Monday January 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
When Maternity converts to Mortality — The enduring epidemic DEAR EDITOR, Sleeping while on duty is such an important issue that it is addressed in the employee handbook in some workplaces. Concerns that employers have may include the lack of productivity, the unprofessional appearance, and danger that may occur when the employee’s duties involve watching to prevent a hazardous situation. In some occupations, such as pilots, truck and bus drivers, or those operating heavy machinery, falling asleep while on duty could put lives in danger. Notice that I omitted nurses from the list, especially Obstetrical Nurses as the notion of falling asleep, while on duty instantly jeopardizes the lives of both mother and baby. So sleeping on duty should not form part of their activity while on duty. It is apparent that not only did the authorities fail to notify the employees of the consequences of sleeping on duty, but the perpetrators who deign to call themselves representatives of the Florence Nightingalean
genre, were totally unprofessional and disrespectful to the family, in making up their beds in full view of the relatives. There is so much wrong in this tragic scenario that it beggars description. Dare I ask where did these nurses complete their obstetrical training? In the wilds or were they destined to be veterinarians and eventually crossed over into dealing with humans? Again I must repeat (and at the risk of sounding trite) as a fully trained midwife, even the novice obstetric student knows the management plan that follows rupture of membranes (breaking of waters). When the amniotic sac ruptures, production of prostaglandins increases and the cushioning between the fetus and uterus is decreased, both of which processes increase the frequency and intensity of contractions.On occasion, with the rupture of membranes, particularly if the head is not engaged, the umbilical cord may prolapse. A cord prolapse is
an obstetrical emergency, as the descending head may block fetal-placental circulation. In addition, once the membranes are ruptured, bacteria may ascend and could lead to amnionitis and fetal infection. Another question that springs to mind, centers on whom was in charge of the Unit on that fateful night? Was everyone on duty a boss, left to her own whims and caprices? or is Guyana still practicing Third World Obstetrics where women in the Third World present a different prevalence of specific pathologies, give less attention to symptoms and to preventive measures, and the health system is usually not well adapted to respond to these characteristics. One of the main causes of Third World cause of death is lack of access to someone with knowledge and equipment for advanced resuscitation. This was not the case here.By golly! Have we not made any progress? Why not! Oh why not! Why the visitor was allowed to enter the delivery area especially since the mother was in established
We are once again being treated to updated promises DEAR EDITOR, Enough is enough! In one of the daily newspapers, I read that Minister Benn was saying that a new vessel will replace the Mv Kimbia and MV Northcote on the North West run. It is clear that this Government has dumped us Guyanese as brain amputees so they smile and tell us any old thing and go home satisfied that we have been fooled. Not anymore. Since the PPP was campaigning in the North West for the 1992 elections, they promised (I think Mr. Harripersaud Nokta was one of them) that we would get two new vessels on the route should they win. Well, it seems they did not win that election (maybe not, judging from the massive rigging that was perpetuated on our people). The steamer service to the North West has since deteriorated and we are once again being treated to updated promises. This is expected with elections coming up but it may at least be smart if the Government could promise something else
– we are fed up with the ‘steamer service’ story. Treat us like we have some common sense. The Kumaka waterfront project is still in limbo. Where will these spanking new boats berth? Foolish question! There will be no new boats, only more updated promises. Those boats will moor at the campaign rallies. This corrupt Government had enough time to make good on the promises. Instead we were treated to shoddy road works courtesy of the Freedom House friendly contractors. Check out the Koberimo Bridge contract which is not yet completed but the Contractor has been awarded more contracts. These fly by night Contractors seem to be churned out especially now with the need for campaign funding. At the end of the day, we are paying for those campaign handouts because we PAY TAXES and we did not authorise such loose spending. It has been mentioned that the Regional Democratic
Council in Region One is a mere rubber stamp. The top brass there are not even consulted on the works being conducted in the Region. Also, is there a General Register Office issuing Birth Certificates in Mabaruma? Just asking. And, by the way – where are the APNU and AFC representatives in Region One? Concerned Resident
labour, and to further compound the insult, even became saddled with the task of completing the third stage of labour — delivery of the placenta. Needless to say, for the lesser informed and nonobstetrically minded, this aspect of the delivery also has its consequences if mishandled.As one respected author stated: “This indeed is the unforgiving stage of labour, and in it, there lurks more unheralded treachery than in both the other stages combined. The normal case can, within a minute, become abnormal and successful delivery can turn swiftly to disaster. It is an important stage physiologically. Incidentally, did the Unit/ hospital have a supervisor on duty that night and other nights? If not, how is supervision conducted, especially to pregnant women who are
responsible not only for their own life but that of their yet unborn child? This epidemic of maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality must be halted forthwith. An immediate investigation both internal and external should be conducted by the General Nursing Council and all guilty parties should be relieved of their positions. The nurses in question, guilty of gross professional misconduct, should also have the matter passed over to their licencing bodies for disciplinary hearings.Acts that constitute a breach or abuse of the nurse/client relationship are considered professional misconduct, as is conduct that demonstrates a lack of integrity. In other words, a nurse’s conduct that is harmful in any way, or that undermines or detracts from the professional caring relationship with and for the client, is not consistent with expected
professional standards. I strongly recommend that they be stripped of their licence as their displayed behaviours have made them totally unworthy of the nomenclature nurse. The public, especially mothers-tobe must be protected from professional killers masquerading as nurses. On a conclusive note, perhaps it is time to review and/or revise the Nurses Code of Ethics, re-evaluate nursing standards and performance, provide a guide to the knowledge, skills, judgment and attitudes that are needed to practice safely; and above all, incorporate mandatory refresher courses for nurses especially those in Obstetrics. The manner in which this case is ultimately dealt with should send a strong message not only to mothersto-be but also to nurses. The struggle continues. Yvonne Sam
I am willing to provide my service for such an audit DEAR EDITOR, Two years ago I wrote a letter to Kaieteur News and Stabroek News begging our parliamentarian not to approve any funds for Guysuco unless there was a radical shakeup of the Board of Directors, and for Guysuco to present a plan of action on the way forward. Not being a person of any influence, the brilliant parliamentarians went ahead and approved billions of dollars for this company. The Government continues to support this failing industry and have put in a Board of Directors and a Chief Executive Officer who are incapable of leading this corporation. Now GAWU has seen the writing on the wall for Guysuco and is now trying to appear independent from the government. Did Komal Chand vote for the bailout for Guysuco? Now we have seen the brilliance of the leadership of the company. For short term results and to show that
Guysuco met its reduced target for 2014, we are told that they reaped young canes. Not only is that decision stupid and costly, but will reduce the production of sugar for this year, unless they plan to reap young canes again. It is therefore refreshing for Moses Nagamottoo, the AFC Vice Chairman and possibly Presidential Candidate to call for a forensic audit of Guysuco. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the United States and would be willing to provide my service for such an audit. While we are at audits, my recommendation is that we should also conduct forensic audits in each government ministry and department. These audits may be necessary to bring closure to any suspicions, and for us to have a new beginning. Charles Sugrim
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Kaieteur News
Brother of Sri Lankan ex-President accused of ordering murders of News Editor, others (Al Jazeera) Sri Lankan authorities are investigating a claim that the toppled President’s younger brother ran a “death squad” and ordered a high-profile newspaper editor ’s assassination, a police spokesman said. Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa ordered the hit on Lasantha Wickrematunga in January 2009, ex-Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva alleged in a formal complaint lodged with police on Saturday, the spokesman said. Wickrematunga was fatally shot in 2009, just days before he was due to testify in a defamation case Rajapaksa had filed against his paper, which had been highly critical of the thenruling family. “We have received a complaint that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was responsible for abductions, assaults and murder,” police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP news agency on Sunday. “Three murders have been mentioned and one is that of Lasantha Wickrematunga. He (Rajapaksa) is accused of running a death squad.”
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was defence minister in his brother’s government which lost the January 8 polls. Rohanna added. Rajapaksa could not be contacted for comment. Wickrematunga and his Sunday Leader newspaper were vocal critics of Rajapaksa’s administration, and had accused Gotabhaya of corruption over the purchase of second-hand aircraft and arms for the military. Sri Lanka calls for Rajapaksa probe At the time, the government denied it was behind Wickrematunga’s killing, but Saturday’s
complaint reopens the unsolved murder case. Since Mahinda Rajapaksa’s defeat during January 8 presidential elections, complaints have flooded a Sri Lankan antigraft commission alleging huge corruption by members of his administration. The ex-leader himself faces allegations that he tried to use military force and remain in office when it became clear during the vote count that he was headed for a defeat. ‘WHITE VAN ABDUCTIONS’ Sri Lanka has faced international criticisms over its dismal human rights record during the past decade, with rights groups accusing Rajapaksa of silencing critics and dissidents. In his complaint, Silva also said Gotabhaya was the “architect of white van abductions”. Being “whitevanned” became synonymous with abductions in Sri Lanka after dozens of people were abducted in white vans, their dead bodies later dumped by the road. The tactic was widely reported to be used by security forces against opponents during and after the island’s drawn-out Tamil separatist conflict, which ended in May 2009. Scores of independent journalists and political dissidents are still living abroad in exile. R a j a p a k s a ’ s administration also faced allegations that his troops killed at least 40,000 Tamil civilians while crushing Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the final stages of the ethnic war. The new government of Maithripala Sirisena has promised reparations and a domestic investigation into war time atrocities committed by security forces.
Monday January 19, 2015
Political analyst recommends mass protest to force elections date
Protest action erupted following Parliament’s closing, but that did not last By Zena Henry Political analyst and former Presidential Advisor, Ramon Gaskin, has called for Guyanese to engage in mass protest action to force the holding of General Elections. The Russian-trained Attorney and Consultant believes that peaceful demonstrations should be a daily feature to demand General Polls from, “this currently illegal government.” Gaskin reiterated to Kaieteur News yesterday, that the government is “illegally holding on to power,” and that President Donald Ramotar’s move to prorogue (close Parliament) the National Assembly also constitutes an illegality. In this light, Gaskin opined that citizens should show their disgust and demand a date for elections. President Ramotar had reasoned that in a bid to save the work of the Tenth Parliament he had no choice but to prorogue the House of Assembly, since the Combined Opposition; A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) were bent on a vote of no-confidence against his Administration. But Gaskin believes that the President illegally prorogued Parliament since he did not do it under normal circumstances. The prorogation of Parliament means that there are no sittings or discussions in the House, and that the majority holding Opposition is unable to represent its supporters in Parliament. Gaskin said that the Opposition’s intent to vote the Ramotar-led Administration out of power is a clear indication that the government has lost the confidence of the National Assembly, but they (opposition) were denied the right to physically express it
when Parliament was closed. He said that prorogation is a “reserved right” of the President, but this right could only be used under normal circumstances and “not when the House has no confidence in your Administration and is seeking to vote you out.” Gaskin reiterated that Under Article 106 (6) of the Constitution, it states that “The Cabinet, including the President, shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” In this case Gaskin charged the President cannot use his right to prorogue, to obstruct the work of Parliament stated by the Constitution. He reasoned therefore that the government itself is also illegal. “They are all (government) illegal,” he told the newspaper. He said that all opposition parties should therefore, “declare the President’s action illegal and declare the government illegal also.” He said they should also demand that the President give an election date “forthwith”. In Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, where it says “...the National Assembly shall by resolution, supported by no less than two thirds of the members, determine and shall resign after the President takes oath of office following elections,” Gaskin emphasized that ‘shall’ in this case, makes it mandatory for the Government to resign if it is defeated. He said also that while 106 (7) also speaks of the ‘resolution,’ the government cannot claim that there was none, since the President was the one to prorogue Parliament and prevented any further work of the National Assembly. “I would support any peaceful protest,” Gaskin
Former Presidential Advisor Ramon Gaskin charged. “I support peaceful action to force this government to call elections and to stop fooling around.” In December 2014, President Ramotar said he would be setting a date for elections this year. He gave no specific time as to when this would be done. Prior to that, President Ramotar had warned the opposition that should they go ahead with the no-confidence vote he would close Parliament. With no indication from the Opposition parties that they would back off of the noconfidence vote, the President prorogued Parliament a week after his warning. He then hoped that the Opposition would have discourse during what he called Parliament’s ‘cool out’ period. A frustrated opposition declared and maintained no talks outside of Parliament. They gave stern warnings however that the government should not enter into any projects during prorogation since they would be unable to monitor what was happening. Many members of the international community have expressed concern about President Ramotar’s actions, while urging him to set an election date soon.
Monday January 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Brazil ‘outraged’ by Indonesia drug trafficking execution Brazil says it is “outraged” by the execution of one of its citizens in Indonesia for drug trafficking. Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, 53, was arrested in 2003 after police at Jakarta airport found 13.4 kg of cocaine hidden in his hang glider. Brazil says he was the first Brazilian national to be executed abroad and has warned it will damage relations. Five other convicts from Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam and the Netherlands, were executed on yesterday. Convicted of drugs charges, they faced a firing squad in Central Java province shortly after midnight local time. Five were executed on the island of Nusa Kambangan and the other one, a Vietnamese woman, was executed in the small central Javanese town of Boyolali. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement that she was “outraged and dismayed”. “Relations between the two countries have been affected,” said Ms Rousseff. “The Brazilian ambassador to Jakarta has been recalled for consultations,” she added. The Netherlands has also recalled its ambassador, after Foreign Minister Bert Koenders called the execution of Dutch citizen Ang Kiem Soe, 52, “an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity”. Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. The country resumed executions in 2013 after an unofficial fouryear moratorium. T h e c o u n t r y ’s A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l Muhammad Prasetyo said “hopefully, this will have a deterrent effect”. President Joko Widodo has said that he will show no mercy towards drug criminals because they have ruined the lives of so many. Ms Rousseff had made a plea for clemency on Friday, but it was rejected by Mr Widodo. She told her Indonesian counterpart that she respected the sovereignty and
Marco Moreira was sentenced to death by an Indonesian court in 2004 for drug trafficking offences judicial system of his country but as a mother and head of state she was making the appeal for humanitarian reasons. Brazil says Mr Widodo said he understood the Brazilian president’s concern but said he could not commute the sentence as the full legal process had been followed. Human rights group Amnesty International urged the Indonesian government to halt executions immediately, and eventually abolish the death penalty. The executions mark the first use of the death penalty since Mr Widodo took office in October Moreira said in a video recorded by a friend that he regretted trying to smuggle cocaine into Indonesia. “I am aware that I committed a serious offence, but I believe I deserve another chance. Everyone makes mistakes.” A second Brazilian national, Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte, remains on death row in Indonesia, also convicted with drug trafficking offences. Brazil abolished the death penalty in times of peace when it became a republic in 1889.
Ebola crisis: Mali says it has no more cases Mali’s Health Minister says the country is now free of the Ebola virus, after 42 days without a new case of the disease. “I declare this day... the end of the epidemic of the Ebola virus in Mali,” said Ousmane Kone. The last Ebola-infected patient in Mali recovered and left hospital in early December. Latest figures show the three We s t African countries worst affected have all seen a decline in new Ebola cases. Sierra Leone and Guinea both recorded the lowest weekly total of confirmed Ebola cases since August, according to UN figures on Thursday. Liberia, which reported no new cases on two days last week, had its lowest weekly total since June. The overall death toll has
reached 8,429 with 21,296 cases so far. Mali recorded its first case of Ebola in October, when a two-year-old from Guinea fell ill and died. At its worst, there were 300 contact cases under
investigation in the country. But the country has now “come out” of the epidemic, said Ibrahima Soce Fall, the head of the Malian office of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.
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Kaieteur News
Monday January 19, 2015
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Kaieteur News
Monday January 19, 2015
West Berbice farmer struck dead on road (From page 19)
WANTED Salesgirls & porters; apply with written application at Best Buy Food Supplies @ Lot 1E Dennis & Middleton Street Campbellville. 1 live in domestic to work in Mahaicony River & driver for tractor, must know about rice – Call: 644-6905; 225-6571 One experienced cook to work in snackette- Call: 2230955; 697-4326 (between 9am-5pm) One barber, nail technician & hairdresser – Call: 2255360; 625-7844; 687-7566 1 Live in domestic or maid to work; salary $50,000 monthly; age 25-45 - Call: 675-7043; 688-5409 or 6645199 Hairstylists and Braidists needed at salon in Tortola. 5+ years working experience. E m a i l bvisalonowner@gmail.com or call 1-284-543-6822 One cook for family in the interior – Tel: 691-6260 Sales clerk to work @ Nanda’s Boutique 223 Camp St. Next to Shell Gas Station, apply with application 2 Experienced salesgirls, $18,000 per week – Call: 2239677 between 8am-5pm Experienced Roti/Puri Cooks, Pastry makers, cleaners – apply @ Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street. One live-in maid; must know to cook; preferably from country area – Tel: 691-6260 Part time domestic to work on East Bank near Harbour Bridge, must know to cook well - Phone: 669-8260 Urgently needed; attractive waitresses - Tel: 686-3116 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 One able bodied male clerk @ Tatabu Trading Enterprise – Call:225-2313; 226-1497 Porters wanted to work at grocery stalls @ Stabroek Market – Tel:226-9800 1 Female cleaner; apply @ Technical Services Lot 1823 Industrial Site Eccles. One live in handyman to work in G/Town – Call: 6645199; 675-7045 Salesgirl to work in Georgetown, between ages 25-35 - Call: 674-1767, 6422994, 675-7043 1 Live in domestic between age 30-45, salary $60,000 monthly – Call: 674-1767; 661-1301 Drivers for canter lorry to sell water - $25,000 & Porter to work on water truck$18,000 (WCD) Call:6848231; 629-4236.
WANTED Office clerk senior clerk/ junior CXC English / Mathematics an Asset –Call: 219-5354 One Accounts Clerk – Tel:627-2550; 699-7782 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call: 219-5354 Mon-Sat between 8:15-4:15 Live in Husband and wife Driving & domestic duties, excellent rates - Tel:227-1830 One couple to work on live stock farm, one live in cook Tel: 614-2464; 612-2057; 2251276 Professional staff to work in variety / cosmetics store @ East Coast. Commission structure & salary – Call: 6013679; 642-1141 One live in experienced waiteress - $50,000-$60,000, boarding & lodging free – Call: 610-5043 1 Puri & roti cook, must be able to work from 5:00am, apply in person @ 53 David Street Kitty Buying old vintage stamps, stamp collection and coins, any amount – Call: 690-7958; 642-9535
TO LET 1 Flat 3 bedroom concrete house telephone and prepaid GPL, Yard space for 1 vehicle Call: 618-8847; 613-6711
PROPERTY FOR SALE Land with small concrete house; for sale in Grove over 8,000 Sq. Ft. Call: 612-4030; 216-2759 2 Bedrooms flat concrete house and land furnished located @ Ocean View, Uitvlught West Coast Demerara – Price $3.7M. Call: 687-0930 Commercial Properties on Regent Street (double & single lot, Size: 81X113 & 41X115- Call: 223-8479/6473768 or www.spaceseek.gy Executive house in Bel Air Park waiting to be designed by you - Call: 223-8479/6473768 or www.spaceseek.gy Double lot property 33A Lamaha Street, Newtown Kitty – Just off Vlissengen Road –Contact: 231-4691 Executive houses located in Georgetown, E.C.D & E.B.D - Call: 223-8479/647-3768 or www.spaceseek.gy Large house lot @ Zeeburg; fenced; bearing fruit trees; front & rear access - Call: 277-0024; 684-6106 One concrete two storey building; nine bedrooms @ Samatta Point, Grove E.B.D Tel: 602-3585 Houses & house lots for sale in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities, located @ Eccles E.B.D – Tel:2272913; 683-3033 House and land for sale @ Buzz- A-Bee-Dam, Craig E.B.D – Call: 266-2381 MonFri between 5:30-8:30pm Spacious 4 bedrooms two storied house, two large lots @ Zeeburg area, all amenities, move-in condition Call: 277-0024; 684-6106
TO LET Three bedrooms upper flat concrete building, parking $70,000 monthly @ Block 8 Agriculture Road E.C.D – Call: 687-1050 3 bedrooms bottom flat fully grilled @ Diamond New Scheme, E.B.D – Call: 2162972; 622-3021 One flat, 4 self contained bedrooms in a gated community (Versailles) on the West Coast of Demerara. Contact: 658-1328
Cash crop farmer, Megnauth ‘Bazaar’ Seetaram, 62, lost his life shortly after noon on Saturday after he was struck by a vehicle on the Number 8 Village Road, West Coast Berbice. According to his sister, Parbattie Singh, her brother was cycling to his farm at Cotton Tree, WCB when he was struck by the driver of a “speeding Tundra,” which was heading in the opposite direction. He died on the spot. “Me hear he was on the road waiting to cross the road and a Tundra knock he
down,” Singh said. “He was riding a bicycle going to his farm at Number 8 Village.” Seetaram lived alone and has a 33- year- old son, Rajendra Seetaram. Ambika Singh, his niece, related that her uncle was “a very quiet and friendly person…very easy going— doesn’t drink and so.” She noted that he was a farmer all his life. The body is awaiting a post-mortem exam at the Fort Wellington mortuary, while the driver, who hails from Georgetown, was taken into custody.
DEAD: Megnauth ‘Bazaar’ Seetaram
ASL, Trans Guyana biggest... From page 9 inspection service with COCESNA (Central American Corporation for Air Navigation Services) along with extensive coordination with aircraft operators to continue uninterrupted services, while the new VOR/ DME (refers to combined radio navigation station for aircraft) was commissioned for use. Routine flight inspection of the Instrument Landing System was successfully completed while the PAPI at Ogle International Airport existing instrument approach charts were revised and new charts designed for the new VOR/DME. An Aeronautical Telecommunication Network of the South American Region (REDDIG II) node was installed. The equipment will be commissioned on completion of installation in all the South American countries. There were 71,009 aircraft movements in the National Airspace up to December 15, last year, as compared to 70,903 at the end of 2013. There were also some challenges with respect to the suspension of three licenses. AIR SAFETY REGULATIONS The directorate continued its routine task during the year with respect to the Renewal of Certificate of Airworthiness, Aircraft Spot Inspection, approved Training Organisation Audit, ATO Training Programme
Audit, Approved Maintenance Organisation Audit, Air Operator Certificate Holder Organisation Audit, Aircraft Records Inspection, and Aircraft Ramp Inspection. The GCAA was assisted its flight operations functions by CASSOS, and to Foreign Operations Specifications was issued to Copa Airlines, Insel Air Aruba N.V and Insel Air International B.V. Two new aerodromes were licenced, and licences for six private domestic aerodromes were renewed, while licences for 57 Government-owned aerodromes were renewed. Three operators were issued with Air Operator’s Certificate: Hinterland Aviation Inc., Domestic Airways and Golden Arrow Airways, while
six aircraft were imported and placed on the Guyana register with certificates of airworthiness issued to them. These included a new Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, which was added to JAGS Aviation. Meanwhile, the CJIA and Ogle International Airport were inspected, and their licences renewed, while the Caribbean Airlines Accident Report was completed and released during 2014. The project to achieve compliance with the requirements of ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) has commenced and the target is the achievement of an acceptable level of effective implementation (70%) by December.
MARAD records fewer... (From page 17) registration and licensing. This new requirement is designed to enhance the safety standards within MARAD. With effect from January 1, 2015, vessels operating in Guyana will be required to be fitted with a whistle or any other sound signalling appliance capable of producing the prescribed blasts. Vessels are also required to be fitted with navigational lights and shall be exhibited from sunset to sunrise and from sunrise to sunset during conditions of restricted visibility. The department will also continue dredging of the main ships channel and other facilities within the Harbours of Georgetown. The mouth of the Cuyuni River Zone was surveyed by the Hydrographic surveyors for the mining Company Sandspring Inc. Acquire a modern portable Echo Sounder for the Hydrographic Section. Among the projections for this year is also docking of vessels operating under the department; the M. L Thompson and M.L Kakabelli; both vessels are scheduled for repairs.
UG valedictorian is a humble... (From page 13) closest to me, my mother, my siblings, my father, friends and girlfriend. Everyone closest to me, the extent to which it made them proud, that was the most pleasing and most satisfying part.” As for the $1M he received from Mr. Stanford Solomon of King Solomon’s, Joel says he will invest ‘’productively’’ to ensure that it aids in his future pursuits. Joel said that the magnanimous gesture by Solomon took him by surprise, ‘’but it was much appreciated, it still is much appreciated and I am much grateful for this largesse.’’ He also expressed gratitude to his parents, Carlotta and David Joseph, his siblings and close friends and fellow past students.
Monday January 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 VACANCY Admin Assistant, within the vicinity of E.B.D & W.B.D. Must be well spoken & have 5 CXC subjects including: Maths & English. Email: snow198390@hotmail.com
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL: CARS & SUV FOR RENTAL-$4,000&UPPERDAYCALL: 643-5122, 219-3900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
International Cruiseline Purser officers, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionists, storekeepers, cleaners, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, cosmetologists etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl, office assistant & handyman- Call: 695-9880; 669-4755 Waitresses to work at a Bar at Agriculture Road –E.C.DTel:612-2522 Cashier, pump attendant, cleaner. Send application to Shell Ramsburg, Providence E.B.D Night Shift Supervisor, email-shellramsburg @gmail.com or Shell Ramsburg, Providence E.B.D One male security guard for the night - Contact: 2258205 One Brazilian cook needed to work at a new grill – Call: 6618814; 651-3544 Security guard/handyman to work night shift only @ Cool Square Inn; 635- Dairy Street Ruimveldt – Tel: 225-7407. Restaurant: Kitchen, dining, bar & office clerk, accountant. Apply in person to 176 Middle St. Georgetown. Chef and cook to work shift @ 44 Public Road Kitty – Tel: 231-1908/12 Bond clerk, Cleaner, Accounts Clerk, Waitress/ Waiter, Security Officer & Engineer; interested persons can contact: 603-4094 1 Female Sales representation, between ages 18-25, must attain atleast two CXC Subjects - Contact: 227-1042
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table – Tel: 277-0578
Certificate in: Cosmetology, nails, wig designs, early child care/ care for elderly classes commence February Call: 666-5241/ 619-7603
Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS-CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822 Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, washing machines, AC Units- Call Lindon on 641-1086; 694-2202 Services & repairs to gas stoves, washing machines, electric stoves, deep fryers Call: 688-0183 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING AND ESTIMATES FOR ONLY $15,000- CALL:6949843/227-2766 Vyper Sound System/Studio: Hire, all events, recording of songs, building of Rhythms, etc – Tel:265-3586, 603-9074 Need professional counselor & social worker- Tel: 686-3421 HEALTH Money Back guarantee; cleaner, clearer younger looking skin in two weeks, also flatter stomach – Call: 684-9409; 699-4211 CAKES & PASTRIES Enroll Now! Cake Decoration, cakes & Pastries, floral arrangement- Classes start February 9th Contact Sharon: 223-3303; 672-8768; 612-4193
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Promix BX with microrize $10,500 per bag; ask for Rayman - Call: 615-2346; 6280200, 263-5300 T/Alteeza Benz C200, Sale! Spacio, Used T212 – Tel:6793140 Generator – 65KVA Perkins 4236 Engine – Tel: 623-9761
FOR RENT
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.
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PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) & MORE, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 3 Bedrooms house at 19 Goedverwagting. E.C.D opposite Pradoville, 2 months deposit upfront. Call: 222-9098 or 614-9516 for details Two/Three/Four bedrooms houses located at Durban Backlands & Georgetown Call: 223-8479/ 647-3768 or www.spaceseek.gy Prime business place for offices on Sheriff Street - Call: 627-6740 One apartment for rent @ Lot 10 Mon Repos ECD, First Street – Call: 220-7330 Commercial buildings & Bonds available right now Call: 223-8479/647-3768 or www.spaceseek.gy Executive houses & apartments - Tel: 223-8479; 647-3768 www.spaceseek.gy 1 Upper flat 3 bedrooms apartment @ Ixora Ave. Eccles - $80,000, available February 2015, serious enquiries - Contact: 2332583 or 601-7229 For persons seeking houses to and for persons to rent their homes – Call: 696-9746 Properties for rent for business purposes only @ 23 Saffon Street Charlestown & 164 Alexander Street Kitty – Call Devon: 663-1876 & 6785721
MASSAGE Happy Touch Day Spa: Come & Experienced heavens touch, visit us today! – 668-4554
Lincoln 500 AMP diesel welders with Perkins 4 cylinder engine - Tel#650-0402 Transformer: 25KVA industrial single phase 480/ 240/120V U.S.A PAD MOUNTED– Tel: 623-9761 Panel/Fancy Glass Doors @ HADCO in Bagotstown Public Road, Next to Harbour Bridge Mall – Call: 233-6743 400 LB Cat guts, 5 inch for sale: 695-9860; 698-8998 Plastic shipping Barrel$6,000; XBOX One $100,000; Nintendo DS $15,000; PSP - $20,000 - Tel: 603-8643/ 621-7497 One brand new fishing boar 56 feet length; 12 feet in width and 7 feet depth - Call: 671-0329 Cat 320 CL 2005 only 3800HRs sold as is, cash offer only, must go – Contact Azim: 660-3235 XBOX 360: 250GB, 2 Controller 3 games - $65,000, 4Gb, 2 controllers, 3 games & kinect - $65,000 – Call:6838386 Dell/Hp computers with 19" LCDs - $55,000, CPU - $35,000, laptops - $65,000 @ Fututetech-231-2206 Games for PS2, PS3, XBOX360, WII, consoles also available – Call: 6722566, 265-3232 Original pools table cloth, balls, pocket cuestick, rubber, coinshute, chalk spring, chalk holder, coins– Call: 6699927
LAND FOR SALE 1500 Acres Transported Land @ Bartica 2 ¾ miles River Front, Virgin Rock, Quarry Resort – Call Mark: 704-465-2222/603-1266 House Lots in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities @ Eccles, 60X100 - $7.5M. (Special prices) – Call: 227-2913; 6833033 Eccles: Commercial lots for sale at Eccles – Tel:227-2913. Cell: 683-3033 1. Parika, Peter Street; 2. Blankenburg, behind gas station lot size: 75’X76' (3 parcels)= Contact 650-0402 Located in Republic Gardens, Peters Hall, E.B.D. Interest person – Contact: 231-5359 or 672-7189 Lot 12 Mon Repos E.C.D – Tel: 220-7330
DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM A i d a n ’s C a r & P i c k u p rental, cheap rate, low security - Tel:698-7807; 690-6494
Toyota Voxy to register in ‘B’ fully loaded never registered - $2.1M – Call: 617-2891 Nissan Titan for sale; immaculate condition, owner leaving country - Call: 641-4556 Toyota Spacio, Body Kit, Rims, spoiler, CD player; never registered - $2.1M – Call: 617-2891 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma - Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms - Call: 680-3154 1 Honda 600RR, Toyota 212, 192, 170, Allion, Vitz, Starlet, AE100 Sprinter, Honda CRV Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 GPP Tacoma SUZ engine, stick gear, 4WD price - $2.3M negotiable – Call: 617-7113
ACCOMMODATION Harmony Inn Apartments: comfortable & clean apartments & rooms - $5000, $6,000 & $7,000 – Tel:6680306; 218-1400; 694-7817. Your luxury hideaway……
EDUCATIONAL Balloon Decorating Classes. January 31st – Call: 225-3133 or 613-7513 for more information & registration Earn a certificate in cosmetology or nails alone. Call Miss Jenny: 225-5360; 625-7844; 687-7566 9 Courses Diploma In computers: offices 2013, IT $30,000 @ Micrographics , Vreed-En-Hoop: 264-3057 Computerized Accounting Quick Books; Peach Tree; Excel 2013 @ Micrographics , Vreed-En-Hoop: 264-3057
CAR RENTAL
VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Prado, Price$5.5M Neg. Call: 643-2403
Alliance Francaise Of Guyana: French, beginners & Conversation @ 276 B Peter Rose St. QueenstownTelephone: 226-0854; 6827943; 614-7165;226-1897 FOR SALE/FOR RENT 1 Flat concrete house with 5 bedrooms & 2 toilet & bath, concrete fence & grill @ 19 Ave Diamond Housing Scheme - Call: 641-2593/ 6627732
One Toyota Marino with A Race Ready 4Age siloer top engine - $1.1M Neg. – Call:676-8023 1 Pitbull minibus, stick gear, BPP series, mag rims- $2.2M neg. Call: 673-7652 1 Mit Lancer PKK Series; good condition - Contact: 683-0150 6X6 Truck & 6X6 long front alligator tractor in excellent condition – price $5.5M – Call: +1-347-865-3762, 6677512, 619-5784 One Toyota Hilux 1988-22R Engine, Solid differential asking - $350,000 “as is, where is” - Tel: 699-1546 Mitsubishi Lancer car (lady driven) owner leaving country - Call: 638-3203 Unregistered Premio, Bluebird Sylphy, 07 Fielder, 06 Allion, Axela Sports; Best Grade & Best Prices – Call: 616-3413; 692-6159 City’s Motor’s One Toyota Tundra - Tel: 6023585 1 RZ mini bus GHH series, 1170 car, 1 3Y engine – Call: 604-9400; 667-4178 Cheapest: VVTI & 1RZ Stick gear, automatic buses, front view property in Bougainvillea Park, E.B.D for sale. Call: 616-7635
TO LET Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218 (Continued on page 18)
Monday January 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
Failed govt. projects show poor planning, waste of tax $$$ Catastrophic ventures such as the Amaila Falls hydro project, the airport expansion project, the specialty hospital, Marriot Hotel, the fibre-optic cable project, the Solid Waste Management project, the Hope Canal project and the Skeldon Sugar Factory were highlighted by long time politician Moses Nagamootoo as he sought to drive home his point that the government “has failed us.” He pointed to “the mess we see with the East Bank and East Coast four lane roads” as tangible evidence of poor integrated and strategic planning and said that the PPP’s “Rhodes scholars” have clearly failed Guyana at a time when the country’s public debt would have topped the $400 Billion Guyana dollar mark. The Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament was at the time speaking about government’s failure in the sense of wasting taxpayers’ money on botched projects as a result of poor planning and “fly-by-night” ideas. He was also responding to Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn who condemned the AFC parliamentarian for comments he made on the recently sourced US$50M through an Indian Line of credit. The money the Guyana Government borrowed from India is expected to fund two major project—the East BankEast Coast of Demerara road link, and a ferry to be used in the North West District area. Nagamootoo had told the media that he is worried that Guyana is being plunged into further debt through a deal that may not have been thought out and fine tuned enough. The MP had stated that he has no doubt that Guyana is badly in need of a road joining the East Coast and the East Bank of Demerara as there is an obvious congestion problem. He said however, that there is much more to be considered before jumping into a project. “We must also consider the methods by which we go about looking for loans to build infrastructure and that has to do with these fly by night ideas that are being floated.” He added that proper conceptualization, consultations and feasibility studies are needed. But Nagamootoo’s comments were labeled “disappointing, confusing and tragicomic” by Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn In a letter to Kaieteur News, Benn also expressed
- AFC’s Nagamootoo
Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn
AFC Vice-Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo
disappointment that the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project was mentioned by Nagamootoo negatively in the article and also dubbed a fly-by-night arrangement. Benn gave his views on why he thought the (CJIA) expansion project is good for Guyana and added that the sourcing of the loan from India is a good move. However, at AFC’s most recent press conference, Nagamootoo said that his Party is watching keenly the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government has been clinching new deals and signing off on more loans even as Parliament remain prorogued. “But when I urged that government should plan first and borrow later, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn responded with a slanted interpretation of my reaction to the new US$50 million loan for an East Coast/East Bank Demerara road link.” At that forum, Nagamootoo reiterated that Guyana is badly in need of the proposed road “as there is an obvious congestion problem.” He said that contrary to the picture painted by Benn that made it seem as if AFC is opposed to the road, “the only thing I questioned was the way in which this fleetfooted minority government runs around and picks up new debts without any strategic and technical studies,
planning, designs and consultation on the projects for which the borrowed monies are sought. Nagamootoo said that the writing is clearly on the wall that the PPP administration has a planning problem as Guyana has over the past few years been witnessing the results of ill-conceived projects and those that lacked proper planning. He mentioned arrangements like those with Fip Motilall “to build a road to the proposed Amaila falls, which initially was going nowhere, but ended in Guyana being swindled of billions of dollars.” Nagamootoo said that lack of proper technical data resulted in road-building machines being lost in swamps, and “at least two contractors went belly-up as they lacked capacity to navigate the unchartered terrain. For the hydro project, we never were provided with the technical studies undertaken by the IDB and, whilst the regime was allocating billions
more for the project, we dramatically saw that the falls had dried up.” Nagamootoo said that “Benn would have been agitated as I mentioned how a deal for an $8 billion loan for airport modernization was contracted ...At no time did we say that a longer runway was not needed... What we scoffed at was a new terminal building at this time when, not so long ago, we had expended some $6 billion on “modernization” of the said airport.” The politician said that the government knows very well that loans without proper project profiles would take Guyana down the road it traversed with crippled schemes such as the Specialty hospital. “That debacle saw us throwing away $900 million dollars on a fly-by-night contractor, who was accused by the regime itself with fraud after denying and distorting up-front criticisms” said Nagamootoo. He added that that the behaviour clouds other mega projects such as the Marriot hotel, the multibillion fibre-optic programme, the Solid Waste Management project, the Hope Canal project, etc. To the list of poorly executed projects should be added the $47 billion squandered on the Skeldon Sugar Factory and on GPL to plug line and technical losses, for which no satisfactory accounts for bail-out funds have been provided.” Nagamootoo said that the government, unfortunately, continues to pump billions of borrowed monies on roads, for which no notice has been given to parliament or funds allocated for pre-project studies.
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Sheriff Street US$24M expansion to start this year A key project to upgrade the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue link is expected to commence in the first quarter of this year, Government has announced. According to Coordinator of the Works Services Group, Geoffrey Vaughn, an evaluation report for the selection of contractor has been completed and forwarded to the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), for its no-objection for the award of contract. Government has been working on the project for a number of years after it became clear that the Sheriff/ Mandela link was becoming too congested. It is the plan to upgrade the entire Sheriff Street to the National Cultural Centre. From the National Cultural Centre, a four-lane road will run to the Banks DIH Junction, at Thirst Park. The roadway links the East Bank to East Coast of Demerara and is a key artery in the city and home to growing shopping centres and entertainment spots. The seven mile road project will cost Guyana at least US$24M. With regard to the East Bank Berbice road which had sparked protests over its condition, Vaughn said that the feasibility studies have been completed for Phase 2 Stanleytown to Everton and is at present awaiting approval from the IDB for the Ministry to proceed with tendering. Feasibility studies are also being conducted for Canal Number 1 road, Canal Numbers 2 road and the West Bank Demerara road. This is expected to be completed in February 2015. The upgrade of the road from Grove to Timehri, East Bank Demerara is also gathering steam with the feasibility studies completed and awaiting final submission by Consultant CEMCO/EXP.
The East Bank Berbice Road Expansion Project has two components, a Government release said. Under Phase One, which falls under the Government of Guyana (GOG), works have commenced already in terms of the contract’s mobilising. This contract is from the Everton to Mara area, according to Vaughn. Vaughn also indicated that there is also another area from Stanleytown, going back to the New Amsterdam area that is being studied right now. He explained that at present, the Ministry is focusing on the New Amsterdam to Stanleytown area in terms of road works, but later works will progress in other areas. Meanwhile, the Caribbean Development Bank- funded West Coast Demerara (WCD) road project from Vreed-enHoop to Hydronie has been awarded to BK International, in collaboration with Surrey Contracting of Jamaica. This contract was awarded in late November, 2014. Vaughn said that the Ministry is hoping for full mobilisation on this project to take place this year. He also disclosed that with regard the LindenLethem road, nothing has been worked out for this project. He explained that the government is still looking at a way forward, in terms of moving that project, and that the Ministry is hoping that this year it will be finalised. The Ministry will also place focus on an urban transport study. Vaughn explained that this study will develop a specific diagnostic of the urban transport situation, problems and trends, and provide recommendations on matters of public transport infrastructure, operations, financing and institutional organisation.
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Kaieteur News
Monday January 19, 2015
Suspected Boko Haram fighters ‘Israel strike’ kills Hezbollah kidnap around 80 in Cameroon men in Syria’s Golan Heights
(Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram Islamist fighters from Nigeria kidnapped around 80 people, many of them children, and killed three others yesterday in a cross-border attack on villages in northern Cameroon, army and government officials said. The group, which has killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in its bid to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has also targeted Cameroon and Niger over the past year as it seeks to expand its zone of operations. Yesterday’s kidnappings, among the largest abductions on Cameroonian soil, came as neighbouring Chad deployed troops to support Cameroon’s forces in the area. “According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted,” a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told Reuters. He said the early morning attack had targeted the village of Mabass and other villages along the porous border. Soldiers intervened and exchanged fire with the raiders for around two hours, he added. Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma confirmed the attack, in which he said three people had been killed, as well as the kidnappings. He was not able to say with certainty how many people had been taken in the raid. “There was a Boko Haram attack on several localities in the Far North region. The assailants burnt down about 80 homes and kidnapped several inhabitants including
women and very young children,” he said. In an attack that gained worldwide attention last year, its fighters kidnapped around 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria. It has stepped up attacks in the region as Africa’s biggest economy prepares for a Feb. 14 presidential election. In a video posted online this month, a man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to step up violence in neighbouring Cameroon unless it scraps its constitution and embraces Islam. Faced with increased violence along the border, Yaounde has deployed thousands of additional troops, including elite soldiers, to the area. A convoy of troops from Chad arrived in Maroua, the main town in Cameroon’s FarNorth Region, to support the fight against Boko Haram, late on Saturday, Cameroon defence ministry spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck said on Sunday. Chad has a reputation as one of the region’s best militaries and helped French forces drive al Qaeda-linked Islamists from northern Mali in 2013. Government officials in N’Djamena say the deployment to Cameroon includes around 2,000 soldiers, armoured vehicles and attack helicopters. Ghana’s President John Mahama, who currently heads West African bloc ECOWAS, told Reuters on Friday that regional leaders will seek approval from the African Union next week to create a new force to fight Boko Haram.
An Israeli air strike has killed six members of Hezbollah in the Syrian sector of the Golan Heights, the Lebanese militant movement says. Among those reported dead were the son of a late military leader, a current commander, and at least one Iranian. Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV said they were killed in Quneitra province “during a field reconnaissance mission”. Israel said it would not comment, though unnamed sources confirmed an Israeli helicopter strike. They claimed those targeted were conducting reconnaissance for a Hezbollah attack. Those who died include Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of a top military commander killed in 2008, and Mohammed Issa, a Hezbollah field commander, Hezbollah officials said. One member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had died, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Iran’s semi-official Tabnak news agency said several Revolutionary Guards had been killed. The incident comes days after a warning to Israel by the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah that his forces might retaliate against what
he called repeated Israeli strikes inside Syria. He said his forces had been stockpiling weapons for such a confrontation and that these included long range missiles that could hit every part of Israel. Following Sunday’s strike, al-Manar said Israel was “playing with fire that puts the security of the whole Middle East on edge”. Hezbollah militants have been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a fouryear Syrian conflict that activists say has left more than 200,000 people dead. Israel has conducted several air strikes inside Syria since the conflict began, said to be aimed at preventing the transfer of stockpiles of rockets from the Syrian government or Iran to Hezbollah. Israel fought a 34-day war
with Hezbollah, a mainly Shia group backed by Iran, in 2006. Jihad Mughniyeh is the son of Imad Mugniyeh, who was killed in a bombing in a bombing in Damascus in 2008. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the death, but Israel denied it. Imad Mughniyeh was widely believed to be behind a wave of Western hostagetaking in Lebanon during the 1980s. Most of the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, were seized by Israel from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Middle East War. About 200 sq miles remained under Syrian control. The two countries remain technically in a state of war, and UN observers are deployed to monitor a 70kmlong (45-mile) demilitarised zone.
Shots were fired near US Vice-President Joe Biden’s house in the state of Delaware, but he was away at the time, a Secret Service official has said. The shots were fired on Saturday from a public road in Greenville, outside a security perimeter, Robert Hoback said. The road is several
hundred metres from the house, and officials were searching to see if the shots had hit anything. The incident, which happened at about 20:25 on Saturday (01:25 GMT Sunday), is under investigation. The Secret Service said the vehicle from which the shots were fired “drove by
the vice president’s residence at a high rate of speed”. “The shots were heard by Secret Service personnel posted at the residence, and a vehicle was observed by an agent leaving the scene at a high rate of speed,” it said. Mr Biden’s office says the vice-president and his wife, Jill, were later briefed on the incident. One man was arrested later nearby but it is not known if he was directly involved in the shooting. The Bidens spend many weekends at the Delaware house, the Associated Press news agency reports. The incident comes four months after an intruder armed with a knife managed to dodge guards and enter the White House. The head of the Secret Service stepped down over that breach and previous lapses in security surrounding the president.
Jihad Mughniyeh, thought to be in his 20s, was among those killed.
Shots fired outside Joe Biden’s house in Delaware
Monday January 19, 2015
Kaieteur News
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US teens on alleged crime spree captured in Florida Two teenage Kentucky sweethearts suspected in a crime spree of stolen vehicles and pilfered checks across the U.S. South have been taken into custody in Florida, authorities said. Eighteen-year-old Dalton Hayes and his 13-year-old girlfriend, Cheyenne Phillips, were arrested without incident about 12:10 a.m. Sunday in Panama City Beach, according to authorities in both states. The two had eluded police in multiple states while raising concern about their increasingly bold behavior. “I spoke to Dalton and he was very scared, and he wanted to come home,” said Norman Chaffins, the sheriff of Grayson County, Kentucky, where the teens live. “He wanted me to come bring him home.” Chaffins said the teens were getting by on some cash found in a truck stolen in Georgia. Authorities said the U.S. Marshal’s Service and Panama City Beach Police discovered Hayes and Phillips asleep in a 2001 Toyota Tundra that was stolen in Georgia. Officers surrounded the vehicle, and both Hayes and Phillips were taken into custody. Chaffins told The Associated Press that the teens should be extradited back to Kentucky by the end of the week. In Kentucky, the two teens will face the same charges, including burglary, theft, criminal trespassing and criminal mischief, Chaffins said. Phillips will face charges in juvenile court, because she is a minor. According to Bay County jail records, Hayes was held Sunday on a charge of custodial interference. He is
scheduled for a first court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Florida’s Department of Children & Families was called to assist Panama City Beach Police, but Phillips was not in the state’s custody, said DaMonica Rivas, a DCF spokeswoman. “The juvenile has been taken to a safe location until arrangements with the family are made,” Rivas said. Chaffins said he was relieved the crime spree ended peacefully. If the couple had not been found asleep and surrounded, he said, they may have run again. “I think me and the family and many other law enforcement agencies were not getting a good feeling about how this was going to turn out,” Chaffins said. Hayes and Phillips began their run from the law and their families earlier this month when they vanished from their small hometown in western Kentucky. Authorities believe their travels took them to South Carolina and Georgia. Hayes’ mother, Tammy Martin, had urged her son and his companion to surrender and “face the consequences.” Martin said the couple had been dating for about three months. She said the girl portrayed herself as being 19, and the family, including Hayes, believed her. Cheyenne “would go in and write checks, and she would come out with cigarettes and stuff, so I didn’t have any reason not to believe she wasn’t 19,” Martin said. “Because normally you can’t buy cigarettes when you’re 13 years old. By the time her son realized she was a mere 13,
3 burned to death in HinduMuslim clash in India PATNA, India (AP) — At least three Muslims were burned to death yesterday when their thatched huts were set on fire during a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups in a village in eastern India, a government official said. Atul Prasad, a Bihar state administrator, said the violence erupted after the body of a young Hindu boy was found on a farm in Sarayian village more than a week after he went missing. Prasad said the Hindu fishermen community blamed Muslims for killing the boy who was friendly with a Muslim girl from the village, nearly 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Patna, the capital of Bihar state. The charred bodies of three Muslims were found in huts set on fire, he said. Police have arrested eight Hindu villagers for burning nearly two dozen huts in the poor Muslim community. Prasad said the situation remains tense but under control in the village. Hindus comprise more than 80 percent and Muslims nearly 13 percent of India’s 1.2 billion people. They largely live together peacefully in various parts of the country, but there are occasional incidents of violence.
“he was already done in love with her,” Martin said. When he hit the road, Hayes was running away from trouble back home. He faces burglary and theft charges in his home county, stemming from an arrest late last year, according to Grayson County court records. He was planning to be at
the local judicial center on Jan. 5 to find out if a grand jury had indicted him on the charges, his mother said. His case did not come up, but by that time the teens were gone. Chaffins said the couple’s behavior had become “increasingly brazen and dangerous.” Twice, the teens were able to evade law officers in
Kentucky. They crashed the first truck they stole and hid in the woods. Then they later stole another truck nearby, Chaffins said. At one point, the two were spotted at a Wal-Mart in South Carolina, where the teens are thought to have passed two stolen checks, said Manning, South Carolina, Police Chief Blair
Shaffer. Authorities believe they then headed to Georgia and stole a pickup truck from the driveway of a man’s home, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta. The homeowner said he kept two handguns inside the vehicle that was stolen, Henry County police Lt. Joey Smith said.
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Kaieteur News
Monday January 19, 2015
Beacon light of hope as GBA executives strengthen boxing relations with French Guiana By Michael Benjamin Anyone, even the uninitiated, paying attention to the trend of development within the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) would admit that the preceding year has been one of the best in the recent history of the sport. Indeed, local boxers have engaged their counterparts around the Caribbean and other parts of the world in tournaments organized by sister Caricom States in collaboration with the executive of the GBA. Admittedly, the boxers have endured fluctuating fortunes while boxing in other territories but executives could still boast that there has been a positive shift in the developmental arc where local pugilists have triumphed over their Caricom counterparts out of Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique and St
Lucia. Consequently, President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, has endeavoured to improve the fortunes of his charges and over the past year has had dialogue with his counterparts from the above mentioned countries and quite recently has included Suriname in the mix with the aim of strengthening relations, while creating opportunities for international exposure for his charges. The latest of these interactions occurred during the preceding week when a team of two boxers, Leonardo Mosquea and Kesney Joseph, accompanied by the Technical Director of the French Boxing Association, Jack Chinon, and a reporter from the National Television Network (French Guiana), Stephane Floricien, arrived in Guyana and held discussions
with Mr. Ninvalle on a wide cross section of boxing issues. The GBA President said that the team out of French Guiana arrived in the country last Thursday, under the auspices of the National Sports Commission and he was only informed of its presence one day later. He said that he immediately engaged the principals in discussions which proved to be very fruitful. The Inter Guiana Games will kick off later this year and following discussions with Mr. Chinon, Mr. Ninvalle intimated that he has dispatched an email to President of the French Association Boxing Association, Rolland Robeiri, to discuss Guyana’s participation in those championships as well as devise ways of strengthening
relations between the two entities. He said that he has been invited to participate in the French National Championships scheduled for March and would endeavour to put the modalities in place to ensure Guyana’s presence. Meanwhile, both French boxers visited the Andrew ‘Sixheads’ Lewis Boxing Gym yesterday morning and engaged in sparring sessions; Mosquea engaged local (professional) heavyweight champion, Kurt Bess, while Joseph sparred 4 thrilling rounds with local (amateur) boxing champion, Imran Khan. If what was witnessed at those sessions mean
anything then Guyanese boxers need to train exceptionally hard to overcome the Frenchmen. Mosquea turned in a vicious display of power punching that had Bess on the back foot and covering up from the onslaught. The taller of the two, Bess attempted to box at long range but the Frenchman expertly quartered the ring and blasted him with several wallops that forced him into the ropes where he sought refuge behind highly held guards. It was truly a top class display that should serve to hasten the efforts of GBA executives in formalizing the exchange programme.
Khan also sparred for 4 rounds but handled his session far more efficiently than Bess. In what was a solid exhibition of skill and power, Khan unleashed a two fisted attack on his French opponent. Not to be outdone, Joseph lashed out and had his man covering up. It was a true display of courage and skill and it was a pity that a larger audience was not on hand to witness the exhibition. The French contingent leaves Guyana later today and Mr. Ninvalle said that he will aggressively pursue relations with the French Boxing Association to commence bilateral relations.
Winning three-hand title at... From page 25 their nerves to emerge as champions. C7 rebounded to win the Mark Wiltshire competition. F and H placed second and Pacesetters third. Delta Force then copped the Robert Williams Memorial title with victories over Spartons and Pacesetters respectively. Mix Up was the next champion, winning La Belle Hotel and Bar title ahead of Providence and Police in that order. Mark Wiltshire and Godfrey Mendonca were the leading players. Secretary of the GDA, Wiltshire, then organized the champion of champions’ tournament which featured all top teams
affiliated to the GDA. It was in this contest TNT announced their presence. Led by outstanding performances from Sonia Goodluck, Shawn Morgan, they overcame Providence who placed second and Spartons (third) in the final. Mix Up grabbed their second title of the year by winning the Deon Carter competition; Providence finished second and Pacesetters third. TNT wasted little time in getting back into the spotlight; they triumphed in the next competition which was sponsored by David Hunte. Thunder took the runner up spot ahead of Mix Up. President of the GDA
Faye Joseph then came on board by sponsoring the Orin Joseph (former GDA president) Memorial tournament. Scramblers took that title while TNT placed second and Pacesetters third. TNT finished the year in fine fashion by pocketing the Faye Joseph title ahead of Mix Up and Blue Bird third in that order. Among other players that performed well in 2014 are Joseph, Wiltshire, Kanhai Samaroo, Clarence Whitehead, Trevor Smith, Jane Chase, Colin Thomas, Tony Smith, Cargail DeFreitas, Hazim Hakh, Samantha Vickery, Junior Smith and Shawn Davis.