Kaieteur News

Page 04

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

IS THE GOVT. PREPARED FOR THE ZIKA VIRUS? Guyana and the Caribbean have not even overcome the Chikunguna virus which wreaked havoc in the region, yet another mosquito-borne disease known as the Zika virus is about to arrive. There were tens of thousands of cases with the Chikungunya virus which has taken more than 100 lives in the region. The World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned countries to be aware of the Zika virus; which is likely to infect about four million people by the end of the year. With its symptoms of mild fever, heavy conjunctivitis and headache, it has already been found in twenty-one countries in the Americas including the United States, neighboring Brazil and Haiti. Like the dengue and Chikungunya disease, the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which typically breeds in stagnant water. The spread of all mosquito-borne diseases can be drastically curtailed if people make it their responsibility to rid their homes and surroundings of mosquitoes and their breeding places. However, this is easier said than done. The Guyana government did an excellent job to reduce the spread of the Chikungunya virus by constantly spraying the affected and non-affected areas. Zika virus was first identified in the jungles of Africa in the 1940s and up to a few months ago, it was thought that the symptoms are probably milder than those of Chikungunya and the dengue and is less likely to cause death. In Brazil, it was discovered that the virus was linked to thousands of newborn babies being born with smaller than usual brains and heads when previously there were relatively few cases. According to medical experts, the condition is known as microcephaly and it can lead to mental retardation. As was the case with Chikungunya and, decades earlier, dengue, health specialists had only limited knowledge of all the dangers posed by mosquito-borne diseases. Since the Zika Virus did not appear to have caused serious health problems, no treatment or vaccine was developed to treat it but other drugs could be used. In Guyana, there has been one confirmed case of the Zika virus. And for the lack of any natural immunity against the virus, it is expected to spread rapidly. In that regard, one can only hope that the Ministry of Health and related agencies in Guyana have learnt well from their perceived failures in treating with the onslaught of the Chikungunya Virus in 2014. Given the fact that the Zika Virus is in Haiti and Brazil, it is rather strange that up to now the Ministry of Health in Guyana has not issued an official warning to the citizens, especially pregnant women about the perceived dangers of the virus. Although research into the suspected link between the birth defects and the Zika Virus is at an early stage, there is no harm in alerting the nation of the risks it posed to pregnant women and their unborn babies. It is better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, it is important that the Minister of Health and by extension, the government leave no stone unturned and act quickly to contain the virus whenever it arrives in Guyana. Experts have claimed that the Zika Virus is transmitted by the bite of Aedes mosquitoes which are found in all countries in the Americas except Chile and Canada. The biggest worry for the government should be the possible effect on babies developing in the womb. There have been around 4000 cases of babies born with unmetered brains in Brazil, which means that the virus is targeting pregnant women. Having a deformed or a retarded child in Guyana could take its toll on the parents because of inadequate services.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Letters... Where your views make the news

He is insane and senile but I will still sue him for calling me a liar DEAR EDITOR, Very few things totally flabbergast me and leave me speechless, the latter from Charles Sohan in Kaieteur News of February 1, 2016 “Tony Vieira’s Career in Sugar was/is a failure” did! This has really gone far enough, it’s the umpteenth time that I have been accused of making the decision to close the Versailles factory. It is a lie and Sohan is therefore a liar. And I am seriously contemplating suing someone since this has got to stop once and for all. Furthermore Sohan is a friend of mine he used to attend my Friday night sessions between 2009 to 2011 when he left and I in turn visited him at this one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with the guest bed in the living room on one occasion, so he has to be going senile to write such a letter now. Furthermore he was told the truth more than once in our conversations, so I repeat Charles Sohan has to be going

senile or insane and he should stop writing letters to the newspapers. My family did own the Versailles factory, but in 1956 we sold it to Bookers and in 1976 on Nationalization it became the property of GuySuCo and the state of Guyana. The decision to close the Versailles factory was made by Harold Davis, Ray Wilkins and B. Chandra then Chairman and Directors of GuySuCo; in 1978 my father then Chairman of Versaillesand I were called to GuySuCo’s head office, then in Water Street, and were told that as of the 2nd crop of 1978 the factory will be closed. And that they were building a waterway between Versailles and Uitvlught for the Versailles canes to be taken to the Uitvlught factory to be ground. This waterway built by GuySuCo and operated by them, was an operational disaster and within 5 years Versailles was totally bankrupted. I had

nothing to do with either the closure of the factory or the construction or operation of the waterway. After I started my work in television, I continued to write on the industry during the years from 1992 to 2015 when we changed governments, and I consider that during all those years as the publisher of the Evening News and later [2001] in my commentaries when I was studying the day to day mismanagement of it by the PPP and reporting their mistakes to the public, I was in fact still in a manner of speaking working in the sugar industry, and no one can call my contribution during those years a failure. I have never made a forecast on GuySuCo which was wrong. I am asking the Kaieteur news to issue an apology to me on these false accusations by this man of unsound mind, or I will seek legal help in the matter. Tony Vieira

Airport management responds to charge of dirt and smell DEAR EDITOR, The management of Cheddi Jagan International Airport wishes to thank the letter writers in Kaieteur News and Stabroek News for expressing their concerns over the sanitary conditions of the washrooms and carpets. Management values their feedback and wishes to assure them that appropriate actions will be taken to address the concerns. Currently, management is in the process of upgrading its facilities and reviewing the services provided by its suppliers and contractors. About a year ago, the washrooms

throughout the terminal building were upgraded and every effort is being made to ensure ongoing maintenance and monitoring mechanisms are in place to make sure all setbacks are corrected immediately. Our management team has also placed great emphasis on customer service and is in the process of rebranding our image under the theme “Ambassadors with Integrity.” The initial target groups will be the Taxi Drivers and Red Cap Porters, who were already informed of the initiative and are enlivened by it. It is also public knowledge that in

another 23 months the airport’s capacity will be significantly enhanced with longer and improved runways along with a modernized terminal building. Our attainable goal is to make CJIA the benchmark airport of the region, one used to measure exceptional quality of service and standards. Let me reiterate, feedback is important to us. Passengers and airport users can freely contact the airport’s Management Team on telephone numbers 261-2281, 600-7022 0r 613-5117. Aneka Edwards Public Relations Officer

Minister Keith Scott’s trade union claim cannot be verified DEAR EDITOR, In examining the performance of the Granger/Nagamootoo government, one gets the clear impression that President Granger pronounces on the concepts and areas the administration will embrace, and in so doing, leaves to the Ministers the task of developing and implementing the programmes and activities to realize the objectives. It is noted that since this administration came to office it has been lurching from one crisis to another, with each becoming another ulcer. It is important to note that while some Ministers may make a genuine effort to correct their mistakes, some are prepared to stay in the mode of violating laws and time-honoured principles and trampling on citizens’/workers’ rights. The President has echoed words to the effect that the citizens must be treated with respect and the laws must be respected. The most recent of such statements attended to the police shooting of citizens, where in effect he

said that those who are accused of criminal activities must be brought in alive and placed before the courts. In fact, this supports the position that people are important and must be treated in accordance with established laws, time-honoured principles, conventions and charters. One can have very good ideas, develop a programme and a plan of action, but it can never be implemented without the people and the people’s involvement, and this has to be done within the confines of the aforementioned tenets. This brings us to the point of two major pronouncements made by the administration within the last week that impacted on organised and unorganised labour. The Ministers involved are Keith Scott who told this nation, including the Guyana Trades Union Congress via the media that he wants one May Day Rally, while Winston Jordan in his Budget presentation announced that the government will address wages and

salary through the process of collective bargaining. When Guyana attained independence in 1966, the Burnham administration in the said year ratified two International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions:-Conventions No. 87 and No. 98. Convention No. 87 addresses freedom of association and speaks of non-interference of the government into the internal affairs of the workers’ and employers’ organisations. Convention No. 98 addresses the right to collective bargaining. The Guyana Constitution enshrines these conventions in Article 147, which falls under the section identified as, “Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual.” One would expect in respect for this historical move by the Government of Guyana, the current ministers would have taken time to understand not only their content but also their spirit and (Continued on page 23)

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 5

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

Can someone save Corporal punishment this dying institution? is a useful value

DEAR EDITOR, As our 50th Independence anniversary quickly approaches and numerous upgrades and rehabilitation projects are being carried out in and around the city, one is left pondering as to what plans are in store for the University of Guyana. Being our only and supposedly premier tertiary institution in the country, complains of neglect and suffering seem to fall on deaf ears. What more has to be done for UG to get the very serious attention it deserves? It simply does not pay to attend the University in its current state. All of its programmes need to be reviewed and it is high time it started to cater to the needs

of the Guyanese populace. If the current government is serious about the youths of this country, they need to put an end to the injustice being meted out to the students as well as the staff there. It is highly unlikely that foreign investors coming to our shores would seriously consider putting someone in charge with just a degree from the institution. Those individuals who are aware that it makes no sense attending UG have opted to invest their money into internationally recognized programmes that can actually give them a boost in their career. Not everyone can afford such programmes so they unfortunately end up at UG.

End this misery. We deserve and demand a quality education! It is hoped that this time a properly qualified Guyanese can sit at the helm of this slowly but surely sinking ship and steer us towards progress. We need someone who understands the needs and dynamics of our society and can incorporate possible solutions and effective plans into the university’s curriculum to address those needs. A major overhaul and review of the entire management and administration structure is direly needed. Our UG is dying; does it need to completely die before someone actually takes notice and does something? Denica Henry

DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me from a humble, civic standpoint to request elucidation, even in its most germane form. It is in reference to the Kaieteur News, January 16, 2016 item under the title: “Women power ruled the powerlifting stage in 2015.” A seeming overly exaggerated and hyped up Britny Mack was listed as a Gold Medalist at the South American, Pan American and Commonwealth Championships. Permit me to point out that Miss Mack was the ONLY competitor in her weight class and category. I find this to be misleading to the Guyana public, especially when it comes to soliciting sponsorship for such event. I further blame the Secretary and President of the

GAPLF for letting this misleading information be submitted to the media. Miss Mack’s ranking in the said article is listed at the very bottom of the list, yet credit is being given as if it deserves attention. What has sports in Guyana turned into? Is it where we just show up to a competition and get publicity as if we won a gold medal in the Olympics? Our achievements to the public should be based on performance, not attendance. We cannot misinform the public to in relation to sponsorship. It will ruin the sport for the other competitors who deserve the opportunity. It must be noted that powerlifting has always been labeled and looked at as a male dominant sport. Parents generally don’t want their young

daughters to be traveling internationally in a male dominant sport. This is where Miss Mack has taken the opportunity to claim the first female under-18 in a male dominant sport and new category. However, her numbers do not speak for themselves as she is the only competitor. Further, I find it ironic too that the title of this article is “Women power ruled the powerlifting stage in 2015” and yet the article is also focusing on a male competitor, Rudolph Blackman. Are we getting confused with the males and females when it comes to power lifting? The Guyana team was essentially the only team at the last overseas (Commonwealth) competition. What a waste of sponsorship funds. Chitra Ramlochan

Britny Mack breaks into a male dominated sport

Team Benschop accuses the Mayor and his Deputy

DEAR EDITOR, We would like to call on the Georgetown City Council and all politicos attached to it to desist from campaigning in the guise of “working” in the weeks that lead up the March 18th Local government elections. We have noticed that Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green and Deputy Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase Green have been more active after the May 15th National Elections than in any other time while holding these very posts. Mayor Green enlisted excuses such as the previous government restricting the council’s reach, claiming that by-laws could not be enforced and this stagnated the council’s work. But now, weeks before Local Government elections, the

Mayor is doing city tours and market tours like never before. We call on the politicos at City Hall to desist from campaigning with the use of taxpayers’ resources and desist from interfering in the functions of other officials. It is incumbent upon the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to simply ensure that adequate funds are available for the food and market inspectorate, the City Engineer’s Department and the other departments within City Hall. We call on all political parties to denounce the sneaky political campaign currently being conducted in the municipality of Georgetown. Ronson Gray Campaign Manager, Team Benschop For Mayor.

DEAR EDITOR, I was shocked by the headline “No place for corporal punishment in Guyana President Granger “Kaieteur News 24/01/2016. I was also disappointed that reporters and journalists sometimes unintentionally publish inaccuracies as truth, misleading the uninformed. Most bewildering, however, is the fact that our President used a faulty folk saying to condemn a method of correction which when properly read, understood and carefully and responsibly applied, saves -not spoils- a child. The subject is corporal punishment. Corporal punishment includes all forms of physical punishment applied to the body, such as the death penalty, an army’s punishment of enemy soldiers and enemy nations whose people it blasts out of existence for aggression or terrorism. It encompasses, too, stripes ordered by authorities for offenders who are judged to deserve a prescribed number, according to the laws of the particular jurisdiction. My mind was perturbed to different degrees as I read the headline and the first paragraph of the report. The following points will explain: 1. Contrary to the reporter’s referencing of the “spare the rod...” statement to a” biblical” source, there is no such assertion in the wisdom writings of the Hebrew King Solomon, which the writer and, perhaps, the President seem to have referred to unknowingly.

The collection of that king’s and his father’s words, however, does speak about not sparing to correct the child when they need correction by word or rod. 2. The report stated that the President thinks that the “rod principle “at home and in school is “ancient”. Does something have to be modern to be wise, practicable, and beneficial? Do we throw aside something - or someone - merely because of its or his age? 3. The article also quoted the President as considering the rod-correction approach as being “backward”. Backward by whose standards? What’s the alternative? Is it”counselling” children, providing them with only temporary positive outcomes? Will we send young offenders into interior locations, transferring the problem? Are we going to allow them to grow with their antisocial behavior, send them to prison where most are hardened, many eventually leaving not sure whether they are male or female? OR is it “backward” by other Euro American standards which permit youths to grow up improperly disciplined, eventually slaughtering parents, classmates, teachers and worshippers of a different race? Rural Africa, together with other parts of the world, where children are taught respect for life, for their fellows, parents, elders and rulers, does not have the degree of rottenness that exists in Euro America and countries such

Carvil Duncan should be put off these two bodies DEAR EDITOR, If my memory serves me right, there is a ‘dictat’ which speaks to public officials who have been charged for some offence or other to be interdicted from duty until the conclusion of the matter. At such time, depending on the result, the official is either fired or re-instated. This rule seems to be honoured more in the breach than in the observance as in this classic case of a serving

member of the Judicial Service Commission and the Police Service Commission, both constitutional bodies that are advocates of the law. Mr. Duncan should not be allowed to continue in his substantive positions. Editor, you may wish to check on this and advise so that the public can be educated if the case is that we are harbouring sacred cows. Attorney-at-Law (name supplied)

as Guyana which are being influenced by Euro America’s so called progressive, wise and democratic culture, except when outsiders infiltrate. Please note that underlying this letter is my conviction that we must not be deceived by Euro-Americas double standards. We must not allow powerful countries to dictate our systems of correcting our children while they use corporal punishment to disfigure and destroy people of Third World countries by torture and by unleashing upon us their terrifying military might. The inconvenient truth is that corporal punishment is alive even in some schools and many homes in EuroAmerica. They will tell us that it is well regulated and supervised. That’s my point: it can be well-regulated and supervised. What, therefore should Guyana’s policy in the home and at school be? I submit that parents/ guardians are responsible for teaching their children right from wrong, what is acceptable and beneficial. If they cannot or do not perform that duty, other suitable individuals or institutions can help. However, parents are required to teach their children, identifying consequences of doing right or wrong. They should reward their offspring for doing what is right and correct them, according to the offence, for wrong doing. The Ministry Of Education should supervise schools’ punishment systems regularly and professionally. If students injure others, their parents, teachers, education officials and even the police (in the more serious cases) should collaborate to bring about a fair and effective resolution. All adults should ensure that offending students understand as much as possible how the victims are suffering. Well-supervised corporal punishment is often the best instrument for that purpose. The perpetrators will be taught that they need to correct their conduct, as they experience what they inflicted on others. Kalbre Barker

Page 6

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Commissioners conduct final compilation of findings in Rodney COI From left Attorney General Basil Williams, Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam and Sir Richard Cheltenham.

The final report of the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into the death Dr. Walter Rodney is expected to be completed within a week. This disclosure was made as members of the Commissioners met with Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, yesterday. Almost 34 years after his death, the team of international jurists was selected to probe the killing of the politician/historian. Dr. Walter Rodney was killed on June 13, 1980, when a bomb exploded in a car in which he was an occupant. His brother, Donald Rodney, who suffered injuries during the explosion, alleged that a former GDF electronics expert, Sergeant Gregory Smith, had given the politician the bomb that killed him. It was alleged that Smith planted the bomb in a walkietalkie that blew up, destroy-

ing Rodney’s pelvic region while he was on John Street, Werk-en-Rust, between Hadfield and Bent Streets, less than 100 metres from the Camp Street Prison. Smith died of cancer 11 years ago in French Guiana where he had gone to live, after he had fled Guyana In an invited comment to the media yesterday, Chairman of the Commissioner Sir Richard L. Cheltenham explained that the members of the Commission will be meeting for a final compilation of the report before it is handed over to the President. Sir Richard noted that the meeting is important since it will assist them in the avoidance of overlapping and ensuring that there is a smooth presentation of the information since the Commissioners had been writing from three different jurisdictions. Commenting on the fact

that the Commission suffered a premature termination, the Chairman noted that given the nature of some of the evidence presented at the public hearings, it will mean that the report will not be as thorough as it would have been in other circumstances. “It means too that since there were some individuals who that were critically commented on in the course of the evidence and did not get a chance to answer, we would very disinclined to make critical findings of fact to those people who were criticized but did not get the opportunity to answer those criticisms,” explained Sir Richard. He said, too, that it is a Presidential Inquiry and the members are here at the invitation of the President to complete the report and hand it over within another week or so.” Attorney General, Basil Williams, however noted that

the administration does not necessarily view the termination of the hearing as premature. “We believe that it is nearly two years now and there were several extensions and a lot of money was expended. The inquiry needs to come to end.” With multiple adjourn-

ments and extensions under the former administration the Walter COI cost taxpayers approximately $325.1 million. On June 13, 2013, former President Donald Ramotar appointed the Commission following a request from the Rodney family. Although circumstances were unclear, Dr. Rodney’s death was said to be politically motivated. The Donald Ramotar administration had said that such an inquiry was necessary to allow Guyana to start the healing process after more than 30 years of uncertainty concerning Rodney’s death, and to allow his family closure. The Commission of Inquiry which consisted of the Trinidad-based Guyanese Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam; Barbadian Queen’s Counsel, Sir Richard Cheltenham, and Jamaican Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown commenced April 2014. They were expected to wrap up at the end of the year. The government

later announced that it was extending the life of the Commission. This and other extensions continued for more than a year. However, following the installment of a new government, the Chairman of the Commission requested a final adjournment to submit the report of the Commission’s findings. In December, Sir Richard wrote to President David Granger requesting an adjournment to February 29, 2016. Sir Richard told the President that Christmas was the “Season where work is hardly done,” so more time is needed. He said that it is “common” in the Caribbean that work is not done at this time. But the President declined the request. Granger responded that there is an “intense” programme scheduled for next year. It includes Local Government Elections and the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations, so the request could not be accommodated.

Minister Lawrence lauds position on public servants’ salary increase Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, under whose portfolio labour falls, is happy with Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan’s decision with regard to respecting the collective bargaining process before public servants’ salary increases are announced. During the presentation of the 2016 National Budget, Minister Jordan announced that salary increases for public servants, for 2016, have to await the conclusion of discussions with the trade unions to facilitate the pro-

cess of collective bargaining. “I think it is the best budget we can have under this circumstances…When I heard the Minister say that despite public servants being a little dismayed that he has not announced an increase for them, and that the reason was because he is dialoguing with the unions, that made me feel so good,” Minister Lawrence told the Government Information Agency (GINA). The Social Protection Minister explained that this shows that Government respects the unions, who are the

workers’ representatives. Meanwhile, in the social services sector, over 50,000 pensioners will benefit from an Old Age Pension increase to $18,200, up from $17,000 they are receiving. In the short space of eight months, the Coalition Government has been able to increase old age pension by 38.7 percent, the largest increase in recent memory. According to Minister Lawrence, while she would have loved to give pensioners more, “we are getting there”. However, she said with the announcement of the exemption of paying travel tax when travelling on a Guyana passport and fee for a driver’s licence, senior citizens have a “package.” Additionally, over 9,600 people will benefit from an almost 24 percent increase in public assistance; which has seen an increase from $6,500 to $7,300 since this Coalition Government took office. (GINA)

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Snowden, Colombia, Greek islanders among Nobel Peace Prize tips (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, peace negotiators in Colombia or Greek islanders helping Syrian refugees were among tips for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize at the deadline for nominations on Monday. Nobel watchers also speculated that negotiators of an accord over Iran’s nuclear program could be in the running after a surprise award last year to a coalition of Tunisian democracy campaigners, the National Dialogue Quartet. “2016 may finally be Edward Snowden’s year ... His leaks are now having a positive effect,” Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, told Reuters, putting him top of his list of candidates. Harpviken said many nations were now reforming laws to restrict intelligence gathering, helping human rights, in the wake of Snowden’s leaks in 2013 of details of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs. Washington has filed espionage charges against Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia. An award of the $930,000 prize to Snowden, by a Nobel committee in NATO member Norway,

would be a huge snub for President Barack Obama, the 2009 Nobel laureate. Asle Sveen, an historian and expert on the prize, said he reckoned the “obvious choice” for 2016 would be to honor Colombia’s government and FARC rebel group if they succeed in peace talks launched in 2012 to end five decades of war. He noted Norway’s government had been involved in organizing peace talks, perhaps swaying the five-member Norwegian Nobel committee which is appointed by parliament. Feb. 1 is the annual deadline for nominations. Harpviken placed Colombian peace negotiators third on his list, behind U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, for their role in negotiating a deal last year to limit Iran’s nuclear program. That accord led to a lifting of sanctions by major powers on Tehran last month. Other candidates include Greek islanders who have helped Syrian and other refugees - a campaign by grassroots group Avaaz has collected 635,000 online signatures for a prize to islanders who “have opened their

homes and hearts”. But it could be difficult to identify Greek winners under the plans set out by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish founder of the prize. The award can be split up to three ways, to individuals or organizations. Sveen said other candidates may include Russian human rights groups such as Memorial, nominated by Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg before she took office in 2013. “Huge numbers of nominations are still coming in,” said Olav Njoelstad, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The committee will have its first meeting on Feb. 29 and announce the winner in October. Thousands of people, including members of all national parliaments, former laureates and university rectors, can make nominations. Last year there were 273 nominees. Harpviken said a U.S. nominator, whom he did not identify, had proposed U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump for his “vigorous peace through strength ideology”. He did not list Trump among those with a chance of winning.

Britain gives scientist go-ahead to genetically modify human embryos (Reuters) - Scientists in Britain have been give the goahead to edit the genes of human embryos for research purposes, using a technique that some say could eventually be used to create “designer babies”. Less than a year after Chinese scientists caused an international furor by saying they had genetically modified human embryos, Kathy Niakan, a stem cell scientist from London’s Francis Crick Institute, was granted a license to carry out similar experiments. “The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has approved a research application from the Francis Crick Institute to use new ‘gene editing’ techniques on human embryos,” Niakan’s lab said on Monday. It said the work carried out “will be for research purposes and will look at the first seven days of a fertilized egg’s development, from a single cell

to around 250 cells”. The scientists will not be allowed to develop the modified embryos for clinical purposes or implant them into any women. Niakan plans to carry out her experiments using what is known as CRISPR-Cas9, a technology that is already the subject of fierce international debate because of fears that it could be used to create babies to order. CRISPR can enable scientists to find and modify or replace genetic defects. Many experts have called it “gamechanging”. David King, director of the UK campaign group Human Genetics Alert, said Niakan’s plans would eventually lead to “a future of consumer eugenics”. “This research will allow the scientists to refine the techniques for creating GM babies,” he said in a statement. But Sarah Norcross, di-

rector of Progress Educational Trust, which campaigns for ethically sound research in genetics, said the HFEA’s decision was “a victory for level-headed regulation over moral panic”. Niakan says she has no intention of genetically altering embryos for use in human reproduction, but wants to deepen scientific understanding of how a healthy human embryo develops, something that could, in the long term, help to improve infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). The work will be carried out on embryos that have become surplus to donor patients IVF treatment. At a briefing for reporters in London last month, she said the first gene she planned to target was one called Oct4, which she believes may have a crucial role in the earliest stages of human fetal development.

Page 7

Page 8

Kaieteur News

WHO declares Zika virus global health emergency

A health worker fumigates a house as residents wait outside during a campaign against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases at Carabayllo district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru yesterday. (Mariana Bazo/Reuters) The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency yesterday, following a recommendation by a committee of independent experts. “I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,” WHO DirectorGeneral Margaret Chan said. The mosquito-borne virus that is believed to have recently caused thousands of birth defects in Brazil requires an international coordinated response, Chan said.

However, no restrictions on travel or trade are necessary, she added. The move, recommended by WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, which brings together experts in epidemiology, public health and infectious diseases from around the world, is aimed at fast-tracking international action and research priorities. Last week, the Zika virus was announced to b e ” s p r e a d i n g explosively,” with the WHO warning that it could infect as many as four million people in the Americas only. With nearly 4,000 suspected virus-linked cases of infants born with a congenital condition

associated with incomplete brai n development, Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro claimed the epidemic was worse than previously believed. In 80 percent of the cases the infected people had no symptoms, Castro told Reuters. Ñases of babies with Zikalinked birth defects have been registered in 24 nations and territories in the Americas, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Following the WHO’s announcement on Monday, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they would engage new resources to fight the virus.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

U.N. chief tells Israel, Palestinians: ‘writing is on the wall’ (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is concerned a stalemate in the peace process between Israel and Palestinians is reaching the point of no return for a two-state solution. “The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable,” Ban wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times late on Sunday. “Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and the future of both Israelis and Palestinians.” The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - areas Israel captured in a 1967 war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Ban last week, saying he gave a “tailwind to terrorism” after the secretary-general put some of the blame on Israel for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians. Ban, who will step down at the end of 2016 after 10 years as U.N. chief, had told the U.N. Security Council that it is “human nature to react to occupation.” “I will always stand up to those who challenge Israel’s right to exist,” Ban said in the Times, “just as I will always defend the right of Palestinians to have a state of their own. That is why I am so con-

cerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the twostate solution.” The United States and the European Union - Israel’s closest allies - also have had unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their frustrations with Netanyahu’s right-wing government. “When heartfelt concerns about shortsighted or morally damaging policies emanate from so many sources, including Israel’s closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic,” Ban wrote. U.S.-led efforts to broker a “two-state solution” collapsed in 2014. France said on

Friday it will recognize a Palestinian state if a final push that Paris plans to lead for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians fails. “The stalemate carries grave risks for both sides: a continuation of the deadly wave of terrorism and killings; the collapse of the Palestinian Authority; greater isolation of and international pressure on Israel,” Ban wrote. He said the Palestinians must bring Gaza and the West Bank under a single democratic-governing authority and take action to stop attacks on Israel, including an immediate end to the building of Gaza tunnels into Israel.

(Reuters) - German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere promised Afghanistan financial help to help reintegrate returned migrants during a visit to Kabul yesterday overshadowed by the latest in a series of deadly suicide bomb attacks. De Maiziere said Germany, with some 850 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of NATO’s Resolute Support mission, would remain “as long as necessary” but he said an exodus of educated Afghans had to be prevented. “The clear message that I want to send today is, ‘we will stay’ and so the clear expectation that we have for the people of Afghanistan is ‘stay here to build up this country’.” While acknowledging the security situation was “complicated”, he said most Afghans coming to Germany were not motivated by secu-

rity fears but wanted a better life. “That is understandable from a human point of view but it doesn’t give them the right to protection,” he said. The comment was made only hours after a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Kabul police station, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding 20 others in the latest bloody attack in the Afghan capital. Thousands of civilians and members of the security forces have been killed over the past year as Afghan security forces have struggled to contain the widening Taliban insurgency. De Maiziere said police cooperation would continue and Berlin would help in the fight against illegal immigration with a communication campaign aimed at persuading Afghans not to attempt to come to Germany.

The visit underlines the growing alarm in Berlin at the scale of the refugee and migrant crisis facing Germany, which took in around one million immigrants last year. After first welcoming Syrian refugees last year, the public mood toward migrants from countries including Afghanistan has shifted, particularly after reports of widespread sexual assaults on New Year ’s Eve by Arab and North African men. Last year Afghans made up the second largest group of refugees coming to Europe, behind Syrians. “We can only get support in Germany for the major engagement in Afghanistan if the German population has the firm impression that the youth and the people of Afghanistan have faith in their future,” de Maiziere said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses a news conference during the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa. (Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

EU warns Britain any Germany offers Afghanistan deal will be hard won help to take back migrants (Reuters) - Britain and EU institutions have made progress on reforms that would help keep London in the 28-nation bloc, but there was no agreement yet and all member states must accept any deal, the EU Commission said yesterday. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to reform Britain’s ties to the European Union and hold a public vote on EU membership before the end of 2017. He hopes to reach a reform deal at a summit next month, with a view to holding the referendum as early as possible. Among the most controversial of his demands is stronger powers to curb immigration, including barring EU immigrants from in-work benefits for at least their first four years in Britain - what some EU officials have come to call a “welfare brake”.

Talks with the chairman of EU leaders, Donald Tusk, did not bring a breakthrough on Sunday night and negotiations continue on Monday with a view to drafting a proposal that could be sent to all EU governments on Tuesday. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a regular news briefing that while there was progress at political and technical level, nothing was agreed until everything was agreed. “We are not there yet, discussions continue, today at sherpa level involving the Council, the Commision and UK sherpas. The timing is in the hands of President Tusk and Prime Minister Cameron,” Schinas said. “It is not enough for the Commission and Council lawyers to agree,” he said. “This is a process that is run at 28 (EU countries) and the Com-

mission works for all 28 member states of the union.” Asked if the Commission has prepared a proposal that would give Britain the right to apply the welfare brake now, but did not share the proposal yet with other EU governments, Schinas said: “Yes, right”. He later made clear this was not an affirmative answer but just an acknowledgement of the question. Schinas stressed he could give no details of the talks. “I will not comment on specific issues linked to the negotiation, not least because we work for 28 member states,” he said. “It would be very unfair for the other 27 member states, that have not seen or discussed anything yet on the many issues that are on the table, for me to offer an opinion in the Commission press room,” Schinas said.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 9

Ex-employee of mining company worried he might not be compensated for injuries An ex-employee of Metallicca Commodities Corp (MCC) is recuperating from a hip injury he received while driving a “faulty” truck and is extremely worried he may not be compensated. Emanuel Payne, an ex-employee of the company who was employed as a Porter and an unlicenced driver, was a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC); he is recuperating from a dislocated hip after he lost control of an “on test” truck. The 30-year-old, who worked some eight months with the company, told this publication that the incident occurred on December 15, last year in Linden. According to Payne, a supervisor told him to move a TM truck which was on test to offload stone at Wisroc Junction, Linden. While he was heading down a hill to Buck Town, Linden, he applied the brakes but there was no brake, the truck sped down the hill before plummeting into a ditch. One of the passengers onboard was catapulted through the windscreen as another, jumped off the vehicle before it came to a halt. The status of the duo is cur-

Emanuel Payne

Emanuel Payne’s Leg Brace

rently unknown. Payne noticed he was injured when he tried to get out of the vehicle, his hip was dislocated. He was immediately taken to the hospital. “Everybody knows that this truck give the world of problems but I was fearful that I may lose my job made me do it,” said Payne. The company, which is headquartered in Middle

Street, Georgetown, has mining operations in Ekereku and Omai, up the Essequibo River. Other ex-employees, after getting wind of the incident, have come forward accusing the company of not forwarding their National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions. The ex-employees also explained that every month the company deducts National Insurance Scheme

Dem boys seh...

Soulja Bai playing ‘Eenie, meenie, minee, mo’ When dem boys was young, dem use to play games; one of dem was ‘Eeenie, meenie minee mo’. This is a game to decide who gun pay de penalty or who gun get shack out. De ABC countries tell Soulja Bai he got to investigate and charge dem scamps who use to run this country. Dem boys hear when de Fuss Lady whisper to one of she friends when she tell she how whole night she hear Soulja Bai playing “eenie, meenie minie mo” in de bedroom. She seh when she ask he if he not too big and old fuh that game, he tell she he don’t know where and wid who to start. He got all de past Cabinet photo line-up pun de bed in front of him playing de game. During de election campaign everybody know that corruption was de game of de day. People couldn’t tek it no more, hence Soulja Bai in office. He did promise to jail people. Now it look like if he slow to keep he promise. But is not that he too slow, is just that it so much that he don’t know where to start. Dem boys want help him. Dem want him to investigate de Sanata complex deal. Babbie get it almost free. Nineteen-acre prime land wid buildings on it wha’ worth at least US$30 million, Jagdeo and Brassington tek taxpayers US$5 million fuh clean up de place and renovate de buildings. Then dem tun back and sell de place fuh under US$4 million. Dem boys want to know wha transaction is that. Dem want Donald Trump to explain that. Was de same thing wid Duke Lodge. Dem boys remember when dem sell Duke Lodge

to Gerry. Was de same modus operandi to give away de state property to dem family and friends. Brassington and Jagdeo spend about $80 million to repair Duke Lodge then give Gerry fuh far less than wha dem spend. At de time Gerry was a serving member of de NICIL Board, de same people that selling de place. Dem had people bid higher than that, but Jagdeo and Brassington ignore dem bids. When dem boys question Jagdeo and Brassington, dem talk bout confidentiality clause fuh sell a property. Donald Trump should explain this too. One year before Jagdeo and Brassington decide to sell de building next door to Duke Lodge, dem boys write and seh that de deal was to give Gerry too. So said, so done. De US$12.5M Enmore packaging plant wha worth less than US$4 million should be investigated. Chris Ram wanted to investigate it free of charge. Rob de Earth, that scamp, agree then change he mouth or he woulda been in prison by now. Dem boys seh that Soulja Bai need to investigate all dem land deals that Irfaat, Jagdeo and Brassington, dem three scamps, give away. Wha dem nah give away, dem swap fuh other property. Dem pumps, dem road contract, de drug contracts, last not least, Luncheon $69M fowl pen fuh an NIS building in Berbice, every deal under dem was crooked. But dem boys seh that de time coming when Soulja Bai gun just seh ‘mo’ and de jailing gun start. Talk half and wait fuh de hammer to fall.

(NIS) payments from their salaries. However, when they visited the respective organisation to inquire about their monthly instalments, they were told that the company has not been up to date with their contributions and a printout was given to them. The man’s brother, Gordon Payne, who is a former

Supervisor at the same company, said that he is completely dissatisfied in the approach the company has taken towards the welfare of his brother. He said, “Every time I conveyed the issue with my superiors, they neglected me. They even revoked my permanent staff status and placed me on probation. I could not abide with their attitude towards my brother so

I resigned.” Both brought in their payslips to this publication indicating that NIS has been deducted however when cross-referencing with their NIS Contribution Statements it was discovered that their contributions were not up to date with the company. Kaieteur News has not been able to get into contact with the company but all attempts have been futile.

‘Hot Skull’ gets eight months for escaping lawful custody Although he had a matter of simple larceny struck out against him, a North Ruimveldt resident was yesterday ordered to serve eight months in jail by City Magistrate Alex Moore for escaping from police custody. Delon Joseph, also known as ‘Hot Skull’, 22, a porter, who lives at 3726 North Ruimveldt, had the charge against him dismissed because the complainant failed to show up in court to testify. Particulars of the charge stated that on September 1, last year, in North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, he robbed David Christian of one cellular

phone. Police Prosecutor, Corporal Jillian Simmons, said that the defendant was in custody at the East La Penitence Police Station pending charges when he escaped. Joseph admitted that on September 7, last, while being in lawful custody of a Detective Constable at East La Pertinence Police Station, he escaped. Simmons further related that Joseph was found in East La Penitence by a police rank

on duty. When the accused realized the officer was in close proximity, he ran. The officer pursued him and he was subsequently caught and arrested. Joseph who was unrepresented by Counsel told the court that the police rank at the station opened his handcuffs and told him to go. The Magistrate stated that he disbelieved Joseph’s story

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Who are these policemen that violated Mrs. Carol-Ann Munroe? I was having lunch at Excellence Restaurant on Charlotte Street with David Hinds and Leonard Craig when Bruce Munroe walked in. During our conversation I urged him to be active in politics but he wasn’t inclined. I told him he owed it to his family and his country after what the Jagdeo regime did to him on the trumped up treason charge. A few times I met Bruce again. I remember running in to Carol-Ann at the Bourda Green/Robb Street market one afternoon and jokingly chastised her for not reading the Kaieteur News the day before in which I wrote about her. I remember laughing out loudly when I said to her; “I’m writing about you and you are not reading it” Now Carol-Ann Munroe has written about her ordeal in the scandal of a treason charge against her and husband and friend, Leonard Wharton, (see the letter column of KN, Sunday, January 31). The chief witness and only witness in this fraudulent treason charge, Mr. Quincy Critichlow, is now an employee with Gerry Gouveia. Every person who occupies a Ministerial position and every police officer in this country should read the vivid de-

scription of Mrs. Munroe. How could you be a leader in government administering the national affairs of Guyana and remain silent on what these policemen did the Munroe family? We have only read the nightmare of the wife. What did the husband, Bruce have to endure? Was he mistreated, too, like his wife? Did their coaccused, Wharton, suffer a similar fate? We don’t know because the two men have not explained to the nation as yet. But is there any reason to think their brutalities were any different? My question is; are these policemen still in the force? This column’s purpose is to find out if they are. People who read these columns of mine would know I am not a fan of Guyana. It doesn’t mean I don’t love my country. I do, but this is a tenth rate banana republic that has no moral authority to celebrate 50 years on Independence. I have explained why. I will continue to do so on this page until May 26, 2016 when on that day I will invite my family to spend a quiet day in the countryside perhaps in Wakenaam, where my wife has her roots What is there to celebrate? Well just read the little

story in the form of a large newspaper letter about how policemen broke the law in psychologically torturing Carol-Ann Munroe and they are still in the police hierarchy. Before we come to those depraved ones that mistreated Mrs. Monroe let us briefly describe a caricature but a sad one (caricatures don’t usually be sad; they make you laugh) as this country moves to celebrate 50 years of Independence (the fireworks are going to scare my dog). The Guyana Government commissioned a judicial inquiry into the killing of three unarmed protestors during a demonstration in Linden in

2012. Two jurists were brought from Jamaica and one from Trinidad to take evidence. Suspicion pointed to Commander Hicken in terms of the order to shoot and Superintendant Todd as to the man who shot but the Commissioners did not pronounce on any wrongdoing by Hicken and Todd. Naturally there was no reason to dismiss them. But the definitive conclusion was that the police at the demonstration shot and killed the men. Since that ruling, there has been no attempt by the new government to investigate further to find the ranks in the police force that shot the men.

We come now to Mrs. Munroe. She stated that an officer refused to show her a search warrant. If true, the officer acted illegally. There should be no place for him in the scheme of law and order. Other officers refused to tell the Munroe family why they invaded her home and why they were placed in the remand of two police stations respectively. Another officer said he had instructions from further up the police command. Who are these hierarchical officers? We know Vyphuis has retired. At the time, Seelall Persaud would have been the Crime Chief. It doesn’t matter if Vyphuis is retired. If an in-

Frederick Kissoon quiry finds him culpable then let the chips fall where they are supposed to. The Monroe family was refused a telephone call when they were taken away from their home. That is illegal. Let me repeat; the purpose of this column is to ascertain if these officers are still serving. I have asked Mark Benschop and Lincoln Lewis to help me find that information.

GPA calls for media houses to practise responsible journalism In light of an article which appeared in the Guyana Times Monday edition that featured a 15-year-old rape victim, the Guyana Press Association (GPA) issued a statement reminding media houses of their responsibility to practise ethical and responsible journalism. This is particularly important when it comes to cases involving minors. The Press Association said that not only are such moves unethical but appear to be in breach of the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act which prohibits the identification of a rape victim. According to the statement, in particular, Section 62 (1) of the Act states: “The publication in any document, or the broadcasting, or transmission in any way, of any information that could identify

the complainant or witness to an offence under this Act is prohibited.” Section 62 (3) also states: “Every person who publishes in any document or broadcasts, or transmits in any way, any information that could identify the complainant or a witness contrary to subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of two million dollars.” The GPA said that other media houses have similarly been guilty of such breaches and thus, call on these entities to practice responsible and ethical journalism. The association noted that the Code of Conduct issued by the United Kingdom’s Independent Press Standards Organisation states that the press must not, even if legally free to do so, identify children under 16 who are victims or

witnesses in cases involving sex offences. Further, in any press report of a case involving a sexual offence against a child, the child must not be identified. “The freedom to report comes with responsibility to rigorously adhere to voluntary standards and ethical practices while also upholding the fundamental stan-

dards of accuracy, fairness and balance,” GPA said in the statement. It continues, “The GPA takes this time to remind editors and media owners of the important role they need to play in on-the-job training and education of their employees, especially the younger reporters who are now dipping their toes in the profession.”

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

PPP says voters tricked into signing candidates list in Rose Hall

PPP MP, Zulficar Mustapha, points to some of the names on his list yesterday. To the right is PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee As preparations are intensifying for Local Government Elections (LGE), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is crying foul. It claims that individuals in the Rose Hall constituency are being tricked into signing documents that named them as backers for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) candidates. Speaking during a press conference at the party’s headquarters, yesterday, PPP Executive Secretary Zulficar Mustapha revealed that some 40 people had signed petitions that were sent to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The petitions stated that they were unwittingly tricked into signing the documents, not knowing that by affixing their signatures they were backing APNU+AFC candidates. Mustapha alleged that the individuals were approached and told to sign the documents under the guise that community work would be done. Mustapha alleged that the persons who distributed the documents had claimed that it was in a bid to have the community cleaned and drainage works to be carried out. “When APNU submitted their list, and when our candidates went to submit their list, GECOM was telling us that there were duplicate signatures. When these people were contacted they went to GECOM’s office at Rose Hall and told them that they never signed any forms for backers.” Making it clear that such was a forgery, he also alleged that there have been similar reports coming from Regions

Two, Three and Nine. PPP General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee, also stated that every legal luminary within the party has been engaged on the issue. Efforts to contact Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield, were futile. However Chairman of GECOM, Dr, Steve Surujbally, who confirmed that reports were made late last week and investigations were carried out by GECOM officials. Surujbally did express satisfaction that the PPP was playing its part in monitoring the situation as a political party. Surujbally however attested that the Commission goes through everything as if with a ‘fine tooth comb’ and for the most part can detect such anomalies. LGE will be held in nine

Municipalities and 62 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) throughout the country using proportional representation and first-past-the-post. Fifty percent of the number of Councillors of each Local Authority will be elected through first past the post, while the other fifty will be elected through Proportional Representation. The election will be noted for the scope it will offer to voluntary groups, political parties and individual candidates to contest for NDC and Municipality seats. Voluntary groups and political parties can also contest any of the seats under the constituency aspect of the elections. However, the candidate has to be living in the constituency being contested.

Yesterday Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan sitting in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts placed Ryan Downer on $100,000 bail after he was accused of assaulting his friend with a stick over a cigarette. Downer, 22, an engineer, who resides at 146 Sixth Street, Alberttown, denied that on January 18, last, at Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Devine Massiah. Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Wineth Hubbard, said

that the state had no objections to the defendant being granted bail. She told to the court that the victim and the defendant are close friends and on the day in question, at around 07:30hrs both men were involved in a heated argument over a cigarette. She said that Downer stepped away and returned with a stick and dealt the complainant several lashes to the head causing him to receive injuries. Downer was ordered to return to court on February 15, for fixtures.

One cigarette causes man to post $100,000 bail

Page 11

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Firearm licence fee hike can encourage blackmarket gun trade - PPP

Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

“For years those fees were never increased,” Rohee said. “Raising revenues by raising the fees for licensing is a lazy way to raise revenue. Find other creative ways of doing it. The new firearm fees are exorbitant.” He noted that from his time in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry was never short on new firearm li-

cense applications. He used this reference to paint a picture of the amount of persons who would be affected. On Friday, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan had announced that for Shotgun licences, the annual fee would be increased from $2000 to $5000, while for handguns it would be hiked from $5000 to $25000. For rifles, Jordan an-

nounced an increase from $5000 to $40000 while for firearm dealers, the licence is a whopping increase from $7500 to $150,000. Rohee also called on his successor in public office, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, to provide an update on steps that were being taken to have electronic applications for firearm licences incorporated into the system. “There were steps being taken for persons to apply electronically for firearm licences,” Rohee said. “And a total review of the procedures for the application of firearm licences was already estab-

Former workers of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) – a subsidiary of Russian Bauxite United Company (UC) RUSAL – yesterday met with the Labour Ministry seeking its intervention in getting the company to negotiate wages and salaries for 2009, among other pending issues. Over the years, workers have been complaining about the “inhumane” conditions, management’s refusal to negotiate and the alleged refusal to have their workers unionised. The workers, while accusing the former regime of turning a blind eye to the plights of workers, were somewhat optimistic yesterday after they received word that the Labour Ministry, will be meeting with the management of the Russian Company later this week to discuss pending issues which have over the last seven years, caused the outcry of almost 70 workers. November 2009, almost 60 workers opted to take industrial action after their demands for increases in wages and salaries, and better working conditions went unsatisfied

by the BCGI. This resulted in the union that was representing the workers at that time, the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GBGWU), to intervene. It was reported that during the discussions between the union and the company later in 2009, when the issue of salary and wage increase was raised, the General Manager (GM), slammed his palms against the desk, rose up and shouted “I will not discuss wages and salaries”, before walking out. Workers have pointed out that since then, the BCGI has been denying workers the right to be unionized. Any efforts by employees to push for union representation, has allegedly resulted in dismissal or “indefinite suspension”. Workers who were also vocal in support of their fellow workmates were served dismissal letters which stated, “This letter is served to inform you that the company has lost confidence in you as an employee and can no longer have you continue in employment here at BCGI.” In some cases, workers were reportedly dismissed for

“propagandising”. In 2010, five workers were allegedly dismissed after they accused management of cooking meals with expired items. One of the workers stated, yesterday, that the man who was the Head Cook at that time, owned a supermarket and he would often supply expired items to the kitchen. A cook, who knew about this, informed five of the staff. The matter was taken to management and at the end of their 14-day shift they were paid and served dismissal letters. The situation has now intensified following the recent laying off of three Machine Operators after they refused to operate a “defective” excavator. BCGI in response, wrote a letter to one of the operators informing him that “every effort” will be made to have the equipment repaired and seeks his cooperation in operating the equipment in “like manner as those fellow workers who have been currently operating same “ until the repairs were made. The letter continued, “Because of repeated reluctance by you and the two others, also concerns raised about

Will the hike in fees precipitate underground sales? The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is decrying the “exorbitant” hike in firearm licensing fees, stating that for years these measures were studiously avoided. The party is also contending that these measures may be counter-productive and encourage the blackmarket trade of firearms. This is according to General Secretary of the PPP and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee. It comes days after the 2016 budget presentation, when the announcement was made of the increase of annual licensing fees for shotguns, handguns, rifles and firearm dealers. “In (previous) Governments there was stiff resistance, (which) became a matter of policy, not to increase

revenues by increasing the licensing fees,” Rohee said yesterday. “Because we felt that increasing the fees for different licenses was not the best way to go for increasing revenue.” According to Rohee, many middle income individuals depended on the prices that were charged. Rohee further noted that the fees were tailored with consideration given for the three types of individuals usually given priority for gun licenses. “We (former PPP Government) adopted as a matter of policy that we would give priority to three categories of persons involved in three sectors,” he said. “These were the farmers, the Amerindians and the business people.”

lished. All that was left to be done was to take these regulations to parliament for acceptance.” “Now there was a debate about whether these regulations required the approval or non-approval of parliament,” he continued. “As far as I can recall, it did not require the approval of the parliament, all that was required was for them to be laid in the house. I would like to know where Ramjattan is now in respect to this matter.” He said this in light of expectations that the new regulations would bring a greater degree of orderliness and detail to the firearm application process.

your health, management has decided to let you remain off the job without pay until further notice”. The three workers, who have all worked for in excess of seven years with the company, told Kaieteur News yesterday that management did not give them assurance when the repairs will be carried out hence, it is their belief that they have been dismissed. All efforts by this publication to contact the company were futile. Speaking to the General Secretary of the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, yesterday, he stated that the “ball is now in the Minister’s court”. Lewis pointed out that the “Behaviour of Rusal from 2009 to present has intensified based upon the reluctance of the government to use their political power to deal with the issue. “They (BCGI) cannot operate in this country and break the law, they’re asking for certain concessions…they’re asking for more lands, more rights to mine and to explore and they’re violating laws…it has to come to a stop!” Lewis said.

Ex-BCGI employees seek Govt’s intervention in seven-year wages and salary dispute

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 21

>>> CONSUMER CONCERNS <<<

USE BEAUTY AIDS AND COSMETICS WISELY PAT DIAL From time to time consumers have approached the Guyana Consumers Association asking our advice as to what are the better cosmetics or even shaving lotions. Except when we have specific complaints, we have avoided making any general comprehensive statement on cosmetics because such products are very personalized and individual. Our Committee now feels that we must make a comment on the issue. Women, throughout History and in every Civilization, have evinced an atavistic desire to be clean, well-groomed, distinctive and beautiful and have used “cosmetics” to help in this process. The use of modern cosmetics, as we know them today, begun with the ladies in the Courts of the French Kings of the 17th and 18th centuries and from there, spread to all classes. In the 20th century, this was reinforced by Hollywood which employed many cosmeticians in the film industry.

Max Factor, for example, served Hollywood before venturing into the wider national and international markets. In Guyana, the most common cosmetics used are hairdyes and hair-straighteners, skin lotions and creams of many kinds, even skin-lighteners, lipsticks and nail polishes of many hues and eyeshadows and of course, there were always perfumes. To keep their bodies shapely and healthy many women now engage in controlling their diet and indulge in regimes of physical exercises, Yoga being the most popular and effective. Cosmetics have always changed or adjusted to the changing concepts of beauty. Two or three generations ago, cosmetics were largely of the nature of masks. Lipsticks and nail-polishes were all red or scarlet and rouges were very common. Hairstyles were also elaborate and were used, among other reasons, to create the illusion of oval faces, then regarded as the ideal shape of the feminine face. Today, the “natural look”

holds sway and this is assisted by emphasizing certain strong and desirable traits of the female physiognomy. For example, a face which may have been once regarded in the past as indifferent is now metamorphosed into a striking one by emphasizing distinctive eyes or other particular features such as mouth or forehead. Elaborate hairstylings have been succeeded by having the hair hanging down loosely towards the neck or shoulder or by the stylized disheveled-look. These hairstyles were first popularized by the French actress, Bridget Bardot, over a generation ago. In the Guyana cosmetic market, there is a large number of products produced by a variety of producers, some of them from Asia. The cosmetics on offer by the reputable stores tend to be middleof-the-line. The expensive top-of-the-line products from such companies as Chanel or Balenciaga are not very common. Not all cosmetics on the market are safe and it is wise not to go for the cheap ones.

For example, some of the very cheap lipsticks peel the very thin upper skin of the lip after a few usages, leaving the lip looking raw or whitish. The cheap hair straighteners could damage the scalp leading to loss of hair. Not all cheap toilet powders are healthy and could sometimes lead to itchy skins or even skin rashes. In buying cosmetics, one should be careful to check where the product is made for there are a large number of forgeries of the major brand-names sold on the local market. Almost all these forgeries come from East Asia. Before we conclude this offering, it is apposite to say a word about perfumes. Perfumes are one of the oldest cosmetics used by both men and women. In the East, perfumes tend to be oil-based while in the West, they are alcohol-based. The odours of very cheap perfumes disappear in a few minutes and many of them end up by having the smell of food essences. It is always safe to

Police nab four with stolen motor bike on boat bound for Orealla The law has no boundary; no matter where you go the law will nab you. Four men who stole a motorcycle from a resident at Skeldon on Christmas Eve Day and had secured the merchandise found that out on Friday. The culprits were bound for Orealla with their booty well secured and on the boat at about20:05 hrs on Friday. The vessel was just about to leave the wharf when the police turned up and ordered the captain to abort. The police subsequently boarded the

boat and quickly found the bike without number plate well secured. The police had an arduous time in getting the bike off the overloaded boat. It was an even more difficult task to find the men who placed the bike on the boat. However the cops persisted and three were found at first. The cops returned to the boat and after some time the other man was found hiding. He along with the rest of the crew and the bike were placed in a police van and taken into

custody. According to information a taxi driver of No. 74 Village, Corentyne parked his motorcycle under his house and retired to bed. Upon checking next morning he realized that his bike was missing. A report was made at the Springlands Police station and investigations began. The bike was not seen again until Friday evening when it showed up and was placed on the boat bound for the Orealla/ Siparuta area. The discovery of the bike

was reported to the owner who quickly informed the police who descended to the market wharf and made the interception and arrest just in time. Information received, indicates that the men had already secured a market and were on their way to deliver the booty and collect their payment. Investigators also believe that the four-man crew is part of a larger crew that is operating in the area. They are expected to be charged shortly.

buy at least middle-of-the line perfumes though the better investment would be in topof-the-line products. And top-of-the-line products seem never to go completely out of fashion. Whenever they are used they always remain distinctive. For example, at functions or occasions attended by affluent ladies. Most may use top-ofthe-line brands of perfume like Chanel #5 but yet there is no sameness or lack of distinctiveness among them. This is due to the fact, as a French perfumier explained to us, that individual body odours and personality become synthesized with the perfume.

At risk of this article being longer than permitted, we would like to enjoin ladies to always strive after the “natural look”. Nature, in its wisdom, has decked Man and other living things in colours reflective of their climate and general ecology. For instance, it is characteristic of those living in the colder northern climates to have light or blond hair and those in equatorial and tropical zones to have dark hair. For someone with a brown or fairly dark complexion to dye one’s hair in a deep sparkling blond may look incongruous. (GRA’semail:patdial26@ gmail.com)

Amelia’s Ward drug dealer nabbed A Linden man who was recently freed of a drug charge due to some technicalities has been nabbed again. He was held at a police road block at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice. The man, the driver and a prison officer were in a Sheriff taxi when the car was intercepted. According to reports, about 1500hrs on Sunday the police were conducting a roadblock at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice when they stopped the taxi which has three persons inside. A search of the trunk un-

earthed 5.4 kilograms of marijuana in a bag. The three men who were in the vehicle were arrested and taken into custody. Upon further probe one of the men turned out to be Roger English, 50, a known drug dealer of Amelia’s Ward Linden. Investigation also revealed that the man and his girl friend were recently nabbed at a police road block at Weldaad not too long ago. English was freed of that charge due to some technicalities. He is in custody assisting with investigation and charges are likely soon.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

SERVICES

WANTED One experienced cummings mechanic to work in the interior. Call: 678-0565

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

2 Male cleaners- Apply at Technical Services Inc, 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles. E.B.D

Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezersCall:629-4946 or 225-4822

Wanted land to buy at Parfaite, Tuschen, Providence, Diamond, Eccles, Uitvlugt, best price pay-call: 604-6724

Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Building Construction: house plans & estimates, floor sanding, lacquering & painting, boat for Santa Mission –Call: 650-4362

TAXI SERVICES GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

MASSAGE Happy Touch Day Spa: come & experienced heavens touch with new attendants: Kala & Lisa. Visit us today! – Call: 690-6079 The Gent’s Spa: deep tissue & 4 (four) hands massage: Angel, Tiffany and Alicia. Call: 689-5056

LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

Merchandiser. Call: 231-6256 for more details. Live in waitress to work in a bar and hotel. Call: 604-6606

VACANCY Cook/baker and truck driver for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 1 Driver- apply at Technical Services; 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles. 1 Professional nail technician to work at new spa- Call: 6967337 for details. Male security, male desk staff, room attendants, between ages 25-45yrs @233 South Road, Lacytown- Call: 2250198

One live in maid-Call: 6683985; 264-2563

Senior accounts clerk; apply in person at Alabama Trading Geogetown, Ferry Stelling. Security Officers; apply in person. Massey Security (Guyana) Inc, Lot 0 Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Call: 225-5773-6

Urgently! Garbage company needs experienced drivers must have police clearances, two reference one picture. Call: 223-7012/670-7920

Hairdressers, nail technician, barbers, also hair & nail stations available for rental location: New Market StreetCall: 638-1106

Jet & Marack men to work in the Interior. Call: 694-2310

EXPERIENCE SECURITY GUARD, MUST BE FIT & ALERT. SOME MILITARY BACKGROUND & POLICE C L E A R A N C E @ RUIMVELDT. CALL: 2318529 / 231-8344 One experienced dispatcher. Call: 231-4000 Staff for plant shop: literate, hardworking, pleasant, team player 18-28 years. Plant knowledge an advantage. Tel: 648-1821 Experienced cake decorator, roti/puri cooks, counter servers. Apply at Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St. 1 Mechanic welder to work in the interior, interested persons can call 625-5136 on Mon-Fri between 8am-4pm. Live in home aid needed in Peters Hall: 1 week on, 1week off, must be 45plus- $13,000Call: 667-2535

Popular East Coast Gas Station: day/night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 6694755; 695-9880, Non-Pareil Drivers/Salesman to sell bakery products- Call: 2541399; 627-2515 Girls to sew with heavy duty sewing machine, apply at R.Sookraj & Son’s, Regent St. Electrical Technicians to fix dryer & washing machineCall: 223-6147 Local & International e m p l o y m e n t : www.jobfairworldwide.com. Call: 233-6517/622-1957/6380595 between the hours of 9am-5pm Mon –Sat. Experienced: female bar/shop worker & handyman for Ekereku Bottom (Interior), ages 17-30yrs. Call: 231-0363

5 Years and older, experienced truck driver (sand pit). Contact: 626-8003 Salesgirls, porters and security guard. Apply with written application at Lot 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville.

CAR RENTAL

Live in waitress must have secondary education, courteousness & honesty is a must. Call: 610-5043 Experienced washbay attendants, living in Georgetown. Call: 646-8748

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807

1 Able body male- porter/ clerk- Call: 225-2313; 226-1497

Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494

1 Bond clerk to work in factory from age 25 & older; must have working experience & a valid police clearance. Call: 223-0090

Tuesday February 02, 2016

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals and Black Opal - Cosmetology Courses - Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Earn a Certificate in cosmetology, nails, wig designs & hair cutting etc. Classes commencing February! Register Now! Call: 666-5241; 619-7603

LAND FOR SALE ONE 50FTX80FT HOUSELOT WITH FENCE @ MON REPOS (MARTYRSVILLE) E.C.D, PRICE -$3.9M NEGOTIABLE. CALL: 2200538/645-2395 (JOEL)/ 629-5300 Double lot 9950 Sq. Ft @ Republic Gardens, price $25M (negotiable). Call: 6247686 Gold & Diamond blocks for sale or rent in the Ekereku, Puruni & Siparuni area. Call: 615-8810 Turkeyen:transported 246’X28’. Call: 609-0794 Parfaite Harmonie -$ 1.6M, 1.8M, $1.5M, 1.3M, Tuschen 11 street -$3M with foundation, Phase 2 – $1.4M, Providence -$3.5M, terms available – Call: 604-6724

VEHICLE FOR SALE STAR CARS AUTO SALE: 30-06 PREMIO, 03-07 FIELDER, NEW RAUM, IST, BLUEBIRD, AXELA, PITBULL. CALL: 679-3140; 268-3509 Noah & Voxy: unregistered & fully loaded -$1.7M (black, white & silver). Call: 603-9700 Honda Accord, 2003, leather, TV, DVD, radio, 35,000km, like new, price negotiableCall: 689-1194 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 1-Volvo Crane & dump truck -$3M- Call: 619-0898 Noah & Voxy in ‘G’ series, fully loaded, never registered -$1.7M –Call: 617-2891 Isuzu Truck 2.5 ton GNN 6385, New Model 1-212 Toyota Motor Car, PLL 739. Call: 639-6839 Sliver Nissan Murano, late PNN series- $6M –Call: 6815548 or 695-5701 RAV4 2001, 91000km, crash bar & roof rack -$3M negotiable- Call: 216-1893

One- two bedroom upper back apartment @ C/Ville $55,000 –Call: 223-1051; 6195357; 650-0716 Modernized 2 bedrooms apartment at Waller’s Delight W.C.D. Call: 698-6496 Two bedrooms apartment in Eccles, rooms in Alberttown –Call: 225-3234

Black Toyota Celica 2002; 2 door sports car, immaculate condition- Call: 614-8870; 222-2431 AT192 for sale -$900,000 negotiable- Call: 625-6842

AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms - Call:680-3154 To y o t a R a u m , S p a c i o , AT192, Allion, L-Touring Wagon, EP71-starlet, IST, Nissan March & Pickup 4X4 (4door). Call: 6445096; 697-1453 1- Toyota Surf with 3RZ engine -$2.9, 1-double cab pick-up -$1M. Call: 619-0898 One new shape Allion, very clean condition, for sale at bargain price. Call: 678-8035 Manual and automatic super GL pit-bull buses & VVTI buses, extra cab Hilux with 1 RZ engine-Call: 616-7635

FOR SALE Cheap! Cheap! CCTV Security Surveillance Kit, 8 Channels DVR with built in Hard Drive, 8 bullet cameras – Tel: 621-4740; 686-3500 XBOX one with games, kinect and controller, XBOX 360E. Call/whatsapp: 683-8386

1-3 Bedrooms upper flat @ Section ‘A’ Diamond, H/ Scheme E.B.D, fully grilled & concrete fence with parking space- Call: 6629335; 612-3244 House to rent at La Parfaite Harmonie- Call: 625-2406; 651-5924 Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park -$90,000$80,000 negotiable, recently renovated, free wifi, 2 bedrooms. Call: 227-5194 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: lessons places, storage bond or church -$25,000 per month. Call: 603-6400/2642123 Building for rent on Croal Street near to Stabroek Market. Call: 647-6075 Executive 2 bedrooms apartment in exclusive Residential Area close to the Ogle Airport. Call for appointment: 653-2920

2 HB Allion for sale, “as is, where is”, best offer. Call: 6902250

1-TM 4-wheel drive truck with crane -$3M, 1-TL 500 truck crane -$2M- Call: 619-0898

TO LET

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Unregistered Spacio, Allion: dark interior, TV, fog, rear spoiler, 2004-Call: 617-5536 PEN PAL Overseas male is seeking female 29yrs up – professionally employed. Call: 671-6591(No texting!)

PROPERTY FOR SALE One 2 family back house in Lamaha Street drive with own way parking for vehicles, price:$30,000,000 negotiable. Call: 226-1935 Church and 2 storey building Lot 180 Charlotte Street Bourda-Call: 227-6817; 6247341 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 Transported Property at Parika/Hydronie, Public Road, prime spot for business, size 0.47 acres. Call: 647-7878; 669-2800 Diamond 4 Bedrooms house, marble tiles, granite countertop, telephone, electricity & water - $15M negotiable –Call: 601-0889/ 680-0920 Two house & land for sale, excellent condition, one located at Tuschen & one at Goed-Fortuin. Call: 668-3985; 660-3235 Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. Continued on page 31

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 23

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

A history of Lennie Shuffler’s sporting career DEAR EDITOR, When Lenox Shuffler voluntary stepped down as President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation on his 75th Birthday on 5th Feb 2014 he had given the sport of volleyball 62 years of his life in promoting and being part of this discipline.. He left a rich legacy of being an outstanding national player, national captain and President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation. Lennie as he is popularly called and “Mr Cool” on the international circuit, was first introduced to the game when he joined the First Georgetown Sea Scouts at age 13 and furthered his skills with the Atkinson Volleyball Club when he got his first job at age 16 with International Airadio at Atkinson Field, now Timehri. In 1958 he was the youngest player selected to represent British Guiana in Trinidad. This was the first international tournament for British Guiana and travel to Trinidad was on the deck of a Bookers boat . Mohammed Khan of Skeldon was the Captain and Carl Xavier, Elson Briggs, Denny Yaralli, Mohammed Zalim and others were also on that team to

Trinidad. 1960 when British Guiana and Trinidad were invited to play in Venezuela, Lennie was again selected to represent this country. In 1961 he replaced Mohammed Khan as captain of the national team when British Guiana and Venezuela were invited to play in Trinidad. His captaincy lasted for 16 years which made him the longest serving captain and the most successful at the international level. As Captain he won the then Caribbean Championships the Lighthouse trophy in 1964, in British Guiana, playing at Queens College with Clyde Walcott as manager and Gary Shuffler as president of the volleyball association. In 1965 British Guiana retained the Caribbean championships while playing in Jamaica after coming from two games down to win three-two. In 1966 after Guyana’s Independence and currency restrictions, volleyball was confined to playing at home. Also in 1966 Guyana Volleyball Federation was accepted as a member of the World Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and placed in the South American Volleyball Confederation

(CSV). Gary Shuffler was then President of GVF at that time. In 1969 Guyana participated for the first time in the South American Senior Volleyball Championships due to the tremendous effort of John DeFreitas of Central Garage who ensured that Guyana participated in the tournament. Lennie was selected to captain the Guyana team and got the experience of playing against several top ranking teams in world of volleyball. Apart from some overland trips to Suriname to play volleyball, Guyana’s next major international participation came when they were invited by the newly formed Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association ( CAZOVA) in 1976 to play in their tournament that was held in the Bahamas and was catered for the English speaking Caribbean countries. Guyana despite little international exposure reached the finals against Bahamas and lost in a closely contested match. Lennie was also captain of Guyana’s team. Lennie, in 1977, after playing in a Goodwill series against China at the Guyana Sports Hall stepped down from international volleyball. Lennie , by this time, was trav-

Minister Keith Scott’s trade... From page 4 intent. Scott who has responsibility for Labour is on record saying that he is no stranger to trade unionism, a claim the trade union community has no knowledge of. This notwithstanding, what is more of concern is this Minister’s position to openly breach conventions, constitution, time-honoured principles and practices in furtherance of an agenda to seek to direct the business of the trade union community. This will not be countenanced. Conversely, Jordan while making pronouncement on wages and salary in the 2015 Budget, in 2016 he moved to correct this violation by announcing the government will respect collective bargaining and meet with the unions shortly to engage in this process. A country where laws are not respected will see disunity, mayhem and destruction. It is for this reason the President and Ministers of Government are encouraged to operate within the confines of the law, and seek advice as they move to implement every element of their programme. Setting this tone

for the society augurs well for national unity and social cohesion. As such there must be strident efforts to cease operating on gut-feelings or ego. It is understandable mistakes can be made. What cannot be understandable are mistakes that are made because no time was taken to understand and respect the parameters guiding actions or the refusal to correct same. Workers and citizens are called upon to hold the leadership of the trade union and

Government feet to the fire in making sure clear modalities are put in place for the commencement of negotiations; and to see to it Government upholds its role in Labour to ensure a stable industrial environment, which is only possible with respecting citizens’/ workers’ rights and the rule of law. There are enough grievances affecting various groups of workers and Minister Scott is well advised to focus his attention there consistent with the stated tenets. Lincoln Lewis

elling extensively through Guyana on work related matters was always ready to coach and share his knowledge to all who needed his guidance. In 1996 he was elected President of the Georgetown Volleyball Association and gave solid support to Reggie Bhagwandin who was then President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation. In 2000 when Reggie Bhagwandin requested leave of absence from the GVF Lennie was asked to act in that position for the remainder of 2000. At the 2001 Guyana Volleyball Federation elections Lennie was unanimously elected as President and held that position until he stepped down in 2014. During his three terms of office as President he restructured the GVF along the lines of CSV and FIVB and represented Guyana with distinction at several CSV and FIVB congresses. Lennie received approval from CSV and FIVB for a Bloc Development Plan that encouraged the Federations of Macapa( Brazil), French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana,

Roraima ( Brazil), Venezuela and Trinidad to engage in exchange visits in order to develop the game at affordable cost and to share their experiences. Several awards were bestowed on Lennie for his efforts in promoting volleyball and peace and unity through sport. In 2005 he was named Male Sports Personality by Guyana’s National Sports Commission and in 2006 through to efforts of the Guyana Olympic Association he received the International Olympic Committee Award for “Promoting Sport and Olympianism”. Lennie is a Chartered Member of the Rotary Club of Stabroek, Patron of the Buxton Youth Developers and is presently working along with Robin Phillips Founder/General Administrator of BYD in developing a Beach Games Facility at the Vigilance Community Centre Playground that can accommodate Beach Volleyball, Beach Football, Beach Rugby and other beach games. Lennie continues to work closely with John Flores, President of the GVF as a Special Advisor. Ann Geer

From page 22

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Wholesale & Retail quantity of all types of belts Call: 670-2343 ADORABLE PUPPIES FOR SALE. CALL: 6004212 AMERICAN BULLYDOGS, REMYLINE&GOTTILINECONTACT HARRY: 6100068/220-7933, WHATSAPP: 667-4845 TM 6X6 parts for sale: engines, gearbox, power box, def, drive shaft, etc. Call: 601-7001 Lots @ Blankenburg behind the gas station- $3.9M- Call Us Today: 650-0402 Minibus, SUV, Pickup 39.8 rear deferential & 14.5ft fiberglass boat with trailer and 35HP motor - Call: 678-9536 290 MF Tractor- $1.4M, 330TK Bedford dump truck$1.2M; in working orderCall: 614-9262; 604-2540 One slate pool table, price $300,000- Call: 228-2098; 628-5796 Pure bred Akita pups, fully vaccinated, parents imported, one Cummings generator 350KVA. Call: 694-1418; 260-4157 Stalls 64-72 (47feet long x 7 feet wide) @ La Penitence Market Albouystown. Call: 663-1597; 218-4837 50X85 house lot in Grove/ Diamond Scheme, property @ Yarrowkabra, land size100X200- Call: 676-0931 Gang Nail Plates, in stock: 3X4, 4X6, 5X7- Call 2664166; 666-2361 Mon-Sat between 8-6pm One wedding dress, size 6, off-white, brand: Maggie Sottero. Call: 647-6075 1-6" Dredge complete with Lavador - $6M- Call: 619-0898 5 Bedrooms; 2 bath, fully furnished, transported property located @ Rosignol W.B.Berbice. Motivated seller- call: 602-6333; 6793496; 699-4689; 666-2528 All types of alternators and starters and winch. Call: 2234124 German shepherd pups- Call: 220-8904; 220-2277; 6291471; 629-1419

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

CPA to oversee operation of Child Advocacy Centres In keeping with its purview to safeguard children, the Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) will be tasked with overseeing the operations of Child Advocacy Centres (CACs) countrywide. Together with the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and the Ministry of Social Protection, five Multi-Disciplinary Teams/ Agencies (MDT) signed a national protocol for the establishment of national CACs. The signing occurred in December of last year and included other MDT Agencies namely the Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health, and two Non- Governmental Organisation Groups â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blossom Inc. and ChildLink Inc. This development was yesterday made public by the Office of the DPP, which revealed in a statement that the 12- page protocol states that the objective of the CACs is to provide services for sexually abused children and their families. It explains that CAC is a child-focused, facility-based programme in which representatives from various disciplines will collaborate to conduct interviews with children who have been sexually abused, and for them to make team decisions about the investigation, including forensic interviews, treatment, management and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. The signed protocol issued by the Ministry of Social Protection states that there is a general agreement among the stakeholders, in both state agencies and nonstate agencies, together with the international community, that child abuse and violence against children is a matter of grave concern in Guyana.

Government in its 2010 Report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, identified violence against and the abuse of children as a key area of concern. The Government reiterated, then, its commitment to the protection of children in Guyana. In 2009 Government passed the Childcare and Protection Agency Act which enabled legislation for the establishment of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), an arm of the Ministry of Social Protection. And according to the CPA, while its collaborative work with other agencies and organisations to address maltreatment and abuse of children in Guyana has resulted in an increase in the number of cases being reported and an improvement in services to children, there are still challenges in data collection, treatment of children who have been abused, and the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. The CPA, moreover, will be the oversight body for the operations of the CACs and will provide a safe, childfriendly location where children are interviewed by a trained forensic interviewer about sexual abuse that they experienced. The interview will be recorded and will serve as a visual record of the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement. While an interview is in progress, it will be observed on a screen in an adjoining room by the Forensic Interview Team (FIT). The CAC model has been adopted from a USA model, and aims to increase the successful prosecution of perpetrators as well as offer therapeutic services to victims and their families, and to reduce the chances of the victim suffering any repeated occurrences. The CAC Protocol will moreover serve as guiding principles for all CACs in Guyana and is mandatory when developing and building CACs and MDT in various communities.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 25

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Jamaica’s 17th general election set for February 25

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announces the general election date (Jamaica Observer) Prime Minister and People’s National Party (PNP) President Portia Simpson Miller on Sunday night ended months of speculation and put the electorate in full election mode with her announcement in Half-WayTree square that the country’s 17th general election is to be held on February 25. Parliament is to be dissolved on Friday, February 5, and nominations are to be held four days later. Simpson Miller made the announcement to thousands of supporters who packed the square, their expectations growing to fever pitch upon her arrival shortly before 9:00 pm. “Tonight is the night I will sound the trumpet…tonight I will put some people out of their misery,” Simpson Miller declared, as the crowd set off a deafening crescendo of vuvuzelas. She urged Comrades to go about their election campaigning peacefully,

making it clear that she and her party were committed to a non-violent process. The prime minister prefaced the long-awaited announcement with her party’s achievements over the past four years, and promised more of the same to the crowd who hung onto her every word. She cautioned, though, that “all our problems have not been solved. Some people are still hurting and in need. We knew there would be pain, but we knew it had to be done in the interest of the Jamaican people”. The announcement of the election date came months after heavy campaigning, which was halted for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. But the suspense was causing some amount of uncertainly and instability, particularly for the business sector. The PNP alerted antennas when it issued a statement on Wednesday stating that it

would host the first in a series of national meetings on Sunday, January 31, in HalfWay-Tree square. Also, two Sundays ago, the party ran full-page newspaper advertisements unveiling its 63 candidates, which people saw as another indication that the announcement was nigh. Some political analysts have argued that this general election will be no walk in the park for the ruling party. Still, all the candidates who took to the platform last night were firm in their view that the party will score a resounding victory. At the same time, there appeared to be some acknowledgement from party general secretary Paul Burke that there is disenchantment among some Comrades when, in his short remarks last night, he urged supporters to “reach out to traditional supporters” [as] a few of them may have become demotivated. Reach out to them…they are important,” Burke appealed.

Delinquent cops given final warning to renew their firearm licences (Jamaica Gleaner) - The police High Command has issued what it says is a final warning to delinquent members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to

renew their firearm licences. In the latest Force Orders issued on Friday, the High Command said members have until March 1 to comply with the law.

The Commissioner of Police, Dr Carl Williams, says failure to comply by the deadline will result in the revocation of licences and members being subjected to disciplinary or criminal proceedings. For several weeks, the Commissioner has been issuing reminders to JCF members who are holders of firearm licences issued by the Firearm Licensing Authority. However, he says despite the instructions to renew their licences, the Police High Command has information that some JCF members have not been renewing such licences in keeping with law.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Zika may also be an STD (Trinidad Guardian) Apart from the fact the Zika virus can be spread by an Aedes aegypti mosquito, scientists have discovered two cases of the virus in semen, including one case where it was sexually transmitted. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and Dr Christine Carrington, a professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology, spoke about the situation yesterday at a Carnival week symposium held by UWI’s Medical Sciences Division on A Call to Arms Against H1N1 and Zika Viruses. “The theme is very apt,” said Deyalsingh added who on Friday declared Zika a public health emergency and launching measures against this. Speaking on the Zika challenge for T&T, Carrington explained that the virus carries the name of the forest in Uganda where it was first transmitted by monkeys. It spread to Nigeria and other African states and arose in Malaysia in 1960. It reached Micronesia in 2007, Tahiti in 2013, Easter Island 2015 and Brazil in 2015. There is no vaccine for Zika. Widespread concern has arisen due to claims among Brazil’s 1.5 million cases that Zika has caused 4,180 cases of microcephaly—abnormally small head and brain in newborns. Carrington said Zika is also being associated with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto immune condition involving nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and

sometimes, paralysis. “Some people recover, others have permanent damage, others die,” she said. Carrington said it was felt Zika reached Brazil during the last World Cup soccer tournament. She said the large gap between being discovered in 1947 in Africa and reaching other states subsequently, was due to travel increases and movement of people. The disease has spread to 21 countries including six Caribbean states. Neighbouring Venezuela, Guyana, Barbados and Suriname have recorded Zika cases. Jamaica listed its first case—confirmed in a four year old—last weekend. She said two cases of Zika have now been detected in sperm with evidence of sexual transmission in one. She said it wasn’t a common form of transmission since it is usually human to human Carrington said Zika may already be in T&T undetected since it has mild symptoms and people may not go to hospital for it. Deyalsingh, said T&T has a critical situation on its hands with Zika. “It’s what you don’t know about Zika that scares you,” he said. “No one can say there’s no link between Zika and microcephaly. Can anyone says Zika isn’t sexually transmitted? They found one case of it in sperm. No one can say it isn’t sexually transmitted...so you’re fighting an enemy you can’t see as you don’t know the long term effect of it and its

strength or virulence.” The minister said T&T has no baseline information on microcephaly—only a small number has been reported in T&T—and until any link between Zika and microcephaly is disproven, he intends to protect T&T’s 1.3 million people. “I don’t want T&T to end up with generations of small skulls and small brains that challenge appearances for life. You want that for your children and grandchildren?” Deyalsingh asked. He said spraying of areas to eradicate mosquitoes is being done in communities where the Aedes aegypti is endemic. He said this didn’t mean every area in T&T since when he met municipal corporations last Friday some said they never had dengue cases, such as Rio Claro/ Mayaro for instance, so there was no need to spray. So far, 55,000 homes have been sprayed, he added. Deyalsingh said he is a little disturbed that global agencies are responding slowly as they had with Ebola. He said it seemed “rich Western countries” only acted when it affected them and didn’t take notice when “little black” communities affected. He said business people had suggested using genetically modified mosquitoes to destroy the Aedes aegypti but said the risks of introducing such species was unknown and it would require 2.8 million such mosquitoes to destroy 20,000 female Aedes aegypti.

Barbadian Minister highlights new tourism ‘milestone’ Barbados enjoyed its best tourism season in decades and Sunday Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said the island “soared to a new milestone in 2015”. Addressing members of the media and top tourism officials in the private and public sectors, Sealy revealed that 2015 arrival numbers transcended 2007 which previously held the highest record of 570,000 visitors. During the session at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Sealy provided stakeholders with a detailed assessment of his ministry’s performance. He said the United Kingdom market continued to dominate as the leading source market for Barbados, contributing 36.8 per cent of all arrivals. British arrivals in 2015 grew by 14.1 per cent compared to 2014.

Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy addressing the gathering. (Barbados Nation Photo: Nigel Browne.) Visitors from the United States represented a quarter of all arrivals to Barbados or 148,165 visitors and that market improved by almost 25 per cent. Canada proved to be an important source market for Barbados with 74,512 arrivals, while regionally increases of 5.8 per cent were recorded for Trinidad and Tobago and 13.1 per cent for other Caribbean countries. When it came to

length of stay, the Tourism Minister revealed that during 2015, there was an increase in all categories of lengths of stay with the exception of those staying for between 15 to 21 days. The majority of visitors coming to the island stayed four to seven days and eight to 14 days. Some 67 per cent of all visitors to the country spent between four and 14 days on the island.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Page 28

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Formula 1: Kevin Magnussen in for Pastor Maldonado at Renault BBC Sport - Former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen is to replace Pastor Maldonado at Renault for the 2016 Formula 1 season. Dane Magnussen will partner Britain’s Jolyon Palmer after the sponsors of Venezuelan Maldonado, 30, failed to make contracted payments to the team. Magnussen, 23, finished 11th in the drivers’ championship with McLaren in 2014 before making way for the return of Fernando Alonso last season. He operated as test and reserve driver for 2015 before being released. Maldonado said he felt “proud” of his record in F1 after spending three years with Williams and two with Lotus, the forerunner of Renault. He won one race, the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix for Williams, but became more widely known for his involvement in numerous accidents and incidents. He drove for Lotus thanks to support from

Kevin Magnussen finished second in his first Grand Prix drive at Australia in 2014. (Getty Images) the Venezuelan national oil company PDVSA. It was contracted to pay $46m (£33.6m) for 2016, all up front, but the Venezuelan economy is facing major difficulties as a result of plunging oil prices. The money did not arrive and Renault decided to terminate his contract. Maldonado revealed his plans in a statement but did not give a reason for his departure, nor identify his replacement. Renault have re-

fused to comment on the move, saying only that it would confirm its plans for the season at an event in Paris on Wednesday. The company will also reveal its 2016 car and official team name and announce Frenchman Frederic Vasseur, boss of the ART GP2 team, as the head of the F1 team. Cyril Abiteboul remains in his more senior position as managing director of Renault Sport.

Tuesday Feb 02, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't let others know about your private affairs. Romance will unfold through business trips.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Travel in pursuit of pleasure and knowledge. You need to keep the peace and you will have to bend in order to do so.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Courses dealing with psychology or health care will be of interest. You won't be able to keep a secret. Unexpected events may upset your routine.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You could make extra cash through creative hobbies. You can expect to experience delays or additional red tape if you deal with institutions.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Take that long overdue vacation if you can. Unexpected changes in friendships could occur. Financial gains can be made.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You'll find you're detail oriented today. You will upset your partner if you have spent money on things that aren't necessary.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Start making things or reusing rather than buying ready made. Do not overspend on entertainment.

CAPRI (Dec.22–Jan.19) Nothing can be resolved if you don't want to talk about it. Avoid any petty ego confrontations; they could lead to estrangement if you aren't careful.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Changes in your home environment may cause friction. You can make changes that will enhance your appearance. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Sudden changes at home will affect family members more than you anticipated. You may have some difficulties with someone you live with.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Don't lend or borrow money or belongings. Don't let your boss make you feel guilty enough to take work home with you. Don't jump as quickly as you usually do. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Express your interest if you want the relationship to progress.

Page 29

FIFA cuts off funding to... (From page 31) Cup revenues and money from the global body’s Financial Assistance Programme. CONMEBOL is responsible for the sport in South America while CONCACAF covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. In a statement, CONCACAF said it had fulfilled all FIFA requests for documents and information “regarding the new adminis-

trative, compliance, and procurement processes that have been implemented at the Confederation to ensure the issue is resolved in a timely manner”. CONMEBOL was not immediately available for comment. CONCACAF has seen its last three presidents indicted by the Department of Justice with Trinidad and Tobago’s Jack Warner, Cayman Islander Jeffrey Webb

and Honduran Alfred Hawit all facing charges. CONMEBOL has had former president Nicolas Leoz and their most recent leader Jan Angel Napout, both of Paraguay, indicted along with several other leading officials. The two organisations are due to hold a joint ‘Copa America’ tournament in the United States in June to celebrate CONMEBOL’s centenary.

Rolex 24 at... (From page 29) seconds that separated the class winners in the # 4 - Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, Marcel Fassler over # 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Mike Rockenfeller is unheard of. Even Shakespeare couldn’t have written a better script. They had multiple passes amongst themselves as the capacity crowd was on their feet as nothing such as this has ever been witnessed. 3rd place, # 912 Porsche Motorsport North America Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Earl Bamber, Frederic Makowiecki, Michael Christensen was a mere 12 seconds back on the same lap(lap 722) as the Corvettes, # 912, Bamber as the closing driver was earlier bumped aside by the # 4 with Gavin driving to set up the battle with Garcia in the # 3 Corvette. kThe GTD class that finished on the podium all had 703 laps completed. Class winners, # 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS Andy Lally, John Potter, Marco Seefried, Rene Rast managed 14th overall as they were determined to not let any ugly ducklings beat them with a 3.5 seconds cushion to the runner-up team of 2nd # 540 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Timothy Pappas, Nick Catsburg, Patrick Long, Andy Pilgrim. Rounding out the podium were # 93 Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R Ben Keating, Gar Robinson, Jeff Mosing, Eric Foss, Damien Faulkner whom were only 5 seconds behind the class winners. The Prototype Challenge class finished in the exact order as they crossed the midway point of the race during the night. However, the # 85 JDC Miller Motorsports Chris Miller, Misha Goikhberg, Stephen Simon, Kenton Koch were a clear 4 laps ahead after squandering a 22 lap’s lead. They managed to complete 702 laps on 27 pit stops. Runners-up, # 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Robert Alon,

Tom Kimber-Smith, Jose Guttierez, Nicholas Boulle squeezed into the top 25 with 698 laps completed. Rounding out the podium were in 3rd # 20 BAR1 Motorsports Tomy Drissi, Marc Drumwright, Johnny Mowlem, Ricardo Vera, Brendan Gaughan. All of the Prototype Challenge cars had their fare share of challenges but, managed to complete a respectable race. Only one month into the calendar year and the motorsports news keeps getting better and better. There were certainly some ups and downs but, most will come out of this season opening with a positive outlook.

The Ford GT’s made their long awaited debut closing in on their 50th anniversary. They are a factory-backed team just like others in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship as they will certainly be back with a vengeance and look to make up ground because the season only got underway. As for the rest of the team, you can bet that they will get their issues out of the way going forward. As could be seen during and throughout the race, the driver’s weren’t letting back, there were as much if not more action as if it was a sprint race. No doubt!!!

Page 30

Kaieteur News

Stag Beer/WDFA/Derrick Josiah Memorial KO

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Hikers Hockey Club Stag Beer 7-a- Side Mixed Tournament

Den Amstel topple Pouderoyen on Global Tech inflict 5-0 drubbing PKs to take title; Eagles place third on 704 Sports Bar to win title

By Franklin Wilson Home team Den Amstel held its nerve to win the second edition of the Stag/West Demarara Football Association/Derrick Josiah Memorial knockout 6-5 on sudden death penalty kicks against Pouderoyen on Sunday night. The third place match did not come off as Uitvlugt Warriors failed to show up as they were not in agreement with the WDFA allowing Eagles United back in the competition to contest this match after they lost their first match to Pouderoyen. WDFA Secretary, Adrian Giddings had informed Kaieteur Sport that Young Achievers and Stewartville were both axed from the tournament for fielding ineligible players; as a result of this, Eagles were brought back into the fray and it is this decision that Uitvlugt Warriors apparently were not pleased with. The Executive of the association will meet shortly to deal with Uitvlugt’s no-show and they are likely to be disciplined for showing scant regards for the rules of the game. Uitvlugt’s no-show did not dampen the mood of the other teams as the final, which was a keen battle, saw Den Amstel coming from behind to even the score before going on to win even as regular penalty kicks did not separate the two rivals. Action commenced at a very fast pace with Pouderoyen enjoying the early exchanges as they looked the hungrier of the two sides. It was not a surprise when they took the lead in the 22nd minute, Kwesi Alleyne’s shot was too good for Den Amstel’s goalkeeper Ryan Hunte to deny. Despite falling behind, Den Amstel never gave up the fight as they kept matching the nippy Pouderoyen players play for play. Capping a good period close to the half time whistle, the home team forced a free kick just outside the Pouderoyen goal area (right side), almost on the touchline. It was a dangerous position and the ensuing free kick

Ansa McAl’s Stag Beer Rep. Sean Abel (right) presents the tournament’s MVP trophy to Den Amstel Captain Ryan Hunte. taken by Travis Hilliman was as good as any, Den Amstel ensured they cashed in on their opponents’ defensive lapse. Hilliman’s cross curled across the goal and seemed like it was heading into touch but the quick thinking Kevaughn Ward connected to head the ball into the back of the nets past custodian Sherwin Bernard on the stroke of half time for the equalizer. The second half did not produce any goals even as did the ensuing period of extra time which meant that penalty kicks was next on the agenda to determine the winner. After the first five kicks, the score was still tied at 4-4, Alleyne was the man who went wide of the upright for Pouderoyen as he failed to repeat his first half exploits, while Den Amstel’s Ward also failed to duplicate his equalizing goal as his shot was saved by Bernard. During sudden death penalty kicks, it was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Den Amstel goalkeeper and Captain Ryan Hunte who stepped up to the plate to save Cleveland Walcott’s shot as Colin Benn’s shot sailed into the back of the Pouderoyen nets to spark wild celebrations for

the home fans and team. The victory sealed the top prize of $200,000 with Pouderoyen pocketing $100,000. Eagles United, a Stewartville based team received $50,000 as the third place finishers. Meanwhile, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde was present to witness part of the final and during remarks before the kick off complimented WDFA Orin Ferrier and his executive for bringing off the competition which was in honour of former football administrator and member of the Guyana Police Force, Derrick Josiah. Forde, whilst pledging the federation’s continued support to the WDFA also extended gratitude to Ansa McAl for stepping on board to sponsor the competition through the popular Stag Beer brand. The Guyana Police Force and The Trophy Stall also contributed towards the success of the tournament to which Ferrier expressed the association’s appreciation. Ansa McAl’s Stag Beer Representative, Sean Abel assisted with the presentation of prizes as did ASP Johnson of the Guyana Police Force.

Global Technology inflicted a 5-0 drubbing on 704 Sports Bar to cart off the top prize in the 2nd Annual Hikers Hockey Club Stag Beer 7 a -side Mixed Tournament which was played on Sunday, at the St. Stanislaus College ground, Carifesta Avenue. One hundred of Guyana’s best male and female players bullied off the year in fine style by representing 10 corporate sponsors in the one day competition. Group ‘A’ included AMP Air Conditioning, C & F Meat Centre, Global Technology, Cell Phone Shack Plum and Elegance Boutique, while Group ‘B’ consisted of 704 Sports Bar, Antonio’s Grille, Java Coffee Bar and Sonic Boom. The tournament which is unique to the local scene is mixed in two ways, firstly teams are made up of both men and women with the requirement that no more than three outfield players must be of the same sex and secondly the teams must be made up of a mixture of players from different clubs. In the round robin stage, Cell Phone Shack Plum were the only team to emerge with a perfect record of four wins from four matches, while Glo-

bal Technology qualified for the semifinal in second place with 9 points. Elegance Boutique, C & F Meat Centre and AMP Air Conditioning ended on 6 points, 1 point and 1 point respectively to round out Group ‘A’. Antonio’s Grille dominated Group ‘B’ to qualify as the top team with 10 points, while Global Technology qualified second on 7 points with Jai Signs & Designs, Java Coffee Bar and Sonic Boom ending on 5 points, 5 points and 0 points respectively. In the crossover semifinals, both second place teams turned the tables on their higher ranked counterparts with narrow victories. Global Technology registered an upset over Antonio’s Grille by a 2-1 margin through a Jason DeSantos double, while 704 Sports Bar got the better of Cell Phone Shack Plum 1-0 through a Mark Sargeant strike. In the third place playoff, Antonio’s Grille edged Cell Phone Shack Plum thanks to a Shane Samuels double. The much anticipated final between 704 Sports Bar and Global Technology was over after a first half blitz led by Global’s Jamarj Assanah, who

scored in the 6th and 7th minutes, after Stefan King had opened the proceedings in the 3rd minute. Allana McCullock’s goal put her side up four on the stroke of half time with a penalty corner strike, while Jason DeSantos stretched their advantage in the first minute of the second half with a clinical strike. Although 704 Sports Bar created several goal scoring opportunities, they were all repelled by national Goalkeeper Medroy Scotland to preserve his side’s 5-0 advantage to final whistle. In addition to the winning trophy and medals the Global Technology players also took home a share of the $100,000 first prize and two cases of Stag beer, while the runners-up 704 Sports Bar took home silver medals, $20,000 and two cases of Stag beer. Although staged in 2016, this tournament is the 2015 version which was postponed due to weather; the club intends to stage its 2016 edition later this year. Hikers will now turn its focus to preparing for its Junior Indoor Tournament also to be staged later this year.

Three athletics officials appeal against life bans

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Lamine Diack (C) holds hands with Valentin Balakhnichev (R), President of the AllRussia Athletic Federation, and Valery Vinogradov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, in Kenya’s coastal town of Mombasa March 27, 2007. (Reuters/Joseph Okanga) LONDON (Reuters) Former Russian Athletics boss Valentin Balakhnichev, former Russian coach Alexei Melnikov and former IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack have appealed against their life bans from the sport, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Monday. The trio were among a number of athletes and

officials banned from any involvement in athletics after a World AntiDoping Agency report exposed the corrupt rule of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, the father of Papa Massata. The report said that Diack senior, who hails from Senegal, ran a clique at the International Association of

Athletics Federations (IAAF) that covered up organized doping and blackmailed athletes while senior officials looked the other way. An earlier report led to Russia being banned from competition for state-sponsored doping. The three officials, as well as Lamine Diack, deny any wrongdoing.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Clippers’ bench the difference in win over Bulls Reuters (The Sports Xchange) - Another productive outing by their bench allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to bolt past Chicago on Sunday, with reserve guard Jamal Crawford scoring 26 points in a 120-93 blowout of the Bulls at Staples Center. J.J. Redick scored 21 points on seven-of-11 shooting, hitting all four of his three-pointers, Chris Paul had 19 and seven assists and DeAndre Jordan added 17 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks for the Clippers (3216), who captured their fourth straight win. Austin Rivers came off the bench to score 16 points, hitting five of six from threepoint range. The Clippers’ reserves outscored Chicago’s 58-18. That effort comes on the heels of Friday’s performance, when the Clippers’ bench torched the Los Angeles Lakers’ second unit 56-25. “We were so down after that Toronto game because for a month that’s not who

we’ve been,” said Crawford, referring to a 112-94 loss Jan. 24 when the Raptors’ backups held a 51-29 advantage over the Clippers. “We got our butts kicked that game (but) we’ve bounced back nicely since then.” Jimmy Butler had 23 points and Derrick Rose contributed 20 points for the Bulls (26-20), who have dropped four of their last six games. Pau Gasol chipped in 15 points and 14 rebounds. Rose said consistency has been the Bulls’ biggest foe. “It’s the story of our year,” said Rose, who made 10 of 17 shots and grabbed five rebounds. “Like I said, if I could put a finger on it ... I watch a lot of basketball and the only thing I could think of is the effort and sticking with the game plan.” A 12-4 Clippers surge to open the fourth quarter doomed the Bulls. A threepointer by backup forward Wesley Johnson, who had 11

Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford (11) celebrates with guard Pablo Prigioni (L) and forward Wesley Johnson (R) after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports) points, gave the Clippers a 9577 cushion less than two minutes into the period. The Bulls were unable to reduce the lead to under double figures the rest of the way. “Really, our bench has been fantastic,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.

“They are actually changing games and it’s with their energy. “I think early on, they thought it was going to be with their offense and now they’ve realized that it is with their hands, with their defense and their deflections.” Los Angeles also ben-

Manning and Newton a contrast in styles on and off the field SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) The Peyton Manning-Cam Newton quarterback generation gap was on graphic display at San Jose airport as the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers arrived on Sunday to begin final preparations for Super Bowl 50. Manning, the 18-year veteran and future Hall of Famer who may be playing his last game in the Feb. 7 clash at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, wore a conservative blue suit and orange tie representing the Broncos’ team colors for the trip. Newton, the irrepressible, buoyant spirit of the upstart Panthers, rocked a pair of zebra-print trousers and a black leather hoodie as he disembarked the team plane that landed about an hour after Denver’s. The 26-year-old Newton has vowed he will remain the same flamboyant quarterback that led Carolina to the NFL’s best regular season record at 15-1 with his exuberant brand of passing and rushing as the league’s top dual-threat. While Denver is the league’s top defensive team, the Panthers are the league’s highest scoring offence. Manning, 39, the longtime face of the National Football League and one of its most marketable stars, has battled injuries and diminished skills and now strives to play mistake-free

efited from their three-point shooting to split the season series with Chicago, who recorded an 83-80 win on Dec. 10. The Clippers connected on 17 of 32 three-pointers compared to five of 15 for the Bulls. Overall, the Clippers made 53.6 percent of their shots from the floor to 43 percent for the Bulls. “It was a collective effort,” said Paul, who hit eight of 16 field-goal attempts but missed three of four threepoint attempts.

India knocks Windies off top T20 rank KINGSTON Jamaica — India batsman Virat Kohli’s excellent run of form in the just - c o n c l u d e d series against Australia has allowed him to hold on to the status of world’s numberone ranked Twenty20 International batsman in the latest ICC P l a y e r R a n k i n g s for T20I batsmen, which were released y e s t e r d a y. The ICC T20I Champion-

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports) to give the team’s vaunted defense a chance to control the game. Both teams were given rousing send-offs by their fans before making the trek to the Bay Area for next Sunday’s Super Bowl. Oddsmakers have made the Panthers a six-point favorite in the early betting. Other than Newton’s bold fashion statement and colorful trousers, described by the team’s website as “Versace

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)

Yellow Barocco Zebraprint pants”, most of the players on both teams arrived on the breezy sun-kissed day in dress suits. “Once we get on the bus, the trip starts,” Broncos’ linebacker Shaquil Barrett told his team’s web reporter before the team left for their plane ride. “It’s business from there. We going to have today, maybe, to have a little fun but it’s a business trip. It’s not no vacation. We’re ready to work

to get the job done.” The Panthers and Broncos both largely put their game-plans together in practice back home, leaving just some fine tuning ahead of the big game. Denver, playing in their record-tying eighth Super Bowl game, are going for their third Lombardi Trophy. Carolina are aiming for their first championship in their second appearance in the Super Bowl.

“Jamal went on a spree tonight. Our second unit was amazing, guys were sharing the ball, but our defense was the key.” Los Angeles prevailed despite Chicago’s 56-36 edge on points in the paint. The Clippers improved to 15-3 without injured forward Blake Griffin (broken hand). The Clippers took a 51-47 lead at the break. Crawford led all scorers with 12 first-half points. In the third quarter, the Clippers took control, building a 79-68 advantage after a dunk by Jordan with 1:53 remaining in the quarter. The Bulls closed within 79-73 on a 3-pointer by Butler with 48.3 seconds left, but a threepointer by Rivers and a jumper by Crawford put Los Angeles up 84-73 heading into the final quarter. “I wouldn’t say a setback, but it hurts to lose a game like this,” Rose said. “The good thing about it is we play (Monday). We go to Utah and hopefully we get that win.” Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich returned after missing six games with a left quad contusion. Hinrich was scoreless in 11 minutes.

ship table now has India in the top position, while Australia has dropped six places to eighth. India now leads secondranked West Indies by two points, just ahead of ICC World Twenty20 2016 set to start in Nagpur India on March 8. ICC T20I TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (as on February 1, after the conclusion of Australia /India series)

Page 32

Kaieteur News

Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club to begin 2016 football season

Tuesday February 02, 2016

TNT capture Wiltshire dominoes crown

Male and female Inter Primary School football tournament fixed The Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club (HOMFC) after having a very successful year of activities in 2015, especially at the youth and the school level, is set to begin their 2016 season with a one week Inter Primary School tournament for schools in the New Amsterdam/ Canje areas for both boys and girls. The tournament will begin on Monday 8th and end on Friday 11th February with the finals. All matches will be played at the All Saints Scot Church Ground, Princess

Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam. Kick off time is 15:30hrs on each day with each game lasting for 40 minutes. Seven schools have been invited to participate in the competition with the schools being placed into two groups with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semi finals and the winners to the final. The schools in Group A are namely - St Aloysius, All Saints, and Overwinning Primaries, while New Amsterdam, St Therese, Fort Ordnance

and Lochaber Primaries are in Group B. Trophies and other incentives will be presented to the top two schools. There will also be incentives for Most Valuable Player, best Goalkeeper, best defender, and most promising player among others. The tournament is being sponsored by the Humphrey family. The activity will coordinated by Neil ‘Grizzly’ Humphrey and members of the HOMFC. (Samuel Whyte)

2015 A. Ally & Sons Inter-Secondary School Under-17 Cricket Competition in Berbice

Algoo slams 119, Ramsammy takes 4 for 26 to ease Berbice High into the final -Rosignol also advance thanks to Veersammy, Karim and Gangoo

Chandradat Veerasammy

Javid Karim

Alex Algoo

Berbice High School and Rosignol Secondary School both took first innings honours in their respective semi-finals to earn their places in the final of the 2015 A. Ally & Sons Under-17 Inter-Secondary School Two-innings Cricket Competition in Berbice. At Cumberland, Berbice High School beat Skeldon High School on first innings. Skeldon High batted first and in their 1st innings made 113 all out with Sanjay Deochand topscoring with 46 while Michael Burnett made 22 N.O. Bowling for Berbice High, offspinner Abdul Ramsammy took 4 for 26 following his 6 wicket haul against Bush Lot in the quarter-finals, while Berbice Under-17 legspinner Dion Sinclair took 3 for 12 and

Brandon Pydanna 2 for 11. When Berbice High School replied, their Berbice Under-15 batsmen Alex Algoo firstly put on 32 for the first wicket with Malcolm Mickle (19) and then 87 for the 2nd wicket with Dion Sinclair (27) too see them pass the crucial first innings target. Algoo went on to make 119 (11 fours and 5 sixes) following his 93 in the quarter-finals against Bush Lot, helping them to 188 for 5 declared. Kameshwar Chatterpaul took 2 for 34 for Skeldon. Skeldon High in their 2nd innings were 27 for 3 at the close with Naresh Chan picking up 3 for 15. Over at Blairmont, Rosignol Secondary got the better of the highly favoured Lower Corentyne Secondary

School in their drawn match. Batting first, Rosignol Secondary made 164 all out in their first innings with Chandradat Veersammy steering them to that total by batting through the innings to be last man out for 97 (10 fours and 2 sixes). Bowling for Lower Corentyne, Guyana Under-15 allrounder Junior Sinclair took 5 for 41, his Guyana team mate Kevlon Anderson 2 for 29 and Berbice Under-15 player Keith Simpson 2 for 25. Lower Corentyne in replying were coasting along at 71 for 1 at one stage but with Rosignol pacers Keyon Gangoo and Javed Karim getting into their strides taking the wickets of the inform Junior Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson for 32 and 20 respectively, Lower Corentyne only managed 154 all out. Karim ended with 4 for 41 and Gangoo 4 for 50. Rosignol Secondary will therefore clash with Berbice High School in the final of the competition on Thursday at the Cumberland Ground.

Players in action during the final TNT chalked up 82 games to win the final of the Mark Wiltshire birth anniversary dominoes tournament which was contested on Sunday night at Gaulding Place.

All Season placed second with 75 games and Providence third on 70. Dane Bynoe scored 16 and Shawn Morgan got 15 for the winners, while Raymond Ali led the scoring

for All Season with 16 and Frankie Seaforth contributed 14. Troy De Santos and Vernon Jordon were Providence leading players with 16 and 15 games respectively.

Under-19 World Cup 2016

Rishabh Pant slams fastest fifty in huge India win ESPNcricinfo - Group D India Under-19 opener Rishabh Pant had the fastest recorded U-19 international century comfortably in his sights when he was dismissed for 78 off 24 balls, having blown Nepal Under-19 away in a small chase. Pant did break the record for the fastest recorded U-19 fifty though, getting there in 18 balls, one faster than the previous mark. He added 124 in 9.1 overs with his captain Ishan Kishan, who scored 52 off 40 balls. India eventually chased down Nepal’s score of 169 with 179 balls to spare in Mirpur. Pant attacked from the start, slogging the first ball of the innings to the midwicket boundary, and did not relent. He targeted the arc between deep square leg and long-on with a series of pulls and lofts, paying little heed to whether the delivery demanded caution. Nepal were rattled and fed him shorter lengths at hittable pace and Pant feasted. Kishan had been quieter initially, but once the spinners came on he used his feet superbly, stepping out of this crease to get to the pitch of the ball and swinging without inhibition. Pant began to drive, slap and loft over the off side too as his range expanded against a wilting attack. His strike rate of 325 meant that had he scored 22 more runs in singles Pant would have still broken the record for the fastest u-19 hundred by seven deliveries. India’s seven-wicket victory was set up by their bowlers, though, who restricted Nepal to 160 in a match shortened to 48 overs a side because of early-morning fog. Opener Sandeep Sunar top scored with 37 but

Rishabh Pant

the rest of the top four batsmen were dismissed in single digits. They had also slogged at India’s attack but had no success. Seamer Avesh Khan took 3 for 34, while left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar and offspinner Washington Sundar took two apiece. New Zealand Under-19s ended the group stage with a consolation win, as a 141-run partnership between Finn Allen and Dale Phillips steered them to a four-wicket win over Ireland Under-19s in Fatullah. Phillips joined Allen after seamer Rory Anders had picked up four wickets to reduce New Zealand to 45 for 4 in pursuit of 213. The pair got the chase back on track with a brisk partnership spanning 20.4 overs, with Phillips scoring 58 off 66 balls (7x4) before falling lbw to Fiachra Tucker. Then, with New Zealand a mere seven runs from victory, Tucker dismissed Allen for 97 off 76 balls (9x4, 4x6), before Rachin Ravindra and Nathan Smith took them home with 47 balls remaining. Sent in to bat, Ireland got to 100 for 1, thanks to an 85run second-wicket stand between Jack Tector (56 off 83) and Adam Dennison (46 off 56), before spinners Ravindra and Josh Finnie

picked up three wickets apiece and engineered a slump that saw them lose their last nine wickets for 112 runs. Group B A half-century from Tariq Stanikzaigave Afghanistan Under-19s their first win of the tournament, lifting them to a four-wicket win in a lowscoring match against Canada Under-19s in Sylhet. Stanikzai scored 56 off 48 balls, with nine fours and a six, as Afghanistan chased down a target of 148 in only 24.1 overs. They lost a few wickets while doing so, though, with left-arm spinner Shlok Patel and offspinner Miraj Patel sharing five wickets between them. Having chosen to bat, Canada lost three of their top four for ducks and slipped to 31 for 4 before their captain Abraash Khan (33) and Arslan Khan (38) put on the only substantial partnership of their innings, 62 for the fifth wicket. Wickets fell steadily thereafter, with No. 9 Kurt Ramdath’s 20 the next-highest score of the innings, as Canada were bowled out for 147 off the last ball of their allotted 50 overs. Mediumpacer Muslim Musa and offspinner Shamsurrahman picked up three wickets each for Afghanistan.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Rolex 24 at Daytona # 02 Honda(P class winner) courtesy of www.esmracing.com) The 2016 Rolex at Daytona Motor racing Circuit was home to the biggest sports car race in North America and watched by millions worldwide on January 30-31 at Daytona, Florida. In the ultimate quest for supremacy in a test of longevity, reliability and durability with an added touch of luck, 54 competitors took the green flag. There were a total of 13 Prototypes ( P ) , 11 G T L e M a n s (GTLM), 22 GT Daytona (GTD) and 8 Prototype Challenge (PC) cars that competed in 4 different classes. At the drop of the green flag, Pipo Derani in the # 2 Extreme Speed Motorsports Honda Ligier JS P2 rocketed to the lead with other lead changes in the different classes taking place as the competitors hurried around for lap 1. The most unusual car, Panoz Deltawing driven by Katherine Legge started a charge up the field before the first caution flag only 20 minutes into the famed race to retrieve the # 70 Speedsource Mazda Prototype with transmission issues. Also, with early issues was the # 67 Ford GT, they spend most of the first hour behind the wall (away from the pits). Around the first hour marker, the Panoz Deltawing was the leader. As the 2nd hour approached, the Two Honda Ligiers were 1, 2 before making contact with each other. Then, disaster, The # 60 Michael Shank Racing Honda ran into the rear of the # 2 Extreme Speed Motorsports Honda by the chicane at the end of the straights. Unfortunately, around the 3 hour mark, both Ford GT’s were suffering from similar issues and were in the hole. Around the 4 hour mark, reigning ‘2015 champions of the this race with the heavily talented team of the # 02, Chip Ganassi Ford Ecoboost Riley DP, Jamie McMurray sharing the ride with (Tony

Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Kyle Larson) spun from up front and ended up towards the back of the field but, was fortunate to avoid contact. The lesser known debut of the BMW M6 GTLM were quietly making their way up the standings whereas, the much anticipated Ford GT’s were struggling. There were numerous penalties throughout the field dished out to cars for passing under caution, speeding in the pits, exiting pit lane without being approved to do so under yellow, not acknowledging the pit lane red exit light etc… As the midnight hour approached, the BMW M6 GTLM’s mounted a strong attack on the Corvette’s for the class lead. But, the # 60 Honda that was tearing up the track in the lead position had an off-course excursion and was stranded. By the midway point of the race, numerous cars were on the lead lap for each respective class which proves that each class was being vigorously contested since it appears that everyone left their sandbags behind before the start of the race as each cars were accused of sandbagging during practice and qualifying by race control. Thus, the overall leader at the halfway point was the # 2 Honda driven by Derani followed by # 5, Scott Pruett in the Chevrolet Corvette DP with # 31, Simon Pagenaud in another Chevrolet Corvette DP as they completed 355 laps. The ultracompetitive GTLM class crossed the 12th hour with the # 68 Ferrari 488 GTE leading followed by the two Porsche’s # 911 Porsche 911 RSR then, # 912 Porsche 911 RSR with 350 laps completed. The Prototype Challenge class saw a modest lead by the # 85 JDC Miller Motorsports Oreca FLM09 over the # 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports team with 3rd place being the # 20 BAR1

#4 Corvettes (class GTLM winners) courtesy of Road and Track. Motorsports, all with 348 laps under wraps. Trailing behind the other classes were the GTD cars of # 23 Porsche 991 GT3 R followed in 2nd by # 98 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 then, # 30 Porsche 911 GT3. The overnight portion of the race saw all kinds of action with endless amounts of lead changes in the 4 different classes. Then came the ultimate finish after hours and hours of slicing and dicing between competitors. The finish will go down in history as arguably the best in

motorsports history. The overall winner was the # 2 Extreme Speed Motorsports Honda Ligier JS P2 as it crossed the line with Derani at the helm. He narrowly edged by after serving a penalty for speeding in the pits in the last 2 hours which almost cost them the race before rejoining the race to take the lead and ultimately taking the checkered flag with a total of 736 Laps completed and 29 pit laps. The crew along with drivers’ Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek, Ed Brown, Pipo Derani shared the win. They

# 85 JDC(PC class winner) courtesy of Road and Track. were closely followed by #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype with Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli, Jordan Taylor, Rubens Barrichello. Please note, Jordan Taylor returned for a brief stint towards the end after everyone thought he was done at the 9 p.m. mark the previous mark due to illness however, he was feeling ill as he stepped out the car to pass it onto Max Angelelli whom finished the race but, had to be hospitalized with an unknown medical issue. Both of these drivers

followed Ricky Taylor with complaints of fumes from inside the car. Nonetheless, they were about 27 seconds behind the winners. Third place, #90 Visit Florida Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype C h e v r o l e t w i t h Ry a n Dalziel, Marc Goosens, Ryan Hunter-Reay were about 1:27 behind the race winners but, they managed to stay on the lead lap. The GTLM class saw an epic battle between the Chevrolet Corvette’s. For a 24 hour race to come down to 00.034 (Continued on page 25)

Man City land Guardiola to drive European dream LONDON (Reuters) English Premier League club Manchester City have named Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola as their new manager from July, hoping the Spaniard can emulate the glory years he enjoyed at Barcelona. Manuel Pellegrini will leave the job on June 30 to make way for Guardiola, who has signed a three-year contract with City, the club said in a statement on Monday. The move ends months of speculation about the future of the charismatic Guardiola, one of the most sought-after coaches in the world. He had turned down a new contract with Bayern Munich last year and said he would quit at the end of the season. Guardiola, who turned 45 on Jan. 18, won 14 titles with Barcelona in a four-year coaching spell, including the Champions League in 2009. At Bayern, he won backto-back league titles and leaves with the side on course for a third. But his record is dimmed by the Bavarian club’s failure to bring home Europe’s top

club prize. They twice stumbled in the Champions League’s semi-final stage, losing heavily to Real Madrid in 2014 before being edged out by Juventus the following year. It has long been an open secret that Manchester City had their eyes on Guardiola to fire their own bid for European success having failed to make any impression in recent seasons since becoming one of the world’s richest clubs and twice winning the Premier League. Pellegrini, a Chilean who took over at City in 2013, said at a news conference on Monday that he would finish at the club on June 30. “There’s been lots of speculation, nothing done behind me but I don’t think it is good to have the speculation so that is why I told the press and the players,” he said, almost as an afterthought at the end of the session. City then issued a statement, saying the club wanted to remove “the unnecessary burden of speculation”.

Former Bayern Munich’s coach Pep Guardiola during the match. (Reuters/Fabian Bimmer) “Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focussed on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the Club,” City said. City currently stand second in the Premier League, three points behind surprise leaders Leicester City. They face Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Champions League. As a player, the Cataloniaborn Guardiola spent most of his career as a midfielder with Barcelona, winning the old European Cup in 1992 and four La Liga titles in a row from 1991 to 1994. He

went on the manage the club for four glorious years before taking a sabbatical and then taking the reins at Bayern in 2013. Guardiola’s record in the transfer market at Bayern was impressive, bringing players to the club who went on to become resounding successes such as Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara, Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman among others. He constantly rotated his side and made bold tactical changes, such as moving right back Philipp Lahm into midfield in the twilight of his career. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said last week the club would support Guardiola in his work until his last day there.

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Bel Air Rubis capture GFSCA/DCC U13 title By Zaheer Mohamed Bel Air Rubis defeated Everest Cricket Club by 14 runs to claim the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket A s s o c i a t i o n (GFSCA)/Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and Trophy Stall U13 title on Sunday night. Openers Umarie Lalbachan (01) and Shivanand Gosain (05) were removed by Mohamed Zameer and Usherteva Balgobin respectively as Bel Air Rubis were reduced to 92, batting first at DCC in front of a fair-sized crowd. H o w e v e r, M a n - o f - t h e match Andrew Samaroo and Hemnauth Dindyal resurrected the innings with a third wicket stand of 86 with level-headed batting on

a decent track. The pair defied some steady bowling as they gathered runs on both sides of the pitch. Samaroo struck five lovely fours before he was caught off Balgobin for 43, while Dindyal was lbw to Hemant Dalip for 25. Extras contributed 29; Balgobin finished with 3-13 and Zameer 1-20. Balgobin and Yeudistir Persaud added 23 for the opening stand to give their team a fine start before Persaud, one of the tournament’s leading run scorers was dismissed for the first time in the competition when he was run out for two. Balgobin and Nyron Bissu kept their team in the hunt with a second wicket stand of 24. While Balgobin was

The victorious Bel Air Rubis team. content to rotate the strike, Bissu signaled his intentions early when the drove Gosain handsomely to the cover boundary to get his innings

American Boss to feature in main event at Port Mourant Turf Club Meet With under a week to go before race day preparations have are going full steam ahead for the much talked about Port Mourant Turf Club grand one day horserace meet set for this Sunday at the Club’s entity Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice. Over 55 horses have been entered so far with over $4M in cash, trophies and other incentives up for grabs in the seven-race meet. A number of other sponsors have joined the bevy of sponsors already on board including Republic Bank, Rose Hall Branch, Peter Lewis Association Construction and Shaba Car Rental. They join other major sponsors in Banks DIH Limited, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, KP Jagdeo Construction, Fiesta G u i n n e s s B a r, I n s h a n Bacchus Trucking Service, Chester Fried Chicken of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, Anirude Construction, Sunil Chicken outlet of Rose Hall Market, Poonai Pharmacy of Rose Hall Town and Friends of Port Mourant Turf Club among others. Meanwhile, the much talked about American Boss is set and ready to do battle. The newly imported animal from the United States will be running out of the Jumbo Jet stable. The animal is expected to be a main attraction in the feature race which is open to all imported and locally bred hoses. The distance is 5Furlongs and the

American Boss of the Jumbo Jet Stable is set to feature. winner is set to take home $ 7 0 0 , 0 0 0 a n d t r o p h y. American Boss will be in a star studded field which includes Princess She’s Not, Plum Plum, Storm Bird, Big man Bass and Storm Mark. Among the other early entries lining up to compete in the other events are Midnight Blues, Goldikova, Silver Bell, Amazing Run, Princess Maya, Cat Messiah, Quiet storm and Monsoon, Rosetta, Chelsea, Birdman, Comprador, Settling Star, Bridle Stone Corner, Ready for Romance, She in control, Touch D road, Secret thinker, Party time, Affinity, Massaquita Dr, Liquid Lion, Red Region, Savion, Royal Stallion, Turn About, Smarty light, Speed Vision, Call She Royal, Magaline, Blondie, Royal Progressive and Iron man. The other events listed for the day are the: – The G and lower six and a half furlongs race which has a winning purse of $300,000 and trophy. There is the race for H1 and lower horses, with the

winner set to run away with $250,000 and trophy. The three year old maiden horses, bred and born in Guyana will be running a distance of five furlongs for a take home prize of $220,000 and trophy. The ‘J’ and Lower race will see the winner taking home $160,000.over 6F. The horses classified K and lower will be racing for a first prize of $140,000 and trophy over 6F. The final event is for animals classified L and Lower also over 6F for a winning take of $120,000 and trophy. The race will be run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA). For more information and entry details interested persons can contact, Kris Jagdeo on number 3220369, Rajendra (Jim-Jo) Jagdeo on 618-7278, Ramnauth on numbers 3375311 Fazal on 657-7010 or Dennis DeRoop on 6406396. Race time is 12:30hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

going. The right-handed Bissu continued to time the ball well and reached the boundary on two more occasions before he skied Dindyal to mid-off when on 21. His dismissal saw a change of fortune-Bel Air Rubis fought back with some tidy bowling, picking up the wickets of Kampta Seepersaud (04), Dalip (06) to leave Everest at 64-4. Runs gradually dried up as Dindyal who snared 2-14 and Rudranauth Kissoon

with 2-19 maintained a tidy line, giving their team the upper hand. With 21 needed from the final over, Everest only managed 11, losing Balgobin run out for 18 (2x4) and Zacharia Mootoo for seven. Andrea Boyce (08*) and Mohamed Zameer (01*) were the not out batmen as Everest finished on 91-6. President of the GFSCA Ramchand Ragbeer congratulated the players and the other participating

teams. He added that he was impressed with the talent on show and urged them to take the game seriously as well as their education. Managing Director of Bel Air Rubs Lalat Gainda who is also an executive member of the GFSCA said the future looks bright and pledged his continued s u p p o r t , w h i l e Caramchand Rambarran of Everest thanked the sponsors.

Roy Davis Memorial dominoes starts tomorrow

Organising secretary of the Georgetown Dominoes Association Mark Wiltshire (2nd left) and wife of the late Roy Davis, Lorna Davis display the first place trophy with members of the Providence team Randy Davis (left) and Sean Davis. The inaugural Roy Davis Memorial dominoes competition is set to commence from tomorrow at Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt. The competition is being hosted by the Providence Dominoes team with an entrance fee of $10,000. One re-entry will be a l l o w e d . Te a m s f r o m Bartica, East Coast

Demerara and Upper Demerara are expected to rival their Georgetown counterparts for a top prize of $130,000 and a trophy sponsored by Golyn and Sons. The runner up team will receive a trophy and $60,000 and third place $30,000. The most valuable player

in the final will pocket $5,000. For more information tams can contact Mark Wiltshire on 665-5855 or Sean Davis on 622-7161. The competition is being held in memory of former president of the East Bank Demerara Dominoes Association the late Roy Davis.

Tuesday February 02, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Basketball federation names 16 Clubs for Mega Mecca III -Defending champs, Pacesetters seeded number one By Edison Jefford The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has identified the 16 Clubs for the National Club Championships: The Road to Mecca III. The Championships will begin early in March, and conclude later that same month at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The federation identified the teams at a meeting Saturday evening. The structure that was used is lucid: the top eight teams from last year ’s Championships were automatic qualifiers based on the finishing positions last year. Another eight clubs were given a chance to participate in the national tournament following their performance within their respective sub-associations. These are deemed wildcard entrants, and as a result, will compete in the first round against the top eight. The tournament will be done using a knockout, win-

or-go-home format, which gives all teams, including the wildcard entrants, an opportunity to go deep in the Championships and ultimately bounce away with the historic title in Guyana’s Jubilee year. There is no doubt that every club will want to be recorded as the team that won a National Club Championship in Guyana’s Jubilee year. The historic occasion should be enough to galvanise the 16 clubs that are invited to play, and their communities, to trek to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall nightly in pursuit of an opportunity to be listed in the annals of history. Defending champions, Pacesetters enters the

Flashback! Defending champion, Pacesetters pose with the Championship Trophy and supporters last year after winning the National Club Championship at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

tournament as the number one ranked team with the runners-up, Colts ranked number two. L i n d e n ’s R e t r i e v e

UG Wolves school Police Falcons in GTT/GRFU 15’s league

unit played their hearts out making some good tackles and tangible runs, but lacked the finishing touch due to inexperience. Nether the less, it was Captain Daniel DeAbreu who muscled his way past the UG defensive line to give his team five points as he missed the conversion in the first half of the one sided game. The sudden down pour of rain couldn’t stop the show, as the UG Wolves extended their lead with scores from Rondel McArthur, Malcolm Rodgers and Ossie McKenzie with one try each.

the University of Guyana Trojans are ranked tenth. Georgetown’s Republic Bank Nets are listed as 11th; Smithfield Rockers and New Amsterdam Warriors are the two Berbice teams and are ranked 12th and 13th in the competition. Linden’s Bankers Trust Falcons and Block 22 Flames are ranked 14th and 15th, while Georgetown Eagles complete the 16 teams. Kaieteur Sport was told that the tournament will be launched this month

where further details on the draw will be disclosed. But given the rankings of teams, each club will already know who they will play in the Round-of 16, which is the first round before the Su p e r E i g h t o r quarterfinal. This means that the clubs have enough time to prepare for the Championships in March, as opposed awaiting the planned launch before they can commence preparations.

FIFA cuts off funding to scandal-hit Americas confederations

Action in the contest between the UG Wolves and Police Falcons in the GRFU, GTT Rugby 15’s League at the National Park Sunday. It was a good day for the UG Wolves as they trashed Police Falcons 64 -5 in the G u y a n a Te l e p h o n e Te l e g r a p h s p o n s o r e d Guyana Rugby Football Union fifteens Division one League on Sunday at the National Park. Godfrey Brooms, with four tries and one conversion along with Lancelot Adonis three tries and six conversions, lead the Assault as UG Wolves ran havoc on Police Falcons. Encouraged by their coach Troy Yhap on the sideline, the youngPolice

Raiders and Victory Valley Royals take the number three and four spots on the rankings respectively. The 2014 Champions, Ravens are ranked number five with Linden’s Half Mile Bulls rated sixth. Plaisance Guardians comes in at number seven while Pepsi Sonics rounds off the top eight clubs in the 2016 National Basketball Club Championships. Meanwhile, Linden’s Amelia’s Ward Jets comes in ranked number nine while

UG’s Coach Laurie Adonis was pleased with the result, but stated that the real test for UG Wolves is when they face Yamaha Caribs in their next game on Sunday. Police Falcons would play Pepsi Hornets on Saturday. Games slated for Saturday & Sunday start at four in the afternoon at the National Park Rugby field. The four teams competing in the tournament are UG Wolves, Police Falcons, Yamaha Caribs and Pepsi Hornets, while the tournament is sponsored by Telephone giant, GTT.

MIAMI (Reuters) FIFA has cut off funding to the c o r r u p t i o n - h i t confederations for football in the Americas, the global football body said on Monday, in a move which could cause future cash flow problems for the two organisations. The two bodies, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, have been at the centre of a corruption scandal that has engulfed world football and seen 41 individuals and entities charged in the United States on a variety of graft-related offences. “We can confirm that in light of current proceedings involving individuals related

A FIFA sign is seen outside the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland December 17, 2015. (Reuters/Ruben Sprich)

to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, FIFA has put contributions towards these two Confederations on hold until further notice,” said a FIFA spokesperson. “ We a r e c u r r e n t l y assessing further steps to be taken to increase the level of

assurance which may again enable FIFA to release such funds in the future.” A source close to CONCACAF said it had not received $10 million in p a y m e n t s f r o m F I FA , including expected World (Continued on page 25)

t r o Sp Stag Beer/WDFA/Derrick Josiah Memorial KO

Den Amstel topple Pouderoyen on PKs to take title; Eagles place third

Stag Beer Representative Sean Abel on right of trophy shares the winnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trophy with Den Amstel Captain Ryan Hunte as fellow players and supporters absorb the moment.

Hikers Hockey Club Stag Beer 7-a- Side Mixed Tournament

Global Tech inflict 5-0 drubbing on 704 Sports Bar to win title

Members of the two teams that contested the final pose for a photo op following the completion of the presentation ceremony on Sunday, at St. Stanislaus College ground.

FIFA cuts off funding to scandal-hit Americas confederations Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210