Kaieteur News

Saturday Edition

Online readership yesterday 94,775

December 29, 2012 - Vol. 6 No. 49 - Price $80 kaieteurnews@yahoo.com Website:http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Missing GEA employee ...

Vehicle found

in highway trail Levoy Taljit

56 of 70 gold bars recovered from Curacao heist...

Thieves sent 30 to US buyer via FedEx

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

56 of 70 gold bars recovered from Curacao heist…

Thieves sent 30 to US buyer via FedEx Authorities in Curacao and the US have made some major breakthroughs in the investigations into last month’s multi-million-dollar gold bar heist in Curacao.

According to news reports from that Dutch Antillean island, police in recent days arrested six suspects, including a prominent downtown jeweler, Giovani Regales.

Some 56 gold bars have been seized in Curacao, Kaieteur News has since learnt.

Curacao’s police in a statement yesterday said that of the seven persons arrested, one of them is from Bonaire, another Dutch Antillean island; three from Venezuela and the remainder from Curacao. One of the suspects was since released while the others are still being interrogated. During the investigation, the police said that they have confiscated articles that are “very important for the case”.

It is believed that at least two of the gold bars were found at the jeweler ’s business place.

Curacao police said that in the preliminary part of the

The Summer Bliss which transported the gold bars

Arrested jeweler, Giovani Regales

investigations, the Customs also participated actively.

“Furthermore because this investigation has some international aspect to it, the Police Corps had comm u n i c a tion with the authorities from these countries. The investigation in this case continues.” The arrests were conducted at several locations in Curacao on Thursday.

Investigators were able to

recover 26 gold bars in recent days, Kaieteur News was told by one of the owners of the gold. A small quantity of the 70 bars of gold was from Guyana while the rest came from Suriname, this newspaper understands.

It is believed that gang made contact with one of the US buyers and sent 30 bars via FedEx. However, the buyer, already notified of the stolen

gold, alerted the US Customs and the bars were returned to Curacao where authorities immediately seized it.

It is believed that the stolen gold bars became too hot for the bandits to sell in Curacao and the stash was then taken to the US. Investigators are reportedly eyeing at least one Customs official in Curacao as being one of the masterminds in the heist which made headlines worldwide.

Kaieteur News learnt that since the heist, at least one local gold dealer was in the United States warning buyers to be on the lookout for the bars which have their own distinguishing features.

The November 30 heist by bandits dressed in police clothes on a Guyanaregistered boat at a Curacao port, sparked an international investigation that spanned the US and Guyana.

Two officials of the regulatory Guyana Geology and Mines Commission were reportedly in Curacao to find out whether the gold came from Guyana.

It is believed that the boat left from Suriname, where the bulk of the precious metal was said to belong to dealers there.

The vessel, the Summer

Bliss, was sai d t o b e registered to one Deo Shivpaul. The local address on the registration was reportedly given as Canal Number 2, but checks by local officials found that the location is an empty lot.

On November 30, gunmen disguised as police officers raided the fishing vessel which was moored at the port in Willemstad, Curacao, an Antillean island located off Venezuela.

In what appeared to be a well planned heist, the gunmen, using three cars to escape, beat the Guyanese captain and held the three crewmen, also from Guyana, at bay with guns. They later escaped with 70 gold bars worth US$11.5M (G$2.3B) that had been on the boat.

The boat had left four days before from Guyana, one crewman reportedly told investigators in Curacao.

The Guyana Government had immediately denied knowledge of the gold, saying that it never gave permission for gold to be shipped by any boat.

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) also denied that its members may have been involved. Government had

convened an emergency meeting on the issue, warning a zero tolerance on smuggling.

Because Suriname’s royalties and taxes are lower than Guyana, traders have been trekking to the neighbouring country, at great risk of seizures from authorities there and from even robbers.

The Guyana government has long admitted that some of its gold is being smuggled and not declared as the law demands.

There are a number of licensed traders and even fewer authorized exporters of gold. The incident had worried government who has been moving to control illegal mining and stem smuggling.

Gold this year has seen a record declaration, first passing the 400,000 ounces milestone and then edging pass the 420,000 ounces. It is all thanks to the operations of small and medium scale miners who have been cashing in on high gold prices.

Gold exports from official declaration this year is expected to earn around US$700M, making it the biggest income generator in the country.

Guyana’s rough terrain has made it difficult for the regulator, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, to properly monitor miners.

GDF investigates circumstances of detained soldier The Guyana Defence Force has responded to articles which appeared in the media regarding the detention of one of its ranks in the GDF jail.

“The Force does not condone any act/s of violence meted out to its ranks, whether they are serving or whether they breach their service by being Absent Without Leave (AWOL).

“In the current matter regarding Private Akeem Charles, preliminary

investigations have revealed that the soldier was being detained in keeping with Force policy since he had been AWOL. “The investigations also reveal that Private Charles was being processed through routine procedures to be Court martialed,” the army stated.

The soldier began exhibiting abnormal behaviour to protest his detention to the point where he threw himself into a drain at Base Camp Ayanganna,

and had to be removed in order to ensure his safety, the release stated.

“No order was given for the cell in which he was being held to be wetted as is reported. Investigations addressing allegations of the soldier’s ill-treatment are ongoing and, wherever necessary, any rank found culpable of inflicting any act of violence against Private Charles will be subject to disciplinary procedures,” the statement added.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Missing GEA employee …

Vehicle found in Highway trail The Toyota Raum belonging to missing Guyana Energy Agency employee, Levoy Taljit, was found yesterday midday in a trail at Yarrowkabra, about a mile off the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.

But police have still not found any trace of 25-year-old Taljit, who disappeared five days ago. Kaieteur News understands that residents in the area noticed the vehicle, PNN 8315, and called the police.

This newspaper was told that only the battery and some of the electronic appliances, as well as the keys were missing. An official said that Crime Scene ranks found no trace of blood on the vehicle or other evidence suggesting foul play.

Investigators believe that the vehicle was taken to the location about three days ago, since they found no sign of

fresh footprints at the scene.

Police scoured the Yarrowkabra backlands for several hours without finding a trace of the missing man and some sources lamented the absence of proper tracker dogs to aid in the search.

On Wednesday, a search party was also organized by relatives and friends of Taljit, but they also turned up empty-handed.

Kaieteur News understands that investigators have received information that someone used Taljit’s mobile phone on Thursday. Taljit, who is of Amerindian and East Indian descent, was reported missing last Sunday.

This newspaper understands that Taljit was last seen we a r i n g a b u rg u n d y - c o l o u r e d Te e shirt and faded blue jeans.

He was driving a Toyota Raum, PNN 8315. Family

Levoy Taljit and friends have not heard from him since then and say that it is unlike him to not be in contact with them.

His sister, Anastasia, had told Kaieteur News that her brother had recently started working with the GEA. According to the woman, Taljit was previously employed in the enforcement department of the Guyana Revenue Authority for several years.

Persons with information are asked to make contact with 226-0433, 226-7336, 666-4012 or the nearest police station.

Levoy Taljit’s vehicle

East Canje Man jailed for stealing from Good Samaritan A man who decided to take advantage of the good nature of a villager, was on Thursday sentenced to 18 months in jail for his dishonesty.

Winston Grant, 36, of Main Street, Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice was jailed by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo when he appeared before her at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to the charge of larceny from the person.

He had robbed Jasodra Heralall, on December 3, last at Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice.

The court was told by prosecutor Corporal Orin Joseph that the man and woman are well known to each other and that Grant was a regular visitor to the woman’s home. Whenever he visited he would be given

food and a place to rest whenever he requested.

On December 3, last, he visited the woman’s home and told her that he was hungry; that he hadn’t eaten anything all day.

He also told the woman that he was tired and that he needed somewhere to rest.

The woman gave him the food and offered him somewhere to rest.

Heralall then left and went out. On her return, the accused was missing. She made checks and noticed that three gold bands worth $500,000 and one gold ring valued at $36,000 were missing. The matter was reported and the accused was arrested and charged. He subsequently admitted to stealing the items which he sold on the same day to a huckster in New Amsterdam.

In court he pleaded guilty, admitted to the theft and told investigators what he did with the items which were not recovered.

He was subsequently jailed.

And Errol Sankar, 52, of 22 Asylum Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, has been charged with receiving stolen property. Sankar, who told the court that he is a huckster, is charged with receiving the gold jewellery from Grant.

Prosecutor Corporal Orin Joseph told the court that on December 3, at Strand Road, New Amsterdam, Sankar received a quantity of gold jewellery from Winston Grant knowing same to be stolen.

Sankar who lives with his wife pleaded not guilty to the charge.

He was placed on $30,000 bail and will have to return to court on February 13, 2013.

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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

Trying to turn back the clock

Homosexuality is viewed by many in Guyana and the wider world as a curse. The result is that there are many homophobic people around and these make life difficult for the people who, through no fault of their own, must suffer discrimination. And the hostility will never disappear because it is human nature to abhor what is perceived to be the abnormal.

What is most revealing is that people who are believed to be among the intelligent hold such strong views. This is possible because there are the so-called experts who also add to the confusion with findings that actually hold no basis in truth and fiction.

At present, in the United States, there is a legal battle against an organization that professed to cure homosexuality. Chief among the curers of homosexuality are the people who deem themselves to be Christians. And they have a platform. Apple, the computer and iphone giant is providing a platform.

Mail Online reports, “Computer firm Apple has approved an iPhone and iPad application which claims to ‘cure’ gay people. “The app, called Exodus International, is targeted at ‘homosexual strugglers’ and teaches them that gay people have a choice about their sexuality.

“Its Christian makers claim the app gives them a chance of ‘freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus’.

The free programme, which is available in Britain, was given four out of five stars by Apple, which means it is deemed to have ‘no objectionable content’.

“But the computing giant is now under pressure after gay rights campaigners started a petition to have it withdrawn. “U.S. pressure group Change.org said that Exodus’ claims are ‘hateful and bigoted’ and send out an appalling message.”

Then there is another practice called conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy has been a source of intense controversy in the United States and other countries. The American Psychiatric Association has condemned “psychiatric treatment, such as reparative or conversion therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the prior assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation.”

But this is by no means the end of the drive to prove that homosexuals should not exist among us. Four gay men who underwent treatment designed to change their sexual orientation filed a lawsuit in New Jersey on Tuesday accusing their therapists of fraud, in what may be the first suit of its kind against conversion therapists.

Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), a Jersey City-based non-profit organization, falsely claimed to be able to eliminate the four men’s homosexual desires through a scientifically proven process, according to a complaint filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

JONAH clients would pay a minimum of $100 for weekly individual counseling sessions and another $60 for group therapy sessions.

This matter is before the courts and there would be some interesting revelations. Doctors and other medical experts would be testifying and in the end there are going to be some interesting rulings which should also have far-reaching effects in Guyana where there is the widely held view that there should be no discrimination.

Recently, a local group, SASOD, published the findings on the treatment of gays in the Caribbean. Guyana is featured prominently. Indeed, policemen have been known to take a course of action when the matter involves gays, sometimes in a manner that would make the most ardent jurist blush.

But it is the action of the church that must come under scrutiny. To discriminate against gays is to do exactly what the Lord does not advocate. Church members believe that homosexuality is a new phenomenon when in fact it is as old as mankind. The church believes that homosexuals are wicked when scientists say that they are just another group of people in the human chain.

And so it is that the national Assembly would be going to vote on the issue. This vote would not be along party lines. It would be a conscience vote. There would be demonstrations and all this would mean is that those who profess to be democratic would be seeking to impose their will on others.

Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Think Positive – We must all resolve to make 2013 a better year DEAR EDITOR, The year 2013 is just around the corner. The number 13 for many people conjures up feelings of foreboding, of some impending sense of disaster.

Let me say from the very beginning that I am not a superstitious person. I subscribe to a scientific world view which allows me to dispel such notions as completely nonsensical and without any scientific basis.

Like the Mayan prediction of the end of the world earlier this month, such views will see a natural evaporation since there is no scientific or rational basis for such doomsday prediction.

I am by nature an optimist, that is to say, I always believe that tomorrow will be better than today. In like manner I also believe that 2013 will be better than 2012 in the same way 2012 was better than 2011. In this regard, I consider myself to be among those who subscribe to the scientific worldview of dialectical and historical materialism. I believe that changes are not only inevitable but that society is constantly and progressively evolving from lower to higher stages of development and organization.

With such an outlook and worldview, there is hardly any room for pessimism. This is not to suggest that society is free from conflicts and tensions. According to sociologists, some amount of

tension and conflict is necessary for the health of any society. It is how we go about resolving conflicts that defines us as a society. This is why it is important that we seek to develop conflictresolution skills that lead to win-win situations, where everyone comes out a winner.

All of this may sound idealistic and wishful thinking, but I am firmly convinced that there are more than enough good things to celebrate during the course of this year. We saw indications of growth and development in some of the major economies, including that of the United States of America.

According to recent estimates, the rate of unemployment has declined, albeit slowly. The US economy has shown some marginal growth after a period of stagnation and financial depression. President Barack Obama has been re-elected to the White House in what was seen as a tight presidential contest. Things are looking up for the US economy which, if sustained, could have an overall positive effect on the rest of the world. As the saying goes “when the US sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold.”

In Guyana, things have also been looking up, quite contrary to those prophets of doom who never cease to paint a doomsday scenario for Guyana. The economy has recorded positive growth with record levels of gold and

rice production. The other sectors have also been showing some encouraging signs including sugar production which, despite being unable to achieve its full production potential, did better this year. The industrial relations climate in the industry has shown some significant improvements compared to previous years which augurs well for the future viability of this important industry.

The festive season of Christmas is over and the New Year has already dawned.

This is a good time to reflect on the many challenges we faced during the course of the year and at the same time give praise where it is due for the achievements we have made both in our private lives and as a nation.

We are blessed with an abundance of natural and human resources which potentially ranks us among the most highly endowed, resource-rich country in the Caribbean. The challenge for us is to exploit these riches in the most sustainable and cost-effective manner in order to optimize the benefits of these resources for the people of Guyana.

This is why it is so important that we seek to find common ground on the way forward for this country. We have to think big and always strive to put the national interest before narrow

sectarian interests. I am absolutely sure that there are enough people right across the political and ethnic spectrum who passionately care for the good and wellbeing of this nation, but for one reason or another seem unable to liberate themselves from parochial bondage.

This is why there is so much hope for this country. I believe that we all mean well for this country even though we differ on tactics and approaches.

We all want a better quality of education for our children, a better quality of health care delivery, a bigger basket of goods and services for our workers, better roads and bridges among other things.

We all would like to see more Guyanese own their own homes and have access to clean and potable water. In short, we all want the good life which this country is capable of offering, if only we can get our acts together as a people.

Let us all resolve to make 2013 a better year; one in which we put the past behind us and work for the common good of all.

There can be no higher calling than to put the interests of the Guyanese people ahead of personal interests.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Guyanese a happy and prosperous 2013.

Hydar Ally

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Let’s help our Devons DEAR EDITOR, In your Friday December 28 issue of Kaieteur News you carried a report captioned “Jealous Uncle Kills Male Lover, Drinks Poison”.

This report related the tragic murder of 18-yearold Devon DaSilva of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice, who was viciously stabbed to death the day before by 38-year-old Roy Lewis. During this brutal attack Devon’s girlfriend was also injured.

At age 38, Roy Lewis was old enough to have been the father of Devon.

Rather than being an upright fatherly example to this young man, Lewis chose to cut him off from the land of the living, just because Devon chose to firmly walk away from an unhealthy homosexual relationship with him.

There are some in our land today who are strong proponents of the homosexual lifestyle. They do not regard it to be a sinful or a perverted lifestyle.

They attempt to portray their lifestyle as normal and

healthy, and insist that homosexual relationships are equivalent in every way to heterosexual relationships.

They go around telling our young boys “Having sex with a man is just the same as having s e x w i t h a woman”.

When our young boys, like determined Devon realize that this is the devil’s language and seek to quit they are pursued and molested, even knifed to death.

On 2012-07-17 a notice paper was served in our National Assembly by the Prime Minister and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs calling for “changes in the legislative provisions and criminal code regarding consensual adult same sex relationships and discrimination, perceived or real, against Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexual, and Transgender persons”.

This matter is presently before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee.

Young Devon perished and his attacker ingested poison.

What do studies reveal

in relation to psychological issues regarding homosexuals?

A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence reveals that 90% of homosexuals surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression, and 31% report one or more incidents of physical abuse.

Archives of General Psychiatry (Ibid) found that homosexuals are at greater risk for overall mental health problems, and are 6.5 % more likely to attempt suicide.

In the Bible there are more than ten passages which clearly condemn homosexuality.

No land was ever made the better by promoting homosexuality.

Rather it has weakened the moral fabric and constituted an insult to our women, especially mothers.

We c a l l u p o n e v e r y God-fearing Guyanese to speak out against this scourge of homosexuality.

Let us help our Devons, for they are our valuable human resource.

Dr. Sewnauth Punalall

It’s funny how ‘the collective consciousness’ works DEAR EDITOR, I t ’s f u n n y h o w ‘ t h e collective consciousness’ works. Having, over the Christmas period, shared a humorous 1980s travel experience with my family, I read Mr. Bisram’s letter about travel and its effects on individuals.

(Incidentally, recently declassified, released papers - presumably under the ’30 year rule’ - about the 1982 Falklands/UK hostilities give an intriguing insight into the USA/British attitude on that particular scenario).

My memorable experience, which my family found very amusing, happened in Turkey, while travelling from Ismirli airport to Kushadasi, roughly 83 miles away.

With a coach of about 60 holidaymakers, we had to drop people off at different hotels along the coast, Kushadasi being the last stop.

Came nightfall, blearyeyed and tired, we suddenly became aware of a lovely fresh breeze, a strong smell of the sea and the sound of waves.

The co-driver opened his door and started to run.

Then there was a crunch, crunch, waves lapping louder, and, with a shock, we realised the coach was on the beach, heading for the sea - the driver had taken the wrong turn!

We offered to push the coach backwards, while the driver reversed.

The passengers were furious at first with the codriver for ‘deserting the sinking coach’ but we eventually saw the funny side and had a hearty laugh.

Yes, I agree, foreign travel is one of the best medicines for a fulfilled life: one is afforded the opportunity of seeing and hearing how the other half lives. Perhaps one day the ‘Guyaspora’ will start a ‘travelgia’ along the lines of Godfrey C h i n ’s ‘Nostalgias’.

As a lone elderly female

holidaymaker, I have seen many things from a different perspective, my worst experience - in the early 1990s - being in Luxor, at about 1.30 am while reading in bed in my hotel, a stone’s throw away from the Valley of the Kings.

Fortunately, I had remembered a throwaway remark by the desk clerk earlier that day about the central control of lights on each floor (one out, all out) and refused to respond to the prolonged knocking at the door when my room lights suddenly went out.

The hotel night staffers were all men, and in certain cultures a woman’s age is no protection.

Crude. I complained to the three duty clerks when the lights went on again (no response from them), to the holiday rep the next day, and in writing to the travel agents when I returned to the UK. Geralda Dennison

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Were we to uphold the constitution, this society would have been further along the continuum DEAR EDITOR, Lou Rawls croons, “What’s the matter with the world/ Has the world gone mad/ Nothing’s wrong with the world/ It’s the people that’s in it.” These lyrics are used to draw an analogy to our political system and our response, or lack thereof to it.

Many will admit Guyana is far from being a perfect society. But so too are many other countries, including the most developed. However, should time be taken to examine and emulate what creates the sense of perfection often admired in other countries and what continues to blight ours, we will find one commonality human behaviour.

For right-thinking persons, politics is about people and people’s development. And while it is correctly believed that politics is about seeking and retaining power, such power does not have to operate at the exclusion and oppression of others, nor plunder the nation’s resources.

For instance, the USA,

often used as a model country for democracy and continues to secure the admiration of many at home, has inherent imperfections and a contract with the people, via the Constitution, to create a perfect society where all are treated equally and can pursue a life of happiness and liberty. A promise the citizens take seriously, as evident in their constant struggles, or “civil wars” as called by Chris Matthews, MSNBC’s Hardball host.

And whereas similar assurance of a “perfect nation” is guaranteed us in the Guyana Constitution, the “quest”, struggles/civil wars to maintain and secure the contract are seen as hindrance and disturbance to the ‘social order’ by the dominant few and often demonised or ostracised. So while the USA celebrates these normal trends in human evolution, they are condemned and shunned at home.

Some such struggles/ wars are seen for racial, gender, worker and sexual equality, facilitated by free

speech, assembly and association, and protected in both constitutions, yet at home there is disparity in activism and respect for such activism.

Further examination of the two constitutions reveals stark similarities and differences. For instance, while present in the Guyana Constitution is the female pronoun and the protection under Article 149F to “entitled equal rights … [and protection from] All forms of discrimination,” since 1923, women in the USA have been fighting for the said insertion and equality under the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

And whereas women in the 2012 USA elections celebrated the historic gain of 20 percent in the Senate, leading to heightened public conversations on the struggle for gender equality, at home even though Article 160 of the Constitution and People’s Representative Act guarantee women “at least one-third” representation in the National Assembly, this mandate continues to be violated by the political

leaders, with few speaking out against the injustice.

The superiority of the Guyana Constitution to the USA on Women’s issues is clearly evident, yet the violations of women intensify, even as we are empowered to end it. And while it will require more fights to make the ERA a reality, it has however not prevented laws, societal or presidential actions towards gender equality. Some examples are the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Laws, Violence Against Women Act, more women holding leading positions in the Judiciary, Executive and Legislature and elsewhere.

The same case is made on sexual orientation, race and other workers’ welfare.

Understandingly these are not easy topics or pleasantry for many. But our failure to address these matters in an honest and forthright manner that respects the constitutional rights of all to be protected from discrimination, even as the USA and other countries fight these wars and celebrate

the victories, are more an indictment on our attitude in standing up and fighting for what is just and fair, regardless of who is affected by and benefit from our actions.

Change is never easy, nor does it come without a struggle/war. And whereas November 28, 2011 brought a change, in many ways this change is still to prove rewarding as noise replaces nuance, inanity trumps initiative, and substantive understanding is lost on dealing with the new dispensation. And whereas the Presidency/Executive in both countries can be secured based on a popular or minority vote, Guyanese are in a quandary to adapt to an inherent reality. Equally as confusion and misinformation hold sway for the possibility of the legislature not being in the control of the party that forms the executive. The inherent possibilities these opportunities present to advance accountable and prudent management of the country are lost to many.

Further, whereas both constitutions guarantee the “Independence and Administrative autonomy of the Courts” (Guyana Constitution Article 122A) action awaits at our legislative arm to insulate this body.

Additionally, on the signing of bills into law, both countries vest the authority in the President (Guyana, Article 170; USA, Section 7).

Unfortunately at home this gives rise to arguments about a ‘flawed’ constitution, the ‘supremacy’ of the president, and the president being given the impression that he can refuse to assent to bills at his whims and fancies, absent an explanation/objection to the legislature, as both constitutions require of the presidents.

And since both constitutions vest ultimate power in the people, in that this is generally taken seriously in the USA with many going to battles to protect it, and at home excuses/reasons abound why the people must not apply (Continued on page 7)

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 7

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Mr. Hack has no apologies Gold smuggling beyond to make for his letter the ambit of GGMC

DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Moenul Hack (whose 4 December 2012 Stabroek News letter has stimulated much discussion) should be commended for his bold stand.

His letter sought to make concrete recommendations for Guyanese to adopt to counteract the endemic violence against women.

First, respect women and treat them as your own.

Second, promote education to teach alternative dispute resolution; in his parlance to use head instead of hands.

Third, create violence-free homes by refraining from alcohol and other drugs.

Fourth, refrain from pornography, advertisement and any “culture” that promotes violence against women. And fifth, adopt a dress code of modesty.

Much criticism has been heaped upon Mr. Hack. His dress code is supposed to protect women against rape and deter men from

contemplating such. He has been unfairly maligned as “a classic case of blaming the victim”, his religious beliefs were characterized as “offensive to the core”, etc.

While a dress code alone will not protect women from rape, it should not be discarded as outlandish. The perfect analogy is the Guyanese home. Guyana is a crime-ridden society, every Guyanese house is equipped with many security devices: locks, grillwork, door and window alarms, etc. Had Mr. Hack been recommending grillwork for a home, would he be blaming the victim or condoning the perpetrator?

The answer is a resounding “No!” Given the nature of the Guyanese society, any house in Georgetown without grillwork and all the security apparatus that is required for living there invites invasion.

Similarly, the logic of Mr. Hack’s dress code, while not

disputing that rape is a crime of power and dominance, is to ask women and men not to dress in a way to attract the attention of a potential rapist.

Mr. Hack’s call for modesty in dress is a call for prudent behaviour.

A fair question has been asked, “How to define modest dress?” A practical approach can be fashioned from US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s pronouncement on pornography. “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [“hard-core pornography”]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it…” Similarly, decorum in dress is discerned when seen.

Mr. Hack has no apologies to make for his 4 December 2012 letter.

Roger Ally Fort Lauderdale, FL

Are we paying VAT on zero rated items?

DEAR EDITOR, A few days ago I went into a supermarket on the Enmore public road and bought some foodstuff. To my dismay the receipt, which is computerised, had one figure which is supposed to be the overall charges, however when I went to make payments, I was given another amount by the

cashier and told that the latter figures are what I really have to pay since the person who issued the bill did not include the 16% VAT. The bill is a computerised bill except for the VAT charges that are being written on by the cashier. What I observed is that this is the modus operandi of the

owners of the supermarket not only with myself, but other unsuspecting customers. Can someone from the GRA indicate whether that is the correct thing to do, because in my opinion, customers including myself can be charged the 16% VAT on items that are zero rated.

Name withheld

Were we to uphold the ...

From page 6 their power, it hinders our struggles for empowerment/ advancement. So as other countries take the right to self-determination seriously and leaders are reminded they represent the people’s interests and are so held accountable, Guyanese are being socialised to think selfdetermination is only political independence.

Unfortunately too, many are being conditioned to see democracy only through the prism of so-called free and fair elections, yet such elections are marred by political/racial intimidation, have seen political party robbed their parliamentary seat (AFC 2006), almost lost their seat (APNU 2011), imbalanced campaign finances, abuse of state resources, media marginalization, vitiation by the High Court (1997) and have not been free from fear.

Ours is a ‘democracy’ that is also plagued by wanton

denial of fundamental rights, freedoms and liberties; political leaders are contemptuous of the people, and governments are allowed to plunder our resources.

Finally, the blame for the political tyranny and degeneracy in this society does not reside in the Constitution, it resides in its gross misunderstanding, the failure to implement and adhere, and the people not using the power vested in

them under this Supreme Law to stand up for what’s theirs.

For were we to uphold the constitution and emulate the admired Americans, this society would have been further along the continuum.

And as Lou Rawls continues, “Attitudes have to change/ The way we think must be rearranged/ Sacrifice for a better way of life…You and me we can make it better, we can make it right” Lincoln Lewis

DEAR EDITOR, The rambling response from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) (KN, Dec 12, 2012) must be highly welcomed in a country where there is a dire scarcity of transparency and accountability. Sadly they failed to address the real issues facing the country and, to protect and secure the country’s natural wealth for the benefit of its citizens.

The GGMC claimed that its emphasis is on ‘Lawful and Responsible Mining’ (KN, Dec 10, 1012). The claim was not backed up by any real, convincing facts and, readers are expected to take their

claim as ‘fait accompli’.

Hiding in their bureaucratic tower, the representatives provided no statistical or demographic accounting on what is actually taking place on the ground.

They admitted that there are ‘breaches of mining regulations’ but ‘this does not necessarily make it ‘illegal’’. This adds to the dilemma and the use of the GGMC’s own, hollow value judgments being glibly applied, when the future of the country’s greatest natural wealth is at stake.

The GGMC is also in conflict with statements made by the Guyana Gold and

Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA). Terrence Adams, GGDMA’s Secretary, has confirmed that ‘Illegal mining is now endemic in the mining industry, with no end in sight,’ (SN, Nov 27, 2012) and that ‘illegal mining is creating an environment where only the bullies survive in mining, and the country suffers.

The Commission apparently has no role to play in the security and protection of mining, and dismissed this concern in the following manner, ‘gold sales, declaration and smuggling will require a broader approach that goes beyond the ambit of the GGMC’.

Mac Mahase

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Suspect in Berbice murder COAST GUARD OFFICER, HONOUR STUDENT ON US COURSE remains in critical condition

The injured Ashley Whyte

Dead: Devon Da Silva

Roy Lewis, 38, who is accused of stabbing his ‘step nephew’ to death on Thursday last, was up to press time, yesterday, in a critical condition at the New Amsterdam Hospital. This publication was told that Lewis remained under police guard at the medical institution and was being treated for poison ingestion.

On Thursday, 18-year-old Devon Da Silva was stabbed to death allegedly by Lewis while at his girl friend’s home

at Sisters Village, East Bank, Berbice. During the ordeal, Da Silva’s girlfriend Ashley Whyte, also sustained injuries to her hand as she attempted to save her boyfriend.

According to Ashley’s mother, Janice Whyte, her son, who is a policeman stationed at Fort Wellington, left home around 02:10 hours for work and when she got up to close the gate, she noticed a shadow but didn’t pay much attention.

Sometime later screams were heard coming from the upper flat of the house. By the time Whyte and her husband got into the upper flat of the building, Lewis had already carried out his brutal attack on Da Silva with whom he once shared a sexual relationship.

The injured Da Silva was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His girl friend was also treated at the same medical institution for injures but was subsequently released.

Their attacker subsequently revealed that he had ingested poison and was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and admitted.

This publication was told that the attacker and the deceased once shared a relationship. However Da Silva decided to sever the relationship much to the disapproval of Lewis. Reports are that Da Silva once secured a restraining order against Lewis. There are also reports that Lewis had made previous attempts to harm Da Silva.

Sub Lt. Wayne Richmond receives the honour student plaque from Commander John C. Cowan Sub Lieutenant, Wayne Richmond, a Coast Guard Training Officer, swept past his military counterparts to secure the honour student award on a recently concluded US Patrol Craft Officer Coastal Course.

The Course was conducted by the United States Naval, Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) at the John C Stennis Space Centre, Mississippi, USA. The army said that the nine-week course addressed significant aspects of Navigation and Boat Handling and included training in areas such as Floatation and Sea Survival Techniques, Patrol Craft

Safety Precautions and Procedures, introduction to Nautical Rules of the Road and Dead Reckoning (DR) Board and Search Drills.

Lt Richmond stated that his new knowledge complements his prior formal training and, as training officer, it will enhance his capacity to deliver training to his fellow Coast Guard officers and ranks.

He acknowledged that such training opportunities are quite invaluable for the development of skills and competencies within his unit.

“This experience has been one where I have been exposed to non-traditional training techniques, which, after consultations with my superiors, I would love to see implemented,” he asserted.

He also said that he was grateful to have been selected for attendance on the course and pledged commitment to the enhancement of his unit.

Sub Lieutenant Wayne Richmond enlisted with the Force in 2004.

He is the second officer in the Force to have completed this course.

Participants of the course were drawn from the militaries of several countries including Iraq, Cambodia, Oman, Azerbaijan, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Barbados.

The Guyana Defence Force remains committed to the professional development of its ranks since this translates into better service to our nation.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

THE REGION HAS NO CASE Whenever one is entering into an agreement and especially if one is inexperienced in such matters, one should be very careful to ensure that one’s expectations are spelt out in specific and unambiguous terms in the agreement. Otherwise there can be differences in interpretation as to just what was agreed.

There has been a suggestion that the government of Guyana is reneging on the agreement it signed with the Region Ten administration concerning television for Linden.

However, a careful reading of the agreement would lead to another conclusion.

The agreement should never have been signed between a subordinate and a superior. The Region Ten administration forms part of the local government apparatus and while the Regional Councils are directly elected by the people, they do not enjoy independence from Central Government.

In fact there is a balancing of responsibilities so as to ensure that no Region pursues policies that are inconsistent with official policy. It was therefore a huge mistake by the opposition parties to have allowed an agreement between the government and an agency that is subordinate to the government.

This by itself would render the agreement as lacking the force of law and would amount to nothing more than an agreement of appeasement.

When it comes directly to

the issue of television, nothing contained in the agreement obligates the government to grant to the Region Ten administration a license to operate a television station. In fact any such decision would be subject to challenge because there are technical and other considerations which have to be made before anyone can be granted a broadcast licence.

The Courts have held that no one has an absolute right to a license and therefore the government could not have agreed to have granted a licence to the RDC of Region Ten. The courts have also disassociated itself from ordering the grant of the license since there are technicalities involved which is outside the competence of the judiciary.

Any decision to grant a licence to the RDC of Region Ten would be subject to challenge because there are other persons and companies, including persons from Linden itself, who have applied for broadcast licence and the courts had ordered that all those applications be considered by the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU).

That decision has since been overtaken by the creation of the National Broadcasting Authority which is now the agency responsible for the grant of licenses for television and radio. Therefore any decision to grant a license to the RDC would have to be sanctioned by the new broadcasting authority.

Dem boys seh ...

Some people thief till dem choke Is one thing fuh thief, is another to dispose of what you thief. People does thief thing that full dem eye and after that dem don’t know what to do wid it. Years ago some men did rob de Guyana Rice Marketing Board and dem coulda only hide de money in an icebox.

Dem have some who thiefing right now and all dem can do is buy property. Some did start drinking and eating but dem can only eat so much and drink so much. Suh de next thing that dem start fuh do is buy up property.

Dem can’t even go on a vacation because dem have people outside waiting fuh put dem in pumpkin jumpsuit. But dem other friends should learn. De Bees know fuh thief and sit down pun wha dem thief toll de coast clear—that mean till all who know dead. It don’t mean that de Bees guh live forever.

Dem had some friends of de Bees who decide fuh thief all that gold. Dem couldn’t sell any because de whole world was looking fuh de gold. But dem didn’t know that suh dem mek contact and ship de gold by FedEx to a man.

De man tip off dem Americans who collect de gold and ship it back to Curacao. Dem boys want to know why dem didn’t ship it back to Guyana.

Dem boys seh that is greed mek all of dem get ketch. Dem got de gold and it blind dem eye. Dem couldn’t wait till it cool off—even if it tek five years. Like de people who done thief half of Guyana dem start fuh show dem wealth.

In Guyana people know all who was so poor that dem didn’t have a toothbrush. Now dem got house wid swimming pool and Mercedes and servants. Dem is de people who thief and couldn’t hide de money dem thief.

Talk half and wait till dem and all get ketch.

It is hard to see how the new authority can grant permission to a RDC for the operation of a television station. This will encourage other RDCs to do the same and it is hard to see how the government can allow one RDC alone to have a television station and not the others.

The RDC of Region Ten may feel that Linden amounts to a special case but the RDC should not get too comfortable with that idea because at the end of the day, the system has to be fair to all concerned.

The agreement signed between the Region Ten administration and the government has two sub parts. The first part commits the government to hand over to the RDC a dish and a transmitter that were donated to Linden. The government was required to hand over the dish fourteen days after the signing of the agreement.

The first part of the agreement that deals with television for Linden therefore relates directly to government handing over a donation made to the people of Linden.

Whether the handing over was done is immaterial at this stage because the dish and transmitter cannot be used unless a licence is issued.

The second part of the agreement indicates that Region Ten will apply for a broadcast licence and the government will facilitate the granting of the licence in keeping with the law.

Clearly all that this part does is to indicate that the Region is required to apply for a radio license which will be facilitated by the government.

This does not mean that the government can railroad through the new broadcast authority the Region’s application. This would amount to favouritism.

There is ambiguity as to

just what facilitating the government is required to do but it can be assumed that it involves some of the modalities needed as part of the application process.

For example, in applying for the licence, the RDC would be required to show legal possession of the transmitter and dish. The government may be required to provide documentation to indicate that the equipment while remaining the property of the State has been entrusted to the RDC. And since the RDC comes under the local government system, the government would clearly be required to indicate to the broadcasting authority the authorization and limits to which such a licence can be put. This is perhaps why the word facilitate was used.

If it was the intention to have the government grant a licence, this would have

formed part of the text. If it was the intention for the government to support the application, this too would have been explicitly spelt out.

But the agreement merely creates the obligation for the government to hand over a donation, made to the community, to the RDC and for it to facilitate the region in its application to be granted a licence.

This may not have been what the region was intending but this is what it signed to.

The Region has to live with what is on the dotted line and unfortunately since the RDC is an unincorporated body it cannot sue the government for breach of agreement.

Kaieteur News

Page 10

Saturday December 29, 2012

Prison authorities refute GHRA comments about political interference

T

he Guyana Prison Service says that it is subjected by law to the policy directions of the Minister of Home Affairs and enjoys a professional relationship with that Ministry.

GPS officials were at the time responding to the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) for stating that the Prison Administration should be free of political interference.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Guyana Prison Service said that it was particularly upset by the GHRA’s statement that ‘’in order to sustain the Standard Minimum Rules for treatment of Prisoners as the non-negotiable yardstick on

which prisons should be administrated, the (GPS) Guyana Prison Service must be allowed to function professionally, free from political monitoring and interference and their repercussions which undermine Guyana Prison Service performance.’’

“First and foremost, it is important to emphasize that the Prisons Administration as a Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs is subjected by law under Chapter 11:01 of the Laws of Guyana to the policy directions of the Minister of Home Affairs,” the statement said.

“The Prisons Directorate is not uncomfortable with those policy directions

'Dem a watch meh' singer attempts suicide

Chutney singer Mahendra Ramkellawan ‘Dem a watch meh' chutney singing sensation

Mahendra Ramkellawan was yesterday discharged from a city hospital after being treated for poison ingestion.

This publication was told that Ramkellawan was admitted to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit on Boxing Night.

There are reports that the man ingested a poisonous substance that is used on vehicles.

While persons close to the singer remain tightlipped about the incident, this publication understands that the incident was as a result of the man finding his partner in a compromising position with another man.

However persons close to the singer would only say that he was hospitalized for suspected food poisoning.

issued to the Directorate and enjoys a professional relationship with the Ministry of Home Affairs.”

The GPS said that over the past three years, it has improved its delivery of services to its inmate population structurally, administratively and socially.

“These conditions were as a direct result of the Ministry of Home Affairs a n d t h e P r i s o n Administration’s concerted efforts to improve the conditions across all prison locations in Guyana in

keeping with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules in the Treatment of Offenders.

Additionally, a number of other projects are identified and approved for execution in order to make the Prisons more safe, secured and humane for our inmate population in a sustained and strategic manner.”

“With respect to prisoner Tyrone Rowe, the New Capital Building was designed to separate various categories of our remanded inmate population and those

considered to be displaying unusual behavior in fully self-contained and separate units.

Prisoner Tyrone Rowe, a High Profile inmate along with a number of other prisoners so classified, is isolated in a special one-man cell unit for security reasons in that Division. His conditions of treatment and accommodation are of a humane, safe and secured nature.”

“It must be pointed out that most of our high profile and special watch inmates are of an untried status hence

cannot be transferred to the Mazaruni Prison which has facilities to safely and humanely accommodate such prisoners.”

T h e P r i s o n s Administration believes that the current direction in which the prison service is developing would result into a modern and respected Prison System in the near future in keeping with our Strategic Development Plan 2010-2020 which sets out a complete plan for the reconstruction and renewal of the Guyana Prison Service.

Excavator operator drowns in Cuyuni River - relatives not satisfied with 'accident tale'

R

elatives of a Sussex Street man have said that they are not pleased with the investigation which was done into his death since there are conflicting reports of what transpired.

According to reports the body of 34-year-old Troy Corbin was fished out of the Cuyuni River on Sunday after he went missing following a boat mishap on Friday evening.

Corbin was employed by MACORP. The dead man's sister, Sharon Corbin, told this publication that initially she was told that her brother was captaining a boat on Friday night when it sank after its propeller got caught in a wire rope.

Ms. Corbin said that she was told by her brother's

Dead: 34 year-old Troy Corbin employers that her brother left his camp at about midnight to get rum from a nearby landing and was only clad in a pair of boxer shorts.

However, the woman

said she does not believe that her brother would do something like that.

“I know my brother and given that it was his first experience in the bush he would never leave his camp midnight and more so without clothes.”

She told this publication after much more digging she was then told that the incident occurred on Thursday and that the body was recovered on Sunday.

Ms. Corbin added that she was told that after the body was recovered there was difficulty in getting it transported to Bartica.

To add to the relatives' grief, the man's body was badly decomposed.

However the relatives related that the post mortem examination which was done on the man's remains

revealed that he died as a result of drowning.

But Corbin's relatives said they feel there is much more to the drowning than was told to them by the man's employers.

Ms. Corbin said she was told that two other men were with her brother at the time of the incident but miraculously none of the other men sustained even a scratch.

This publication was told that the two men were briefly detained by police but released.

The dead man's relatives are calling on the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into his death.

To date the company which Corbin was employed has only opted to stand the funeral expenses.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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CARICOM restructuring a priority in 2013 - Secretary-General

CARICOM’s Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque

The restructuring of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will be one of the priority areas for Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque come 2013.

According to the head of the regional lobbying body, revamping the administrative arm of the community was one of the recommendations of the Landell Mills, Consultancy and Heads of Government had mandated a strategic plan and change process to effect the

transformation.

In a recent interview, Secretary General LaRocque said that the strategic plan will be a major piece of work that will be undertaken in the New Year.

“We have already lined up the necessary resources to get it done and I intend to start in earnest, the change process or the transformation process that our heads have mandated.

With the assistance of DfID we have been able to engage a Change

Facilitator who will be advising me on the way forward,” the official said in a release from CARICOM yesterday.

There have been misgivings about the progress of CARICOM. The 15-member body is headquartered at Liliendaal, Guyana. Issues of free travel and trade have been bogged down by one hurdle or the other.

The cost of running the secretariat with

contributions from member states has been a major problem.

According to LaRocque, the restructuring of the administration of CARICOM will take time. While the change will begin at the Secretariat, it is intended to sweep the community, as a whole, its organs and its institutions.

It was clear, the SecretaryGeneral said, that there was need for some transformation to make the Secretariat and

the Community more effective and efficient. “…The change process ... is not just about the Secretariat; it is about the Community. It is about changing what we do, how we move forward. It’s about prioritizing what we do as a Community. I have said before, it can’t be business as usual. We can’t be all things to all people. We need to focus, make advances and have an impact on the ground with the people of the Community.”

The Secretary-General said some aspects of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) are to be advanced next year also “…One of the questions that I get throughout the Community when I interact particularly among the young people - is the movement of CARICOM nationals. Some

attention will be paid to that and contingent rights as well so that the rights attendant upon moving throughout the Community will be also addressed. So there are a number of big issues which will be on our plate. I will pay equal attention to social aspects and to functional cooperation aspects of integration, along with the CSME.” The New Year will also see a continuation of the outreach and advocacy missions LaRocque had undertaken since his tenure began in 2011.

CARICOM’s associate members – Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands - will be targeted this time around as “they are an integral part of what we are doing,” the ambassador said.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

MUSE or AMUSE

GPL pole severs teen’s toes

Fernando Fredericks, 18, was reminded recently by family members, that he has been given a second chance in life.

The reminder came moments after he lost four of his toes in an accident which almost cost him his life.

The teenager’s near death experience unfolded while he was standing under an electrical pole in front of a bus shed, waiting for his paramour on Christmas Eve Day. The bus shed is situated alongside the Anna Regina car park.

Fredericks recalled

returning from Charity where he had gone to assist one of his cousins and was about to board a vehicle when a lamp pole fell, missing him by some inches but hitting his left foot, severing four of his toes from his left foot.

According to reports, a freak storm blew the post down. An investigation has since revealed that the pole was the property of Guyana Power and Light.

While Fredericks has been discharged from the Suddie Public Hospital he has to continue attending daily

X-rated or HeXed? Time for D-X!

sessions at the institution.

Meanwhile, the young man is lamenting the loss of his four toes and not being able to execute his job as an operator in the interior for at least the next year. Fredericks who lost a large amount of blood due to the massive injury is said to be in constant pain.

While the Chief Executive Officer of the power company, Bharat Dindyal, was alerted about the incident a report has to be prepared and sent to the head office by employees of the Anna Regina Branch.

East Canje woman on bail for stealing “good friend’s” cell phone Urmilla Rajesh of No 2 village, East Canje, Berbice was on Friday charged with simple larceny. The woman appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court for stealing a cell phone belonging to Lilawatie Ramnarace. According to prosecutor Corporal Orin

Joseph, the women are known to each other and are good friends. He told the court that between October 1 and October 31, 2012 the accused made regular visits to the virtual c o m p l a i n a n t ’s home.

Sometime during this period, the virtual complainant realized that her phone was missing. The

Page 13

accused was contacted but she denied any knowledge of the phone.

The matter was reported and the woman was arrested and charged.

In court she pleaded not guilty and was placed on $20,000 bail. She will have to return to the Reliance M a g i s t r a t e ’s C o u r t o n March 13.

Would you rate your life “X-rated” or just X-ed? Many persons love the x-rated stuff.

Many people are themselves x-rated because of the things they do and the way they do them.

They require no Kama sutra to study the myriad positions or anatomical contortions that can bring the x-factor to an even more enjoyable state. But an ‘x’ rate can obviously infer many things.

It can mean (of course) that the planes of satisfaction can be stupendously superfluous or simply stunning! It can mean that your head would be reeling from the sights, sounds and experience of life. It can also mean that someone is dead or marked for death!

And of course, it can mean that you are hexed. I believe that the 400,000 people that voted last year heXed this country!

Things are not going well.

There is corruption, political stalemate, biased newscasts, foolishness in parliament and all around ineptitude.

The politicians all say that they are not to be blamed.

The Eff-C blame the peepeep; the peepeep say its apeeonyou - but they all

say that it’s not their fault. So whose fault is it? Someone has to take the blame!

So I believe that YOU, the Guyanese people, have to take the blame. You all heXed them when you Xed them. You see, when ol’higue saw the people xi n g t h e b a l l o t papers, ol’higue licked her nasty gums; it was hexing time!

Then the hexing led to a lot of veXing as some people’s expectations were shattered. Now the elections are gone but the heX remain in place.

And if another election is called, is more heXing to come! Granger got heXed, Moses got heXed, Trotman got heXed, Ralph got heXed. Now poor Roger got heXed. Everyone got heXed. No more x-ing from any of them. Same old same old same old arguments….no zing, no xing.

Of course it’s because the whole damn place is heXed! So what will be done to save us from this heX? Well, it’s time for D-X to step up to the plate!

It’s Uncle Donald who can put the squeeze on the heX!.

After all if Donald takes out the X from Hex, it’s He that’s left. He’s “D man” and can

become “D-X” by taking this country forward. All the X’s were heading toward Donald, so he better start X-ing before he too becomes heXed! I believe that Donald is one of the most decent humans I have seen. He is getting fat – and that is because he is not X-ing!

By not X-ing the bad elements out of the Party and Government, Donald’s goodness is left in his belly – which may indeed be the only growing part he has now.

Donald must be reminded of the story that rain falls on everyone’s head – both the good person and the thief.

BUT, rain falls MORE on the head of the good persons because the thieves stole their umbrellas! So, the good people await your guidance and leadership.

My New Year wish is for Donald to take control of this country and bring the zing back to us all. Enough X-up of the country. D-X time……2013!

With the N e w Ye a r around the corner, I wish everyone lots of Xing. But no hexing!

Have a wonderful new year, y’all, and keep on smiling. Have an amusing New Year.

Kaieteur News

Page 14

Saturday December 29, 2012

Scotia Bank spread Christmas Courts donates seventh car in 'Drive away' promotion cheer to senior residents The winner, Donna and the Finance Manager

O

n Wednesday December 19, l a s t , Scotiabank Bartica Branch brought joy to over 50 seniors by donating food hampers.

Members of staff

visited the homes of the seniors to deliver the goodies.

The Bartica staff raised funds by holding several hot dog sales to facilitate the purchase of some of the hampers, while others

were donated by the members of the business community.

In this photo, Scotiabank Bartica staff, led by Manager Carlos Prowell (right) display the hampers prior to delivery.

Courts Guyana Inc gave away their last car, an SUV, to yet another female winner as their “Courts Drive away Promotion� ended yesterday.

The winner, Donna Jupiter, who dropped in her coupons at the company's Main Street office only Wednesday, said that she was extremely surprised when she received the call from Courts. She said that she shouted when she heard

that she had won a car, the caller on the other hand almost dropped the phone when Donna started to shout.

Yesterday, a happy Donna was speechless. She said that she purchased a music system from the furniture store but never thought she would have won.

The other six car winners were present at the company yesterday drinking champagne. Some say that when they woke up in the

mornings they would open their window and peep at their car, while some say they would clean their car everyday even though it never moved from the spot it was parked.

Kaieteur News was told that this year Courts Guyana I n c m a d e t h e l a rg e s t giveaway as compared to the other years.

The company gave away $72M worth in cars and cash to their customers.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Republic Bank hosts Christmas Party for Children’s homes

Making a presentation to one of the homes

As the season of love sharing and caring continues, Republic Bank, New Amsterdam Branch, hosted for the fourth consecutive year, a grand party that attracted orphans from all the orphanages in the New Amsterdam district.

The beneficiaries were the Anjuman Home, Eden Home and Alpha Children Home.

The event was held recently at the New Amsterdam Town Hall and saw more than 130 children benefiting and receiving treats to hot meals and toys.

The Manager of

Republic Bank, New Amsterdam Branch, Imran Saccoor, in a brief remark e x p r e s s e d t h e B a n k ’s pleasure in reaching out to the vulnerable and less fortunate children in our society.

He urged the children to think and to make positive decisions as they pass through this phase of their lives. He also urged delinquent families to take more responsibility in ensuring that their children are taken care of and not to be left on the streets wandering.

Saccoor also stated that

“while it is good to see more and more children year after year coming to the party, it is a most worrying situation which either means more and more parents are either experiencing financial strains or are just abandoning their responsibilities and being delinquent.”

He hailed the works done

by NGO and Orphanages.

The staff members of the Bank shared, sang, played games and danced with the children. Apart from the Christmas goodies grocery hampers were also donated to the three homes that were present.

First ever Christmas tree light up at Camp Street Prisons Prison top brass observe as the tree is lighted.

Christmas is a time of sharing love, time, gifts and everything nice. However, there are those who are guests of the state and are confined to dank, dusty cells and unable to be with family and friends at this joyous time.

In an effort to bring joy to those in such positions, the officers and staff of the Georgetown Prisons hosted an inaugural tree lighting ceremony in the Prison Yard on Christmas night where inmates were treated to songs and skits that put them

in a 'Christmassy' mood.

Activities got underway at 18:30hrs. The occasion was graced by Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine, and other senior officials.

Though many of the inmates were restricted to their cells, they were still able to listen and in some cases join in with the carol singing.

They were entertained by the prisons steel band while the choir belted out Christmas renditions shortly before officials touched the switch to light up the Christmas tree.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday December 29, 2012

Collaborative body formed to petition for the 1823 monument at Independence Park

By Abena Rockcliffe The Coalition of the 1823 Independence Park Ground Monument was yesterday launched at City Hall through a press conference which sought to, among other things, debunk arguments by Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.

Dr. Anthony supported Government’s decision not to erect the 1823 monument at Parade Ground and reiterate reasons as to why the monument should stand on “ground where slaves’ blood was shed.”

African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA)’s Elton Mc Rae stated that the Coalition has been formed with the specific aim of protesting the “disrespectful distortion of history implicit in the decision made by the Ministry of Culture to change the site of the monument to memorialize the martyrs of the 1823 Insurrection on the Parade Ground,” and said that the coalition involves 10 organizations and several citizens including Mayor Hamilton Green.

Mc Rae said that the Minister’s decision to erect the monument on Carifesta

Avenue is an insult to Guyanese since it is diametrically opposed to a decision made after a series of discussions involving African historians and cultural leaders in the 1970’s.

He noted that “after more recent consultations between segments of the population and Government, the turning of the sod at Independence Park occurred on August 1, 2000 with former President Bharrat Jagdeo. It is not clear when or why the minority PPP executive decided to reverse this decision.”

McRae cited a point made

by Dr. Anthony that he invited “our opinions, and none was offered.” However, as far as we know the Minister did not follow established protocol on this issue.

The recognized method of communication between the Ministry of Culture and Cultural Organizations has always been by way of letters.

In this instance the Minister chose to advertise for suggestions in the National Press.

These advertisements are disrespectful to both our past and recent history as they both brazenly attempt to erase the previous decisions and fly

in the face of established protocol.

Mayor Hamilton Green who stated that “it is not an African thing” said that the move to erect the monument at Carifesta Avenue is all part of a continuous crusade by a disrespectful government.

He also said that the government is using the state media to brain wash Guyanese who don’t know their history and further stated that a country without a history don’t exist.

He then referred to the Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow monument being erected at Parliament Building against the will of workers and other trade unionists “when it was asked to be erected at Bourda Green where he gave most of his speeches.”

The Mayor said that he hopes that Minister Anthony “who appears to be one of the decent ones” reconsiders his move.

Frederick Kissoon, who was there representing the People’s Parliament, regarded the arguments posed by Dr. Anthony as frivolous and inaccurate.

He said that Dr. Anthony’s statement that the monument would obstruct the football

field is irrelevant as there are five active football fields in the vicinity of Independence Park.

Kissoon added that Independence Park is more famous for the basketball court as opposed to the football field.

He then pointed to Dr. Anthony’s statement that the seawall area would be better because the area is move active and said that “when persons are finished exercising between the hours of four and six and the lovers leave by 9:00” the area is desolate. Kissoon spoke about a few murders that were committed in the same vicinity.

Then, he alluded to Cheddi Jagan’s monument that was erected in Port Mourant where he grew up.

Hazel Wolford, a Guyanese historian, said that it is a show of disrespect for a monument of that nature to be placed close to a location named after the daughter of a man who supported and promoted slavery. The location is close to Eve Leary. She added that Independence Park represents strength and has the blood of martyrs on that spot.

She noted, “It also represents what Burnham stood for, he was a man

concerned about domestic violence against women which was one of the reasons the rebellion was staged. And the Burnham Court is right there. “Parade ground is very close to Quamina Street that was named after an ex slave in 1985.”

She said that Quamina was also a Christian slave “So demographically,

educationally and as it related to Christianity, Independence Park is best.”

“We are facing a situation like 1964 with the Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow Monument but they must know that the Parade Ground (Independence Park) is important not only for African Guyanese but for educators as well.”

Body found near Long Creek Police are trying to ascertain whether a 29-yearold man who was found dead on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway on Wednesday is the victim of a hit-and-run accident or foul play.

The victim has been identified as Shurland Henry of Long Creek, Soesdyke/ Linden. His body was found a short distance from his home.

A police official told Kaieteur News that Henry’s body bore lacerations and bruises, but investigators are still unsure whether they are dealing with a homicide.

It is expected that a post mortem will be conducted on

Monday.

Police have been dealing with a recent spate of fatal hitand-run accidents. In early December, Bibi Salima Khan, 44, was struck down and killed near La Union, West Coast Demerara. Police are still to identify the driver.

And on December 20, Rodwell Brummell, a 22-yearold Farfan and Mendes Ltd. Employee, was killed on the spot while walking on Lamaha Street, Georgetown.

Police have since arrested and charged Sewdat Ramlall, 48, of Kersaint Park, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara in connection with Brummell’s death.

Man who rams policeman's car placed on bail

Fraser's damaged car

Carlos Fraser, 32, of Lot 5 Reliance Abandon, East Canje, Berbice, was on Friday placed on $100,000 bail by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo when he appeared before her at the New Amsterdam Magistrate's Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving in a manner dangerous to the public.

According to prosecutor

Corporal Orin Joseph, on Wednesday December 26, around 23:30 hrs Fraser who was at the wheels of motor car HB 3185, a white Toyota Carina 192 was heading towards New Amsterdam at a fast rate of speed along the Cumberland Public Road.

At the vicinity of the junction at Sheet Anchor he failed to stop. When he applied brakes, the car skidded for

about 80 feet and collided with Motor Car PPP 3403, a Toyota Allion owned and driven by Corporal Lawrence Thomas of the Guyana Police Force.

A number of policemen were in the policeman's car at the time. The impact sent Thomas' car into a nearby trench. Both motor cars were severely damaged. Fraser will have to return to court on January 14, 2013.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Five more win in Ariel Christmas surprise promotions - winner of grand $1M to be named on Monday

The winners with Brand Coordinator- Colin Baptiste Another five persons were yesterday announced winners in the Ansa McAl Ariel Christmas surprise promotion which was launched in early November.

The company yesterday presented the prizes to the winners- Mark Duncan of Sophia; Marlene Prabudin of Best Village, West Coast Demerara; Sahadeo Jaikissoon, of Blairmont; Rajwattie Seecharan of Best Village; and L. Dhanukdhari of Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Colin Baptiste, brand coordinator for Procter and Gamble, handed over the prizes. The prize of a Whirlpool washing machine

went to Rajwattie Seecharan; Dhanukdhari received a year’s supply of Ariel soap powder while Marlene Prabudin walked away with a 42-inch LCD television set.

Mark Duncan received a gift hamper comprising of every item that the company distributes countrywide, while Sahadeo Jaikissoon won himself the $50,000 cash prize.

The final draw was done at Nigel’s Supermarket yesterday to determine those in the line-up for the $1M grand prize.

They are: Kalawattie Samaroo of Plantation Hope West Coast Berbice; J.

Marshall of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara; Chandradat Lachman, of East Canje, Berbice; Karen Inniss, of Cinderella City; and Jacqueline Williams of Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast.

To qualify for a chance to win one of the prizes, shoppers of Ariel soap powder had to place an entry along with their name, address and phone number into an envelope and drop it off at leading supermarkets countrywide.

Entries closed on December 14. Ariel soap powder is distributed by Ansa McAl Trading Limited (AMTL).

Welder refused bail for hit and run fatality

Sewdat Ramlall, 48, of Kersaint Park, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara, was yesterday remanded for causing the death of Rodwell Brummell, a Farfan and Mendes Limited employee. Brummell was reportedly struck down by a speeding motorcar on December 20, while he was in the company of his girlfriend.

The accused, a welder, faced Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry on several charges in connection with the road death.Ramlall is accused of causing death by dangerous driving, failing to report the accident within 24 hours to a police station, failing to stop the vehicle immediately after the accident and failing to render assistance. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Brummell was struck at around 21:00 hrs at the corner of Lamaha and Carmichael Streets. Ramlall was driving PGG 2758 at a fast rate west along the southern carriage way of Lamaha Street when he collided with

Remanded Sewdat Ramlall Brummell, who was in the company of his girlfriend. The young man, a resident of Montgomery Richard Hill, Linden, was allegedly hurled into the air and fell on the ground before the vehicle ran over him. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.In an application for bail, Defence Counsel,

Shellon Boyce, who represented the accused, told the court that her client poses no flight risk and is the father of three minors. He was willing to lodge his passport.

She said when her client was arrested he co-operated fully with the police. Police Prosecutor, Stephen Telford, however objected to bail on the grounds that the accused might flee the jurisdiction and that the offence of causing death by dangerous driving was prevalent and serious. Ramlall was arrested Thursday afternoon at his home and the car seized from a ‘bottom-house’ bodywork shop at LusignanTelford said when the car was seized, it was evident that repairs had begun. Ramlall an employee of Mings Products and Services Limited is scheduled to return to court on January 8. Brummell was buried in his hometown of Linden, yesterday, the same day that he would have celebrated his 23rd birthday.

Saturday December 29, 2012

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Kaieteur News

Businesswoman complains about public spousal assault

T

here was no Christmas for Francine Culley and her three children, a state of affairs which allegedly resulted from a violent encounter with her now estranged husband, Jermin Culley.

Recounting an episode on Christmas Eve night, Francine Culley, the owner of Francine’s Fish Shop on Sheriff Street, said that not only was she physically assaulted but she was humiliated in front of a crowd of no less than 100 persons.

According to the woman, her move to share her dilemma with the media is to protect herself and children since police action thus far has not been satisfactory. She claims that the police are still seeking the man before any action can be taken. This is despite the fact that police officers witnessed the incident which occurred outside a popular supermarket.

“I just feel that this situation needs to be in the open, because this is the

second time that he has embarrassed me like that,” said the woman as she recalled how she was physically abused.

The incident, she said, developed after Culley saw a male friend of hers driving a vehicle he (Culley) had bought for her. She said that she was at the time shopping at the city supermarket and had asked the friend to park the vehicle properly while she went to make her purchases.

Culley, she said, on seeing the man driving his vehicle, became very abusive towards him forcing the young man to exit the vehicle. On observing what was happening Francine said that she went over to Culley who began verbally abusing her as well and soon after extended his actions to physical assault. “He start punching me and throw me down...and a crowd of people come and just close off Duncan Street,” said the still distraught woman.

As if that was not bad enough, the man proceeded

Francine Culley shortly after the Christmas Eve assault

to slash the two left tyres of the vehicle. The physical abuse would continue and even drew the attention of police officers who merely pleaded with Culley, who is said to be a popular business man, to cease his action. “He done tell me that nothing will

come out of this because he got friends...He said he knows the President and he can pay the police,” said a still bruised Francine.

According to her, a similar incident had occurred shortly after they were married in 2010. She

said that that incident stemmed from her not answering her mobile phone while shopping in another supermarket.

This, she said, resulted because her mobile phone battery had died. The man, she recalled, arrived at the

supermarket a short while later and dealt her several blows about the body, insisting that she refused to answer the phone. That incident went unreported but a year later the two decided to go their separate ways.

The latest matter was however described as “worse” by Francine who said that the incident was reported to the police.

She said, too, that the police opted to charge her for assaulting Culley. “I went and do up a statement...but he (Culley) tends to know a lot of people and I don’t know what will come of this matter.

Everybody knows him; because he is this popular person nobody don’t do anything.”

But according to Francine, “All I want to do is to let people know the type of person he is....I am a businesswoman and this is the second time that he is embarrassing me in public. If I don’t take some action against this it will continue.”

Francine is the mother of three, the youngest of which is Culley’s child.

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Labour Ministry facilitates employment of scores With funding from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Ministry of Labour during the course of this year engaged a programme aimed at bolstering students’ school attendance.

This strategic programme, according to Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, has been focused on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway where there were reports of a number of school drop outs.

Characterised by availing a hot meal and transportation to students, the programme was instrumental in realising a dramatic improvement in children’s attendance

particularly those from farflung areas, reported Dr. Gopaul.

“We experimented on this programme and we saw a dramatic improvement of students going to school. In other words, because we are picking them up from the far flung areas as well as providing for them a meal.”

Outlining the venture as significant, Dr. Gopaul disclosed that the programme has thus far extended from Silver Hill to Soesdyke and has yielded nothing less than significant results. He expressed satisfaction that the attendance has in fact surpassed expectations.

Turning his attention to training, Dr. Gopaul said that

the Board of Industrial Training has recorded an increase in apprentices desirous of pursuing long term apprenticeship programmes.

He revealed that during the course of this year a total of 67 youths registered to commence training at various apprenticeship institutions including the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Port Mourant, training through the Guyana Power and Light Corporation and the Guyana National Industrial Shipping Corporation.

These institutions, according to the Labour Minister, are main training

institutions for the long term apprenticeship programme.

According to the Minister, too, a total of 65 apprentices were certified this year in several areas including: instrument, repair mechanic, heavy duty mechanic, industrial electrician, auto electrician, fitter machinist, sugar boilers and welder fabrication.

“These are the specialised apprenticeship programmes with a duration of between three to five years...so they are highly trained in these fields and we have been able to put 65 competent people in the world of work,” said Dr. Gopaul.

The 67 apprentices who have been registered are set

Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Minister of Labour to pursue training in the same fields and according to the Minister, he anticipates that over the next five years a similar amount are likely to be trained.

According to Dr. Gopaul, there has also been a shorter level of single parent training where 412 places were offered and resulted in 386 trainees pursuing programmes in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Ten. These training programmes are available in

the areas of cosmetology, catering, garment construction, child care, care for the elderly, heavy duty equipment operator, driver/ salesmen and information technology.

Under training for national youth employment, the Labour Minister disclosed that a programme which was launched some five years ago has since been able to facilitate the training of more than 1,000 individuals in varying disciplines.

These included: health sector, engineering, hospitality, information technology and clerical, forestry and mining among others.

The programme, according to Minister Gopaul, is intended to target out of school youths who were not able to benefit from complete secondary education. “We thought of getting them involved in training and making them marketable for work. We are happy that a large percentage of these persons have entered the world of work,” said Dr. Gopaul.

Cabinet reviews AG’s City Council report - Minister Whittaker The Auditor General’s (AG’s) report into financial improprieties at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) unearthed

by Raymon Gaskin is currently being reviewed by Cabinet following perusal by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

Minister in the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker, at a press conference yesterday morning in the Ministry’s boardroom, Kingston said, “Cabinet is going through the report… They have a right to because as much as we are the subject ministers, they have a right to know what is in the report,” he said.

The Burrowes Implementation Committee led

by Raymon Gask i n h a d earlier in the year launched an inquiry into the operations of the City Council to determine the level to which, and if at all, the council has put in place the recommendations put forward by Burrowes in 2009 for improvement of its functions and operations for the benefit of the Georgetown residents.

The investigations, in addition to revealing that no effort was made to implement the 41 recommendations put forward by Burrowes, also revealed deficiencies and inadequacies in terms of the

performance of the staff including the key players responsible for putting in place these changes, and bringing about improvement at the council.

With Cabinet’s consent, the Local Government Ministry had forwarded the report to the AG and the Police and an investigation into the improprieties was launched. Six senior officers of the council were subsequently sent on leave to facilitate the conduct of the investigations.

While Minister Whittaker did not want to disclose the full content of the report as he said that the Ministry is still studying the document, he however, said the AG report has revealed that many of the senior officers are culpable of reckless incompetence, of failure to adhere to procurement and financial procedure and record keeping, of not taking proper care of council’s assets, and most importantly being culpable of “failing to deliver on the services expected of the council.”

Minister Whittaker said that very shortly the ministry with support from Cabinet will determine a course of action with regards to the report and towards addressing the inadequacy and the shortcomings at City Hall.

(GINA)

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Canal Number Two seniors treated to lunch and cultural show

Immigration INFO: Immigration News For Our Community Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, p l e ase email: Gail@GailLaw.com.

Question #1: Can my daughter who is 16 and a U.S. citizen file for me?

A section of the gathering enjoying the cultural program Last Sunday marked the 10th Annual Canal Number Two Senior Citizen’s Social.

Around Christmas time every year, members of the local business community along with US and Canadian-based Guyanese who hailed from this West Bank Demerara community, would pool their monies and treat the elders to a cultural show, a feast and gifts of food hampers.

Although it was initially meant for the elders, this

year saw 340 persons inclusive of children and disabled persons being tended to at the Kawall Primary School.

Apart from the monetary donations made by these business owners, several residents of Canal Number Two would voluntarily dedicate their time and energy to preparing the meals and serving the attendees of the function.

In commemorating its 10

years mark, the volunteers of the program were awarded certificates of appreciation for their years of dedication to this “rewarding” activity.

In addition, the top six performers at the National Grade Six Assessment from West Bank of Demerara also received trophies for their academic accomplishments thus far.

The expenditure for this year’s program amounted to a whopping $1.3M.

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Answer #1: No. A U.S. citizen can file or petition for his/her parent, however the U.S. citizen child must be age 21 or older. This type of petition, where a U.S. citizen files for a parent is considered an immediate relative petition and a visa is available immediately (meaning there is no backlog).

Question #2: During my interview for U.S. citizenship, I lied to the officer and was denied because of the lie. When can I re-file for U.S. citizenship?

Answer #2: Ly i n g t o an immigration officer is a serious offense. I do not

recommend anyone to lie to a federal officer. You were denied because the officer found you to lack good moral character.

One of the requirements for U.S. citizenship is that you must possess good moral character.

My advice is to wait five years from the interview date before reapplying for U.S. citizenship.

Question #3: Can I marry while the immigrant petition filed by my parent is pending?

Answer #3: It depends on whether the petitioner is a permanent resident or a U.S. citizen. If the petitioner (person who filed the petition) is a permanent resident then you cannot marry because marriage would void the petition.

A permanent resident can only file for an unmarried child. If the petitioner (person who filed the petition) is a U.S. citizen then you can marry.

Once you marry then the petitioner can change the preference category of the petition from first preference to third preference. Note, the wait time for the visa may

Gail S. Seeram increase once you are married but then you and your spouse will be able to emigrate to the U.S. Question #4: I have a holiday or tourist visa for the U.S. but I have a permanent resident petition pending that was filed by my family.

Can I still travel on my holiday visa?

Answer#4: Yes, you can travel, however, if the U.S. immigration officer at the port of entry determines you have immigrant intents because they discover the pending immigrant petition then you can be denied entry into the U.S. or your holiday visa can be revoked.

Also, when your holiday visa is up for renewal, the U.S. Embassy may deny renewal once they see you have a pending immigrant petition.

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Govt. gives Salvation Army another $5M Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, presented a $5M cheque to the Salvation Army’s Guyana Division at the institution’s reunion of past and present clients, last evening. A similar amount was disbursed earlier this year.

Initially, Government’s contribution to the organisation over the years has been $5M; however, recognising the positive impact that its rehabilitative programmes has been yielding, this sum has now been increased to $10M annually.

The entity is slated to

receive $15M shortly from Government, which will go towards funding the refurbishing and extension of the building that currently houses the social center. This was an initiative of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who made this commitment in 2011.

Minister Singh said that programmes of the Salvation Army are very impacting on the lives of peop l e struggling with substance abuse, and have enabled them to recover, regain their confidence and resume their contribution to the

- $15M more to be made available shortly

Man fatally shot with arrow - court hears An Amerindian man was yesterday remanded to prison after he was accused of shooting another man to death with an arrow.

On December 22, last at Micobie Potaro, Jones Raymond, murdered Gary Joseph. Raymond was not required to plead to the charge when he faced Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry, yesterday.

According to the police, both the accused and the victim were at a shop in the Micobie

Potaro area co n s u m i n g alcohol when they had a verbal disagreement which grew into a physical altercation.

Raymond allegedly armed himself with an arrow and bow and shot Joseph.

The man was reportedly r u s h e d t o t h e M a hdia Hospital complex where he succumbed to his injuries.

Bail was refused and Raymond is scheduled to reappear at the Mahdia Magistrate’s court on January 16.

Clients and invitees at the Salvation Army’s reunion dinner, last evening collective social effort.

He noted that substance abuse is a social scourge that exempts no one as people regardless of their ethnic background, age, religion, geography or social status are vulnerable to this societal ill.

Dr Singh commended the clients, both past and present, and said that they would be justified in congratulating

themselves; first for identifying the problem and then for working to fix it so that they can return to their rightful place in society.

“It is because of your success story that the leadership of the Army and the Government of Guyana remains committed to implementing and supporting these programmes…the

Government of Guyana is proud to be associated with this programme, and we believe it is value for money,” Minister Singh said.

He also lauded the members of the board of the Salvation Army for their charitable work and significant presence in Guyana.

This year, the organisation celebrated its 125th

anniversary since it began its work in the Caribbean. Several of the officers who serve in Guyana are from Haiti and other Caribbean countries.

Chairman of the Army’s Advisory Board, Edward Boyer praised the partnership with the Government, which continues to see tangible support for the organisation’s work. (GINA)

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 29, 2012

ARGENTINA’S FIGHT ON DEFAULTED DEBT TAKES NEW STEP

Cristina Fernandez BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — It’s been a decade since Argentina tarnished its reputation worldwide and became an economic misfit by engaging in the biggest sovereign debt default in history, yet it is still haunted by the old bonds.

Although Argentina’s government restructured nearly all of the debt defaulted in the 2001 economic crisis, President Cristina Fernandez finds herself in a bitter U.S. court fight with holdout creditors that has raised the threat of severe financial repercussions.

The next step comes Friday when Argentina files

its arguments for the final stage in its legal battle with NML Capital Ltd., an investment fund that specializes in suing over unpaid sovereign debts.

Argentina recently sidestepped economic chaos from the debt showdown when the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suspended a lower court’s order for Argentina to pay $1.3 billion into escrow for holders of its defaulted debt, an action that risked pushing the country into technical default.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa based his ruling on the principle of “pari passu,” or equal footing, which says debtors can’t pick and choose between creditors. In other words: pay everyone or pay no one and risk going into default.

Fernandez has refused to make such a payment, and uses the term “vulture funds” when she talks about NML Capital and others who have refused two opportunities to swap defaulted bonds for new,

less valuable bonds that the government has reliably paid since 2005.

Analysts and Argentine media say Fernandez’s legal team may argue that Griesa’s ruling would hurt the world’s financial system by giving financial speculators an enormous edge over nations that need to restructure debts and protect their citizens while trying to grow their way out of economic crises.

“Ninety-three percent of bondholders accepted the restructurings so, given the international situation, it would be irrational to rule in favor of the ‘vulture funds’ and pay them 100 percent,” said Mariano Lamothe, an analyst with the consulting firm abeceb.com. “It would break any possibility of (future) debt swaps. Nobody would issue a bond in the New Yo r k St o c k Exchange.”

Other analysts support the debt holdouts.

Speaking during a teleconference Thursday

organized by a lobbying group funded by NML Capital, legal experts expressed skepticism that such an argument would prevail.

“Argentina’s claim that the pari passu clause will cause chaos in world markets is inaccurate,” said Richard Samp, chief counsel for the Washington Legal Foundation. “The 2nd Circuit specifically recognized that Argentina is a unique case, and that sovereign debtors can avoid Argentina’s predicament by including non-voluntary collective action clauses in their bondholder agreements, like Greece has done in the past.”

John Baker Jr., a visiting fellow at Oriel College at University of Oxford, said debt contracts would become irrelevant if Argentina’s position prevails.

“The 2nd Circuit should be applauded for determining that Argentina must be bound by its contractual commitment to treat creditors equally, and Argentina’s claims that holdouts do not deserve to be paid are a clear strategy meant to continue avoiding the payment of

billions of dollars it owes bondholders,” Baker said.

Fernandez insists she won’t pay a single centavo to the holdouts and calls Griesa’s ruling “judicial colonialism.” But analysts say that despite the government’s tough public stance, Fernandez may be looking for time to negotiate over a new debt swap and avoid a new blow to the country’s financial reputation.

“In Argentina there’s a huge abyss between the official discourse and public policy,” said Miguel Braun, an economist for the Buenos Aires-based Pensar consulting firm. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Fernandez is saying all of this in her speeches and then goes on and does something completely different.”

Just the threat of the Dec. 15 payment deadline set by Griesa had severe consequences. In the week after Griesa issued his order, the cost of maintaining Argentina’s overall debt soared in trading on U.S. and European bond markets and the cost of insuring those debts spiked.

Several weeks ago, her

administration struck a more conciliatory tone by saying it might be willing to pay the holdouts on the same terms as investors who joined the last debt restructuring in 2010. NML Capital and other plaintiffs have not commented on whether they would be willing to accept a swap on those terms.

The amount at stake in the current litigation is $1.3 billion, but all of the old bonds held by investors who didn’t accept the debt restructuring total about $11.2 billion. If the U.S. courts eventually uphold Griesa’s ruling, all those investors could demand immediate payment.

Ramiro Castineira, an analyst for the consulting firm Econometrica, sees a possibility that the courts may rule in favor of the “vulture funds” but also allow a more favorable schedule of payments for Argentina.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Castineira said.

“Whatever the court rules, both sides are going to appeal and try to take it to the Supreme Court, which must decide if it takes the case or not.”

Government pleased with JEEP programme

KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Jamaica government says more than 20,000 people have gained employment under the island’s Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) insisting that it is one of the strategies being employed by the Portia Simpson-Miller government to deal with the chronic unemployment situation on the island.

Transport, Works and Housing Minister Dr. Omar Davies, said data shows that JEEP. Launched in March, has had a meaningful impact on the unemployment level in Jamaica.

“The data are very impressive…the data from STATIN (Statistical Institute of Jamaica) in terms of the impact of JEEP, (shows that) there was a reduction in the level of unemployment between the data from April

Dr. Omar Davies and July, a reduction from 14.3 per cent to 12.8 per cent and the impact of JEEP is significant in terms of the number of jobs created, something in the order of over 20, 000,” he said.

Employment has been created in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture,

education and intensive labour, among others.

“There are several projects, which have been supervised by the NWA (National Works Agency) because we have reallocated funds from JDIP (Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme) but the big difference is that Members of Parliament, councillors, community groups have had a say in the development of these capital projects,” Davies said. He said Phase II of the programme is expected to be completed during financial year 2013/14 and the government is in the process of seeking funds to continue the work of JEEP. “I expect to have confirmed success in identifying funds early in the New Year, such that it can be built into the budget for 2013/ 14,” he added.

The government has earmarked an estimated six billion dollars (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.04 cents) to be spent on projects under the JEEP and that approximately 35,000 persons are expected to be employed during the second phase.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

IDB says Caribbean economies performed strongly in 2012, but face challenges WASHINGTON - CMC – President of the InterAmerican Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, says the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean have performed strongly in the face of a challenging external environment, but that the region needs to continue to pursue key reforms to ensure growth in the future.

In year-end remarks to the IDB´s Board of Executive Directors, Moreno summarized the region’s challenges, the institution’s performance over the past year and its priorities going forward.

He said the region, boosted by high commodity prices, continued to grow its trade with the world.

Moreno said trade with Asia has been “especially noteworthy” growing at a 20 per cent annual rate since 2000 to total an estimated US$442 billion in 2012.

However, he said many challenges remain, noting that trade among Latin American and Caribbean countries is still too low, at 19 per cent of overall trade.

“We must focus our vision of the future on those areas that will enable us to

Luis Alberto Moreno maintain a diversified productive base, build our capacity for innovation, and successfully compete on a rapidly evolving planet,” Moreno said, adding “nothing produces greater returns than investments in building social capital”.

He urged countries to lower their country costs by investing in infrastructure.

“We must also work to break down financial, bureaucratic, and informationrelated barriers. We should pave the way for private initiative to flourish, so that we can take advantage of better international positioning that is not only

desirable, but inevitable.”

Moreno said the IDB continued on its path to build best practices into its operational and administrative management, bolstering transparency, accountability and financial mechanisms.

He said it was now standard practice at the IDB to assess whether projects can measure their expected results using rigorous evaluation methods during their preparation phase.

In 2012, the IDB said it approved new financing mechanisms to help countries cope with natural disasters and safeguard the effects of economic crises.

The financial institution said it approved 170 operations in 2012 for a total of US$11.5 billion, including 44 projects for non-sovereign guarantees, which finance private sector projects, for US$1.5 billion.

The IDB said it also provided US$871 million in grant financing, up 29 per cent from 2011, with growing contributions by member countries to create acclimate fund for the private sector and provide additional resources for various initiatives.

CARICOM countries to participate in Barbados event BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are to participate in an event to educate people on the culture of the region, Barbados’ ambassador to CARICOM, Robert “Bobby” Morris, has said.

Speaking at a news conference to launch the Barbados Youth Leadership Retreat 2012, Morris said that the event scheduled to take place on July 4 next year CARICOM Day - would involve the different islands coming to Barbados where they would set up booths to talk about their country.

Morris said that some countries have already started planning for the event and he is confident it would provide an avenue for both organisations and individuals to form professional and personal relationships with their neighbouring islands.

“The reality is that almost every CARICOM member state provides a home, or

Robert “Bobby” Morris place of work, a place of study, or a place for holidaying and relaxation for members of other Caribbean states. Our families are becoming more mixed as our sons and daughters find their spouses from neighbouring countries.”

He said as a result, every CARICOM island must make an effort to capitalise on these linkages without being led astray by our differences.

“CARICOM is a lived

experience and we must not be distracted about the relatively minor areas of disagreements, which are sometimes blown out of proportion.

“We must not be led astray by the idealists who see the glass as half-empty, but we must be able to assume the optic of the realist who sees the glass as halffull and to acknowledge that there is room for both perspectives,” he added.

Morris said that he would be working with the Youth Commissioner to ensure that young people are educated about CARICOM noting that the various regional institutions such as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (UNIT) which handles issues like managed migration and the sharing of expertise between the islands, is located in Barbados.

CARICOM comprises 15 countries in the English, Dutch and French speaking Caribbean, including Montserrat, which is the only non-independent nation among the grouping.

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Dominica becomes fourth major shareholder of regional airline

Roosevelt Skerrit Roseau, Dominica (TDN) — Dominica has made an initial payment of EC $3 million to the Regional Airline LIAT as part of an agreement to become the airline’s fourth major shareholder.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the announcement shortly before leaving for Barbados to attend a meeting of the airline’s shareholders yesterday, which includes Antigua, Barbados, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In making the announcement, Skerrit defended his government’s decision to put funds into the airline, noting that “as we have

maintained we see this as an important venture.

We recognise that LIAT itself has certain challenges, but the question is which airline in the world does not and we believe from a government standpoint we are looking at a wider benefit of LIAT to Dominica and the wider Caribbean,” Skerrit said. His decision to invest in LIAT has come in for widespread criticism within Dominica with many contending that the country simply does not have the resources to shore up a failing airline.

However, Skerrit has maintained that the investment is critical in helping to safeguard Dominica’s investment in the tourism industry.

LIAT recently announced plans to return to profitability next year after years of recording losses. Key to that plan is the shutting down of over 36 flights that it considers uneconomic, and the purchase of six new aircraft. This will affect 18 countries, although LIAT did not indicate which of the countries will be affected.

In June 2012, Skerrit announced that his government would make an investment of EC $8 million in LIAT shortly after one of its planes was destroyed in a hangar fire at Antigua’s VC Bird International airport.

Currently, LIAT operates more than a 100 flights a day to its 21 destinations of Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Canouan, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St Croix, St Kitts, Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Thomas, Vincent, Tortola and Trinidad.

Saturday December 29, 2012

VP reads message from ailing Chavez to military CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — In a message read by his No. 2, President Hugo Chavez saluted Venezuela’s military and acknowledged he was facing “complicated and difficult” times as he recovers from cancer surgery in Cuba.

The message read by Vice President Nicolas Maduro during a military event in eastern Venezuela offered no details on Chavez’s condition and it was unclear when the president composed it.

Chavez, 58, has not been seen or heard from since undergoing his fourth cancerrelated surgery in Havana on Dec. 11.

“I have had to battle again for my health,” the president said in the message. He expressed “complete faith in the commitment and loyalty that the revolutionary armed forces are showing me in this very complicated and difficult moment.”

There have been no new updates on Chavez’s condition since Maduro announced Monday night

Hugo Chavez that he had received a phone call from the president who was up and walking.

Maduro and other government officials have tried to drill optimism into their supporters at raucous events nearly every day since.

But uncertainty about Venezuela’s political future has grown with no guarantee that Chavez will be back in time for his scheduled Jan. 10 inauguration for a new six-

year term.

A group of opposition candidates demanded yesterday that Maduro provide an official medical report on Chavez’s health.

Lawmaker Dinorah Figuera said the country needs “a medical report from those who are responsible for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of the president.”

“The Venezuelan people deserve official and institutional information,” Figuera told Venezuelan media.

Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez acknowledged the precariousness of his situation and designated Maduro his successor, telling supporters they should vote for the vice president if new elections are necessary.

But a legal fight is brewing over what should happen if Chavez, who was re-elected in October, cannot return in time for the inauguration before the National Assembly.

Saturday December 29, 2012

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Syria opposition leader rejects Moscow invitation ALEPPO PROVINCE, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) Syria’s opposition leader has rejected an invitation from Russia for peace talks, dealing another blow to international hopes that diplomacy can be resurrected to end a 21-month civil war.

Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s main international protector, said yesterday it had sent an invitation for a visit to Moaz Alkhatib, whose six-week-old National Coalition opposition group has been recognized by most Western and Arab states as the legitimate voice of the Syrian people.

But in an interview on Al Jazeera television, Alkhatib said he had already ruled out such a trip and wanted an apology from Moscow for its support for Assad.

“We have clearly said we will not go to Moscow. We could meet in an Arab country if there was a clear agenda,” he said.

“Now we also want an apology from (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov because all this time he said that the people will decide their destiny, without foreign intervention. Russia is intervening and meanwhile all these massacres of the Syrian people have happened, treated as if they were a picnic.”

“If we don’t represent the Syrian people, why do they invite us?” Alkhatib said.

“And if we do represent the Syrian people why doesn’t Russia respond and issue a clear condemnation of the barbarity of the regime and make a clear call for Assad to step down? This is the basic condition for any

negotiations.”

With the rebels advancing steadily over the second half of 2012, diplomats have been searching for months for signs that Moscow’s willingness to protect Assad is faltering.

So far Russia has stuck to its position that rebels must negotiate with Assad’s government, which has ruled since his father seized power in a coup 42 years ago.

“I think a realistic and detailed assessment of the situation inside Syria will prompt reasonable opposition members to seek ways to start a political dialogue,” Lavrov said yesterday.

That was immediately dismissed by the opposition: “The coalition is ready for political talks with anyone ... but it will not negotiate with the Assad regime,” spokesman Walid al-Bunni told Reuters. “Everything can happen after the Assad regime and all its foundations have gone. After that we can sit down with all Syrians to set out the future.”

Russia says it is behind the efforts of U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, fresh from a five-day trip to Damascus where he met Assad. Brahimi, due in Moscow for talks today, is touting a months-old peace plan for a transitional government.

That U.N. plan was long seen as a dead letter, foundering from the outset over the question of whether the transitional body would include Assad or his allies.

Brahimi’s predecessor, Kofi Annan, quit in frustration shortly after negotiating it.

But with rebels having

seized control of large sections of the country in recent months, Russia and the United States have been working with Brahimi to resurrect the plan as the only internationally recognized diplomatic negotiating track.

Russia’s Middle East envoy, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who announced the invitation to Alkhatib, said further talks were scheduled between the “three B’s” himself, Brahimi and U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns.

Speaking in Damascus on Thursday, Brahimi called for a transitional government with “all the powers of the state”, a phrase interpreted by the opposition as potentially signaling tolerance of Assad remaining in some ceremonial role.

But such a plan is anathema to the surging rebels, who now believe they can drive Assad out with a military victory, despite long being outgunned by his forces.

“We do not agree at all with Brahimi’s initiative. We do not agree with anything Brahimi says,” Colonel Abdel-Jabbar Oqaidi, who heads the rebels’ military council in Aleppo province, told reporters at his headquarters there.

Oqaidi said the rebels want Assad and his allies tried in Syria for crimes. Assad himself says he will stay on and fight to the death if necessary.

In the rebel-held town of Kafranbel, demonstrators held up cartoons showing Brahimi speaking to a news conference with toilet bowls

(Reuters) - A union representing dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and an alliance of shippers have reached a labor agreement that will avert a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents 14,500 workers at 15 container ports in the eastern United States, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) of shippers, terminal operators and port authorities, have agreed to extend their current contract by 30 days to finalize details, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a statement yesterday.

Both sides have agreed “in principle” on the

contentious issue of royalty payments for shipping containers, payments to ILA workers based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port.

The statement yesterday was light on details of the actual agreement, and the USMX declined to comment further. The ILA could not be reached for comment.

Established in 1960, the royalty payments to ILA workers are based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port. That tonnage has risen from 50 million tons in 1996 to 110 million last year, according to the alliance.

Total payments last year were $211 million, according to the USMX, or an average of $15,500 per worker.

The original idea was to protect longshoremen from wage losses expected as a result of “containerization,” in which more and more goods are packed in the nowfamiliar 20- and 40-foot long boxes.

Those take less manpower to off-load than the lessstandardized containers they replaced.

Both sides also fought over the guaranteed eighthour workday in the current contract and the seven-man “lashing gang.” Lashing crews, or gangs, secure the cargo containers to the vessel using metal lashing rods to keep them from moving while the vessel is at sea. The maritime alliance wanted to eliminate each.

Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now

Demonstrators hold a placard during a protest against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, after Friday prayers in Kafranbel near Idlib yesterday.

REUTERS/Raed Al-Fares/Shaam News Network/Handout in front of him, in place of microphones.

Banners denounced the U.N. envoy with obscenities in English.

Diplomacy has largely been irrelevant to the conflict so far, with Western states ruling out military intervention like the NATO

bombing that helped topple Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi last year, and Russia and China blocking U.N. action against Assad.

Meanwhile, the fighting has grown fiercer and more sectarian, with rebels mainly from the Sunni Muslim

majority battling Assad’s government and allied militia dominated by his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Still, Western diplomats have repeatedly touted signs of a change in policy from (Continued on page 31)

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Iraqi Sunnis stage big anti-government rallies RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters from Iraq’s Sunni Muslim minority poured onto the streets after yesterday prayers in a show of force against Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, keeping up a week-long blockade of a major highway.

Around 60,000 people blocked the main road through Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital, setting fire to the flag of Shi’ite Iran and shouting “out, out Iran! Baghdad stays free” and “Maliki you coward, don’t take your advice from Iran”.

Many Sunnis, whose community dominated Iraq until the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, accuse Maliki of refusing to share power and of being under the sway of its non-Arab neighbor.

“We will not leave this place until all our demands are fulfilled, including the toppling of the Maliki government,” said 31-yearold Omar al-Dahal at a protest in Ramadi, where more than 100,000 protesters blocked

the same highway as it leads to neighboring Syria and Jordan.

Activists’ demands include an end to the marginalization of Sunnis, the abolition of anti-terrorism laws they say are used to target them, and the release of detainees.

Protests flared last week in Anbar province, the Sunni stronghold in western Iraq where demonstrators have mounted the blockades, after troops loyal to Maliki, who is from the Shi’ite majority, detained bodyguards of his finance minister, a Sunni.

Demonstrations were also held in the northern city of Mosul and in Samarra, where protesters chanted “the people want to bring down the regime”, echoing the slogan used in popular revolts that ousted leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

The protests are likely to add to concerns the civil war in neighboring Syria, where majority Sunnis are fighting to topple a ruler backed by Shi’ite Iran, will drive Iraq back to the sectarian

slaughter of 2005-7.

Militants linked to al Qaeda appear to be joining the ranks of Syrian rebels across the border and regrouping in Anbar, which was almost entirely controlled by militants at the height of Iraq’s insurgency.

Security forces did not move to break up the protests, but prevented people from other provinces from heading to Anbar to join the rallies there.

Speaking at a “reconciliation” conference broadcast on television, Maliki called for dialogue.

“It is not acceptable to express something by blocking roads, inciting sedition and sectarianism, killing, or blowing the trumpet of war and dividing Iraq,” he said.

A masked protester who refused to give his name recalled the role of Anbar’s tribes, first in fighting U.S. troops before allying with them to drive militants out turning on fellow Sunni al Qaeda because of its indiscriminate use of violence.

“Just as we terrified the

Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave Iraqi national flags during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, yesterday.

REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) Americans with this mask, and kicked al Qaeda out, we will terrify the government with it,” he said.

Highlighting the increasingly regional dimension, protesters in Falluja raised pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has lined up against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has sparred increasingly often with Maliki.

In Iraq’s Shi’ite south, a small anti-Erdogan protest was held in the holy city of

Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) from Baghdad.

Sunni complaints against Maliki grew louder a week ago following the arrest of Finance Minister Rafaie alEsawi’s bodyguards hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd seen as a steadying influence, was flown abroad for medical care.

For many, that was reminiscent of a move to arrest Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi a year ago, just when U.S. troops had withdrawn. Hashemi fled into

exile and was subsequently sentenced to death in absentia.

Maliki has sought to divide his rivals and strengthen alliances in Iraq’s complex political landscape before provincial elections next year and a parliamentary vote in 2014.

A face-off between the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces over disputed oilfields in the north has been seen as a possible way of rallying Sunni Arab support behind the prime minister.

India gang rape victim dies in Singapore hospital A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest rally in New Delhi. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

SINGAPORE (Reuters) The Indian gang-rape victim whose assault in New Delhi triggered nationwide protests has died, the Singapore hospital treating her said.

“We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 a.m. on Dec 29, 2012 (11:45 a.m. E Friday). Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side,” Mount Elizabeth Hospital Chief Executive Officer Kelvin Loh said in a

statement.

The 23-year-old medical student, who was severely beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus in New Delhi on Dec 16, was airlifted to Singapore on December 26 for specialist treatment.

The attack had sparked demonstrations across India, culminating last weekend in pitched battles between police and protesters outraged over the lack of safety for women in the

capital.

“Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days. She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain.”

“She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome,” he added.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Pakistan Taliban chief says group will negotiate, but not disarm DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - The head of Pakistan’s Taliban said his militia is willing to negotiate with the government but not disarm, a message delivered in a video given to Reuters yesterday.

The release of the 40minute video follows three high-profile Taliban attacks in the northern city of Peshawar this month: an attack by multiple suicide bombers on the airport, the killing of a senior politician and eight others in a bombing and the kidnap of 22 paramilitary forces on Thursday.

The attacks underline the Taliban’s ability to strike high-profile, wellprotected targets even as the amount of territory it controls has shrunk and its leaders are picked off by

U.S. drones.

“We believe in dialogue but it should not be frivolous,” Hakimullah Mehsud said. “Asking us to lay down arms is a joke.”

In the video, Mehsud sits cradling a rifle next to his deputy, Wali ur-Rehman.

Military officials say there has been a split between the two men but Mehsud said that was propaganda.

“Wali ur-Rehman is sitting with me here and we will be together until death,” said Mehsud, pointing at his companion.

Pakistani officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

The Taliban said in a letter released Thursday that they wanted Pakistan to rewrite its laws and constitution to conform with Islamic law,

Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud (C) sits with other militants. REUTERS/Reuters TV break its alliance with the United States and stop interfering in the war in Afghanistan and focus on India instead.

U.S. Senate leaders aim to craft “fiscal cliff” Bill by tomorrow WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders are working to craft legislation by tomorrow that averts the year-end “fiscal cliff” of tax hikes and spending cuts, but many details needed to be worked out after a crucial meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell, termed the meeting “constructive” and “positive” and said they would keep working on trying to find a solution over the weekend.

After adjourning yesterday, Reid he would probably not call the Senate back into session until about

1 p.m. EST/ 1800 GMT on Sunday to give leaders time to hash out a deal.

“We are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the White House, in the hopes that we can come forward as early as tomorrow and have a recommendation that I can make to my conference and the majority leader can make to his conference,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

“So we’ll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours. So I’m hopeful and optimistic,” he added.

An aide to House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said it was agreed at the White House

meeting that the Senate should act first.

“The speaker told the president that if the Senate amends the House-passed legislation and sends back a plan, the House will consider it - either by accepting or amending,” the aide said.

However, Reid said it would be difficult to craft a solution that can win passage in both the House and Senate, adding that it involves “big numbers.”

“Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect,” Reid said. “Some people aren’t going to like it. Some people will like it less. But that’s where we are and I feel confident that we have an obligation to do the best we can.”

Syria opposition leader...

From page 29 Russia, which they hope could prove decisive, much as Moscow’s withdrawal of support for Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic heralded his downfall a decade ago.

Bogdanov said earlier this month that Assad’s forces were losing ground and rebels might win the war, but Russia has since rowed back, with Lavrov last week reiterating Moscow’s position that neither side could win through force. Still, some Moscow-based analysts see the Kremlin coming to accept it must adapt to the possibility of rebel victory.

“As the situation changes on the battlefield, more incentives emerge for seeking a way to stop the military action and move to a phase of political regulation,” said Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow

Center. Meanwhile, on the ground the bloodshed that has killed some 44,000 people continues unabated. According to the proopposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain, 150 people were killed on Thursday, a typical toll as fighting has escalated in recent months.

Government war planes bombarded the town of Assal al-Ward in the Qalamoun district of Damascus province for the first time, killing one person and wounding dozens, the observatory said.

In Aleppo, Syria’s northern commercial hub, clashes took place between rebel fighters and army forces around an air force intelligence building in the Zahra quarter, a neighborhood that has been surrounded by rebels for weeks.

Mehsud referred to the killing of the senior politician in his speech and said the political party, the largely Pashtun Awami National Party, would continue to be a target along with other politicians. “We are against the democratic system

because it is un-Islamic,” Mehsud said. “Our war isn’t against any party. It is against the non-Islamic system and anyone who supports it.”

Pakistan is due to hold elections next spring. The current government, which came to power five years ago, struck an uneasy deal with the Taliban in 2009 that allowed the militia to control Swat valley, less than 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, Islamabad.

A few months later, the military launched an operation that pushed the militants back. The U.S. military also intensified its use of drone strikes.

Now the Taliban control far less territory and the frequency and deadliness of their bombings has declined dramatically.

The Taliban’s key stronghold is in North Waziristan, one of the tribal areas along the Afghan

border and the site of most of the hundreds of drone strikes by the United States.

Mehsud said in his interview that although he was open to dialogue, the Pakistani government was to blame for the violence because it broke previous, unspecified deals.

“In the past, it is the Pakistani government that broke peace agreements,” he said. “A slave of the U.S. can’t make independent agreements; it breaks agreements according to U.S. dictat.” Mehsud said that the Pakistan Taliban would follow the lead of the Afghan Taliban when it came to forming policy after most NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014.

“We are Afghan Taliban and Afghan Taliban are us,” he said. “We are with them and al Qaida. We are even willing to get our heads cut off for al Qaida.”

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Saturday December 29, 2012

US leaves C. African Republic amid security woes BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Security concerns deepened in the capital of Central African Republic yesterday after the U.S. ambassador and his diplomatic team were evacuated out of the country by plane overnight amid fears rebels could try to take the capital.

U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the details of the operation.

The evacuation came after President Francois Bozize on Thursday urgently called on former colonial ruler France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital.

The U.N.’s most powerful body condemned the recent violence and expressed concern about the developments.

“The members of the Security Council reiterate their demand that the armed

groups immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from captured cities and cease any further advance towards the city of Bangui,” the statement said.

Central African Republic has a history of violent change in government. The current president himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion in this resource-rich yet deeply poor country.

Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic’s former colonial ruler. About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.

“France has the means to stop (the rebels) but unfortunately they have done nothing for us until now,” Bozize said.

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to protect its interests in

Central African Republic and not Bozize’s government. The comments came a day after dozens of protesters, angry about a lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag. Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels, with the French Foreign Ministry noting in a statement that negotiations are due to “begin shortly in Libreville (Gabon).” But it was not immediately clear if any dates have been set for those talks.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius spoke via phone with Bozize, asking the president to take responsibility for the safety of French nationals and diplomatic missions in Central African Republic. Bozize’s government earlier reached out to longtime ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic’s own forces.

This landlocked nation of some 4.4 million people has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence

In this frame grab taken from APTN footage, President Francois Bozize addresses crowds, in Bangui. AP Photo/APTN)

in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn’t fully implemented.

The rebel forces have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north of the country, and residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue

instead of attacking Bangui.

The rebels have claimed that their actions are justified in light of the “thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic.”

Despite Central African Republic’s wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cashstrapped. Filip Hilgert, a researcher with Belgiumbased International Peace Information Service, said

rebel groups are unhappy because they feel the government doesn’t invest in their areas.

“The main thing they say is that the north of the country, and especially in their case the northeast, has always been neglected by the central government in all ways,” he said.

The rebels also are demanding that the government make payments to ex-combatants, suggesting that their motives may also be for personal financial gain.

Saturday December 29, 2012

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Saturday December 29, 2012 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today’s Cancer Full Moon may stress your life with career issues that motivate you to rethink your overall life path. One of your important considerations is the sacrifice of emotional safety you need to make to reach your goals.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) If you are insecure about your communication abilities, today may be a great day to push through these self-limiting thoughts now that the Cancer Full Moon shines in your 3rd House of Information. It’s not important what others are saying; how you feel about yourself is more crucial.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your thoughts might be moving so fast today that you cannot even tell what you are thinking. You may have very sensible ideas, yet you can still ruin your chances of realizing a goal if you scatter your energy.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) The Full Moon in your sensitive sign might have you worrying that you are misunderstood. You want others to acknowledge and respect your desire for safety. Consider, however, that your needs may be based upon old insecurities — and no one can fix this if you fear rejection or change.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You really want to hold up your end of the deal but the Cancer Full Moon in your 12th House of Secrets may have you struggling in ways that no one notices.

You realize that there are things you can do to help others, but you’re already busy trying to fulfill your previous commitments.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) The nurturing Cancer Full Moon in your social 11th House encourages you to be a supportive part of a team.

But this group orientation conflicts with your desire to take care of yourself first today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) It’s a real challenge to know what’s best, even if today’s issues seem vaguely familiar. You might not want to put up with the same level of job-related stress now that the evocative Full Moon is flooding your 10th House of Career. If you have been withholding your feelings, take a deep breath and release them out into the open.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The emotionally powerful Cancer Full Moon makes it difficult to walk away from a disagreement because it stimulates an internal frustration that just won’t go away. Just remember that endless fighting doesn’t lead to peace of mind.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You might not run from your feelings as fast as usual today, even if you wish an unpleasant situation would just go away. However, your current intensity prevents you from just dropping an issue that’s important to you.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your sense of reality may be tested now as you confront one of your most basic fears. The needy Cancer Full Moon stimulates your 7th House of Others, raising concerns that a relationship will pull you into unknown emotional territory. More than anything today, you don’t want to fall victim to troublesome irrationality as you attempt to stay on the safe path of logic.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You may not be so selfassured today because the moody Cancer Full Moon lands in your 6th House of Employment, filling you with uncertainty about your job.

Keeping your emotions to yourself could leave others wondering why you are more distant now.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) The nurturing Cancer Full Moon lights up your 5th House of Romance and Creativity today, helping you feel more positive even if you are a bit overwhelmed.

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Saturday December 29, 2012

GOLDEN YEAR FOR MURRAY, REGRETS FOR NADAL LONDON (Reuters) - For Andy Murray 2012 marked a golden milestone, for Novak Djokovic the year was an emphatic reminder of his status as the world’s best male player, and for Roger Federer and his army of fans it was proof that the old master’s magic still sparkles.

Serena Williams used the second half of the year to demonstrate that she continues to be head and shoulders above her rivals in the women’s game, whatever the rankings suggest.

Of the sport’s marquee names, only Rafa Nadal will reflect on the past year with regret after six months out with a knee injury, and all eyes will be studying the 11-times grand-slam winner’s form once the new season swings into action.

Nadal, one of four different winners of the men’s grand-slam titles this year, has not played a match since a shock Wimbledon defeat by Lukas Rosol.

He hopes to return at the Australian Open although he has sensibly lowered expectations of an immediate impact.

In any other era the

absence of a player of Nadal’s caliber would be an impossible void to fill yet such is the quality at the top of the men’s game that the Mallorcan’s extended lay-off merely took a little gloss off what was otherwise a vintage year.

Murray began it with a new coach in Ivan Lendl but still without a grand-slam title on his CV having lost in his first three major finals without taking a set.

The Scot became Britain’s first male Wimbledon singles finalist since Bunny Austin in 1938 but Federer’s grasscourt brilliance deprived Murray of the title.

Three weeks later Murray returned to the All England Club lawns like a man on a mission and he rode a wave of national euphoria to thrash Federer in the Olympic singles final.

Fuelled with belief, Murray then strode into New York and when a fifth shot at a grand-slam final duly arrived he rose to the occasion to beat Djokovic in a five-set epic.

It was a setback for Djokovic but the Serbian, who began the year by beating Nadal to retain the Australian Open title in the longest-ever men’s grand-

slam final, finished it off as year-end world number one for the second season running.

“Considering the circumstances that I had to face on and off the court, expectations, all these things, I believe that this year has been even more successful for me,” Djokovic, who won three major titles in 2011, said after beating Federer to win the ATP Tour Finals at London’s 02 Arena.

TOP SPOT Though Federer’s year ended in defeat, the 31-yearold Swiss will look back on 2012 with pride.

A record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title took his grand-slam haul to 17 and propelled him back to the top of the world rankings long enough to surpass Pete Sampras’s record of 286 weeks as number one.

The father-of-two is expected to scale back his schedule in 2013 but will still be a force to be reckoned with when the big prizes are up for grabs.

“I think it’s been a fantastic season to be part of,” Federer said. “Four different grand-slam champs.

Then having the Olympics, as

well, was obviously very unique.” Fellow 31-year-old Serena Williams had a relatively slow start to the year but after losing in the first round of the French Open to Virginie Razzano she was unstoppable.

The American won a fifth Wimbledon title, completing a golden slam by winning the Olympic singles gold in London, as well as the doubles with sister Venus, and a fourth U.S. Open title and capped the year by not dropping a set at the WTA finals in Istanbul.

Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka ended the year as a worthy number one having captured the Australian Open and five other titles, while Maria Sharapova completed a career grand slam at the French Open but Williams was rightly named WTA Player of the Year.

After her battles with serious injury and health problems in recent years, Williams appears as hungry as ever and will be the woman to beat when the new season begins at the end of December.

“It’s amazing that I’m still considered like one of the top players to beat. For me it’s the ultimate honor and the ultimate compliment,” Williams said in Istanbul before suggesting that the

US Open tennis champion and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray returns to his home town of Dunblane to meet fans in Dunblane, Scotland, September 16, 2012. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne best might still be to come. “I definitely think I can improve,” said the 15-times major winner. “The day I feel that I can’t improve, I think that’s the day I should probably hang up my racquet.”

Should Nadal return to his full force in 2013 the top four of the men’s game looks set in stone, although several players have shown in 2012 that they can shake up the top order.

Juan Martin del Potro enjoyed an injury-free year and got back to the form that saw him win the 2009 U.S. Open final while Canada’s Milos Raonic, Japan’s Kei

Nishikori and Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz will be worth watching.

On the women’s side, 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova looks the most likely to threaten the leading trio, although consistency remains her undoing.

In team tennis the Czech Republic dominated.

Their men beat Spain to win the Davis Cup for the first time as an independent nation - reward for Tomas Berdych, one of the most consistent performers on the tour throughout the year - while the women retained the Fed Cup, beating Serbia.

Tim Kee seeks help from CONCACAF -to resolve TTFF financial woes

Raymond Tim Kee (Trinidad Express): Raymond Tim Kee is not just sitting still and hoping that the problems of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) go away.

Last week, the new TTFF President attended a meeting in Miami, where he made a pitch before CONCACAF, seeking help from the parent organisation of regional football to assist the Federation in resolving some of its financial issues.

Tim Kee met for the first time with Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, who replaced former TTFF Special Adviser and main financier Jack Warner as CONCACAF President, following the

latter’s resignation in May 2011 as President of both the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and CONCACAF. With Warner gone, Tim Kee took over a bankrupt organisation that owes millions of dollars, when installed as TTFF President on November 11, 2012.

“I am seeking to run the TTFF as a business,” insurance man Tim Kee said.

“When in immediate trouble, you often have to go to your parents for assistance. We have approached CONCACAF for assistance, even if it is in the form of a loan, which we will repay later.

We presented a case for discussion. Nothing was agreed, but we put our proposal out there for consideration.”

Tim Kee said it is no myth that the TTFF has no money.

And among the issues he will like to see cleared up in 2013 is a settlement with the 2006 Soca Warriors, who have sued the Federation for a share of the World Cup profits.

Tim Kee also admitted that they owed money to several persons, including

coaches such as former women’s Under-17 Coach, Norwegian Even Pellerud, who had not been paid for months.

“The TTFF owes million of dollars,” Tim Kee said.

“My aim, is to somehow try and resolve these issues.

“It’s very unlikely that corporate Trinidad and Tobago will give us money to pay debts, and at the moment, the national team might not be able to full the stadium so we can collect at the gates,” he said.” But we have these problems to solve, and we have to work on solving them.”

Tim Kee has also begun making organisational changes to the TTFF, including the putting in place of an internal audit and accounting unit. He said things cannot be done arbitrarily by the TTFF as in the past.

He further said proper systems of accounting and reporting will now be a norm, and it will help build a greater relationship with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Sport and corporate bodies.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Coach of the Month in November, out of a job for New Years NEW YORK (AP): The Brooklyn Nets have elevated expectations this season, and a .500 record wasn’t good enough. Coach Avery Johnson was fired Thursday, his team having lost 10 of 13 games after a strong start to its first season in Brooklyn.

“We don’t have the same fire now than we did when we were 11-4,” General Manager (GM) Billy King said at a news conference in East Rutherford, N.J. “I tried to talk to Avery about it and we just can’t figure it out. The same pattern kept on happening.”

Assistant P.J. Carlesimo will coach the Nets on an interim basis, starting Friday night with a home game against Charlotte. King said the Nets might reach out to other candidates, but for now the job was Carlesimo’s. The GM wouldn’t comment on a report that the team planned to get in touch with former Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.

King said the decision to dismiss Johnson was made by ownership after a phone discussion Thursday morning. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov had expressed faith in Johnson before the season.

“With the direction we were going we felt we had to make a change,” King said.

Johnson was in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract. “It’s a really

disappointing day for me and my family. It’s my wife’s birthday. It’s not a great birthday gift,” Johnson said.

“I didn’t see this coming. But this is ownership’s decision.

It’s part of the business. Fair or unfair, it’s time for a new voice and hopefully they’ll get back on track.”

The Nets have fallen well behind the first-place New York Knicks, the team they so badly want to compete with in their new home. But after beating the Knicks in their first meeting Nov. 26, probably the high point of Johnson’s tenure, the Nets went 5-10 and frustrations have been mounting.

“Our goal is to get to the conference finals,” King said.

“We started out good and then we stumbled. We have to get back to playing winning basketball. It’s the entire team. It’s not like golf, where Tiger Woods can blame the caddie. It takes five guys on the court and they’re all struggling. We have to figure out the ways to get back to winning. I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure. But unfortunately, it did happen.”

The Nets were embarrassed by Boston on national TV on Christmas, then were routed by Milwaukee 108-93 on Wednesday night for their fifth loss in six games.

Star guard Deron Williams

Avery Johnson

recently complained about Johnson’s offense, and Nets CEO Brett Yormark took to Twitter after the loss to Celtics to voice his displeasure with the performance. King said the change was not made because Williams was unhappy, and he added the point guard himself has to play better. Johnson also stood by Williams.

“From Day One, I always had a really good relationship with him. I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to hang this on Deron,” Johnson said. “We were just going through a bad streak, a bad spell. It’s not time for me to be down on one player. That would be the easy way.”

Brooklyn started the season 11-4, winning five in a row to end November, when Johnson was Eastern Conference coach of the month. But he couldn’t do anything to stop this slump,

Alpha United, K&S reach amicable solution - club will play today at Buxton

Kashif Muhammad

Steve Ninvalle

Odinga Lumumba

The Kashif and Shanghai Organization and the Executive of Alpha United Football Club late yesterday afternoon came to an amicable solution regarding the playing of a semi-final game in Buxton in the 2012 competition.

The solution came after a two-hour meeting. The games will be played at the Buxton Community Centre ground tonight.

President of the Alpha United Football Club, Odinga Lumumba, was upset at proper protocol not being followed over the change of

venue for the semifinal games. It was his contention that limited notice was given.

He had threatened that his team will not play at Buxton, but would have rather showed up for the scheduled encounter yesterday at the Georgetown Football Club, Ground.

However, after a meeting between Kashif Muhammad and Alpha Official, Steve Ninvalle, an amicable agreement was reached and the Club committed to playing the fixture today.

While expressing regret at the way in which they had

to go about making the change, Kashif and Shanghai noted that they had to have the best possible venue for this important segment of the competition, hence the switch.

They apologised to Alpha who readily agreed to continue in the tournament for the good of the game and smooth flow of the tourney.

The Kashif and Shanghai Organization expressed thanks to the Executive of the Alpha United Football Club for its foresight and commitment to football in Guyana and its ability to compromise.

one the Nets never anticipated after a $350 million summer spending spree they believed would take them toward the top of their conference.

Johnson has been the Nets’ coach for a little more than two seasons. He went 60116 with the Nets, who moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn to start the season. Johnson coached the Dallas Mavericks to a spot in the NBA Finals in 2006.

“You don’t always get a fair shake as a coach,” Johnson said. “I’m not the owner. If I were the owner, I wouldn’t have fired myself today. But life is not always necessary fair. It’s a business and in this business, the

coach always gets blamed.”

This is the NBA’s second coaching change this season following the dismissal of Mike Brown by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson arrived in New Jersey with a 194-70 record, a .735 winning percentage that was the highest in NBA history, but had little chance of success in his first two seasons while the Nets focused all their planning on the move to Brooklyn. They looked to make a splash this summer when they re-signed Williams and fellow starters Gerald Wallace, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries, traded for Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson, and added veteran depth with players such as Reggie Evans, C.J. Watson and Andray Blatche.

Johnson didn’t have a contract beyond this season but seemed to have the confidence of Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire who before the season said he had faith in “the Avery defense system.”

Some thought the Nets would finish as high as second in the East behind defending champion Miami,

and the predictions seemed warranted when the Nets started quickly amid much fanfare. But all the good publicity faded in recent weeks once the losing started.

Williams, who has struggled this season, stirred the waters when he expressed his preference for the offense he ran under Jerry Sloan in Utah before a loss to the Jazz.

Williams and Johnson, nicknamed “Brooklyn’s Backcourt” and expected to be one of the best in the NBA, have shot poorly and rarely meshed.

The Nets were embarrassed near the end of their 93-76 loss to Boston, when fans exited early amid a chant of “Let’s go Celtics!”

“Nets fans deserved better,” Yormark tweeted after the game. “The entire organization needs to work harder to find a solution. We will get there.” Not under Johnson, though.

The Nets should be able to entice a big-name coach with Prokhorov’s billions and the chance to play in a major market at Barclays Center, the $1 billion arena that has drawn praise in the city and from visiting teams.

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Bradley Wiggins knighted in 2013 New Year’s Honours List Bradley Wiggins

Dame Sarah Storey

Cyclist Bradley Wiggins has been knighted in the New Year Honours list after winning the Tour de France and then gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

The first Briton ever to win the Tour, 32-year-old Wiggins is joined in being knighted by GB cycling’s performance director Dave Brailsford.

Four-time Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie is also knighted, along with GB

Ben Ainslie

rowing chief Dave Tanner.

Paralympian Sarah Storey is made a dame for her services to para-cycling.

Before switching to paracycling, Storey won five Paralympic swimming golds two at Barcelona in 1992, and three in Atlanta four years later.

At the London Paralympics she claimed four cycling golds to add to the two she won at the 2008 Beijing Games.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Storey said. “It’s hard to put into words other than just it is the greatest honour.” Storey’s 11 Paralympic titles are only matched by legendary wheelchair athlete Baroness Grey-Thompson and swimmer Dave Roberts, while her collection of 22 medals of all colours is unsurpassed.

She added: “I can’t believe the number of times we’ve said this year, ‘Oh, can

2012 possibly get any better?’

We feel so fortunate that 2012 will always stand out as being the most incredible year.”

The 2013 list is dominated by athletes and coaches from the Olympics and Paralympics after their inspirational success this summer.

The knighthood caps a dream year for Wiggins - who was named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in December 2012 - after he won the Tour in July and the Olympic time trial in August.

He called the honour the “ultimate accolade”, adding he felt it was acknowledgment not only of his achievements in 2012 but over the past 12 years.

“I never ever imagined that I would ever become a knight so it’s an incredible honour but there’s a slight element of disbelief, and it will take a while to sink in,” said Wiggins. “It’s not something I’ll use on a daily basis but it’s nice to have in the trophy cabinet as the ultimate accolade as a sportsman, being knighted by your country for not only the success this year but 12 years now of consistent work and performing - four Olympic Games, seven medals.

“It’s more the recognition of that, so it’s fantastic.”

Wiggins was aided in that success by Brailsford, who not only oversaw Wiggins’s victory in the Tour as Team Sky boss but also masterminded Britain’s dominance in cycling at the Olympics and Paralympics.

“It is quite humbling and it really is something to try to get my head around,” said Brailsford. “I’m very lucky and aware that the sport of cycling has grown and that we have had great success because it is a team effort over a long, long period of time.”

Ainslie, who retired from Olympic sailing in November, has more medals from the Games than any other sailor.

After winning silver in Atlanta in 1996, he went on

to take gold in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London.

He is fourth in the list of Britain’s all-time individual medallists behind Sir Chris Hoy (cycling: six gold, one silver), Sir Steve Redgrave (rowing: five gold, one bronze) and Wiggins (cycling: four gold, one silver, two bronze).

The 35-year-old, who in 2013 will attempt to win the Americas Cup, admitted he never dreamt of being knighted when he began Olympic sailing more than 20 years ago. “This is an incredible honour,” he added.

“I couldn’t have achieved this honour without the support of all the people who have helped me throughout my career and so I hope they can also take some pride in this moment.”

Tanner has been GB rowing’s performance director since 1996, leading it through the most successful period in its history.

Britain won three medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, four in Athens in 2004, and six at Beijing 2008 before taking nine, including four gold, at London 2012.

Andy Murray, who also won gold at the Games, becomes an OBE. After his men’s singles victory at London 2012 the Scot became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam tournament when he triumphed at the US Open in September.

Others from the world of sport who are recognised for their contributions include former England cricketers Mark Ramprakash and Robert Croft, ex-Arsenal assistant manager Pat Rice and former rugby league star Paul Sculthorpe. All are appointed MBEs. Former Wales and Lions wing JJ Williams also becomes an MBE for services to rugby and charity in Wales.

And David Sheepshanks, the joint-acting chairman of the Football Association, is appointed a CBE. He oversaw the building of the National Football Centre near Burton, which opened in October, and was chairman of Ipswich Town for 13 years from 1995 to 2008.

OLYMPIANS IN NEW YEAR HONOURS

Knighthood: Ben Ainslie - sailing, Bradley Wiggins cycling CBE: Katherine Grainger - rowing, Jessica Ennis athletics, Mo Farah - athletics, Victoria Pendleton - cycling OBE: Charlotte Dujardin - equestrian, Jason Kenny cycling, Andy Murray tennis, Laura Trott - cycling MBE: Nicola Adams boxing, Tim Baillie - canoeing, Laura Bechtolsheimer equestrian, Scott Brash equestrian, Alistair Brownlee - triathlon, Steven Burke cycling, Luke Campbell boxing, Peter Charles equestrian, Katherine Copeland - rowing, Helen Glover - rowing, Alex Gregory - rowing, Carl Hester equestrian, Philip Hindes cycling, Sophie Hosking rowing, Jade Jones taekwondo, Anthony Joshua - boxing, Peter Kennaugh cycling, Dani King - cycling, Mary King - equestrian, Ben Maher - equestrian, Ed McKeever - canoeing, Joanna Rowsell - cycling, Greg Rutherford - athletics, Louis Smith - gymnastics, Heather Stanning - rowing, Etienne Stott - canoeing, Anna Watkins rowing, Peter Wilson - shooting.

PARALYMPIANS IN NEW YEAR HONOURS Dame: Sarah Storey cycling CBE: David Weir athletics OBE: Sophie Christiansen - equestrian, Ellie Simmonds swimming MBE: Jessica-Jane Applegate - athletics, Natasha Baker - equestrian, Danielle Brown - archery, Mickey Bushell - athletics, Hannah Cockroft - athletics, Mark Colbourne - cycling, Josef Craig - swimming, Deborah Criddle - equestrian, Aled Davies - athletics, Neil Fachie - cycling, Jonathan Fox swimming, Heather Frederiksen - swimming, Oliver Hynd swimming, Helena Lucas sailing, Craig MacLean - cycling, Nigel Murray - boccia, Jonnie Peacock - athletics, Josie Pearson - athletics, Pam Relph - rowing, Naomi Riches rowing, James Roe - rowing, David Smith - rowing, Lily van den Broecke - rowing, Sophie Wells - equestrian, Richard Whitehead - athletics.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 37

India level T20 series against Pakistan (ESPNCricinfo): India overcame a Mohammad Hafeez master innings to win by 11 runs and level the twomatch series. His wristwork and effortless clearing of the ropes would have inspired widespread admiration. But Ashok Dinda bowled an excellent second spell at a time when Pakistan, led by Hafeez, were on track to chase down 193, a target set up by a dominating innings by Yuvraj Singh, who treated a packed house in Ahmedabad to an air show that included seven sixes.

Dinda was at the receiving end of a last-ball six that sealed victory for England in their T20 against

India less than a week ago, but he came back well despite being put under pressure early in each of his two spells.

He conceded 13 in his first over, during a promising opening stand of 74 between Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, and was struck for two consecutive fours by Mohammad Hafeez in the 15th over that began with Pakistan needing 68 to win off 36 balls.

The conditions in Ahmedabad were pitted against the seamers, with no movement on offer and thereby forcing them to rely on variations to contain the batsmen. Dinda not only did that, he was largely accurate

and picked up three wickets, including Hafeez, in a three over spell that yielded 23 when Pakistan still had wickets in hand and the target appeared within reach. A slower ball that bowled Umar Akmal ended a 62-run stand with Hafeez that had given Pakistan the edge in the chase, and Dinda got Hafeez and Kamran Akmal to hole out in the penultimate over at the start of which Pakistan required 26.

India’s spinners, R Ashwin, part-timer Suresh Raina and Yuvraj, slowed down Pakistan’s openers between overs six to 11, resulting in their wickets at the cost of just two

Sir Alex Ferguson says Alan Pardew’s criticism is hypocritical (BBC Sport): Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accused Alan Pardew of hypocrisy after the Newcastle Manager criticised his behaviour on Boxing Day. Pardew said the Football Association should have punished Ferguson for confronting officials during Manchester United’s 4-3 win at Old Trafford.

“Alan Pardew is the worst for haranguing referees. His whole staff [do it] every game,” Ferguson said.

Pardew served a two-match ban for pushing a match official in August.

Ferguson confronted referee Mike Dean, his assistant Jake Collin and the fourth official Neil Swarbrick at the start of the second half of the Premier League game at Old Trafford to protest over Newcastle’s second goal.

Dean had ruled that Papiss Cisse was not interfering with play when Jonny Evans put through his own goal after 28 minutes, even though the Senegal international was in an offside position when Danny Simpson hit the initial shot.

Pardew was unhappy that the United manager, 70, avoided punishment over the confrontation because Dean did not mention the incident in his match report.

“I think Mike Dean might feel slightly disappointed he didn’t do something about it,” Pardew said after the game. “I think the pressure that was on him was tough for a referee to take. I think there were a lot of things the FA could look at. But it seems they are looking at none.”

Pardew was fined £20,000 and given a two-match

Sir Alex Ferguson touchline ban by the FA for pushing fourth official Peter Kirkup during Newcastle’s 21 win over Tottenham on 18 August. The Newcastle manager immediately apologised, talking of his shame at the “comical” incident, but Ferguson says Pardew now has no right to criticise the behaviour of others.

“I wasn’t abusive of the referee - some managers push the linesman and make a joke of it,” said the Scot.

“I’m not making a joke of it. I think [the goal] should’ve been disallowed, I really do.

[Pardew] shoves the referee and makes a joke of it, and he’s got the cheek to criticise - it’s unbelievable.

“He forgets the help I gave him by the way.

“The press have had a field day out of it. They have addressed every possible avenue. The only one they have left out is Barack Obama. He is too busy.

“That is unfortunate. I carry that because I am the manager of the most famous club in the world. I am not like

Newcastle, a wee club in the north east.”

Ferguson said that he felt it was legitimate for him to question the decision of Dean to allow the goal. “I called him over and said there was body contact,” he said.

“The rule book says if your opponent is interfering with the defender then he’s offside. The interpretation from Mike Dean was that he wasn’t interfering, but I think he was.”

Ferguson said that he remained calm during the conversation, and that he was happy with the way Dean dealt with the incident.

“I think Mike Dean handled it well. He is an experienced referee mature. There was no ranting and raving from me,” he said, “I was demonstrative but I’m always demonstrative. I’m an emotional guy.”

TV cameras recorded the discussion between Ferguson and Dean as the teams came out for the second half, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that it did not set a good example to those watching.

“The message it sends out when you look at the pictures is not to behave like that,” he said.

Asked at a news conference whether he was surprised the referee did not mention the incident in his match report, Wenger said: “Yes, but you should ask this question to Mike Dean.”

Wenger received an apology from referees’ chief Keith Hackett after Dean sent him off for kicking a water bottle in a game at Old Trafford that Arsenal lost 2-1 in 2009.

boundaries. The required rate had climbed to more than 12 in the 12th over, when Hafeez began his charge with a scoop for four that highlighted the feature of his innings, swift but skilful and interspersed with some wonderful touch-play, but little brute force.

Hafeez deftly guided Yuvraj past point, then proceeded to dispatch Ashwin for two straight sixes over midwicket before driving and paddling Dinda for two consecutive boundaries, all in successive overs. A flat six over extra cover off Ishant Sharma showed the confidence he was playing with, but Dinda’s comeback was vital in preventing Pakistan from pushing on.

Two wickets in the penultimate over brought the equation to 20 required off the last, too much for Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik against Ishant.

India’s middle order played a prominent role in the win, after having squandered an excellent foundation laid by openers Gautam Gambhir

and Ajinkya Rahane in the opening encounter in Bangalore. The openers did their job again, and Yuvraj and MS Dhoni, in a stand of 97 off 44 balls, ensured their work wasn’t laid to waste.

Yuvraj , who was struck a painful blow to the toe off a Mohammad Irfan yorker early in his innings, recovered well and seemed to be in his element, striking the ball cleanly, with a lovely flourish.

Afridi and Saeed Ajmal were deposited towards cow corner, and two successive short balls were pulled over the square-leg boundary.

Ajmal was targeted in the penultimate over, as Yuvraj took him for three consecutive sixes, the last of them smacked over long-on.

The last five overs yielded 74 and though Dhoni played the supporting role, he wasn’t left far behind. He ran well between wickets, and pulled and drove Umar Gul for two straight fours. Though Gul picked up four wickets, accounting for India’s openers and the pair that took them towards 192, he was

Ashok Dinda’s second spell swung the game India’s way © BCCI short of support from the rest of his attack and bowled a noball in the final over that yielded a boundary off the free-hit. Tanvir, Ajmal and Afridi each went for over 10 an over, leaving their batsmen too much to compensate for.

India 192 for 5 (Yuvraj 72, Dhoni 33*, Gul 4-37) beat Pakistan 181 for 7 (Hafeez 55, Jamshed 41, Dinda 3-36) by 11 runs

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Saturday December 29, 2012

Nadal to miss Australian Open due to illness MADRID (Reuters) French Open Champion Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from next month’s Australian Open because of a stomach virus that has disrupted his recovery from a long-term knee injury, the world number four said on Friday.

“My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn’t allow me to practice this past week,” the Spaniard, who has also pulled out of

the Qatar Open in Doha, said in a statement.

“Therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled.”

Nadal was due to make his competitive comeback after the knee injury sidelined him for six months at this week’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi that is not part of the ATP Tour.

The 26-year-old won the event in 2010 and 2011 but withdrew on December 25

citing the stomach virus.

He has not played since June when he suffered a shock defeat in the second round of Wimbledon to Czech Lukas Rosol. He was subsequently diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation in his left knee and was unable to defend his Olympic title at the London Games.

The 11-times grand slam singles champion also missed the U.S. Open and the season-ending World Tour championships before

returning to the practice court on November 20.

At last year’s Australian Open, Nadal was runner-up to Novak Djokovic after an epic five-set final that lasted almost six hours. It was the longest match at the event and the longest men’s grand slam singles final on record.

“It is completely understandable and we really feel disappointed for him,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said on the event’s website (www.australianopen.com).

“But without any match practice and without sufficient lead up time on the practice court, it makes it virtually impossible for him to get his body ready,” Tiley added.

“We just hope he gets better quickly and we see him back on the tour as soon as possible. Tennis fans across the world have been missing him. “I am confident we will see him back on the tour soon and back in Australia for 2014.”

SAFEST THING Nadal, who won a record seventh French Open crown in May on his favored clay, said doctors had advised a period of rest without any sport for the next seven days starting on Friday.

“As my team and doctors say, the safest thing to do is to do things well and this virus has delayed my plans of playing these weeks,” he said. “I will have to wait until the Acapulco tournament (at the end of February) to compete again although I could consider to play before at any other ATP event.

“I always said that my return to competition will be when I am in the right conditions to play and after all this time away from the courts I’d rather not accelerate the comeback and prefer to do things well.”

Nadal’s athletic, aggressive playing style places huge demands on his muscles and joints and he has been sidelined several times by injuries during his 11-year career. He said last week he does not expect to be back to

Rafael Nadal full fitness and close to his best until the Masters event at Indian Wells in March.

“Rafa Nadal suffered last week a viral process that provoked a gastroenteritis with high fever for four or five days,” doctor Angel RuizCotorro, the head of Nadal’s medical team, said on Friday.

“Due to this it’s been recommended a break from sports for a week.

“Because of this, and considering that the next event is Doha, starting next week he won’t be in sufficient physical conditions to continue with his rehabilitation process.”

Nadal’s uncle and coach Toni added: “We consider it inappropriate to play the Australian Open since we will not have enough preparation for a...grand slam tournament.

“It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best of five sets event, he wouldn’t be ready for that,” he added. “It is true we have been quite unlucky with this but there is nothing we can do. After all this time it is better to do things well and the most professional thing to do is to start when we are ready.”

Young Australian runner to train with Bolt (Jamaica Observer) - An Australian teenage running sensation, Jordan Caldow, will be joining the king of sprints, Usain Bolt for a training camp in Jamaica next month, according to the dailytelegraph.com.au in Adelaide.

The reports states that the 19-year-old of Jamaican parentage will make his trek to Kingston where he will be training for two weeks with the Olympic Legend before heading back to Australia.

Although he was born in Australia the teen runner’s father is a Jamaican.

Commenting on his upcoming Jamaican trip the youngster was quoted as saying “Hopefully I’ll get a lot of experience and exposure to some very elite athletes. They (six-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt and teammate Yohan Blake) should all be there, it’s in the middle of their

Jordan Caldow schedule.

“It’s crept up on me very fast, it was not so long ago it was July and I was thinking `I’ll have to wait until January to go to Jamaica’ and it’s nearly here.”

The training camp is organised as part of a scholarship backed by NRL star Jarryd Hayne, which aims to groom Australia’s best young sprinters for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Saturday December 29, 2012

Kaieteur News

Mitchell Johnson was left unbeaten on 92 after two quick wickets (Getty Images)

(ESPNCricinfo): In his summary of the 1974-75 Ashes series, Wisden’s correspondent John Thicknesse wrote of the havoc wrought by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson that “England’s batsmen must have experienced the same sort of emotion as they waited for the next ball as early Christians felt as they waited in the Colosseum for the lions.”

Sri Lanka’s batsmen were wracked by that same feeling of helplessness and inevitability as Australia completed a fearful mauling of the tourists in the Boxing Day Test, as the incisiveness of the home bowling attack

combined with a dreadful glut of injuries to have the match over by 2:10pm on the third afternoon. The fall of Sri Lanka’s seventh wicket, fittingly to a short-pitched ball, meant the end of the contest, as none of Prasanna Jayawardene, Chanaka Welegedara or Kumar Sangakkara were fit to bat.

Sangakkara had suffered a suspected finger fracture at the hands of the man of the match Mitchell Johnson, who began the day by guiding Australia’s tail to a lead of 304 and ended it as the chief inflictor of pain on a Sri Lankan team that was overwhelmed even more comprehensively than India

SRI LANKA THROWN TO THE LIONS had been last year.

Australia’s victory was a reward for a consistently diligent and aggressive pursuit of victory, though it was hard to define how well they had played given the collective weakness of their opponents, who had clearly thrown their best and only punch in Hobart.

Nonetheless it was a triumphant way for Michael Clarke’s team to conclude the year, even if they had their own injury worry in the shape of Shane Watson’s problematic calf.

The destruction of Sri Lanka’s innings began in the first over.

Dimuth Karunaratne was farcically run out after taking his team’s first run, and next ball Tillakaratne Dilshan squeezed a Johnson short ball to short leg. Jackson Bird again made a striking impression, deceiving Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera with his immaculate line and a little movement in either direction.

Bird and Nathan Lyon had failed to keep Johnson’s company for long enough to allow the left-hander his second Test hundred after a rasping effort in Cape Town in 2009, but this was to seem of little consequence once the Sri Lankans began batting.

Lyon’s intention when play resumed had to be to hang around while Johnson pushed towards his second Test century. However his

Banks Classic Basketball Competition in Berbice...

Smythfield hand Rose Hall first loss, Fyrish Black Sharks devour Corentyne Jammers As play in the current Banks DIH Classic Inter-Club Basketball Competition continues in Berbice there were wins for Smythfield Rockerfeller and Fyrish Black Sharks.

In a closely contested encounter played at the Rose Hall Town Basketball Court, Smythfield Rockerfeller travelled to Rose Hall Town to hand the home team their first loss in a match which went down to the last buzzer in a 43-42 nail-biter.

Michael Bowen in his first game bucketed 19 points, while most of his teammates assisted with a few baskets of their own with Jamal Felix standing out in a good allround performance. No

player was dominant on the Rose Hall team as their effort which was led by Eon Wiggins and Delbert Hicks came up short. In the other game, Fyrish Black Sharks found their range and depth to drive fear in their opponents before out maneuvering Corentyne Jammers and gulping them down 43-23 in a lopsided contest. For the Black Sharks, Rayel Franklin’s 21 points and Linden Joseph 12 points shut the Jammers out with their performances.

For the Corentyne Jammers, Troy Paul squeezed in nine points.

The competition will continue tomorrow with two more games scheduled to get

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started at 16:00hrs.

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.

The top four teams will all be presented with cash and trophies while there will also be prizes for outstanding individual participants. The coordinator is Vibert Garrett.

(Samuel Whyte)

actions did not match the goal, as after taking a single to get off a duck he was late on a pull shot at Angelo Mathews and lobbed the simplest of catches to midwicket.

That left Johnson with the company of only the last man Bird, who with a first-class batting average of 8.22 was certainly entitled to his station beneath Lyon in the order. Needing another 17 runs when Bird walked tot he middle, Johnson set about the task with good sense, pinching singles here and there while also driving Mathews sweetly down the ground.

He had made it as far as 92 when Bird faced up to Shaminda Eranga, who delivered a ball that was fast, full and more or less wasted on the batsman, who was comically late as the ball crashed into middle and off stumps. Johnson accepted a gesture of consolation from Bird before jogging off the field, assuming his next task of taking the new ball in the second innings.

Johnson did not have long to wait for a celebration,

Karaunaratne pushing into the offside third ball of the innings and setting off fatally for a second run as David Warner fielded and threw sharply back to the bowler, whose dive to break the stumps beat Karunaratne comfortably. Dilshan’s first ball was short, fast and at the batsman’s armpit, forcing a self-preervative stroke that lopped off glove and thigh for Ed Cowan to run back and catch - 2 for 1.

Jayawardene’s decline as an international batsman on foreign shores has been dispiriting for those who have witnessed his best, and here he was defeated by Bird’s line, unsure whether to play or leave and withdrawing his bat too late to avoid a wretched inside edge onto the stumps.

Samaraweera played Bird uncertainly from the crease, and when the bowler seamed one back at him was pinned in front for a clear LBW, the batsman’s DRS referral made more out of desperation than calculation. Replays duly showed the ball striking leg stump, leaving Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews to limp

to the interval.

Not long after lunch, Sangakkara winced when fending a Johnson delivery off the glove and shook his head forlornly when the team physio examined the damage.

He left the field to become the third Sri Lankan sent to hospital during the match, and the remainder of the innings was not to be long in returning to the dressing room.

Mathews dragged an attempted pull shot onto the stumps, Dhammika Prasad followed two consecutive sixes off the bowling of Lyon by skying a vain attempt at a third, and Eranga was cornered by a short-pitcher from Peter Siddle and plopped a catch to Ed Cowan at short leg. The innings had felt as much blood sport as Test match, and like the 1974-75 Englishmen, Sri Lanka were much the bloodier.

Australia 460 (Clarke 106, Johnson 92*, Watson 83, Warner 62, Prasad 3-106, Eranga 3-109) beat Sri Lanka 156 and 103 (Johnson 2-16, Bird 2-29) by an innings and 201 runs.

t r o Sp

It’s David versus Goliath as minnows face off with the powerhouses T

he Kashif and Shanghai football extravaganza continues tonight with two sizzling mouth watering matches that has already piqued the interest of football gurus.

Adverse weather conditions have forced the organizers to shift the matches from the GFC Ground Bourda to the Buxton Community Ground and while the change was a necessity, it certainly would not affect the quality of the matches.

When activities get underway at 18:00hrs, Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United will continue their trek to the top against Buxton United FC (BUFC) followed two hours later by the Pele FC/Amelia’s Ward FC showdown.

The naysayer that may have already written the script would have had to make great adjustments following BUFC shocking defeat of Western Tigers FC in their quarterfinals encounter on Boxing Night. Naturally, the feat must have sent a warning to the other ‘giants’ in the tournament that the minnows are prepared to do whatever it takes to claim the $4M top prize and the prestige that goes with it.

Indeed, who would have thought that the mighty Western Tigers outfit would have been on the sidelines after their quarterfinal encounter with Buxton United?

Dwight Peters Sporting a star-studded unit with players like Devon Millington, Shawn ‘Bubbly’ Beveney and guest player, Walter Moore, the Tigers must have envisaged themselves in tonight’s encounter with Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United, but for a precision strike from the middle of field by Buxton United, Michael Phyll, that sent them packing while changing the dynamics of the tournament.

Tonight, coach, Herbert McPherson is once again backing his boys for a repeat performance against tournament favourites, Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United.

Touted as the most formidable and complete unit, Alpha will depend heavily on Dwight Peters whose appetite for goals seems to be

Clive Andries unquenchable.

Whenever he is not scoring, the dapper striker serves as the conduit, feeding his team mates with clever passes that amounts to success.

The Buxton team will also have to contend with Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams, Issa McPherson, Kithson Bain and Kayode McKinnon among other talented ball weavers if they are to progress to the finals for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Of course, Phyll will enter the game bristling with confidence and looking to replicate the strike that brought his team thus far. He will depend on the experienced midfielder Dwayne Jacobs, who should be savvy to the ploys of ‘The Hammers’ since he was once a part of the outfit. Other players

Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams expected to input into a victory include strikers, Clive Andries and Denvor Dennis while Les Charles Critchlow will shore up the defense cordon along with Warren Phillips.

On paper the match takes on a David/Goliath scenario with the Buxtonians needing more than just a sling to pull this one off.

But like the biblical character, they may just have the right stone in their sling to kill the mighty giant.

Pele FC is also playing good football. Sporting Shemroy Arthur between the uprights and the distinction of being the oldest football club locally, Pele FC sports such stars as Captain, Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson and Konata Manning among other stars and on paper, represents a well

Dwayne Jacobs oiled unit that appears to be at the top of their game.

After defeating Bartica and Den Amstel in earlier matches, Amelia’s Ward United enter tonight’s duel full of confidence.

Their strike force, Keon Hall, Keon Sears and Gavin Daw, though not as flamboyant as the opposition, has seen them through at the expense of Bartica FC and Den Amstel FC. They will also bank on their left back, Trenton Lashley and Javed Crawford.

Coach, Terrence Mitchell knows that his boys will have to pull off all the stops if they are to progress. He said that that is the bad news. The good news is that his men are quite capable attaining the feat. Within the next eight hours fans will know.

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