the course and that there is lots of talent in Guyana.

Director of Sports Neil Kumar thanked the parents for supporting their children and urged them to continue so that they can go on to represent their school and country.

Administrator of the National Aquatic Centre

The participants and their parents at yesterday’s ceremony.

Abraham Watson said the programme, which started on July 8 concluded on August 12, was conducted at Colgrain Swimming Pool with 138 participants between the ages of 6-16.

He stated that of the 138 registered 91 never swam and this has been that biggest summer programme in the history of the NSC. Among some of the areas covered were Introduction to the w a t e r, l a n d a n d w a t e r exercise, losing fear for the p o o l , e n t ering the head, breathing above and under water and kicking and strokes formation.

Watson informed that the

programme was highly successful taking into consideration that there were no major accidents.

He stated that twenty six children were shortlisted by

the Cuban for further training at the Colgrain pool with the help of two coaching assistants and this will last for three months after which an evaluation will be done.

Tigers AGM set for Sunday BK Western Tigers Football Club will hold its biannual general meeting this Sunday, August 18th, at the BACIF Sports Club, West Ruimveldt from 10:00hrs. According to a release from the Club, the positions that will be contested include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary/Treasurer. Office bearers will be elected for a term limit of two years each and only legitimate members of the club will be allowed to vote.

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Jamaica ready to take LCPL Spotlight CPL - KINGSTON, Jamaica – Action-starved fans in Jamaica will be treated to a scintillating package of cricket and entertainment over the next few days when the excitement-filled Limacol Caribbean Premier League takes flight at Sabina Park today.

The Jamaica leg of the inaugural regional tournament, which climaxes on Sunday, August 18th, is the latest chapter to be unveiled, following action in Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago in recent weeks.

Over the last week, preparations have gone into high gear at Sabina Park for the threematch programme, and Cricket Operations Officer O’Neil Cruickshank has given the assurance that all systems are go for the Jamaica leg.

“We have been preparing for this for a while now and we are confident of delivering what we expect to be a very successful leg of the Caribbean Premier League,” Cruickshank said.

“The tournament has been an overwhelming success so far and a huge hit with Caribbean fans, and we expect no different from the cricket-hungry Jamaica public who we expect to come out and support this event.”

He continued: “Unlike some other venues, Jamaica’s games will be played during the day hours but we’re appealing to Jamaican fans to

Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons will both hope to star for their respective teams. (CPL) come out and see the likes of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, and other international stars who will be on display.”

Host team Jamaica Tallawahs will raise the curtain on the Jamaica leg today when they

clash with Guyana Amazon Warriors at 2 pm at Sabina Park.

This will be followed by an intriguing doubleheader on Saturday, August 17th, when St Lucia Zouks and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel do battle at 10

Vice Mayor Davis declares Sachia Vickery Day Vice Mayor Alexandra Davis of Miramar, Florida in the United States of America, issued a City Proclamation declaring August 14, 2013 as “Sachia Vickery Day” yesterday, August 14 at the Miramar Youth Enrichment Center located at 7000 Miramar Parkway.

Miramar resident Sachia Vickery defeated No. 2 Allie Kiick, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, to win the girls’ 18s title in San Diego and earned her main-draw US Open spot. Sachia Vickery then teamed with Kiick to win the girls’ 18s doubles title, defeating top seeds and 2012 US Open girls’ doubles champions Taylor Townsend and Gabby Andrews earning them a spot in the US Open women’s doubles main draw as well.

Vice Mayor Davis stated that “Sachia’s accomplishments are reflective of the great athleticism contained in our City. Just as Geno Smith has made his mark in football I see Sachia doing the same in the

Sachia Vickery receives the plaque from Vice Mayor Alexandra Davis (right). (Davis Facebook page) world of tennis.”

Sachia Vickery received a proclamation from Vice Mayor Davis on behalf of the City of Miramar for her athletic achievements; she will be competing at the US Open in New York later this month.

Sachia Vickery, who is the daughter of Guyanese Paula Liverpool and Rawle Vickery,

is currently ranked No. 229 in the World’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings and has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the International Tennis Association (ITF) World Junior Rankings, aspires to become #1 in the world and will compete in the US Open over the next few weeks.

am, and Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents clash in the feature game at 2 pm.

The tournament will climax on Sunday when Tallawahs and Red Steel face off in an electrifying encounter at 2 pm.

In addition to cricket, fans will be treated to high quality entertainment from international reggae artiste Konshens, who will perform during Thursday’s game, and a performance from dancehall reggae star I-Octane, during Saturday’s schedule.

Event Director Rhonda Kelly said the fusion of cricket and entertainment was one of the hallmarks of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, and would be even more significant in a musically-rich culture such as Jamaica’s.

“Not only can fans see explosive batting from Chris Gayle and fine catches but they are also guaranteed high quality entertainment from two artistes who are class performers,” Kelly noted. “In the Limacol CPL it is always about the party because we always come to play.”

Fans can purchase tickets for matches from the Sabina Park ticket office, along with Digicel outlets downtown and at Knutsford Boulevard.

Tickets, however, will be available only at the Sabina Park office after Friday.

The Limacol Caribbean Premier League got underway two weeks ago in Barbados with a spectacular ceremony and is set to climax in Trinidad and Tobago with the semifinals on 22nd and 23rd August and the final on 24th August.

Boyce and Jefford Classic to be lifted by International athletes The Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic is set for this weekend. The inclusion of international athletes will indeed make the meet of a higher calibre, that’s according to organisers.

The action gets going from Saturday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, and then moves to Mackenzie Sports Club ground, Linden, the following day for its climax.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Mark London and Tonya Nero are expected to make an appearance in the middle distance events.

London, a three-time Carifta 800m gold medalist, has a personal best time of 1:50.54s and is expected to give the Guyanese athletes a stiff run.

Matching up with the talented T&T athlete, who ran a season best of 1:50.98s, from Guyana will be ALBA silver medalist Wayne Harlequin, who has a personal best of 1:50s and a season best of 1:54.78s.

Cleveland Thomas, who has a season best of 1:55.66s, is also expected to compete in the event along with Police’s Dennis Horatio and Guyana’s distance king Cleveland Forde.

The 800m is billed to be one of the marquee events of the meet especially since Forde is seen as unbeatable in Guyana, while Harlequin has always been touted as one of the best talents in the event.

Thomas’ hard work and Horatio’s gift of performing when it matters most, make the race the one to watch on Sunday.

Harlequin and Thomas will

look to attack from the start, while Forde and Horatio, who are more strategic, will look to evaluate the race during the vent.

However, the unknown is definitely the Trinidadian but based on his times, it certainly seems as though the three-time Carifta gold medalist will not play around especially on foreign soil.

Meanwhile, T&T’s Tonya Nero will look to hit the ground running in the women’s 1500m that will feature Guyana’s threetime Carifta 1500m gold medalist Jevina Straker and Linden’s own Cassey George as a guest athlete; she is also the Carifta 1500m gold medalist.

Straker, known for running from behind, almost dampened the return of Linden’s own Marian Burnett at last year’s edition of the event when she came from behind to finish second.

However, with George’s form at the moment, having run 4:36.37s earlier this year at Carifta, one wonders how Straker’s strategy will work against the Lindener, who has run the faster times for the year. Factoring Trinidad’s Nero into the mix and you have a showstealing event because of her personal best time of 4:22.74s.

Grenada’s Kenisha Pascal is also expected to compete in the same race. The sprint events already expected to be highly competitive, especially over 400m.

The winners of the international events will receive $50,000 (US $250).

Cameron Jerome fined £50,000 for breaking betting rules BBC Sport - Stoke’s Cameron Jerome has been fined £50,000 for breaking Football Association betting rules.

The striker, 27, admitted repeatedly breaching the regulations. But the charge is not related to match fixing or betting on games he was involved in and he has the right to appeal against the sanction.

“Cameron Jerome has been fined £50,000, subject to any appeal, following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing,” the FA said in a statement.

“Jerome, who was also severely warned as to his future conduct, admitted a number of breaches of the FA’s Betting Rules and requested a personal hearing which took place on Tuesday 13 August 2013.”

Cameron Jerome (PA)

Accrington Stanley managing director Robert Heys also admitted breaking betting rules earlier this month and is to have a hearing at the FA. In June, Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend

missed playing for England Under-21s in the European Championship after he was was fined £18,000 and banned for four months, three of those months suspended, for a breach of betting regulations.

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Thursday August 15, 2013

The defeat was ‘gutting’ - Warner ESPNcricinfo - David Warner has described Australia’s defeat at Chesterle-Street as “gutting” given their strong position at tea on the fourth day and said the batsmen needed to look to Chris Rogers for an example of how to work in challenging conditions. Warner and Rogers put on 109 for the opening partnership in Australia’s chase of 299 but once that stand was broken, the wickets all tumbled for 115 runs.

Warner played a mature innings of 71, mixing patience with considered stroke-making, but when he was caught behind off Tim Bresnan to leave the score at 168 for 3, the Australians collapsed. Warner said the feeling in the dressing room was one of disbelief as Stuart Broad ran through the batting line-up and a target that had looked gettable suddenly began to appear out of reach for the Australians.

“It was gutting,” Warner said. “I went to have a shower. It took me half an hour to get over my dismissal. When I came out we had lost three quick wickets.

I still can’t believe it happened so fast and it finished [on Monday]. I just thought if we hung in there and got through that tough period of Broad’s spell we could have come back and finished it off by lunchtime [Tuesday], but we lost. It’s our fault, the batters.

“We were just talking about it just before, what goes through our minds when we

David Warner: “I went to have a shower.

It took me half an hour to get over my dismissal” © PA Photos walk out there and how rowdy the crowd was. It does help having the home [crowd] behind you and you know you’ve just got to try to get through that tough spell. As an opener I feel the hardest part for me is getting myself in and then I can relax with the crowd environment.

“But I know the feeling when the guys come in. When

I first came back and I got booed walking out at Manchester I felt real nervy. I felt real small. I felt that everything was against me.

And I can just imagine how some of the guys felt yesterday coming in when we lost those quick wickets. But at the end of the day we did get knocked over and it was quite disappointing.”

Team Red win McAlmont’s Family Fun Day Team Red, on Wednesday won the annual mega McAlmont’s Family Fun Day, which was held at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice.

Team Red totalled the most combined points from a series of events that included short sprints and several novelty events to come away with the Family Trophy.

Team Red celebrates with the Family Trophy after their dominant performance.

The coach Darren Lehmann spoke after the match of his disappointment at the fact that too many of the batsmen had failed to play straight in conditions that demanded such discipline. Warner said the Australian batsmen who take a more aggressive approach could take note of the way Rogers played during his first-innings hundred, when he left outside off and made the bowlers come to him, and waited for the bad balls to score from.

“Especially for the guys who like to play their shots and like to feel bat on ball, we need to know how to rein it in and then we know we’re going to get those bad balls,” Warner said.

“Perfect example is looking at Ian Bell, anything we’ve bowled to him straight at the stumps he’s defended back to the bowler and probably 80% of the runs he’s scored in this series have been through cover and point. “He’s waiting and being patient. It’s exactly what Bucky [Rogers] was doing in the first innings, he waited for that ball and he knows his game so well that anything in that zone he’s blocking and any width he’s playing. That’s how simple they’ve kept it.”

In the second innings,

Warner and Rogers provided Australia with their first century opening stand in an Ashes Test since Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer put on 185 at The Oval in 2005 and it was an encouraging sign for the latest of several opening combinations Australia have used in the past couple of years. Warner said opening with Rogers was similar to working with Ed Cowan.

“I said it to Bucky at the drinks break, I said I enjoy batting with you because you don’t say anything. When you’re out there he’s got such a structured game plan and he knows his game so well, he’s scored 20,000 first class runs, he’s just peeled off a hundred in the first innings. He’s just so basic how he goes about his game. And when we’re out there and we’re chasing, he just kept on saying to me, keep it simple, keep it simple and back your game plan.

“He’s very similar to Ed. They’re both smart people, they both go about their business how they do and I find opening with both of them has probably helped my game as well because I do like to get involved in a bit of a conversation when we’re out there about things that are not anything to do with

cricket, just to get your mind off it. But those guys are so disciplined with what they do and it keeps my mind at ease as well.” Warner enjoyed being back at the top of the order in Chester-le-Street instead of playing at No.6, where he felt more vulnerable to Graeme Swann early in his innings. He said it was much easier handling Swann after settling down against the new ball. “When you’re opening the batting it does take you probably 10 balls to get your feet moving properly,” he said. “They’re not going to move straight away. And then when you’re coming in at No.6 and you’re facing Swann as a left-hander it is hard to get your feet moving and you’re probably more inclined to sit on the crease.

“And that’s generally what he wants you to do because he’s trying to get you out lbw, from a left-hander’s point of view. I find it actually easier to play him if I’m opening because I can settle in, I’ve got my rhythm and I can use my feet. Coming in at No.6 was a bit different to face him, I was caught on the crease and it turned out he got me out like that.”

Andy Murray beats Mikhail Youzhny at Cincinnati Open BBC Sport - Andy Murray responded to last week’s early exit in Montreal with a thumping win over Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

Murray, given a bye in round one as the second seed, lost to Ernests Gulbis five days ago but had few problems in seeing off Youzhny 6-2 6-3. He will play Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the last 16 today.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are potential semi-final opponents, with Novak Djokovic in the opposite half.

Murray, 26, is looking to get matches under his belt ahead of his US Open title defence, with the final Grand Slam of the year getting under way on 26 August.

He was sharp from the outset against Youzhny, whom he beat on the way to winning Wimbledon last month, and raced into a 4-0 lead before serving out the set. Two more service breaks at the start of the second set put the Scot within sight of victory and, although Youzhny cut the deficit to 43, Murray broke for the fifth time in the match to seal victory after one hour and 10

Andy Murray (Getty Images)

minutes.

“I prefer the conditions here,” said the world number two. “It’s actually quite cool today, but the court suits my game a little bit more here so I felt a bit more comfortable, I moved pretty well.

“It was an important match for me to get through.

Obviously I want to try and get as many matches as possible this week before the US Open.

“I only got a couple last week so I was a little bit nervous before the start of the match because it was important to get through this one. “I didn’t make too many

mistakes, I just tried to play a solid match and find a way to win today.”

Tommy Haas beat Marcel Granollers 6-4 6-1 to set up a clash with Roger Federer, while seventh seed Juan Martin del Potro beat Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-5.

Djokovic plays Juan Monaco later on Wednesday before Nadal takes on Benjamin Becker.

In the women’s event, top seed Serena Williams was given an early scare by Eugenie Bouchard but eventually saw off the Canadian 4-6 6-2 6-2 in the second round.