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Investigators make checks for other points of entry while examining electrical wires for tampering
Town Clerk Carol Sooba and other Constabulary officials discuss the break-in with the store owner (second from right)
A jewellery store owner was yesterday tallying his losses, estimated to be in the millions, after a major heist at his Stabroek Market establishment. Sanjaya Jewellers, stall 38, section 3 in the main market square was burgled of mostly diamond and gold jewellery, while a large quantity of cash was also carted off. In what appeared to be a movie-like operation, the
thieves used a blow torch to access padlocks securing iron grills, and an electric saw to cut open the wooden door separating them from millions of dollars worth of valuables. The store owner reported that early in the morning, he arrived at the store to start business for the day when he noticed a curious sight of” black spots on the iron grill”. The man said he then sought to open the padlocks on the
grill door, but received the shock of his life when he saw that they were gone. The businessman said he immediately opened the wooden door and noticed shavings and other debris on the shop floor. He recounted that the next thing saw was a ransacked interior and it immediately dawned on him that thieves had struck. “Right away I dashed over to the Constabulary
outpost in the bazaar and reported the matter.” When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) were involved in intense investigations. With the jewellery store remaining closed for the day, they scrutinized the crime scene, dusting for fingerprints, taking statements and photographs. This publication was told that the whole incident seemed fishy, with talks of the heist being “an inside job”.
Security officers for the market said that after closing time, the main building is usually secured with no one having access to the stalls inside. It was however reported that during the night, power to the building had been cut off. Market security said that, “Around 20:30 hours (8 pm) the power went out and it did not return until five in the morning. What was strange, they said, was that “The main building, the bazaar and the wharf had no electricity, while other sections of the market
were well lit.” This is despite all sections of the market receiving electricity from the same source. The security further said that around 5:30 checks were made to the electricity main switch and it proved that the main was on the entire time. Investigators are now tasked with identifying whether the power outage was a deliberate act, a mechanical failure, or a genuine blackout. The owner, who preferred to be referred to as Sanjaya, told media operatives that he (Continued on page 3)
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Protest action over 1823 monument’s relocation Protest action over 1823 monument’s relocation Protest action was held yesterday to have the 1823 monument relocated and erected at the Militia Parade Ground, Middle Street, Cummingsburg. Government is erecting a monument in honour of the 1823 Demerara Slave Rebellion at a location at Carifesta Avenue, opposite the Guyana Defence Force ground. In mid-November, the contract documents for the design of the 1823 monument were handed over to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport by Nabi construction. The cost of the project is 26 million dollars. Project Manager of NABI construction Sean Cox had said that works will be completed within four months time. Some of the placards at yesterday’sprotest read: “Stop de eye-pass,” “We claim the Parade Ground in the name of our Martyrs,” “1823 Martyrs paid for the Parade ground,” “Remove the politics from our History.” Present at the protest were Mayor Hamilton Green, Social Activist Freddie Kissoon and Guyana Trades Union Congress Norris Witter among other supporters of the Parade Ground initiative. The Manumitted African Descendants Organization, Pan African Movement, and some religious bodies complained that the monument (to honour the slaves who were killed and had their heads chopped off,
Participants did cultural dances during the protest action and stuck on poles in the area known as Parade Ground, but renamed Independence Park) will be built somewhere else, and without appropriate consultation. According to Mayor Green, the disregard, disdain and disrespect for the Guyanese People and AfroGuyanese, in particular, is unacceptable. “We call on the opposition, religious bodies, and civic minded citizens to lift their voices and speak up…The Ministry of Culture
should be ashamed of themselves, they were not satisfied to dissertate the 1763 monument site, but now without seeking the prior approval of the municipal authority without consultation, is to build the 1823 monument at a site unrelated to the 1823 incident, and without seeking the approval again of the municipal authority.” Underscoring that during the PNC administration the Enmore Martyrs Monument was built, contiguous to
Thieves torch their way to... (From page 2) believes his losses are close to $9M. He said the thieves went away with at least $4M in cash and $5M in jewellery. “The glass cases are empty and the jewellery is normally placed in the safe. They broke in and took the cash and the valuables,” the man lamented. Sanjaya expressed disappointment at the market’s security. According to him, “There is no security in the market.” He said that his store had been broken into several times before but nothing is being done about the situation. About four months ago, in almost the same manner, thieves carted off millions of dollars in jewellery from Cosmopolitan Jewellery, adjacent to Sanjaya. The owner of that store is also a victim of several other breakins. An irate female jewellery store owner expressed disgust with the current security situation in the market. “Long ago persons used mesh and wood to secure their stores. Now you
got shutter, you got grill. You paying for additional security, yet still we getting rob.” The woman said she has a store at the entrance of the market and she too had been the victim of theft on several occasions. “All of them from the Constabulary should be locked up. Dem and City Hall set should be jailed. If we paying a rent, we should be secured, we deserve security. Jewellers pay the most rent in the market.” Also present at the crime scene was Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba. She ensured the stallholders that security in the market would be beefed up and a thorough investigation would be launched into the matter. City Hall, she said, would be paying keen attention to the matter while noting that, “A report on the robbery is expected on my desk before the end of the day.” Sooba said her information was that there were no external breaches to the compound. She said it is apparent that the robbers may
have remained inside the building since there was no tampering with external entrances. While constabulary ranks can ensure that no one remains inside the building, it is impossible to know if persons stay inside the stalls, Kaieteur News was told. Meanwhile, Sanjaya stated that there will be no Christmas for him this year. He lamented that he has lost years of effort and money put into his business. “The next step for me is to look wuk, because I ent got no idea how Iwould be able to bounce back from this loss.” Investigators are saying that the thieves knew exactly what they were doing and they had ample time to do it. The thieves, in an effort to remove any chance of being noticed, returned all the screws from where they were removed. They then pasted back the part of the door that was sawed through and used coloured spray to re-paint the door in its original colour, red.
where the shooting took place, Mayor Green noted that what makes this assault on Guyanese and the People of African Descent heinous and bitter is that on the 1st of
August, 2000, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, in the presence of Minister Gail Teixeira, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and citizens, buried coins at the
Parade Ground and announced that a Monument would be erected there to honour the slaves who were slaughtered in 1823. He further reiterated that the Parade Ground or Independence Park is “the only place to erect this monument”t. Freddie Kissoon said his main contention is that the situation is another example of government’s philistinism. “To show how depraved these people are culturally is when they put the national intelligence centre on Castellani ground, and this is a designated arts ambience. This country is so large and the space is so limitless that they could have taken that national intelligence centre and located it anywhere in Georgetown…Any historian will dismiss the government as anthropologically uncivilized.” Emphasizing the atrocity that occurred at the Parade Ground, Kissoon said it makes no cultural and historic sense to construct the monument at Carifesta Avenue, and government has given no explanation in respect to their present choice.
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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
Political Introspection Few persons would doubt that the electoral strategy of the PPP is of great import to all Guyanese. The first massbased party in Guyana, the now 62-year-old party gave rise to its fervid competitor, the PNC, and together they dominated the country’s political history like colossuses. However, for the first time, an election produced a minority PPP Executive that is countered by an Opposition that controls a majority in the Legislature. Against this unique background, Ralph Ramkarran, son of one of the founders of the PPP and a long-serving member of the highest offices in the party, recently offered an extensive analysis of “the reasons for the loss and to offer some ideas on how some of the issues can be addressed.” As with all things political, imputations of motives will certainly play a part in evaluating Mr Ramkarran’s critique and this is as it ought to be. Mr Ramkarran himself is of a school that believes that one’s opinions are influenced, if not constituted, by external ‘objective factors’. Mr Ramkarran had profferred himself as one of the nominees for the PPP’s presidential candidacy, and had suggested a voting procedure at variance with what eventually prevailed. Relations with some of his colleagues became strained, but he later accepted being the PPP’s nominee for the Speaker of the National Assembly, which the party eventually lost. Mr Ramkarran resigned from the party and its Central Committee/Executive Committee after an evidently rancorous exchange with some other members. In offering his analysis, Mr Ramkarran located himself with “those who are still inspired by the ideals of its founders”. Since he did not explicitly identify those ‘founders’, one can only assume that he is going beyond Dr Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan, to offer himself a wider array of views and ideologies than the canonical, orthodox Marxism of those two. This is significant when one considers the first ‘factor of a negative nature’ that Mr Ramkarran invokes: “Election and population statistics.” Mr Ramkarran notes, with incontrovertible official census figures, the precipitous decline of the East Indian Guyanese population in the last three decades – from 51.93% in 1980 to 43.45% in 2002. Projecting from that data he estimates that this group has now dropped to approximately 39% of the total Guyanese population. He compares this decline with the static percentage of African Guyanese (30.82% in 1980 and 30.20% in 2002) and the increasing percentages of “Mixed Guyanese’ (11.16% in 1980 to 16.73% in 2002) and Amerindians (5.31% in 1980 to 9.16% in 2002). These figures have been available to one and all, and in fact, had been pointed out by Mr Ramkarran several years ago. What is different this time around is the ex-Speaker’s comment on the significance of these figures: “The decline in support of the Party at the 2011 elections has been attributed mainly to poor organization. However, the historically low turnout at the 2006 and 2011 elections and the reducing Indian Guyanese population have not been addressed. The Party considers this kind of analysis too sensitive for public discourse; but it has not even been discussed internally.” While still cryptic, the correlation between the declining Indian Guyanese population and the PPP’s declining votes at the polls is quite seismic for a party that has studiously avoided any admission of an ethnic base. The last time this was done by a senior party official was in 1957 by Dr Jagan himself, in absentia at the PPP’s Congress, following the split in the party by Forbes Burnham. Dr Jagan admitted that most of the African members had followed Burnham out of the party and that the PPP had to now accept Indians who had been previously been scorned as ‘bourgeois’. Balram Singh Rai, for instance, who was placed to run against Eusi Kwayana (then Sidney King) later that year in East Demerara – and won – was one of those Indians. The PPP, in that election also rejected British Guiana joining the WI Federation. It would be interesting to read the present PPP’s riposte to the identified declining base.
Friday December 07, 2012
Letters... Where your views make the news
Adhering to existing principles DEAR EDITOR, The parliamentary Committee of Privileges, of which Clement Rohee is a member, will meet to participate in a process to determine whether he in his capacity as Home Affairs Minister is culpable of the acts he is accused of and more so to examine whether the act of the National Assembly is justifiable. The referral of this issue, Rohee’s continuation as designated minister and his presence in parliament exercising such function coupled with the Executive’s defiant position of not considering the essence of the issue, has dire consequences for this nation. The presence of Rohee on the Committee as a member and his attendance at the meeting where a charge is against him, threatens timehonoured principles in governance. Rohee should be made to excuse himself as a member because it presents a conflict of interest. His presence on this Committee regarding a matter in which he is involved will send a signal to the society that the person in whose hands our security is placed is not prepared to honour societal values. Under our current system any citizen who is accused has a right to be tried by his/ her peers and also has the right to be heard and Rohee must enjoy these. Conversely, it violates principles to deliberate on and make decision on one’s performance. This principle must too be respected. The government’s statement that Rohee as “the best minister” when the
majority of the People’s Representative says the opposite is an indictment on them. Simply put, the fact that the administration has conceded Rohee’s performance is best among them all and his said performance is in question by the majority is their admittance that the entire Executive is no good. As such the society is in order in its agitations to right the wrongs by holding them accountable. Additionally, since the issue before the parliament is of Rohee’s performance as Minister of Home Affairs and not that of a parliamentarian, the government needs to separate his roles and address them with some alacrity. An elected government and its ministers cannot singularly determine their performance. That responsibility is also vested in the general society. And in this case where the people have spoken, for the government to take the position that regardless of the evidence before it or the concerns raised, it will not consider or accede, that it will be their way or no way, is an affront not only to those who have spoken but also to their supporters. This behaviour is obvious in the discharge of governance and reminiscent of acts taken during State killings and executions where bullyism rule the day and acceptance is imposed through incessant unsubstantiated talking points, unquestioningly regurgitated and disseminated which inevitably create a resignation to the wrongs. Such actions
are to the nation’s detriment. Again we witness this in the government’s recent announcement of public sector wage increase. This is a violation of the right of public sector workers to bargain collectively by their unions. In the 11th year of transgression this government has found excuses to create societal acceptance/resignation of the violation of the workers’ right and the rule of law which enshrines the right to collective bargaining. This growing contempt for rights, the rule of law and accountability also have implications for PPP supporters who are being conditioned to accept wrongdoings once they are not directly affected, their voice has no meaning beyond giving their vote and shouting support for a party who wants to be allowed to do as they please even to them. In this society all are not playing by the same rule and all are not being held to the
same standard in as much as the institutions and instruments of State require uniformity in behaviour as a pre-requisite for peaceful coexistence and equitable development. And as some sections of society call on us to get past the Rohee issue, let us be reminded that if the conduct and performance of the person in whose hands we placed our security, are questionable then it begs the question whether by taking the stand of moving on it will not too lead to supporting and enabling poor governance and lawlessness in the society. One does not have to like an individual to respect the right of the individual or speak out on his/her behalf; neither does one have to hate a government or public official to hold them accountable. As a people and member of the United Nations family we too must aspire and struggle to conform. Lincoln Lewis
DEAR EDITOR, Your front page photo of December 6 caught my eye and I remembered a strange happening that occurred, recently. A lady saw some cows passing through an open savannah close to her farm in Moblissa. She chopped two of them and the owner reported the matter. The lady was charged, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to the offence. However, after all of this, one of the defendant’s friends in
high office caused the charge and consequent punishment to be withdrawn and instructed that the owner of the cow be now charged for allowing his cow to roam. It must be noted that this savannah is considered pasture for all cows to graze. Does this mean that, if applicable in this instance, the pound system does not work any longer? As an old friend of mine had once asked – What nonsenseness is this? Janet Barakat
Reversing the law
Friday December 07, 2012
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Reaching out for Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre DEAR EDITOR, The year 2012 marks the 45th Anniversary of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC), having been established in January, 1967. PRRC, with its vision of ensuring that persons with disabilities have equal opportunities and choices as other citizens to participate fully in our society, has throughout the years provided unselfish service to many children from all walks of life, bringing joy and hope to their lives. Drawing to a close its year of activities, PRRC concludes with an “Evening of Celebration & Appreciation” to be held at the Georgetown Club on Friday, 7th December, 2012 at 6.30pm. The evening provides an opportunity for Management, staff, young adults and former residents/ students of the Centre to join in celebration of 45 years in operation. Long-serving and dedicated members of staff, as well as former residents/ students who have benefited from the services of the Centre and are today leading productive, independent lives will be recognized on this evening.
Additionally, in lieu of its usual concert or Christmas Carnival, this event also functions as the Centre’s observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (2012 theme: Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all).Accomplishing 45 years of meaningful service would be impossible were it not also for the many generous individuals/organisations who have supported the Centre over the years. For this reason, PRRC chooses also to honour those individuals and organisations on this night, where through interaction with staff and clients of the Centre, they may witness firsthand the positive outcomes of their contributions and the difference they make in the lives of others. Without the combined effort of PRRC’s dedicated staff and generous sponsors, such an auspicious milestone could not have been reached. To help make it truly successful, PRRC is kindly requesting the assistance of your media house in the coverage of this event. Hyacinth G. Massay Rehabilitation Officer
DEAR EDITOR, Rice farmers in the MMA district and probably other parts of the country are planting on lands rented from lessees. These lands were leased to persons, some of whom know nothing about farming. Some of these people do not reside in the country and this was done during the previous administration. These lands should be taken back from these people because their leases did not say that they can rent it.
They should not be sitting at home and profiting from hard working people sweat. The rightful occupiers should be the ones who are producing the bumber crops for which the Government is taking all the praise. I do hope that the Government do the right thing by transferring those lands to the real rice farmers and go after the phonies who were robbing the revenue department for years. Kenneth Singh
Government not listening to rice farmers
The soldier who ignores the others DEAR EDITOR, Permit me space in your column to express a growing concern, not only to me but to most ex-soldiers. Armies in general, including the GDF, trained and nurtured civilians for a career in one of the greatest organizations the world over. The GDF has changed the lives and attitude of so many persons that it is regrettable when one has to return to civilian life after a career of soldiering, which cemented and unified many lifelong friendships. Each and every soldier has a false name (an alias) that is used throughout their
stay, and remained upon retirement. One only has to attend a funeral of an exsoldier to witness the reflection of those memorable days and the joy of interacting, even though our presence is to offer our sympathies of a departed colleague. I have attended ceremonies of many of my departed colleagues where Officers, both senior and junior, were in attendance. The presence of Major General Joe Singh is inevitable, as well as that of other senior functionaries of the GDF. Their presence is a reflection of the pleasure and satisfaction of wearing
Olive Green. This is the sad part of my missive. I never had the surprised privilege to witness the presence of an individual who rose to the rank of Chief Of Staff at either of these ceremonies . Every ex soldier wonders what is the reason for his absence . I would refer to his alias and most exsoldiers would know who he is. Barbed Wire is well known to all of us and has always been a strange character who grins instead of smile. I wish to remind and inform Barbed Wire (BW) that his absence is noticed
and recorded by those men and women you once commanded. Why are you hiding in yourself? Brave the rain and make your presence felt. This, my missive, is to remind you that you are a product of the greatest and most reputable organization in Guyana. Do not behave as though you are the boy that Santa has forgotten. Remembrance Day was celebrated all over the world, including Guyana. Emulate Col Georgie Gomes, who looks out for troopers. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. Umar Saied
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AG’s withdrawal of court action a vindication of our position - APNU
APNU’s Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams A Partnership for National Unity has said that it welcomes the recent withdrawal of the court action by the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, and sees it as a vindication of its position that the Court has no jurisdiction in the internal affairs of the National Assembly, even if irregular, unless a constitutional breach was occasioned. This was expressed by APNU’s Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams during the party’s weekly media briefing. Williams said the AG’s withdrawal of his action must be taken as a concession that there was no constitutional breach, when the National Assembly passed the Motion of No Confidence, by Brigadier Granger, in Minister Clement Rohee. He added that APNU contends that the solution to resolving gridlock in the National Assembly lies not in the Courts, but rather in the willingness of all parties to work cooperatively in the interest of all of the people of Guyana, within and outside the hallowed National Assembly. “Having lost the first court action, when he sought to have the court hold, as unconstitutional, the voting for the composition of the Committee of Selection and the composition of all National Assembly committees, unless they were composed in proportion to the seats obtained by the Parliamentary parties, at the 28th November 2011 General and Regional Elections, the AG is now seeking to avoid a further embarrassment”. According to Williams, “when the matter was last called on Wednesday, last, before the learned Chief Justice, the Attorney General was again absent and cost was awarded to Brigadier Granger’s lawyers in the sum of $75,000.00 dollars each.
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall On the 13th day of September 2012, the AG had filed the said action seeking declarations that: The motion of no confidence, in Minister Clement Rohee, moved in the National Assembly, on the 25th day of July 2012, by Brigadier Granger, and duly passed on the 30th day of July 2012, and the Resolution No. 18 of 2012, passed in the National Assembly on Monday 30th day of July 2012, were both unconstitutional, unlawful and violative of the doctrine of separation of powers”. The action was filed against Granger and Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman. On October 30, a Summons to strike out the said action was filed, on behalf of Brigadier Granger, by Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Basil Williams, MP, in association with Mr. Rex Mc Kay, S.C. and several other lawyers. In the Affidavit in Support of that Summons, Brigadier Granger claimed that: The AG’s action was without merit and misconceived; that Article 171(1) of the Constitution itself empowered every Member of the National Assembly to introduce any Bill, or propose any motion for debate in, or may present any Petition to the Assembly; and the same shall be disposed of according to the rules of procedure in the Assembly. The said Affidavit further contended that Article 165 of the Constitution provides that the National Assembly may regulate its own procedures and make rules for that purpose. That in light of these provisions where Members of Parliament invoke them, no claim can succeed in a court of law on the grounds claimed by the AG. When the Summons came up for hearing on November 28, last, before Chief Justice Ian Chang, the AG was absent, and sent a State Counsel to seek an adjournment.
Banks DIH Classic Inter Club Basket ball starts in Berbice Play in the Inaugural Berbice Inter Club Classic Basketball Competition commenced last Sunday with one game. In the game which was played at the Rose Hall Town Basketball court, Rose Hall Town Basketball Team defeated Jammers also of Rose Hall 64-49 in a hard fought game. Led by a game high 30 points by Perry Ancel Cort and 19 from Eon Wiggins, Rose Hall Town was able to stave off a spirited effort from their neighbours to come out victorious. Troy Paul with 21 points was the top scorer for the
Jammers combination. The competition will continue on Sunday with two matches with the New Amsterdam teams coming in to action. At the New Amsterdam Basketball court - Smythfield will take on Central New Amsterdam in what is expected to be a keenly contested affair. The second game at Rose Hall Town will see Rose Hall Town being at home to Fyrish. Five teams are participating in the competition which is being played on a round robin basis. The top four teams will then advance to the semifinals
which will see the team with the most points taking on the team third in the points standing and the second and fourth placed teams clashing for a spot in the finals which is slated for Sunday 20th January at the New Amsterdam Basketball court. All matches will bounce off at 16:00 hrs. The top four teams will all be presented with cash, trophies and other memorabilia while there will also be prizes for outstanding individual participants. The coordinator is Vibert Garrett. (SAMUEL WHYTE)
Friday December 07, 2012
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A CHICKEN AND EGG SITUATION What does the government mean by zero tolerance towards price gouging during the Christmas Season? There is nothing that the government can do against someone who decides to raise prices for chicken and eggs? There are no longer any price controls in Guyana. And any shortages have to do with market disruptions and not because of a lack of foreign exchange or input into the production process. There is nothing other than exerting moral suasion that the government can do at this time about any price increases. So, all the talk about zero tolerance is nothing but hot air. Despite the fact that it is stated that there are adequate supplies of chicken, an artificial shortage will be created soon by unscrupulous business persons and this will spike the prices of chicken and eggs as Christmas Day approaches. This is how it is and this is how it has always been. But perhaps now is the time for some action to be taken to prevent this ripoff of consumers every Christmas Season. A few years ago when the price of chicken hit a then
record $300 per lb there was moaning and bawling. There were threats to allow the importation of chicken. But those hiking the prices understood that it would take at least six weeks for orders to be placed and any chicken to hit the market. As such, they knew that they could inflate prices and get away with it. If perhaps the government was a large scale purchaser or producer of chicken it could have made the necessary market interventions. But it could not do anything otherwise. Today, the price of chicken is nearing $400 per lb, and this is considered the average price, when a few years ago $240 was considered the normal price per lb for whole chicken. It is therefore disingenuous for there to be any bombast about the stability of prices of chicken this Christmas Season. The price of chicken has long increased above the average of a few years back and therefore all that is happening is that the already unaffordable prices for the poor have become a baseline for price s t a b i l i t y, a n d t h i s i s shameful.
Dem boys seh...
Donald now smelling de Rat Dem Bees do suh much to de poor people of this country that dem boys can never stop talk bout dem and dem kavakamites. Dem corrupt and want corrupt de whole nation but dem boys can’t tek that. Dem do so much bad thing that all of dem looking bad. When Brazzy lie down pun he back he look like crappo. When Shaatie he does look like a haggard out guana. Irfaat hair does mek he look like a wild hog. Well de Rat nah got nutten and dem boys don’t mean money or wealth. Dem talking bout hair. He look like a four-head snake ready fuh strike at anything at any time and in any direction. Dem boys want finance de Feds to come to Guyana fuh put hand and handcuff plus foot and footcuff pun all of dem. Old people got a saying that everything you do in de dark does come to light. Some of de things that de Bees do coming to light and dem boys planning to bring all to de forefront.
Dem talk bout de media empire wha de Rat and he best friend set up. Dem was keeping de flag ship carrier fuh East Come Easy Go but that airline didn’t find de going suh easy and it fold up. That story ain’t done yet. De owner and Linda in hiding. Uncle Donald see fuh de first time radio, TV, newspaper and some of de things that dem boys talk about, including de flagship. That’s why he give way de flagship to Bee Wee. De man wid de hamma tell dem boys last night that de Rat had de nerve to call De Donald and behave like he normal self (cuss down) — like woman. He ask De Donald why he give way de flagship to Bee Wee. Donald tun and tell he that he, De Rat, give way everything and wha he couldn’t give away at de time he keep fuh heself. He was keeping de flagship fuh East Come Easy Go. Donald now beginning to smell de Rat. Talk half and keep smelling.
The PPP/C government does not seem to have a clue as to how to get prices down, how to reduce production costs, and how to ensure that market disruptions are minimized. The public will pay more for chicken and eggs this Christmas. This is how it has been for the past one hundred years in Guyana, and it is not going to stop this year. At best, what will happen is that any price increase is going to be moderated, but you can bet your bottom
dollar that eggs are going to reach $1,000 per tray in the last week leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve chicken is going to retail for as high as $400 per lb. There is a way for the public to stop this rip-off. All they have to do is to decide that for one week, starting now, they would not eat chicken. Now this will lead to a glut on the market in the two weeks before Christmas and prices will stabilize below $400 per lb of chicken and below
$900 per tray of eggs. What the government should be focusing on is not stabilizing the price at its present levels, but returning it to what it was four years ago when chicken peaked at $300 per lb. To achieve this objective, the government needs to bring in two major chicken producers from China, give them the land and permits to start large scale chicken farms on the condition that the production will be bought by the government at pre-
determined prices. The Chinese are going to come and they will produce the chicken below $220 per lb and the government will then be able to flood the market at $260 per lb retail. That is all it will take to stop price gouging of chicken and eggs.
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=== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ===
There must be a limit to self-interest If I were asked which set of people I have the least respect for in my country, I would say those citizens who are in the organizational structures that are supposed to speak on behalf of and negotiate for the business people. I want to make it quite clear that I am referring to individuals that are in the hierarchical positions of the umbrella organizations not the country’s business community as a whole. This columnist has interfaced over the long years
since the PPP came into power in 1992 with very decent and honourable business people that have this country’s future close to their heart. I admire these types and have a healthy respect for them. Then there are those in our business community that would tolerate any policy depravity, even if it is destructive of the fabric of this nation, just to cozy up with the power establishment for their own moneyed self-interest. Since the historic 2011
elections, some in the business organizations have either shown immense ignorance of the nature of the Constitution of Guyana or are profoundly dishonesty people pursuing their own narrow goals. A schoolboy does not need training to understand how our Constitution works. The Constitution endows the Executive Office with enormous powers. That Constitution does not allow for the limitation of the Executive power to make policies and run the affairs of the State, even if the Executive did not win a majority of votes in a general election. Since the 2011 elections, the Executive has enacted policies, awarded contracts, made State appointments and continue to shape the direction of all State institutions in the total public realm. This behaviour since the 2011 election results has not had an input from the opposition that saw a change in any of the areas mentioned above. Mr. Kellawan Lall, whom this writer believes has a very low approval rating from this nation, will be
appointed as an information Tsar. No consultation with the opposition was pursued. The Local Government Ministry appointed a town clerk and the opposition which has a majority on the elected Council was not asked for its approval. In the coming weeks there will be a new Vice-Chancellor for the University and that office will be filled even if the opposition rejects the choice of the Executive office. The broadcasting authority was implemented with an unpalatable headship and the advice of national stakeholders was not solicited. Billions of dollars go into suppliers’ hands and opposition questions on this are left unanswered. This is what has played out since the last general elections – the Executive has made policies and appointments. It borders on dishonesty for any stakeholder to argue that political instability will arise if the opposition and the Government do not dialogue and negotiate without looking at the reality of where power lies. Such an engagement has to begin with the use of power.
The opposition has no leverage on the use of power, even though it has a majority in Parliament, and this is because the Constitution does not confer authority on the opposition in relation to the use of State power, meaning the administration of the State. The opposition’s Bills and amendments to legislation will evaporate if the Executive refuses to assent. What the opposition has is the power to make laws, and in this area the leverage still lies with the Executive. This is how our Constitution is framed Take the barriers around Parliament. A parliamentary motion to remove them was successful. State officials, including the police, have refused to pull them down. In any discussion on the prevention of instability, the results of the 2011 election must not only be the starting point, but it has to be the most powerful factor in the equation, because the Executive was not elected to office with a majority vote. For the Executive, the ruling party and important stakeholders to derecognize
Frederick Kissoon this reality is to play with fire. Here is where national stakeholders such as the Private Sector Commission (PSC) have to seek to instill a sense of reality in the Government. The Government must be told that at the heart of the matter is the nature of State behaviour, of which no other example of ancient thinking by the PPP is more graphic than that of local government reform. A diplomat told this columnist that he is convinced that the ruling party does not want the reforms. Of the three parliamentary parties, only the PPP is resisting legal autonomy and financial independence in the body of reform for the local government system. Can’t the PSC see this?
Friday December 07, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Caribbean Airlines gains Guyana’s flagship status - direct Toronto flights launched Government has granted Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flagship carrier status for Guyana. The announcement was made Tuesday during the launch of the inaugural non-stop flight between Toronto, Canada and Guyana by CAL. In recognising Caribbean Airlines’ commitment over the years to the Guyanese people, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn disclosed that government has granted the entity flagship status. CAL Chairman, Rabindra Moonan underscored the airline’s commitment to providing reliable and affordable air links for Guyanese travellers stating, “Caribbean Airlines continues to prove that, after years of faithfully serving the Guyana market, we are the airline that the Guyanese people rely on.” Guyana has been struggling in recent years to attract airlines after its last flagship, the privately owned Guyana Air 2000
folded in 2003. There were a number of charters in Universal and RedJet and more recently EZjet. All have folded. According to a statement from the Trinidad-owned CAL, it rose to the challenge for increased seating into and out of the country and provided additional capacity spanning Thanksgiving to December peak seasons. The airline has increased the number of available seats to various destinations across the Caricom and North America regions, providing for the movement of visitors, business travelers and cargo with over 220-flights directly to and from Guyana per month. CAL’s addition flight to Canada will operate twice per week in wide-body 767-300 aircraft in addition to the 12weekly 737-800 connecting flights on the route. The non-stop flight will be between Cheddi Jagan International and Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
From left: Ramesh Ghir, CEO of CJIA; Stephanie Greene, CAL’s Supervisor Tickets Office; Valerie Rahaman – Murphy, Senior Manager Reservations and Sales - CAL Reservations; Robert Corbie - CEO (ag); Carl Stuart, Manager South America; Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali ; Rabindra Moonan – CAL Chairman; Transportation Minister Robeson Benn; Paula McAdam, Director of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and Rickford Samaroo, Manager Air Traffic Control.
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US$15M Hope Canal project… A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) supports the call by private engineers to review the US$15M Hope Canal project that is reportedly poorly monitored, with substandard works being executed. In fact, APNU Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon believes that all major infrastructural projects such as the construction of the Hope Canal; East Coast Demerara four-lane expansion; and the Amaila Falls Road project, should be halted and reviewed. According to Harmon, these projects should be examined by the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers since poor quality engineering at exorbitant contract sums are being executed. These projects, he stressed, should also be scrutinized in the National Assembly, since many of them began without proper public consultations and transparency. The parliamentarian made those comments in light of a letter published in Wednesday’s edition of this newspaper titled “Government should order mid-term review of Hope Canal project”.
Kaieteur News
Friday December 07, 2012
APNU supports call for review The letter, written by engineers Malcolm Alli and Charles Sohan, stated that it is unlikely that the contractors would meet the project’s June 2013 deadline based on the project’s activities, quality control, and the contractors’ abilities to organize and execute works timely. The engineers also spoke of piles being driven in an unacceptable manner and other factors which could threaten the project. In October 2010, government launched the canal project after major flooding threatened the coastlands. The project’s two-year duration expired last October and was extended to around mid-2013. The project is being executed in four components: construction of the actual canal by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA); erection of the head regulator by BK International; building of a bridge by Dipcon Engineering Services; and construction of the sluice by Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd. Recently, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, expressed concerns that critical aspects of the Hope Canal project may
not be completed by the June 2013 deadline. But he expressed optimism that the contractors could meet that target if they increase the pace with which works are being expedited. According to the engineers, “Work done on the Weir discharge structure (Atlantic Ocean sluice) across the sea defence indicates that only about 15% of contract work has been completed to date, and based on the contractor’s performance thus far it is unlikely that the structure will be completed and become functional before 2014.” Other issues raised were the presence of weeds in the canal; construction of the embankments between the crown and conservancy dams in a state of flux; works on the head regulator about 20 percent completed; and works on the bridge progressing slowly with an untidy work site, and improper storage of materials and equipment. According to Harmon, Government should take the observations made by these engineers seriously since the Hope Canal when completed will be vital for flood
The engineers claim that the timber piles being driven for the outfall sluice are clearly out of position. prevention. He stressed that if the NDIA cannot execute the works, the task should be awarded to an experienced engineering firm. T h e Member of Parliament related that in his 2012 Budget presentation in the National Assembly because of discussions with experienced engineers
who are worried about the state of major infrastructural projects – he had appealed for projects to be reviewed. Attempts to contact Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and NDIA’s Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth on the matter were unsuccessful.
However, Chairman of NDIA’s Board, Dharamkumar Seeraj said he will not respond to any letter written in the newspaper. In fact, he made it clear that he does not read letters. Seeraj stressed that the engineers should have posed their concerns to the head of NDIA and the Government.
Involvement in debates helps to sharpen research skills – Deputy Educ. Chief
The ability to examine every side of important and controversial issues in an atmosphere of reasoned arguments and respectful discourse cannot be underestimated and must therefore be embraced as a relevant part of any teaching curriculum. This notion was expressed on Tuesday by Deputy Chief Education Officer, Mrs Bibi Alli, as she addressed the audience at the finals of the JOF Haynes debating competition at the National Cultural Centre. According to her, students’ involvement in debates requires that they develop skills to think rigorously and critically. She alluded to a number of studies which have shown that participation in debates increase the critical thinking level of students. Additionally, she said that debate participation promotes problem-solving and innovative thinking and helps students to build links between words and ideas which make concepts more meaningful. “Many times we have ideas, but because we don’t think enough about these ideas we cannot put them into practice or we cannot agitate discourse. We cannot convince people about them, but when we debate we have to think so much about these ideas that we can actually do something
Deputy Chief Education Officer, Mrs Bibi Alli about them,” Alli surmised. As part of her efforts to amplify the importance of debating activities, the senior Education official underscored that debates offer many opportunities to students, among them, the development of research skills. She explained that it is important for students to develop such skills if they are to eventually become independent learners. “We don’t want them to only depend on teachers to feed them with information; they must be able to go to the internet and access information, read books and find information from other sources and I think debating provides this opportunity for our students.” Given the impact that debating competitions can have on a student’s life, Alli noted that the Education Ministry is poised to continue the promotion and hosting of undertakings such as the JOF Haynes memorial debating
competition which has been in existence for just about three decades. “I generally find that students who do lots of research are able to present very sound arguments and one of the things that we look for is evidence. When we say things we have to provide evidence and research helps us to find the evidence,” Alli asserted. It is for this reason, she noted, that there is a need for teachers to seek to encourage their students to be involved in debating activities, and by extension, foster the desire to better the practice of researching. According to her, many students are often intimidated by such activities thus the onus is on teachers to put in the extra work to make it appealing to their students. “To all the teachers who are tirelessly working with their students to prepare them for debates, I congratulate you, and encourage you to continue the good work,” said Alli. In addition to research skills, among the benefits that can be accrued from participating in debates are the ability to read well and be articulate in presentations; techniques that cannot be taken away, the Deputy Education Chief emphasised as she insisted that “this should be a driving force to continue to study and participate in debates.”
Friday December 07, 2012
Kaieteur News
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“Review of archaic laws essential to address vagrancy” - Minister Webster Many homeless persons are also of unsound mind, a state of affairs which not only requires an urgent multisectoral response, but the revision of archaic legislation. This assertion was made by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Jennifer Webster, during a recent interview. Her views on the vagrancy situation were elicited in wake of the recent physical attack on a 15-yearold Brickdam Secondary student by a mentally-ill vagrant. Reports are that the unprovoked attack which occurred in the vicinity of Parliament buildings saw Kenneth David, a West Bank Demerara resident, sustaining at least two lacerations to his head after being hit repeatedly with a piece of wood by the vagrant. Passersby did not take too kindly to the brazen morning attack and retaliated against the vagrant who had to be rescued by police officers who arrived on the scene shortly after. Both David and the vagrant were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for medical attention. However, only the student has been discharged, as according to Police Public Relations and Press Officer, Ivelaw Whittaker, the vagrant
is still hospitalised since he was severely beaten. He revealed in an invited comment Wednesday that “we are waiting for him to be released to follow-up the matter, but we have heard of reports that the boy has forgiven the man.” There were, however, earlier reports that the vagrant had been seen back on the streets. According to Minister Webster, the recent situation is one of immense concern to her, thus she has been calling for the Ministry of Health to work closely with her Ministry. She was at pains to explain that the Health Ministry is the entity mandated to deal with mental health issues while the Human Services Ministry is tasked with addressing issues related to those who are vulnerable and homeless. “Many of these people on the streets are of unsound mind and they need medical attention first and foremost before anything else can be done. I think it is an issue that has to be given utmost priority,” Minister Webster asserted. Turning her attention to legislative provisions, the Minister accentuated her conviction that many of the existing laws are archaic and therefore need to be reviewed
Cocaine found in drinking straws in airport bond - Shipper, four others detained Five persons are currently in police custody following the discovery, early yesterday morning, of a quantity of cocaine which was concealed in drinking straws in a Canada-bound shipment, and had been presented as macaroni noodles. This publication was told agents from the Police AntiNarcotics Unit were at the time (at around 03:30 hrs) carrying out a routine inspection at a cargo bond at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), but received a tip-off of illicit items in a shipment. Reports are that among the items checked during the examination were 68 boxes of mangoes and several boxes containing packets of macaroni noodles. The ranks became suspicious of the weight of the noodles and decided to carry out a thorough investigation. Upon emptying the packets, it was discovered that among the contents were a number of drinking straws sprayed in the colour of noodles and packed with a
white powdery substance. This was subsequently tested and confirmed to be cocaine – a total of 21 kilograms 874 grams (48 pounds) The mailing address for the shipment was listed as 44 Mount Crescent, Ajax, Ontario, Canada, and the sender - O’Brien White of 1-2 Plantation Walk, West Bank Demerara. The shipper was among five persons, including a female, who were arrested. In recent months, local drug enforcement agencies have been able to intercept several large amounts of cocaine. Only last week the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit intercepted some 700 lbs of cocaine at a city container facility. The drug was hidden in a shipment of soap powder. And recently one man was jailed and another remanded to prison after being charged with trafficking in narcotics. In that case the shipment of cocaine was in canned coconut milk, and managed to make its way into Malaysia where it was intercepted.
to help address the existing vagrancy situation. She stressed that this is imperative since in order for an individual to be classified as being of unsound mind and taken to a mental institution, he or she must first be certified by a psychiatrist. “If you take them off the street you must have somewhere to place them,” the Minister stated, as she alluded to her limited knowledge of some paperwork being crafted in this regard, under the purview of the Ministry of Health.
However, Minister Webster said that her Ministry is not only looking to collaborate with the Health Ministry, but has been aiming at soliciting the support of the Guyana Police Force. “We have to remove these people (vagrants) from our streets, more so now, when many of them are threatening the safety of our people,” she said. Following last week Thursday’s incident, Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, had insisted that efforts will be directed towards speeding
up measures already streamlined. In underscoring that the recent attack was unfortunate, the Health Minister also noted that “it is a social issue that has to be dealt with collectively. There is no excuse...we will be intervening with this wake-up call.” He disclosed that while there are vagrants who are mentally challenged, in most cases, they are substance abusers who can be dealt with by way of social interventions.
Jennifer Webster
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Friday December 07, 2012
Rubis officially launches brand locally
A display of the items on offer With a catchy theme “get Rubis get going,” Rubis West Indies Limited on Tuesday last launched its brand in Guyana. Rubis is an established, French-based international private limited company founded in 1990 which took over service stations that were branded Texaco. The brand took over 67 Texaco service stations
across the Eastern Caribbean With a fresh look at the service stations, Rubis has also converted the colour of its cooking gas tanks from white to green and service trucks have already been branded. Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Nicolas told a gathering of p r e d o m i n a n t l y entrepreneurs that Rubis invested over $300M in
“this more efficient, convenient and environmentally friendly branding”. It was pledged that Rubis will, like its colour code suggests, contribute to keeping Guyana “green.” Natural Resources and The Environment Minister, Robert Persaud, who welcomed the company, pointed to Guyana’s potential
of becoming a producer of oil and gas. He called for Rubis to operate within the policies established in Guyana’s low carbon development strategy and understand and execute its corporate social responsibility. Rubis specializes in fuel and liquid propane gas and promises “longer lasting, cleaner and better gas.” Among the products offered by the company is a new brand of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) called Rubigas; a new line of lubricants – Total; and a brand new fuel additive, Ultra Tec, Brand officials said that Rubis specializes in the downstream petroleum and chemicals sector, operating bulk liquid storage facilities (for petroleum products and chemicals) through its subsidiary, Rubis Terminal, and distributes fuels
t h r o u g h i t s s u b s i d i a r y, Rubis Energie. Since 2000, Rubis has expanded its presence across three regions, (Africa, Europe and the Caribbean). The Group has enjoyed strong, regular growth since 2000, driven by organic growth, new sites and acquisitions, while also constantly improving its productivity. On May 1st last year, the company acquired the assets owned and operated by Chevron under the Texaco brand in the Eastern Caribbean. The acquisition meant that Rubis became a formidable competitor in the regional downstream business in the Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and
Chief Executive Officer of Rubis, Mauricio Nicolas Tobago. The company has already re-branded four service stations in Guyana and is hoping to re-brand all 67 Texaco service stations in the eastern Caribbean.
Police ‘C’ Division gets vehicle boost
Imran Ali presents the motorcycle on behalf of Persaud’s Engineering Limited Two business entities yesterday provided two different means of transportation to the Police ‘C’ Division (East Coast Demerara). Persaud’s Engineering Limited handed over a motorcycle worth $260,000, while Mr. Jailall Deodass of Motor Trend Auto Repairs chose to refurbish one of the Division’s old police patrol cars at a cost of $450,000. At the simple handing over ceremony held Wednesday at the Divisional Headquarters in Cove and John, Commander Eric Bassant explained that the car will be primarily used to serve the community of Enmore. He further noted that because of the terrain, the motorcycle will be put to use in areas like Turkeyen and Sophia.
Jailall Deodass, owner of Motor Trend Auto Repairs, hands over the keys to the car The Commander pointed out that the gesture is the beginning of what he hopes to be a “fruitful relation between the Police and the citizenry”. Bassant added that ever since the effort was made to have regular consultations
with members of the public, its police- citizen relationship has been made stronger. Commander Bassant expressed gratitude for the gestures and assured that the vehicles will be used to ensure the safety of the public.
Friday December 07, 2012
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Guyana, Brazil establish joint working group to focus on major projects
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Antonio Patriota, Minister of External Relations of Brazil signing the MoU Plans to build a road linking Guyana to Brazil have been given a kick start with the signing of a crucial agreement establishing a joint working group. The group will not only be working to make the Linden/Lethem Road a reality but also examine the construction of a new port and hydro-electric projects. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Carolyn RodriguesBirkett and Brazilian Minister of External Relations, Antonio Patriota, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the Working Group on Infrastructure. The MOU was signed in Brasilia, the Federal capital of Brazil, at the Ministry of External Relations. The working group is expected to submit its Report by the first quarter of 2013. According to Minister Rodrigues-Birkett, “the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is the result of the quiet work we have
been doing in the last couple of years and is no doubt another step forward as Guyana and Brazil continue to work towards infrastructural integration, which will see both countries benefitting from increased trade and people to people contact. This is also part of the wider South American integration process.” Brazil would badly want the road through Guyana as it will provide a much shorter route to the Atlantic Ocean, thus easing shipping time. It is the plan that container trucks will use the road to either a port in the city or altogether a new one. Neighbouring Brazil, because of its vastness, has been examining several options of easing its shipping woes, with the Linden/Lethem Road being a highly attractive one. They have offered to help fund the construction of the road. Already, a bridge across the Takutu River, which separates Guyana from Brazil, has been built, and vehicles
using the outlying state of Boa Vista have been gladly utilizing it. Lethem has been reporting increased trade since the bridge was commissioned in late 2009. The current 265-mile Linden/Lethem trail has been known to become impassable in rainy times, halting activities of miners, forestry operators and residents who would use it. It is filled with river crossings and ruts and there have been calls to pave it. But this will prove an expensive venture for the Guyana government alone. Speaking of the Linden/ Lethem Road, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said ‘’for many years our two countries have been discussing physical integration and the completion of the Takutu River Bridge is a direct result of these discussions. However, to fully realize the trade potential it is imperative that the road be upgraded.” She said that the road will benefit both countries as the northern part of Brazil in particular will have a shorter
The truth surrounding the poor level of production at Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is being skillfully withheld by Government to cover the poor management of the failing institution says, Khemraj Ramjattan, Leader of the Alliance For Change. Ramjattan made the statement in light of Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy recently blaming intermittent rainfall on the coastland for the halting of production at GuySuCo. The state-owned sugar company, which has a revised target of 236,000 tonnes of sugar for 2012, up to Friday last, had produced 208,000 tonnes of sugar. Dr. Ramsmamy had noted that the current rainy weather has adversely affected the sugar industry and the grinding of cane has slowed. He added that the last two
weeks in November, very little grinding is being done at estates because of the weather. According to Ramjattan, “Dr. Ramsammy is a doctor that has a plaster for every political and administrative sore. His statements are just to cover-up the sore rather than to heal the sore”. The AFC Member of Parliament said that all of the problems GuySuCo is encountering are management related and “have nothing to do with God or climate change”. He assured that this claim is substantiated by information provided by employees in the factories and fields. “Apparently, the struggle between management and workers, shortage of workers, a host of bad husbandry practices and the departure of a number of qualified persons
has affected GuySuCo.” In relation to the rainy weather disrupting the harvesting and burning of canes, Ramjattan said that bad husbandry practices are the primary factor. He noted that had the fields been properly prepared this second crop would not have encountered the rains. Another issue Dr. Ramsammy commented on that irked Ramjattan was that it was better to de-silt during the wet season than in the dry. According to the AFC Leader “this does not make engineering sense or common sense”. He opined that in the wet season it would be difficult to excavate the area thoroughly while in the dry season the silt would hold firmly in the bucket and the operator will ascertain how much silt has to be extracted.
Truth being hidden about poor sugar production – AFC Leader
The Linden/Lethem trail has always been susceptible to the weather access route to the Atlantic Ocean. “I am confident that the gestation period will be much shorter than that of the Takutu Bridge.’’ Minister RodriguesBirkett also said that studies are being conducted on the construction of a second hydro-electric plant, which could see Guyana supplying
energy to Brazil in the future, should the project prove feasible. Brazil had signaled its intentions as early as three years ago to help fund a 220megawatt hydro power project near the border with Guyana. Brazil would purchase around100 megawatts to help power some of its northernmost
areas, closest to Guyana. With the high prices of gold in recent years, Guyana has been seeing an influx of Brazilians especially to the mining districts. In the city, there have been a number of Brazilian businesses springing up. It is estimated that over 15,000 Brazilians live and work in Guyana. (Leonard Gildarie)
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Report: Rampant diamond smuggling from Venezuela to Guyana (Reuters) - Veteran gold and diamond buyers sit on a small metal boat gliding down a river in southern Venezuela that brushes the borders of Brazil and Guyana. Armed with weighing scales, magnifying glasses and rucksacks stuffed with cash, the Venezuelan traders stop at many of the myriad illegal mines that line the water and scar the jungle. “I have diamonds in my blood!” mused one buyer while macaws patrolled the jungle canopy near the village of Parkupik. The diamonds he and others purchase will likely end up in trading centers like Tel Aviv, Antwerp, London and New York after being smuggled into neighboring Guyana to obtain falsified papers. It is a route that flouts the so-called Kimberley Process, an international pact set up in 2003 to curtail the diamond smuggling that was fueling civil wars in Africa popularized as “blood diamonds.” While Venezuela’s stones are not “blood diamonds” as such, the pact’s founders fear their existence may give other
Illegal miners dig in search of gold in a makeshift camp near Tumeremo in Venezuela’s southern Bolivar state in this July 15, 2010 file photo. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters) diamond-producing nations, like Zimbabwe, an excuse to turn a blind eye to other violations of the Kimberley pact. Numerous traders across Venezuela and Guyana confirmed the illegal business to Reuters, all asking not to be identified for fear of attracting authorities’ attention.
The efficacy of the Kimberley Process has long been in doubt and, unable to verify the legitimacy of its own diamonds, Venezuela stopped issuing certificates in 2005. It unilaterally removed itself as an active participant in 2008 and the Kimberley Process board is now considering formally expelling
the socialist government of President Hugo Chavez. LEGITIMIZING VENEZUELA GEMS Guyana, a former British colony of just 750,000 people on the northeast shoulder of South America, issues its own Kimberley certificates though numerous buyers there said it was easy to lie about the diamonds’ origin. Diamond traders in the capital, Georgetown, are either well hidden up stairwells above small curry houses or protected by gangs of conspicuous heavily armed guards. Sitting in his office, one buyer admitted he would never turn down a good diamond, regardless of dubious origins. “If I think it’s a good diamond I’m going to buy it,” he said, asking that his name not be used. “I’m a businessman.” The buyer said many of his colleagues have had gems seized in recent years. The roughly 460-mile (740-km) frontier between Venezuela and Guyana is a mostly lawless and porous jungle region. Some gems go via the better-paved roads of Brazil too. In another Venezuelan border town, a
buyer sits in his office with a gun in his holster and a desk littered with gems. Miners interrupt to sell him their latest finds. “Diamonds are so easy to smuggle and it’s easier to export legally from Guyana with the Kimberley certificate,” he said. “You can carry thousands of dollars (worth of gems) in the pocket of your pants without setting off any metal detector.” This summer, the United States, the Kimberley Process’ chair for 2012, delivered an ultimatum to Venezuelan authorities to demonstrate compliance or lose membership altogether. At a plenary meeting of the Kimberley Process in Washington on Friday, a deadline was set for April 1. “The Kimberley Process will lose an important producing member,” said Maurice Miema of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which chairs the pact’s participation committee. “A call for vigilance will be made in the region against trading with Venezuela, and Venezuela will lose credibility.” BLOW FOR KIMBERLEY Ian Smillie, A Canadian who helped found the pact though resigned in 2009 citing its failure, said Venezuela’s formal expulsion may encourage others to ignore the regulations. “If Venezuela can flout the rules, why should anyone else bother?” Guyana’s Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, denied his government was turning a blind eye. “We ’ v e a l w a y s b e e n conscious that there can be cross-border movement,” he said at his Georgetown office. He said Guyana’s compliance with the K i m b e r l e y P r o c e s s was under “constant review” but declined to give concrete details. Venezuelan officials
did not respond to interview requests. The Chavez government swings from tolerating wildcat mining because it provides so many with a living to clamping down on it in line with international prohibitions. The jungle mines’ whereabouts on the river are given away by the roar of motors that pump in river water to churn up topsoil. One miner rides his hose as if trying to tame an anaconda. At the bottom of one pit, around 40 metres across and 10 metres deep, half a dozen men squat in waist-high water, picking through the mud in soaked and dirty rags. Despite appearances, this is a prosperous business. Standing at the edge of the pit, Jesus Lopez, 45, says he earns $2,000 in an average week with both gold and diamonds. “I make this sacrifice for my children,” said the miner. Six hours down river, near the small town of Ikabaru, Juan Bolo, 64, hacks at the earth, soaked in dirty river water. “I earn more now than I did in construction,” he said. Another miner said he used to be a soldier who pursued illegal miners. While earnings may seem high, the remoteness of the area coupled with the high value of its product has pushed up prices. A bottle of water can cost more than $10 and the use of satellite phones is expensive. Though the pay is good and the surroundings spectacular, violence is rife around the mines, not to mention tropical diseases, snakes and the odd mudslide. “You think I live a cool life, an adventure?” said a European buyer who has been in the region for a couple of decades. “But I don’t know how I’ll die, with a gun to the head perhaps, or hung from a tree and my body thrown in the river.”
Friday December 07, 2012
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Jagdeo, Ramroop expand media empire …own newspaper, TV and now radio stations A press release from publicrelationsqueens atlantic@gmail.com announced, yesterday, that “Radio Guyana Inc. (RGI) was launched on Thursday December 6, 2012.” Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. (QAII) is the company headed by Executive Chairman Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend. President Jagdeo is also believed to be a major shareholder in Queens Atlantic. Ramroop’s QAII now owns a newspaper—Guyana Times, a television station once owned by Anthony ‘Tony’ Vieira and operated as VCT 28 and is now TVG— this radio station, Radio Guyana Inc (RGI), and a host of other companies. The release added, “The radio station is the first of new radio licencees to commence operation here. In January, the Government of Guyana (GOG) issued licences to ten entities to operate radio stations.” QAII enjoyed special privileges when it set up the newspaper, when it began to operate the television station
Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s
it bought from Vieira, and now with the radio. President Jagdeo had withdrawn advertisement from Stabroek News. However, he was to reverse this decision when he launched Guyana Times, the newspaper owned by QAII, in which he is said to be a major shareholder. He began to give advertisements to Guyana Times and to justify this he reinstated advertisements to Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. The television station enjoyed even greater
privileges. Jagdeo, the then head of state, had informed the nation that no new television licence would be issued until Broadcast Legislation was introduced. He had also proclaimed that no television licence could be transf e r r e d . Ramroop’s television had to be the exception to the extent that people began to believe that the television station was in fact acquired by President Jagdeo himself and that he used Dr Ramroop as a front. To show that he meant
West Bank woman may have been run over by two vehicles - driver released Police are still trying to locate the driver who struck down and killed Bibi Salima Khan on the West Coast Demerara on Saturday night, and investigators now suspect that she was run over by two vehicles. A police official confirmed that traffic ranks have released the minibus driver who was initially suspected of driving away from the scene after knocking down the 44year-old Khan. The source noted that although Khan had multiple injuries, the suspect’s minibus was undamaged. “We don’t have sufficient evidence (to charge him) so a report may have to be sent to the DPP,” the official said. From the injuries observed during the post mortem, police now suspect that Khan might have been run over by two vehicles. Her head was reportedly crushed and her legs and hands broken. The source said that the injuries were consistent with those sustained during a vehicular accident. Because she had been drinking that night, there is also speculation that Khan may have been lying on the
Bibi Salima Khan West Coast Demerara public road near La Union when she was killed. But some of Khan’s relatives have expressed suspicion about the circumstances surrounding her demise. A sister is puzzled that Khan, who lived at Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, was in that area when she was reportedly heading home in a bus. A sister of the victim said she was told that Khan left home at around 12:00 hrs on Saturday to visit a friend who was in custody at the Den Amstel Police Station, on the
West Coast of Demerara. After learning that the friend was not there, Khan reportedly went to a guard hut near the station, where she had a few drinks with a male acquaintance at around 13:00 hrs. The two reportedly then went to a shop where they consumed more alcohol. It is alleged that at around 17:00 hrs, the man saw Khan board a minibus, reportedly with the intention of heading home. About two hours later, Khan’s mangled body was found on the West Coast Demerara public road near La Union. Police subsequently received information that a minibus driver had struck down Khan and driven away. He was detained the following day after another driver who claimed to have witnessed the accident gave the police the licence number of the bus. But the suspect alleged that he was driving near La Union on Saturday night when he spotted an object on the roadway. He alleged that he swerved from the ‘object’ and stopped, but continued driving after he exited his vehicle and failed to see the ‘object’.
business when it came to new television licences, he moved against the estate of Sanchara which operated STV Channel 4 in Queenstown. He revoked the licence for that station when C.N. Sharma moved to take over the operations at the request of Sanchara and sought to broadcast on that channel. Jagdeo insisted that the licence could not be transferred. But Queens Atlantic had no such problem. As soon as Channel 28 was bought from Vieira, it began to transmit. Ramroop changed the name of the station to TVG, implying a transfer of a licence to him, contrary to presidential statements. The radio station is no different. Vieira operated a
radio station, but Jagdeo refused to grant him a licence. When Vieira decided to broadcast, Valmiki Singh of the National Frequency Management Unit moved against Vieira and seized the equipment. Vieira moved to the courts and won, but the decision was never handed down until Queens Atlantic bought the television station. This purchase also provided the entity with a radio station. Observers now say that shame at the flagrant breach of the television licence prevented Queens Atlantic from operating the radio station. The government, through Valmiki Singh, had also raided the home of Mark Benschop to seize radio equipment that he had in his home. The message was clear to the rest of the society—no
radio unless it belonged to the government or to the Ramroop Group of Companies. QAII now says that RGI is part of a “dynamic media group”. It will be based out of TVG, located at Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown. The station will provide a twenty-four hour mix of several genres and styles of music. “The station plays all the music you love while striving to keep up with the desires of its listeners. R&B, Soca, Bollywood Hits, selective Chutney, Hip-Hop and Reggae music can be heard. RGI can be heard on 89.5MHz and 89.7MHz,” the release added. The station’s programme has been set to reflect the ethnic and religious make-up of the country, according to the release.
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CHEC contractor has to McAfee denied asylum; adhere to the rules - PM expected in Belize
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller shares a light moment with Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China His Excellency Zheng Qingdian at the launch of segment two of the Highway 2000 project at the Treadways Toll Plaza in St Catherine. (Photos: Michael Gordon) Jamaica Gleaner Despite an investment of US$610 million to complete the North-South leg of Highway 2000, the Jamaican Government says contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) will be required to comply with all regulatory requirements. Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who was seeking to address environmental concerns surrounding the construction of the highway, said CHEC will be required to adhere to all the rules of Jamaica’s regulatory agencies. “I wish to state in order to remove all doubts that there will be no special concessions granted in terms of the adherence to the rules of the regulatory agencies,” Simpson Miller said Wednesday as she launched the multibillion-dollar project in Treadways, St Catherine. The prime minister said the environmental impact studies have already been completed for segment one, which links Caymanas to Linstead. She said public hearings
for segment three, which stretches from Moneague to Ocho Rios, will begin next week. All the regulatory obligations for segment two, Simpson Miller said, “have long been fulfilled”. Segment two connects Linstead to Moneague. Transport and Works Minister Dr Omar Davies said the implementation of the project will present a “challenge to the administrative capacity of the Government”. “But there will be no short cuts, I can assure everyone of this,” Davies stressed. The North-South link of Highway 2000, which is expected to shorten the commute between Kingston and the north coast, has been plagued by several challenges and has been in abeyance for nearly two years. CHEC announced Wednesday that it will construct the 66-kilometre highway over a three-year period at a cost of US$610 million. CHEC also agreed to reimburse the Government of Jamaica US$120 million which was spent on the Mount Rosser bypass road.
Work on the first segment of the highway is scheduled to start in May next year while construction of segment three is scheduled to start in June. Both segments are scheduled to be completed in December 2015. Segment two, from Linstead in St Catherine to Moneague in St Ann, is almost complete and could be opened in a year. Simpson Miller said when complete, the highway is expected to reduce travel time between Kingston and Ocho Rios to 45 minutes. She said the Government has agreed to make 1,200 acres of lands along the toll road available to CHEC for various developments. “Housing, commercial developments and hotels,” Simpson Miller said as she explained some of the purposes for which the lands will be used. “I believe that the investments which will take place along the highway will far and fast outweigh the impact on the economy of the highway itself,” she added. In the meantime, Opposition Leader Andrew Holness welcomed the investment by CHEC.
GUATEMALACITY(AP) — Software company founder John McAfee was denied political asylum in Guatemala yesterday and police in Belize said they expected him to be flown back soon for questioning about the killing of a fellow American expatriate. Guatemalan authorities said McAfee’s request for asylum had been denied but did not explain why. Shortly after the decision was announced, McAfee issued a plea on his blog for the public to petition Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina to let him stay. “Please email the President of Guatemala and beg him to allow the court system to proceed, to determine my status in Guatemala, and please support the political asylum that I am asking for,” the post read. McAfee was last seen in a Guatemalan immigration detention center after his arrest for illegally entering the country ended a bizarre weekslong journey as a selfstyled fugitive with an active blog and constant contact
John McAfee with the press. McAfee told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview inside his private room in the center that he had suffered chest pain in the night but had refused to travel to a hospital because he had been using Chinese herbal medicine since suffering a heart attack in 1993. “Last night I had a little bit of pain, but I am fine this morning,” he said. “I don’t like western medicine ... if the
people around me are kind and compassionate, that’s all that matters in life. The people of Guatemala are very kind people, so I have no complaints.” Belizean police spokesman Raphael Martinez said officials expected McAfee to be flown back to the capital. Police hope to question him about the fatal shooting of killing of Gregory Viant Faull, who was shot to death in early November on the Belize island where both men lived. There is no warrant for McAfee’s arrest, so it is possible that his self-initiated flight from Belizean authority could end up with him free to roam the Caribbean island where he lived for years, often clashing with neighbors and authorities over allegations he kept aggressive dogs, weapons and drug paraphernalia on his property. McAfee was updating his blog Thursday after being given a computer by the warden at the migration center in Guatemala City, a three-story building with mesh-covered windows and barbed-wire on the roof.
Journalism under threat Jamaica Observer Former General Secretary of the United Kingdom-based National Union of Journalism Jeremy Dear, says press freedom is a myth if journalists exist in conditions of corruption, poverty or fear. Speaking at Tuesday’s National Journalism Forum under the theme ‘Tackling the Corruption Scourge’ at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, Dear said job insecurity and big money interests are threatening the independence of journalists worldwide. “The poverty and precarious employment of journalists around the world
— low pay, the hire and fire culture — means journalism is too open to corruption, too reliant on payola or other forms of unethical assistance and its independence is challenged and compromised,” he said. “The material conditions of contemporary journalism, particularly unprotected commercial practice, do not offer the space to practice independent journalism. O n t h e c o n t r ary, job insecurity and commercial priorities place increasing limitations on journalists’ ability to do what society wants us to — to question,
analyse, scrutinise,” the British journalist said. According to Dear, an environment causes selfcensorship, fear and intimidation in media. “From Iraq to Colombia, from Syria to the Philippines, from the UK to Jamaica, there can be no press freedom if journalists exist in conditions of corruption, poverty or fear,” he said. Meanwhile, Sandrea Falconer, the minister with responsibility for information, called on journalists to broaden their scope beyond the political directorate when tackling corruption.
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Private sector concerned Kamla says let the courts decide Kublalsingh ends 21-day hunger strike, about dollar slide accepts agreement for highway review
KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC - As the value of the Jamaican dollar continues decline, members of the private sector have voiced concern about the possible implications for the country. On Wednesday, the local currency sunk to its lowest value with more than J$92 required to purchase one US dollar. At the end of the day, the US dollar was being sold an average J$92.05 but was being sold for as high as J$95 by some traders. One year ago the average rate
was J$86.70. The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, (JCC), is predicting a further slide in the dollar as the country awaits word on a new deal with the Government and the International Monetary Fund, (IMF). According to JCC president, Francis Kennedy, this has left business owners in uncertainty and merchants are trying to stave off financial losses by paying their suppliers earlier than usual. He said stemming from this,
Jamaicans should brace for higher prices. “Higher prices are coming because of the dollar slide. Until such time as we get an IMF agreement settled down, the whole foreign exchange system …the dollar will continue to slide…we have a free market and there is speculation whether we like it or not” he said. Meanwhile the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) spokesman on Finance, Audley Shawhas also expressed alarm at the continuing slide in the value of the Jamaican dollar.
Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar said Wednes night that she was happy that environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh has ended his hunger strike, but reiterated that Government will be bound by the decision taken by the courts in the highway matter. Speaking to the Express by phone, Persad-Bissessar said her Government also stands by the agreements made between her ministers and the Joint Consultative Council (JCC).
“Government has committed to abiding with the conclusions arrived at the meeting between Government ministers and the JCC,” said Persad-Bissessar. On Monday, the Government team handed over a large number of documents for the JCC to review and report on in 60 days. Kublalsingh engaged in a three-week hunger strike demanding that the Prime Minister appoint an independent committee to review the Debe to Mon Desir section of the multi-billiondollar Point Fortin highway. Even before Kublalsingh started his hunger strike, former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj took up the matter on behalf of Kublalsingh and the Highway Re-Route Movement and headed to the courts. Wednesday night, Persad-Bissessar reinforced that this is a court matter and her Government will abide by the court’s judgement. “Government will be bound by any decision of the court as it is a pending court matter.” For the majority of the three weeks, Kublalsingh staged his hunger strike outside the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.
He had visits from Government ministers such as Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan (whom he cursed and chased away after an ambulance service was offered), Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar and Public Administration Minister Carolyn SeepersadBachan. Kublalsingh had first said he did not wish to see the Prime minister, then he indicated he did. Persad-Bissessar never visited Kublalsingh, but made appeals through the media for his family to encourage him to desist from his actions. Persad-Bissessar told the Express Wednesday night that she and Government will continue to pray for Kublalsingh. “We are happy for Mr Kublalsingh and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery and our prayers are with him as he recovers from any health challenges,” said the Prime Minister. During Kublalsingh’s hunger strike, PersadBissessar maintained on every occasion that she addressed the issue that the Point Fortin highway, including the contentious Debe to Mon Desir section, must be built as it stood to benefit hundreds of thousands of people.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar denies allegations of substance abuse PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar has dismissed allegations that she is in a battle with substance abuse. “I have no such problem and I have nothing further to say with respect to that…it would be most interesting if with every allegation that is made I need to defend myself personally. I serve my country well, I have nothing to be afraid of, I have nothing to be ashamed of and absolutely no substance abuse whatsoever” the Prime Minister told reporters in response to allegations from a former Government Minister. Persad-Bissessar made the comment following the opening ceremony of the Third high-level dialogue of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in Port of Spain. Last week, former Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development Verna St Rose Greaves alleged that the Prime Minister “has an issue which must be addressed frontally”. St Rose Greaves also questioned the Prime
Kamla PersadBissessar Minister’s ability to function and also alleged that ministers had files against her. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister steered clear of any questions surrounding the hunger strike of environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh to protest the proposed construction of the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension . “I have already spoken on that matter and I have no further comment on it.” PersadBissessar said.
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Venezuela’s Chavez to Illegal immigration drops after decade-long rise skip summit due to health WASHINGTON (AP) — New census data released yesterday affirm a clear and sustained drop in illegal immigration, ending more than a decade of increases. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. dropped to an estimated 11.1 million last year from a peak of 12 million in 2007, part of an overall waning of Hispanic immigration. For the first time since 1910, Hispanic immigration last year was topped by immigrants from Asia. Demographers say illegal Hispanic immigration — 80 percent of all illegal immigration comes from Mexico and Latin America — isn’t likely to approach its mid-2000 peak again, due in part to a weakened U.S. economy and stronger enforcement but also a graying of the Mexican population. The finding suggests an uphill battle for the Republicans, who passed legislation in the House last week that would extend citizenship to a limited pool of foreign students with
advanced degrees but who are sharply divided on whether to pursue broader immigration measures. In all, the biggest surge of immigration in modern U.S. history ultimately may be recorded as occurring in the mid1990s to early 2000s, yielding illegal residents who now have been settled in the U.S. for 10 years or more. They include migrants who arrived here as teens and are increasingly at risk of “aging out” of congressional proposals such as the DREAM Act that offer a pathway to citizenship for younger adults. “The priority now is to push a vigorous debate about the undocumented people already here,” said Jose Antonio Vargas, 31, a journalist from the Philippines. “We want to become citizens and not face the threat of deportation or be treated as second class,” said Vargas, whose campaign, Define American, along with the young immigrant group United We Dream, have been pushing for citizenship for the entire illegal population in the U.S. The groups point to a strong Latino and Asian-
American turnout for President Barack Obama in last month’s election as evidence of public support for a broad overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. Earlier this year, Obama extended to many younger immigrants temporary reprieves from deportation. But Vargas, who has lived in the U.S. since 1993 and appeared this year on the cover of Time magazine with other immigrants who lacked legal status, has become too old to qualify. The immigration shift may have an impact on the future racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S., pushing back official government estimates as to when whites will no longer be a majority in the country. The Census Bureau originally reported in 2008 that white children would become a minority in 2023 and the overall white population would follow in 2042. But the agency has since suggested the tipping points may arrive later, due to a slowdown in mostly Hispanic immigration. New census projections will be released next week.
BRASILIA/CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will not attend a regional trade summit in Brazil today, sources said, an absence sure to heighten speculation over the leftist leader’s health. Before he went to Cuba last week for more cancerrelated treatment, Chavez had spoken enthusiastically about attending the Mercosur bloc’s meeting in Brasilia to celebrate Venezuela’s entry. He has not been seen in public since November 15. “Chavez is not coming. They’ve even canceled the hotel reservation,” a Brazilian foreign ministry source said yesterday. Another Brazilian official said Chavez’s logistics and security advance staff were leaving Brasilia. In Caracas, a source at the Miraflores presidential palace also said Chavez, 58, was not going to travel. The recently re-elected president went to Cuba nine days ago for “hyperbaric oxygenation” treatment normally used to treat bone decay caused by radiation
Hugo Chavez therapy. Chavez has had three cancer surgeries in Cuba since mid-2011. So even though officials were portraying the latest treatment as normal follow-up after radiation, rumors are rampant that it could be more serious. “If Chavez does not show up at the first meeting where Venezuela is a full member of Mercosur, it will create a lot of distrust over his health,” said Marcelo Coutinho, professor of international relations at Rio de Janeiro’s Federal University.
Officials have given no detailed information on Chavez’s condition. His presence in Cuba, where Chavez has spent more than three months in total since his first 2011 diagnosis of cancer in the pelvic region, has overshadowed December 16 regional elections. Without him on the campaign trail or television, the race for 23 governorships has been a low-key one, failing to light up the public like October’s presidential election did with a record voter turnout of more than 80 percent. Although Chavez continues to sign official papers and make appointments from Cuba, his absence may delay decisions on some major issues like a possible devaluation of the Bolivar currency or an amnesty for jailed opponents. Various ministers have been visiting him in Havana this week, according to Venezuelan officials. Chavez allies have lambasted media and others for behaving like “vampires”
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Egypt demonstrators reject Mursi call for dialogue
Protesters chant slogans against Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi in front of a barbed wire barricade guarded by a tank outside the presidential palace in Cairo yesterday. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (Reuters) Demonstrators rejected a call from Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Mursi for a national dialogue after deadly clashes around his palace, demanding the “downfall of the regime” - the chant that brought down Hosni Mubarak. Mursi said in a televised speech late yesterday that plans were on track for a referendum on a new constitution on December 15 despite clashes that killed seven people. He proposed a meeting on Saturday with political leaders, “revolutionary youth” and legal figures to discuss the way forward after that. But a leading activist group rejected the offer, and fresh demonstrations were
called for today. The “April 6” movement, which played a prominent role in igniting the revolt against Mubarak said on its Facebook page that Friday’s protests would deliver a “red card” to Mursi. Egypt has been plunged into turmoil since Mursi issued a decree on November 22 awarding himself wide powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review. His Islamist supporters say the decree was necessary to prevent Mubarak-era judges from interfering with reforms. A constitution drawn up by a body dominated by Islamists is due to be put to a referendum next week. The opposition has demanded that Mursi scrap
his decree, postpone the referendum and redraft the constitution. In his address, Mursi said: “I call for a full, productive dialogue with all figures and heads of parties, revolutionary youth and senior legal figures to meet this Saturday.” Several thousand opposition protesters near the palace waved their shoes in derision after his speech and shouted “Killer, killer” and “We won’t go, he will go” another of the slogans used against Mubarak in last year’s revolt. The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that propelled Mursi to victory in a June election, was set ablaze. Other offices of its political party were attacked.
Recent hacking of UN nuclear agency not first attempt – IAEA (Reuters) - A recently announced hacking of the U.N. nuclear agency’s computer servers was not the first time an attempt had been made to break into the organization’s computer system, the head of the agency said yesterday. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that a few months ago a group broke into the agency’s computer system and stole personal information of scientists working on peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In response to questions at a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington, Amano repeated what he said last week after the hacking was revealed: no
sensitive information about the IAEA’s nuclear inspections had been stolen. The IAEA has shut down the server that had been hacked and is continuing an investigation, Amano said. But he also said it wasn’t the first attempt to break into the system. “If you ask if this is the only case? I would say there have been some other tries but we are doing our best to protect our system,” Amano said. The hackers - a group using an Iranian-sounding name - have posted scores of email addresses of experts who have been working with the U.N. agency on a website, and have urged the IAEA to investigate Israel’s nuclear activity.
Israel, which has an undeclared nuclear arsenal, and the United States accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies such ambitions. Amano would not say if he believed Iran was behind the attacks on the IAEA, whose missions include preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and which is investigating Iran’s disputed nuclear activities. “The group ... they have what looks like an Iranian name. But that does not mean that the origin is Iran,” he said. There has been an increase in suspected Iranian cyber attacks this year, coinciding with a deepening standoff with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.
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Monti government at risk after Berlusconi withdraws support ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi’s party withdrew its support for Prime Minister Mario Monti yesterday, raising the risk of a snap election in Italy, but President Giorgio Napolitano said he would work to avoid a crisis and there was no need for alarm. The centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party walked out of a Senate confidence vote on a package of economic measures and abstained in a separate confidence vote in the lower house following criticism of Berlusconi by a senior minister. Monti’s government survived comfortably but the risk it could fall remained as tensions rose between the parties that have backed the technocrat government over the last year. Head of state Napolitano, who makes the final decision on whether to call an election, said there was no need for alarm on international markets and Italy’s institutions were strong. “There are pre-electoral political tensions that even outside Italy can be understood without creating alarm about the institutional
Silvio Berlusconi and Mario Monti strength of the country,” Napolitano said. PDL secretary Angelino Alfano said the party had not wanted to bring the government down yesterday but would decide over the next few days whether to do so. “If we had wanted to make it fall, we would have already today given a vote of no confidence,” he told reporters. If the government does fall, an election would likely
be called only a few weeks earlier than the expected date in early March, but such a development would upset investors nervous about what will follow Monti. With all parties now clearly in campaign mode, Alfano said that Berlusconi had told him of his intention to run following strong indications on Wednesday that he would return to the frontline as the PDL election candidate.
China’s new boss Xi hits nationalist note with talk of “revival” (Reuters) - In his first three weeks as China’s Communist Party boss, Xi Jinping has shown himself to be more confident, direct and relaxed than his predecessor - but also quick to invoke nationalistic themes to win public support and legitimacy. He has at least twice spoken publicly, and in heroic terms, about national “rejuvenation” and the “revival of the Chinese nation”. The phrase has been uttered by all of Xi’s predecessors as party boss, but his frequent usage so early in his tenure is intended to “create cohesion” through nationalism, said Li Weidong, a political commentator and former magazine editor. Political observers say the language Xi has used is mainly intended for domestic political consumption, but it has come at an awkward time for China internationally: tensions with its neighbours in the South and East China Seas have increased since Xi became general secretary of the Communist Party last month.
Yesterday, China told Vietnam to stop unilateral oil exploration in contested areas of the South China Sea and not harass Chinese fishing boats, the latest rhetorical shot at one of its neighbours as a result of the territorial disputes. The ratcheting up of tensions derive in part from two recent changes in Chinese policy related to the region: the issuance of new passports that display a disputed map of the South China Sea, and new provincial regulations which appear to give maritime authorities broad discretion to board or detain foreign vessels operating in what China claims are its own waters. Both of those policies predate Xi’s ascension to party secretary, but they have emerged at the same time that his rhetoric about national “rejuvenation” is raising eyebrows - if not yet outright alarm - among China’s neighbours. “It hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the timing hasn’t necessarily been ideal,” said a senior Western
diplomat in China, speaking of Xi’s recent rhetoric. Xi mentioned “rejuvenation” in his first remarks after becoming party chief on November 15, and then again in a scripted appearance last week with the rest of the new seven-man Politburo Standing Committee on a visit to an exhibit entitled “The Road Toward Renewal” at the National Museum of China. The exhibit paints the past 170 years of Chinese history as a linear - but still incomplete - struggle from foreign domination to independence and economic prowess, a theme the party has trumpeted since it came to power more than 60 years ago. Diplomats and some analysts acknowledged that even if Xi’s recent rhetoric is aimed at a domestic audience, there is always potential risk in using nationalism as a political strategy “particularly now, at this point in China’s history, when it’s more confident, and some of its neighbours are wary”, the Western diplomat said.
The PDL move on Thursday followed comments by one of Monti’s ministers saying Berlusconi’s return could be bad for Italy. Napolitano said a turbulent end to the five-year legislature must be avoided
so Monti’s government could complete its program and the prime minister said he would await the president’s judgment on Thursday’s political drama. The president will meet Alfano today. Napolitano has previously said he will not call elections until parliament has approved a package of economic reforms. The political confusion helped drive up Italian bond yields but the impact was relatively contained. The premium investors demand to hold Italian 10-year BTP bonds rather than lower-risk German Bunds widened to 330 basis points, having fallen below 300 points earlier in the week. International markets are worried about what will happen after Monti steps down. The respected former European Commissioner has restored confidence in Italy since he took over a year ago from the flamboyant and scandal-plagued Berlusconi.
The centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is the main element with the PDL of a cross party alliance sustaining Monti, indicated it could ask Napolitano to dissolve parliament if the government could not count on the support of Berlusconi’s party. The conflict underlined the deep uncertainty in Italian politics before next spring’s election and weakened bond prices, which have come back under control since reaching critical levels before Monti’s takeover. Berlusconi’s statement on Wednesday suggested that he wanted to exploit public anger over austerity measures to revive the fortunes of the party he founded and bankrolled, which has slumped badly in opinion polls over the last year. The former premier said the situation was much worse than when he stepped down and Italy was on the edge of an abyss.
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Both sides scramble for leverage Russia, U.S. talk as Syria events as clock ticks on “fiscal cliff” “accelerate on the ground”
WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - With the clock ticking toward an end-of-year deadline, the “fiscal cliff” showdown focused yesterday on a renewed fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling as both sides maneuvered for political and public relations advantage. A largely partisan procedural scuffle broke out in the U.S. Senate when Republicans tried to provoke a vote related to the debt ceiling, in an apparent effort to reframe the debate on more favorable terms and gain some leverage. Republicans have worried publicly and privately all week that they were losing the war of appearances in the battle over the cliff, the combination of tax hikes and budget cuts set for the beginning of next year unless Congress passes a law stopping it. Yesterday, another poll was released showing that Republicans may indeed have reason to worry. The Quinnipiac University survey showed that respondents trust President Barack Obama and Democrats more than Republicans on the cliff talks
by a wide margin - 53 percent to 36 percent. Obama, meanwhile, was playing to his strengths with another in a series of public events of the sort he has used against Republicans in the fiscal cliff fight: meetings with concerned officials followed by a visit with a family in the Virginia suburbs of Washington to illustrate how Republican tax proposals would hurt the middle class. As for progress in negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, none was immediately visible. The White House confirmed that there had been a phone call on the subject between Obama and Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday. But neither side would characterize the conversation or suggest that it was opening up any new area of compromise. Obama and Democrats in Congress want the tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year to be extended for taxpayers with income below $250,000 a year but not for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
In exchange, the president has said he is willing to consider significant spending cuts wanted by Republicans to “entitlement” programs such as Medicare, the government health insurance plan for seniors. Republicans are holding out for an extension of all the tax cuts, but they have become increasingly divided over the past two weeks about whether they can prevail in the face of Obama’s firm stance and Republican control of only the House but not the U.S. Senate. The debt ceiling issue the same one that provoked a showdown in 2011 that led to a downgrading of the U.S. credit rating - has become intertwined with the fiscal cliff debate over the past three weeks, thanks in part to Obama’s insistence that Congress give him enhanced power to raise the debt limit, which needs to be raised again in the spring. “It ought to be done without delay and without drama,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said yesterday of raising the debt ceiling.
Free Syrian Army fighters with weapons walk at the frontline against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. REUTERS/Thair Al-Khalidieh/Shaam News Network/Handout BEIRUT/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The two superpowers divided by Syria’s civil war met head to head yesterday, with signs emerging that Russia might curb its support for President Bashar al-Assad and Washington saying events were gathering speed on the ground. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Dublin on the sidelines of a security conference, at a time when rebel advances have brought the 20-month war to the doorstep of the capital Damascus. “Events on the ground in Syria are accelerating, and we see that in many different
ways,” Clinton said before the meeting. “The pressure against the regime in and around Damascus seems to be increasing.” Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. mediator who convened the meeting, said the two sides had not made any breakthroughs, but would seek a “creative” solution to their impasse. Washington and its allies have long sought the overthrow of Assad, while Russia has shielded him at the U.N. Security Council. But comments by an ally of President Vladimir Putin yesterday indicated Moscow may be losing patience with Assad. Western countries and international officials have
issued coordinated warnings in recent days to Assad not to use chemical weapons. In the latest, the United Nations said Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had written to Assad to urge him not to use poison gas. U.S. officials say they have seen intelligence indicating Assad might be more likely to use chemical weapons, although they have been vague about the nature of the information. “I think there is no question that we remain very concerned, very concerned that as the opposition advances, in particular on Damascus, that the regime might well consider the use of chemical weapons,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.
BEIRUT (AP) — As fears grow in the West that Syrian President Bashar Assad will unleash chemical weapons as an act of desperation, NATO moved forward yesterday with its plan to place Patriot missiles and troops along Syria’s border with Turkey to protect against potential attacks. Assad’s regime blasted the move as “psychological warfare,” saying the new deployment would not deter it from seeking victory over rebels it views as terrorists. The missile deployment sends a clear message to Assad that consequences will follow if he uses chemical weapons or strikes NATO member Turkey, which backs the rebels seeking his ouster.
But its limited scope also reflects the low appetite in Western capitals for direct military intervention in the civil war. The U.S. and many European and Arab countries called for Assad to step down early in the uprising but have struggled to make that happen. Russia and China have protected Assad from censure by the U.N. Security Council, and the presence of extremists among the rebels makes the U.S. and others nervous about arming them. In Dublin, Ireland, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Russia’s foreign minister and the U.N. peace envoy to the Arab country for three-way
talks that suggested Washington and Moscow were working toward a common strategy as the Assad regime weakens. The diplomatic efforts to end the civil war come days after NATO agreed to post Patriot missiles and troops along Turkey’s southern border with Syria after mortars and shells from Syria killed five Turks. Germany’s Cabinet approved the move yesterday, and German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters that the overall mission is expected to include two batteries each from the Netherlands and the United States, plus 400 soldiers and monitoring aircraft.
NATO moves toward deployment on Syria border
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277 successfully complete Army’s Basic Recruit Course Yesterday 277 new soldiers who successfully completed the Basic Recruit Course 2012-02 were encouraged to use the Holy Book for guidance as they embark on their new and exciting careers. The charge was given to the new recruits by Acting Chief of Staff Colonel Bruce Lovell during a colourful closing ceremony at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, where he called on each of them to become a “witness” for the Guyana Defence Force. Family, friends and wellwishers gathered at the venue to join in the celebration. The 16-week training commenced on August 20 and officially concludes today. Colonel Lovell first congratulated the soldiers for successfully completing the course and reminded them that the Army has expectations of them, just as they have expectations from the career. “I have called my message “being a witness for the Guyana Defence Force” because that is what we want
you to do...for you to appreciate what I mean when I say that you must be a witness for the GDF. “The good book tells us that to be a witness we have to let our light shine so that others will see our good works and glorify God that is what you have to do now that you are members of this force”. The soldiers were told that at all times they are required to conduct themselves in such a manner that they will excel before the people of Guyana for them to recognize their good works and to have respect and admiration for the GDF. “To be a witness you have to anchor or fasten your conduct on the values and standards of the GDF. In life, values play a very important role…our values influence how we think. How we think determines how we act; how we act determines our destiny,” Lovell stated He added that each of the soldiers came to the army with certain values and that they should ensure that their values mesh with those of the force so that they will become men and women of worth to
the GDF and their country. “Your philosophy or attitude to military life must be one where you always “do the right thing.” when confronted by temptations and challenges always seek to do the right thing…once you follow the values and standards of the GDF, you will always do the right thing”. They were further reminded that military life is all about building character. “Those of you who refuse to anchor your conduct in the values and standards of the GDF will have to leave us. We will get rid of you, those of you who anchor your conduct will remain, for you who remain some will serve out your contract while others will make the military a career.” Lovell encouraged the soldiers to take advantage of the opportunities the force has to offer so that when they leave, they do so with a better character, qualifications and skills. “You are entering the GDF at a time when there is greater scrutiny on not only the force, but all public institutions…on how we execute our roles. The nation is demanding that
Best Student of the Basic Recruit Course 2012-2, 22513 RCT Sewpaul Singh. public institutions be incorruptible, be efficient and be effective. We in the GDF have to obey those calls,” Lovell asserted. In closing, Lovell welcomed the soldiers into the GDF family and urged them to make their families, the Army and moreso Guyana, proud. Meanwhile several of the recruits were awarded special prizes for their outstanding performances during the course. These included: Best Student, 22531 RCT Sewpaul Singh, Runner-up Best
Student, 22475 Joash Thomas, Best Military Knowledge, 22531 RCT Sewpaul Singh, Best Shot, 22445 RCT Chitdanand Singh, Best Drill, 22568 RCT Stephon Fredricks and the Best Fitness prize, RCT 22475 Joash Thomas. Training was done at the Colonel John Clarke Military School, Tacama, Base Camp Stephenson and the Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious Training School. The course’s objective was to “produce fit, obedient, loyal
and disciplined soldiers who possess high standards of Infantry Skills and Marksmanship abilities”. Prior to its commencement, 101 recruits were enrolled and commenced the Army Education Programme from Thursday August 2nd 2012 and were joined by an additional 65, then by another 168 recruits, bringing the course strength to 335. However, as the course continued 58 persons were dropped because of indiscipline.
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Hung jury in ‘Picture Boy’ double-murder trial By Zena Henry After six hours of deliberation, the 12-member jury in the Cyon Collier double-murder trial could not reach a verdict. The 22-day murder case concluded yesterday with a hung jury and Collier, also known as ‘Picture Boy’ will now have to prepare himself for retrial at the next appropriate sitting of the Criminal Assizes. After the case was summed up by presiding Judge, Justice Diana Insanally, the jury headed to
Dead: Carl Andrews
Dead: Ray Walcott
the jury room at exactly 12 noon. They did not return to the jury box until several minutes past 18:00 hours and had not reached a decision on the second count of murder. The jury foreman related to the court that they had reached a dead end. While on the first count of murder the jury returned with eight guilty verdicts and four not guilty verdicts, they had not yet even considered the second count. The court ordered a retrial for the accused as it was determined that a resolution could not have been met. Collier was returned
Cyon Collier
to the Camp Street prison shortly after. A look of relief was evident on his face. During the long wait for the results of the jury, Collier was visibly nervous and constantly looked around the courtroom, fidgeting every now and then. The East Coast Demerara resident was on trial for the 2006 murder of Victoria, East Coast Demerara residents Ray Walcott called ‘Sugar’ and his brother Carl Andrews called ‘Alo’. Collier reportedly used a gun to take the men’s life. On Monday, Defence Counsel Lyndon Amsterdam presented a five-hour-long closing argument as to why Collier should be found innocent of the murder charge. Several witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution, but Amsterdam focused his attention on the prosecution reportedly having no evidence against Collier. He sought to make invalid the evidence presented by civilians, those in particular who claimed to have had direct contact with Collier on the day of the alleged offence. He focused even more on police witnesses, trying to devalue and discredit their testimony. In his arguments he said that the police evidence was inconsistent and to some extent conflicting. The defence even stated that the police had
fabricated the statement against Collier and had beaten him to sign the documents. Senior State Prosecutor Gildharie-Mursalin highlighted various aspects of the evidence which she opined was adequate for a conviction of the accused. She refuted that the police evidence was conflicting and said what the officers could not remember was simply “human nature”. The family of the deceased reacted in a calm but disappointed manner. They mentioned that they noticed various discrepancies during the trial as it related to several members of the jury. They however said that they were satisfied that their justice would come from God. For attorney Lyndon Amsterdam, this is the second Cyon Collier trial where a hung jury had resulted. Collier was also on trial last year for the death of Non Pareil businessman Chandrapaul Persaud called ‘Kero man’ who was murdered on September 30, 2006. A retrial had been ordered in that case in November last year. Prosecutor Judith Gildharie-Mursalin had again represented the state, while the matter was at that time heard by Justice Winston Patterson.
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DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. GMA 10:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00 hrs. The Ricki Lake Show 12:00 hrs. The View 13:00 hrs. Prime News 13:30 hrs. The Young and
the Restless 14:30 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00 hrs. The Talk 16:00 hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00 hrs. MacGyver 18:00 hrs. World News 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements
20:00 hrs. Channel 8 News 20:30 hrs. DTV’s Christmas Spectacular 22:00 hrs. The Vampire Diaries (New Episode) 22:42 hrs. Beauty and the Beast (New Episode) 23:22 hrs. Supernatural (New Episode) 00:00 hrs. Sign Off
Friday December 7, 2012 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may feel emotionally conflicted today because it isn’t easy to restrain your impulses. Nevertheless, you have a feeling of inner power now and this reserve of energy is sufficient to stop you from wasting your talents by succumbing to your need for immediate gratification.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You are close to making a breakthrough that concerns your deepest beliefs, but you might have to hold on to your horses for just a little bit longer. Perhaps you have been scheming and dreaming, but keeping it all to yourself. Now you are finalizing your plans before putting them into motion.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You are a study in inertia today, making it difficult for you to change direction. If you have been inactive, you want to stay that way. But if you’ve been having a good time, it’s going to be tough to turn down the volume.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may be so enthusiastic that you lose perspective today. Oddly enough, it is your confidence that can get you into trouble now. Be willing to question your own values. Listen to what others are telling you without putting up protective defenses.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You could go through a minor meltdown today as you temporarily become a perfectionist. It’s not that you are usually sloppy; it’s just that you’re often eager to let something go once you have completed it.. However, you are driven to get everything correct now, and you’re not willing to let any loose ends remain untied. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your feelings are larger than life, but you are still an expert at maintaining a healthy outlook on reality. Even if someone tries to manipulate you, you can hold on to your point of view without budging. The danger is that by clinging so strongly to your perspective today, others may think you’re trying to control them. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may have to go through several ups and downs today, but you should be able to find a place where your energies are in balance. Your feelings and actions are harmonized only for short bursts now, yet others might not even notice the difference. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Old problems that involve feelings from the past have been festering unnoticed beneath the surface. These could be your feelings or someone else’s, but in either case it’s probably a good time to talk it out.
SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Your vision extends wide — after all you are the philosophers and travelers of the zodiac. However, your ideas are more carefully considered today, and this may make them become quite popular. It seems as if everyone can see your clear thinking at work and they want to climb on to your bandwagon. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) There are times for action and there are times for planning. You may be less productive today, but your analytical abilities are still working at top notch. Don’t worry if your physical energy is lower than usual. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You are more philosophical about love now. This is a great time to take care of any lingering emotional issues that are on your mind. Your current advantage is your ability to see what’s happening with respect to your heart’s desires. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your current interactions with others are the source of both good news and bad news now. The good news is that opportunity comes knocking at your door. The bad news, however, is that you might be so entrenched with what you are doing that you don’t stop to let it in.
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=== Letter to the Sports Editor ===
West Indian cricketers exit in less ceremonious fashion DEAR EDITOR, I became very emotional upon viewing the final exit from the International scene of former Australian captain Ricky Pointing following the culmination of the final test match against South Africa. He will stand proudly among the greatest batsmen of contemporary cricket; a priceless legacy that also includes the incomparable
Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. The varying sentiments from the cricketing world including the ICC collectively saluting a true champion for the pure pleasure and character that Pointing brought to cricket was ballooning from the time he said that he was retiring. They were fitting and appropriate tributes to an
Australian hero. Can the same be said about our West Indian heroes? I have studiously followed the careers of many of our past outstanding cricketers yet some of them have disappeared in less ceremonious fashion. Former West Indies captains Vivian Richards, Carl Hooper and Jimmy Adams vanished without a formal
farewell. Richards was interested in playing in the 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand but he was not selected and it was the ignominious end for him, while Jimmy Adams was dropped after a miserable tour of Australia under his tenureship and was never selected again. Carl Hooper just walked away without saying farewell amid an uneasy
relationship with the WICB and the list goes on. The careers of the trio were long enough to absorb their rightful acclaim by the fans and associations. Brian Lara’s sudden retirement was also a surprise and the world never got the chance to see him saluting one final time to the crowd or his opposition constructing a guard of honor as he stepped on the field for his final innings. Perhaps it is a culture among West Indians as their timing becomes entangled with administrative imbroglio, poor form and then they suffer the fate of being dropped initially from the team, then for life! While indeed it is quite a difficult decision or indecision for any sporting athlete to quit since some will retire then return as Shane Warne is currently contemplating or Lance Armstrong who had returned to cycling on the international stage before his disgraced indiscretions were exposed (use of performance enhancing drugs), I am of the opinion that our West Indian players of the modern era do not prepare for this phase in a formal and specific time as to when to retire. The evidence can suggest though that many of them do not remain in the team for long periods due to inconsistency, poor work ethic or even due to a display of prolonged indiscipline. I recalled that legendary fast bowler Curtley Ambrose knew it was time for him after retiring at the completion of the WI tour of England a few
years ago. The fans meritoriously acknowledged him then and it was a very emotional scene as Curtley consumed the accolades in that final test match. Yet on the contrary another outstanding batting great Desmond Haynes was fuming with the WICB during his later years as a player and never got to formally announce his retirement at the time when he should have been hailed as one of the greatest opening batsman alongside Gordon Greenidge. The factors are quite challenging in some cases since some quit when on top of their game or the team is successful, others quit in frustration or they are cast aside by the selectors; it’s a challenge that West Indians are not famous for doing with precision that will create an atmosphere of global pride and celebration. It is my considered hope though that the outstanding Shivnarine Chanderpaul will do so whenever he decides to retire and in so doing the world will truly acclaim a world champion of a cricketer on the field in his final innings. The same should be for Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels since their careers should be long and rewarding. West Indians however should prepare to quit though on their own terms and befitting the class and charisma that personify the West Indies in association with the audience that they would have brought joy and excitement to across the globe. Elroy Stephney
Unity\ Lancaster SC to honour Shiv Chanderpaul tomorrow The Uunity\Lancaster Sports Club will honour West Indies star batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul tomorrow, Saturday December 8 at a ceremony which will be held at the club’s ground starting at 04:30hrs. The ceremony was scheduled for last weekend but due to the inclement weather it was rescheduled. A specially arranged Twenty\20 match will be played after the ceremony. Chanderpaul also just this week reclaimed the number one spot in the International ratings for Test batsmen.
Bryden and Fernandes Darts Tourney set for Sunday The Bryden and Fernandes sponsored Darts tournament is set to take place on Sunday at the CCWU compound starting from 13:00 hrs. Among the players expected to battle for a top prize of $30,000 are National champion Sudesh Fitzgerald and Norman Madhoo. Meanwhile the players who won trophies in the previous tournament are asked to return with same for a ceremony.
Friday December 07, 2012
Kaieteur News
Goal technology debuts in Club World Cup opener
Satoru Yamagishi (L) of Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Luis Corrales of New Zealand’s Auckland City fight for the ball during their Club World Cup soccer match in Yokohama, south of Tokyo December 6, 2012. YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat part-timers Auckland City 1-0 in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Thursday when FIFA used goal-line technology for the first time. Toshihiro Aoyama’s dipping drive in the 66th minute lit up a pedestrian encounter and sent the J-League champions into the quarterfinals where they will face Egypt’s Al-Ahly. The match was the first in which soccer’s governing body officially used the goal technology although there was little opportunity to test its effectiveness in a game of few chances. FIFA are using two systems in Yokohama and Toyota City after finally bowing to calls to eliminate ‘ghost’ goals from the game. GoalRef, which uses a microchip coil in the ball and low magnetic waves around the goal, was used in Thursday’s game with no problems reported. FIFA said pre-match tests conducted by the referee at both ends of the pitch 100 minutes before kickoff were successful. Hawk-Eye, widely used in cricket and tennis, will be used in Sunday’s quarter-
finals in Toyota. FIFA will be given analyses from the competing companies in January and decide which system to use at next year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil. The technology was not needed as Hiroshima eased past the New Zealanders in Yokohama, although Yojiro Takahagi and Ryota Moriwaki hit the woodwork from long distance after the break. The Japanese side dominated the game without providing any real threat inside the box. Dethroned European champions Chelsea and South American Libertadores Cup holders Corinthians join the seven-team competition at the semi-final stage next week. “The score was only 1-0 but we tried to keep attacking,” Hiroshima manager Hajime Moriyasu told reporters. “There was plenty of motivation and effort.” Auckland coach Ramon Tribulietx put a positive spin on the result. “We have to be happy with the way we played,” he said. “Don’t forget we are an amateur side - it’s not easy coming up here to play Hiroshima in Japan.”
John Mikel Obi banned for Mark Clattenburg threats
John Mikel Obi (right) was banned for threats against Referee Mark Clattenburg (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi has been given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 by the Football Association for threatening referee Mark Clattenburg. Mikel admitted an FA charge following an incident
in the match officials’ changing room after Chelsea’s defeat by Manchester United on 28 October. The FA accepted the player had believed the referee had racially abused him. “But for that factor the
suspension would have been significantly longer,” the FA said in a statement. In a personal hearing on Thursday the FA’s Independent Regulatory Commission also accepted the Nigerian midfielder’s explanation. The FA has investigated the allegation against Clattenburg and found that there was no case for him to answer. The police also dropped their own inquiry into the allegations that Clattenburg had racially abused Mikel, 25. Mikel’s team-mate Ramires had made the allegation and Chelsea later said they regretted the way the matter was handled. Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches while the FA investigated Chelsea’s complaint.
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Flex Night International...
Exposition of bodies set to unfold at NCC tomorrow night An exposition of well defined, chiseled, shredded and toned male bodies will hit the National Cultural Centre (NCC) as will some defined, fit and well curved ladies when the Flex Night International competition comes off tomorrow night from 19:00hrs. Months of preparations will be unfolded in real terms and the judges will have the final say as to who will, in the first instance, be the category winners then the final showpiece of the night when the respective male category winners pose off for the title and bragging rights of Mr. Flex Night International 2012. The return to active competition of former multiple CAC gold medalist Sylvan Gardner will no doubt strengthen Guyana’s bid to win the team title at stake given the high level of competition that is anticipated from the four Surinamese athletes that are expected to arrive today,
Sylvan Gardner
Gisa ter Haar of Holland (centre) pose with Flex Night competitors Chelan Yhap (left) and Shawnell Warner. including Mr. Suriname 2012, Koese Soepe who also won the Under-154 pound class on Saturday last.
Apart from Gardner, some of the other male Guyanese competitors are current Mr. Guyana Devon Davis,
Royston Booker and a few from the younger crop including Donnel Perry. Male competition will be in the 154 pounds (69.8kgs) & under, 155 (70.3kgs) – 165 pounds (74.8kgs), 166 (75.3kgs) – 176 pounds (79.8kgs) and Over 176 pounds (79.8kgs). The females will do battle in the Miss Flex Night, Miss Flex Night Bikini and Miss Flex Night Best Legs and competition is anticipated to be breathtaking. Leading in this regard is the multi talented Ms. Alisha Fortune, a former sprint queen who has been virtually unstoppable on the bodybuilding scene, her closest competition has been Ms. Nadina Taharally. But with the emergence of some new competition in the form of Stacy Small, Chelan
Yhap, Shawnell Warner, Marissa Lowden all contenders in the Ms. Best legs and Ms. Bikini contests, it will be anybody’s guess who will take the titles and emerge as the best. A show of quality and class is expected tomorrow evening along with a huge turnout of fans rooting for their gym mate or friend and also showing support for the sport. And by the way, the Surinamese fans will be here in numbers to support their own, so while we anticipate keen on stage rivalry, it is also expected that the fans will have their own competition waging in the audience. Meanwhile, guest
performer Gisa Ter Haar and her team will also arrive in Guyana today. Flex Night Incorporated will be hosting a Welcome Cocktail and Magazine Launch today at the Demerara Mutual Conference Room, Scotiabank building from 18:00hrs. The Official Opening of Fitness Expo is set for tomorrow at 13:00hrs and will be done by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds as is expected. On Sunday, at the Herdmanston Lodge from 10:00hrs a Fitness, Nutrition and Bodybuilding Seminar will be held with the resource persons being Gisa ter Haar and Rinus van der Zeijden.
Missing Eritrean football players seek asylum in Uganda - government official KAMPALA (Reuters) Eritrean football players who disappeared from their hotel in Uganda over the weekend have sought asylum in the east African country, a senior Ugandan government official said on Thursday. Mass defections by Eritrean football players are becoming common as the country is one of the w o r l d ’s m o s t s e c r e t i v e states ruled by a reclusive president. This year United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay accused the Asmara government of meting out summary executions, torture and detaining thousands of
political prisoners. “It’s true 17 players and a doctor from Eritrea have come to us claiming that they feel unsafe at home and that they want asylum in Uganda,” Musa Ecweru, junior minister for disaster preparedness and refugees, told Reuters. “So we have told police to stop hunting for them and we have also given them asylum seekers’ forms.” The Eritreans had disappeared from their hotel over the weekend after losing 2-0 to Rwanda on Friday during the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) competition.
In July last year 13 members of an Eritrean football club sought asylum in Tanzania while 12 members of the national squad disappeared in Kenya in 2009 after competing in a regional tournament. Ecweru said the Eritreans would have to undergo the normal verification process that all asylum seekers are subjected to before their asylum bid is processed. “They will be interviewed by a committee and they will be subjected to rigorous questioning to determine whether their reasons for fleeing their country are genuine.”
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Western Tigers Football Club ready to reclaim K&S accolade Three years ago, BK Western Tigers Football Club rose to fame when it conquered all and sundry to take the coveted Kashif and Shanghai trophy. The team soaked up all the glory but with that new found fame, came adversity. Despite the best efforts of administrators to retain a close knitted bunch, many of the players sought transfers to represent other clubs reducing the strength of the West Ruimveldt based unit. Shrewd administrative tactics saw those players returning to the fold and now three years after the historic achievement, the club is ready to reclaim the prestigious accolade. The team players commence their trek on Friday December 21 when they oppose the Grove HiTec squad and already coaches Calvin Allen and Cornel Millington are exuding confidence of repeating the match winning feats of 2008. Yesterday afternoon the two coaches guided the players through their drills and indeed the squad appeared to be focused and
ready for the tasks ahead. Indeed with Devon Millington marshalling the strike force with support from Shawn ‘Bubbly’ Beveney, the two coaches have every right to be confident. Word is also out that Colin Nelson, who plays professional football for Caledonia AIA in Trinidad and Tobago, will return to play for the team as will defender, Walter Moore, whose recent exploits as a member of the Golden Jaguars team distinguishes him among his peers. One also cannot forget the theatrics of Derek Carter between the uprights when the team registered the historic win. He had been voted the Most Valuable Player and will return to aid the team to replicate the feat. “We had lost a few players who temporarily left after we won the tournament but they are back in the team ready to do us proud,” pronounced Mr. Millington. Calvin Allen supports such sentiments, “We are coming real strong to cart off the spoils,” he stated matter of factly.
In the photo, Mr. Allen (2nd left) briefs his men on tactics and strategies.
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Digicel makes it possible for players’ participation at World Open Squash Marketing Executive of Digicel Jacqueline James presented a cheque worth $500,000 on Wednesday to the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) to assist players traveling to the Cayman Islands for the Women’s World Open Squash Championship which is scheduled to run from December 13-21. James handed over the support to Secretary of the GSA Vidushi Persaud, who in brief remarks said the association was proud to have three outstanding young ladies competing in the tournament. She mentioned world rated Nicolette Fernandes, Mary Fung-a-Fat and Ashley DeGroot as the players that will be competing in the Championship. According to Persaud the relationship with Digicel is in its second year and she hopes that the support continues, adding that the Company have shown a
strong commitment for the support of Squash and the GSA is extremely appreciative and looks forward to continued collaboration with the Company. James said the Company is always pleased to be on board with anything that supports the development of young people and them moving forward, while recognizing that they are all Guyanese. “As usual this is our second year being on board with the Guyana Squash Association and it has been a tremendously warm and welcoming feeling. We have no reason not to celebrate every day, every month because there is always something to celebrate about the Guyana Squash Association achieving something. We have our women now who are going to the World Championship and this is a phenomenal moment and event. Of course they are always champions for us
Digicel’s Jacqueline James (right) hands over the cheque to GSA Secretary Vidushi Persaud in the presence of Ashley DeGroot (second left) and Mary Fung-a-Fat. because they have won the Caribbean Junior Championship so they are forever champions”.
James said even if the three players do not come back with championship trophies, they will nonetheless be considered winners because of the experience that they would gain at such a high level event. Fung-a-Fat and DeGroot, who were present at the occasion, expressed how pleased they are to be getting the opportunity to compete at the world championship. “It’s an amazing feeling to
represent Guyana at such a big level event, the World Open, so we are well prepared and will go and have fun and show the world what we have to offer”, Fung-a-Fat said. DeGroot said, “This has always been the biggest event of our Squash life and it is great to have you on board with us (Digicel). Since you have been on board with us we have accomplished a lot and we are thankful for that”. Six wild cards were up for grabs two of which were
given to Fung-a-Fat and DeGroot for their performance at the World Junior Championship. One hand at the presentation ceremony were the mothers of DeGroot and Fung-a-Fat both of whom said they were elated that their daughters will be competing at this level in the sport. They were accompanied by parents Camille DeGroot and Selouchinie Fung-a-Fat both of who also made remarks.
Another must-win game for West Indies
Cricinfo - Having got one must-win game out of the way, West Indies are facing another in order to draw level with Bangladesh in the five-ODI series. One wrong step in Mirpur today could make the final match tomorrow a dead rubber and consign West Indies to a series defeat, a backward step after their recent success in international cricket. West Indies made amends for their poor showing in the first two matches in Khulna by changing their approach to batting. In Khulna, the batsmen were guilty of trying to hit out every time they were bogged down. In Mirpur, however, Samuels led the change, by battling more than batting on a pitch that had irregular bounce and lots of turn. West Indies now need their other batsmen - Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy - to follow the Samuels way. The visitors also had another positive in the third match - Sunil Narine finally found form on this tour with a four-wicket haul. Bangladesh are leading the series 2-1, and despite their struggle in the previous game, they scored 227, an indication of their increasing comfort levels in ODIs. They will be heartened to see the bowling unit put up a fight. A worry, though, is the form of Rubel Hossain, who looked rusty during a five-over spell that cost 42.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Bangladesh offspinner Sohag Gazi was wicketless for the first time in an international match, in the third ODI in Mirpur, where he had figures of 9-1-36-0. He has been a revelation for Bangladesh this winter, and will hope that the previous match was a blip in an otherwise encouraging start to his career. Kieron Pollard has become a figure of ridicule in Bangladesh for his comments after the first ODI in Khulna. He hasn’t been in form either and has thrown away his wicket at crucial times. He will be expected to hit a few into the stands at least, if not out of the city, like he threatened to. Mushfiqur Rahim and Bangladesh’s interim coach Shane Jurgensen will not tinker too much with the team combination as it offered balance to the attack. Bangladesh however have the option of playing left-arm spinner Elias Sunny, who was added to the squad for the final two ODIs. West Indies possibly got it right by picking both spinners in their line-up and are likely to continue with the winning combination. PITCH AND CONDITIONS The pitch for the third ODI was a challenge for the batsmen, but the one for the fourth game could be a batting paradise. In that case, batting second will be much easier under lights.
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Alastair Cook sets England Test century record in India
Alastair Cook began another major innings (BCCI) BBC Sport - Captain Alastair Cook set a record for England Test centuries with his 23rd as the tourists assumed control of the third Test against India. The opener passed the mark of 22 held by Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and Kevin Pietersen. Cook made 136 not out as England reached 216-1 in reply to India’s 316 all out at the close of day two at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Cook, 27, also became the youngest batsman to reach 7,000 Test runs. The Essex left-hander reached the milestone at the age of 27 years and 347 days,
knocking Sachin Tendulkar off top spot. The India great, who has a record 15,638 Test runs, was 28 years and 193 days old when he passed the 7,000 mark. Cook, whose Test career began with a hundred against India in Nagpur in 2006, has now scored centuries in all five of his Tests as captain. He brought up his third ton of the series off 179 balls with a sweep for two off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during an opening partnership of 165 with Nick Compton. While his England teammates and coaching staff rose in unison on the balcony to salute their skipper, Cook
removed his helmet, looked skyward and punched the air with both hands. Cook is still only joint20th in an all-time list of Test centurions headed by Tendulkar with 51, but should have many years ahead of him to move up the table. “I don’t think it will be such a big deal to him,” said Boycott on Test Match Special. “At his age he’s going to get quite a lot more unless he has a serious illness or injury. “He’s in the best years of his life and will automatically play, he has a good technique and should be well on the way to 40 hundreds by the time he’s
finished.” Cook also surpassed Andrew Strauss, the man he succeeded as Test captain before the India tour, to move up to ninth in the list of England’s all-time highest run-scorers with 7,048. Graham Gooch holds the record with 8,900. Cook was dropped by Cheteshwar Pujara at slip off the bowling of Zaheer Khan on 17 but did not offer a further chance in a confident and controlled innings featuring 19 fours and a six. He and Compton, Strauss’s replacement at the top of the England order, put the tourists in a strong position to go 2-1 ahead in the four-match series as they target a first victory in India since 1985. Somerset’s Compton batted circumspectly at first before opening up after tea to reach his first Test fifty. His 137-ball knock was eventually brought to an end when he missed an attempted sweep at Pragyan Ojha and
was trapped lbw. Jonathan Trott then showed signs of playing himself into form, easing to 21 not out in an unbroken partnership of 51 with Cook. Earlier, England made relatively light work of wrapping up the India tail as Monty Panesar had Zaheer Khan trapped lbw for six and then rearranged Ishant Sharma’s stumps.
Nick Compton made his maiden Test halfcentury (BCCI)
Captain Mahendra Dhoni smashed the England spinner for two sixes en route to a half-century before he was last out, fending a Steven Finn bouncer to Graeme Swann, who ran forward to take a low diving catch. Scores: England 216 for 1 (Cook 136*, Compton 57) trail India 316 (Tendulkar 76, Gambhir 60, Dhoni 52, Panesar 4-90) by 100 runs.
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Kaieteur News
Friday December 07, 2012
Marquez’ motivation all about vindication in the ring LAS VEGAS (Reuters) Juan Manuel Marquez’s sole motivation for Saturday’s non-title welterweight clash with arch-rival Manny Pacquiao is the prospect of finally being able to celebrate victory over the Filipino in the ring, the Mexican said on Wednesday. “I want them (his corner) to raise my hand (in triumph),” Marquez told reporters at the MGM Grand after the two fighters appeared for their final prebout news conference. Marquez has fought Pacquiao three times, most recently 13 months ago in the same MGM Grand ring where they will meet on Saturday, but on none of those occasions has he been declared the winner. Officially, the tally stands at two Pacquiao wins and one draw, though many fans and boxing writers believe Marquez could legitimately have won all three encounters. “People tell me, ‘You really beat him’, in the last three fights,” said Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs), a threedivision world champion. “A
lot of people feel I beat him. “But I want to have my hand raised. I want the judges to really look at what they’re doing and get it right this time.” When the fighters last met, Pacquiao narrowly retained his WBO welterweight title with a controversial majority decision and boos from disgruntled Marquez fans echoed around the arena after the shock decision was announced. For his part, Pacquiao appears to be growing increasingly frustrated by the Mexican’s insistence that he was the deserved winner of their previous three contests, particularly because of the counter-punching style favored by Marquez. “He always claims he won the fights,” said Pacquiao (544, 38 KOs) who has won world titles in eight weight divisions. “So he needs to prove something. “You cannot say, ‘Yes I won the fight’ when you are always backing off. It’s contradictory. If you’re claiming you won the fight, then you have to press the action.”
FOUR-FIGHT RIVALRY The four-fight rivalry between the two boxers almost failed to last one round. Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the opening round of their first encounter in 2004, but the Mexican rallied to outbox his opponent and eke out a draw. In their second meeting four years later, Pacquiao knocked down Marquez in the third round, which proved the difference after he won a close split decision. Their third bout was adjudged a majority decision victory for the Filipino southpaw, despite Pacquiao’s surprisingly unimpressive display. “I thought Manny won that fight,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said on Wednesday. “But the booing was very loud and very vocal. “Someone said, ‘Why aren’t you smiling? You won the fight’. And I said, ‘It’s very hard to smile when you’re being booed that bad’.” Pacquiao acknowledged that his series of fights with Marquez had been the defining rivalry of his career. “When you say
Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao (left) and Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico pose during a news conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada December 5, 2012. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus ‘Muhammad Ali’, you think ‘Joe Frazier’,” the Filipino said. “And I think when you say ‘Manny Pacquiao’, you think ‘Juan Manuel Marquez’. And when you say
‘Marquez’, you think ‘Manny Pacquiao’.” But neither man is expecting a fifth fight, whatever happens in the ring on Saturday. The fourth bout,
they insist, will be the last. “This is the last fight with Manny,” said Marquez. “I don’t know what will happen in the ring, but this is the last time.”
Minister dismisses Turkey GP funding hopes
Sebastian Vettel at the 2011 Turkish F1 Grand Prix ISTANBUL (Reuters) Turkey’s sports minister has poured cold water on race organizers’ hopes that the government would provide funds to secure the return of the Turkish Grand Prix to the Formula One calendar next season. The sport’s governing body announced on Wednesday that an unidentified European race had been penciled in for July 21, subject to the agreement of national bodies, to bring the calendar up to 20 races. Turkish race organizers have said staging the grand prix would depend on whether the government made funds available. Local media reported the Istanbul track operator as saying the government would provide $13.5 million in funding. But Sports Minister Suat Kilic told reporters on Thursday the race was purely
a matter for the private sector. “If it wants to, the private sector can bring Formula One,” Kilic was quoted as saying by the Dogan news agency. “But there is no question of us paying the cost of the rights which have been proposed to a private company to bring Formula One.” The Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) said on its website (www.tosfed.org) that the grand prix - last held in 2011 before being dropped after a disagreement over hosting fees - had been discussed at a meeting of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in Istanbul. “We in TOSFED are making every effort so that Formula One races, which have been held seven times in our country until now, can be held at our Istanbul Park track...(in 2013) and in future years,” chairman Demire
Berberoglu said in a statement. Berberoglu said an agreement had been reached between circuit operator Vural Ak and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, but the government also had to play a part. “Everybody knows that what is needed for its presence in the Formula One race calendar for 2013 and following years is a guarantee and approval of the required budget at the government level,” said Berberoglu. “This will develop according to the prime minister’s decision.” Kilic said the government had previously assisted in bringing Formula One to Turkey, making a “sacrifice” in order to boost the sport. “Our government paid $13.5 million a year to the organizers for five years for the rights. In exchange for that, all the income went to the organizers, so the state did not get any benefit from it,” he said. The Istanbul Circuit, on the Asian side of the city, was highly regarded by teams and drivers for its challenging layout but the race failed to attract much local interest. Its reinstatement next season would plug a gap left by the postponement to 2014 of a Grand Prix of America that was due to be held in New Jersey.
Friday December 07, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Warne douses comeback talk Liverpool win in Italy to reach last 32 Cricinfo - Shane Warne has clarified his comments regarding a Test comeback, declaring that he is “not even considering” such a move in the lead-up to next year’s Ashes. Earlier this week, Warne said he had been frustrated with the way Australia’s bowlers had let down their captain Michael Clarke during the loss to South Africa in Perth, and if Clarke asked him to make a comeback he was confident he would be able to play to Test standard. Warne, 43, would have to make such a return through club cricket for St Kilda and Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria, but he said on Thursday that was not on his radar. Warne, the captain of the Melbourne Stars, was promoting Friday night’s Big Bash League season opener between the Stars and the Melbourne Renegades, and he said he had spoken to Clarke during the week to clear up any confusion. “I spoke to Pup on a few different matters. That’s all been pretty cleared up about all that sort of stuff,” Warne said. “I’m not asking Michael Clarke. My quotes were all about if you ask me could I do it, I have no doubt that I could. But it’s a big commitment. There’s grade cricket, there’s state cricket, you have to go through that process and hopefully get selected. “For me it’s nothing that I’m even considering. I’m bowling as good as I possibly have for the last five or six years. At this stage right now if you ask me do I want to make a
Shane Warne
Jordan Henderson (centre) celebrates his goal. (AFP)
comeback? No. I’m concentrating on the Big Bash.” Warne also dismissed the idea that he could consider playing club or state cricket after the BBL, and said that his commentary duties would keep him busy. “At this stage with my calendar I’ve got the first Test of Australia vs India for ESPN in India [in February],” Warne said. “So at this stage there’ll be no grade cricket.”
Jordan Henderson scored his first European goal as Liverpool beat Udinese to reach the Europa League last 32. Henderson’s low strike midway through the first half ensured the Reds finished top of Group A and qualified alongside Russians Anzhi Makhachkala. Luis Suarez twice went close to doubling Liverpool’s lead in Italy, with Henderson
denied a second. Udinese had Giovanni Pasquale sent off while Antonio Di Natale fired just over the bar with the last kick of the game. It was a glorious opportunity and would have knocked Liverpool out if it had found the back of Pepe Reina’s net. The Reds were able to breath a huge sigh of relief and can now look forward to the knockout stage draw on
20 December. They arrived at Stadio Friuli knowing victory was the only way to guarantee their progress, and boss Rodgers will be delighted. Rodgers named a line-up that mixed experience with youth, and his side responded with a performance that fulfilled to their manager’s attacking ethos but was underpinned by defensive resilience.
t r o Sp
Nestle injects $3million into Milo U-20 Schools Football Tournament N
estle, whose local agent is B e e p a t ’s Trading, have decided to inject close to $3million in sponsorship to host the Milo Under-20 Schools Football To u r n a m e n t w h i c h i s scheduled to run from January 12 - March 20, at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue. This information was disclosed during the Launching of the Tournament which was conducted in the Boardroom of Beepat’s on Regent Street yesterday. The tournament, which will see twenty-four Georgetown-based schools participate, will be coordinated by the Petra Organisation with support from the Ministries of Education and Health. At the Launching, those in attendance included Petra Organisation Directors Marlan Cole and Troy Mendonca, Nestle Brand Manager Selwyn Bobb and Head of the Physical Education Department of the Ministry of Education Nicholas Fraser. Cole in opening remarks said that they’re proud to be associated with another tournament, adding that since its birth, this is the second opportunity that
Nestle Brand Manager Selwyn Bobb (second right) hands over the sponsorship cheque to Petra Organisation Director Troy Mendonca in the presence of Co-Director Marlan Cole (right) and Ministry of Education Nicholas Fraser yesterday.
Petra Organisation has been afforded to co-ordinate an event and they will ensure that the customary standards are upheld. Mendonca in his presentation said it is an honour to team up with Nestle, adding that it will now allow them to make good on a promise which is to resuscitate the game at the junior level which has been neglected to some extent. “We recognise the need for this tournament and as you are aware there is an annual schools tournament held, but Georgetown teams have not done well hence we saw it as imperative that we assist in helping to raise the level of the players
b a s e d i n t h e C i t y, ” Mendonca noted. Mendonca informed that the 24 participating teams will be divided into six groups of four with the top two from each group along with best four third placed teams moving on from the round robin segment into the knockout phase. The tournament is expected to last 20 playing days and will be played on the weekends with the winning team to be awarded $200,000, runner-up $100,000, 3rd place $50,000 and 4th place $25,000 along with trophies and medals. The teams, however, will
not be given cash, but will have the opportunity to identify a project or a need the school might have to be paid for by the sponsor. Individual prizes for o u t s t a n d i n g performances will be up for grabs, while the Best Coach and Most Supportive Parent will be presented with prizes as well. Fraser in his remarks revealed the tournament was approved since October, before highlighting the strong relationship that exists between the two parties as evidenced by their endorsement of the Courts Pee Wee Tournament. He also spoke of
previous collaborations between the Ministry of Education and Milo and gave as an example their sponsorship of the National Schools Athletics Championships. Bobb said his company is honoured to partner with the other stakeholders to stage the event. “At Beepats we’re convinced this tournament will impact the lives of the participating teams, hence this initiative. We are also convinced that the sponsorship will go a far way, not only because we’re targeting what is called our most prized and precious asset, which is our consumers…, our
consumers being the school age based populace,” he pointed out. The secondary schools that will be hoping to secure the coveted prize are Ascension, New Campbellville, Richard Ishmael, Charlestown, Queen’s College, Tucville, St Stanislaus, Guyana Education Trust College, Brickdam, East Ruimveldt, North Georgetown, St G e o r g e ’s , S t J o h n ’ s , Cummings Lodge, Central High, Houston, South Ruimveldt, Lodge, Christ Church, St Joseph High, Bishop’s High, Tutorial, North Ruimveldt and Queenstown Community High.
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