Kaieteur News

Monday January 27, 2014

Kaieteur News

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

Ms. Carol Sooba must be properly addressed DEAR EDITOR, Unless the Court rules against the Order of the Minister, Ms Carol Sooba must be properly addressed as the Town Clerk of the Georgetown City Council. The action of the Deputy Mayor of the Georgetown City Council in addressing the Town Clerk of the City Council as Acting Town Clerk could at best be described as an act of disdain and disrespect on the part of the Deputy Mayor who should be guiding and not misleading the Council. In fact, Ms. Sooba must, in any duly constituted meeting of the Council be addressed by Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillors , staff of the Council; indeed by all persons attending such meetings of Council as Town Clerk and cannot be faulted for failing to respond to what can only be described as a deliberate misnomer. Only if the Court rules against the Order of the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development

appointing Ms. Sooba as the Town Clerk should she be addressed in the Council as Acting Town Clerk. Neither the Council nor Mayor or person performing duties of Mayor can usurp the authority of the Court. The Deputy Mayor and the rest of the Council are advised to focus on the business of the Council and this must of necessity include addressing issues of mismanagement of the Council’s affairs, lack of accountability, corruption and the inability to provide even the most basic services to the citizens of Georgetown. Presently, the Council does not have a Plan or Budget to guide its activities during 2014. They focus on the Town Clerk and not the residents of the City. Mr Mayor / Madam Deputy Mayor/ Councillors! The health, safety and property of citizens are in great danger. That’s where your focus must be. Minister Norman Whittaker M.P.;J.P.

THE COLWYN...

From page 4 in the home which included a large sum of cash that was allegedly unaccounted for at the station and in its record. We are repeatedly regaled by Mr. Benn about the alleged criminal Rondell Rawlings and what possibilities that could have been, the sad thing is that we will never know. He was killed, bullet riddled so that no information could have been forthcoming! The touting of, and the , reference to the ‘stolen runway lights valued at thousands of US dollars,’ is a story better told by the Airport authority under oath and cross examination. Its recovery and whose possession it was in along with why was the culprit, not charged is the same as, whose possession was the expensive cell phone that was stolen from the assaulted Chinese national, found and

why he too was not prosecuted. The Navigational Aids storage facility is far removed from Timehri North, but its proximity to the Kali Road community (Timehri South area) is unbelievably close. Yet the Timehri North is called into focus. While we support the “Guyana Police Force” for taking any professional action consistent with acceptable procedure and norms as is stipulated it its Standing Orders, we condemn, in the strongest manner, any rogue type action by its members and call on the Parliament of Guyana and more so the people of this Cooperative Republic, to wake up and take back Guyana from the clutches of the evil that prevails. Daniel Fraser Chairman, Timehri Community Development Council

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UG students, friend nabbed for armed robbery at store Two University of Guyana students and a teenage friend are likely to be charged today in connection with a brazen armed robbery at a city store. The suspects, aged 21,19 and 16, allegedly made off with a diamond ring, worth an estimated $500,000 and several cell phones after holding the proprietor of a Robb Street store at gunpoint

last Friday. Kaieteur News understands that the youths fled the scene in a car belonging to one of the suspects. But the plot unraveled after the entire act was recorded on a security camera. Kaieteur News understands that police managed to apprehend two of the youths near the Demerara

Harbour Bridge. At the time, they were reportedly in possession of a haversack containing some of the stolen phones. The detained youths reportedly then led investigators to the third suspect. According to reports, the youths told police that they had placed the stolen diamond ring in a haversack which they had hidden in a

bushy area in the city. However, police have failed to locate the haversack. The youths also reportedly told detectives that they had borrowed a firearm from a friend. Kaieteur News was told that all three youths are from stable homes and police are said to be at a loss to understand why they committed the act.

LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FILM MAKES DEBUT The locally produced film “The Convert”, generated to capture the issue of men implicated in domestic violence made its debut on Sunday last at the Side Walk Café, Georgetown. The film, which was written, directed and produced, by renowned local Music Composer Bonny Alves is part of his personal effort to tackle domestic violence from the male standpoint. The production is aimed at positively impacting men and women, who may be abusers or subjected to abuse by their partners. The role of the film is to highlight serious social malaise in the country, the abuse of women by men they give their love and service to, at times for decades and even a lifetime. “It is our hope in making the movie “The Convert,” that we would positively change the perception of some male that has abused his partner or vice versa, thus assisting in stopping the carnage of domestic violence portrayed in our society today. If we can reach one man, we’ve accomplished our goal,” Alves explained. “Violence against women has reached alarming proportions in Guyana and we wanted to capture and address it, using the method of film.” “The storyline is based on a man who regularly illtreats his wife … he goes on the road one day and sees another man beating and displaying the same cruelty towards his woman and it leaves him thinking…. just

when he promises in his heart to change, he goes home, but wife has already packed her bags; she has determined in her heart to leave him…” The screen play includes the work of local actors, Gerard Gilkes, Sharon Taylor, Max Massiah, Jasmine Woeng and Aewah Accra. “We wish to gain the attention of men from various sections of society to bring about positive change in this regard,” he added. “It’s a personal project

completely funded by myself and my wife Charmaine Blackman, and we are willing to share it with other agencies that are involved in the struggle against domestic violence,” Alves said of the film, which was completed in about 10 weeks. As Director of Signal Productions, Alves has illustrated positive films, such as “The unbelieving man”, “King of Drums” and “Where is Everybody?” “The Covert” is the tenth film production by Alves.

Local Producer, Bonny Alves

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Kaieteur News

Doctors in “negligent” maternal death case to resume duties Two doctors, who were sent off the job following investigations into the maternal death of 28-year-old Luan Rodney at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in June of last year, are expected to soon resume their duties. This publication was reliably informed that although it was recommended by the investigating Committee that the doctors remain off the job until they would have completed specified training, instructions have since come from the Ministry of Health to have them return to normal practice. Reports are that the decision was in fact influenced by a Senior Medical Official who recommended to the Ministry that the two doctors be brought back on the job in spite of the Committee’s recommendations. Kaieteur News understands that the decision for the doctors’ return was made at a meeting attended by several senior Ministry of Health officials. The two doctors, along with two nurses, were sent off on administrative leave to probe the circumstances that led to the demise of Rodney, who was admitted a patient in the Maternity Unit of the hospital to deliver her second child. The woman’s delivery was reportedly overdue and

Dead: Luan Rodney therefore labour was induced with the use of Cytotec on the night of June 3, 2013. There are reports that the woman was not closely monitored although this is an imperative recommendation when labour is induced. Rodney died in the wee hours of the following day. In commenting on the death, Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, had told this publication that although there are some controversies surrounding the use of Cytotec – ranging from uterine rupture to amniotic fluid embolism – the labour inducing medication is still very much approved by many health sectors globally, Guyana being no exception. According to him, although the drug is a legitimate one it is imperative that patients, to whom it is administered, are closely monitored. “Cytotec is a good drug to induce labour…it is in protocol now and it is one that is being used more and more for such activities…but once you induce labour by whatever method, patients must be monitored,” the Minister asserted. The Expert Committee which investigated the maternal death had concluded that there was

evidence of negligence and poor management on the part of both doctors and nurses who attended to the woman. Rodney, whose baby was stillborn, died as a result of a ruptured uterus, resulting in hypovolemic shock, according to investigations. The life-threatening condition, according to medical experts, is created when an individual loses more than 20 per cent of the body’s blood supply. This severe blood loss makes it impossible for the heart to pump sufficient blood throughout the body, thereby causing many organs to fail if immediate emergency medical attention is not engaged. Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, in an interview with this publication disclosed that it was recommended that the doctors be sent on academic probation, which means they must complete three months training for the deficiencies that were recognised in their performance. The recommended probation commenced on June 24 and was set to culminate on September 24 last. They were also required to undergo training in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, which according to Dr Persaud, is useful in cases where patients suffer complications. And although both sets of culpable practitioners, nurses and doctors, could see their operations being censored, the CMO said that any disciplinary action was likely to take into consideration the fact that the two implicated doctors were not trained obstetricians. Although attempts were made, this publication was unable to contact both the Minister of Health and the CMO yesterday to ascertain whether the doctors had completed their requisite training or whether they are no longer subjected to the recommendations which resulted from the investigation.

Monday January 27, 2014

Anti Money laundering discussions…

Gail Teixeira is being malicious - Opposition The Shadow Finance Minister of the political opposition faction, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Carl Greenidge is saying that the Government’s Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira is being malicious with some of her statements. Teixeira in previous media reports had stated that when it comes to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee, the Opposition has not tabled or submitted a single amendment which points specifically to the parts with which they have a problem. “Teixeira is just being malicious when she makes such remarks. She is trying to portray that we don’t have any proposals for the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill and that is highly inaccurate. We have made our position clear on this matter. And it needs to be made clear that there is a process in doing this and we are currently still debating that process on whether stakeholders can be present or not at the meetings of the Select Committee. We are discussing the Bill in a systematic way. When we discuss it clause by clause as we get to one where we have a problem, we will table our amendments but we are not

Carl Greenidge

Gail Teixeira

at that stage right now,” Greenidge said. The Former Minister of Finance added, “When we arrive at that stage where it is required of us to do so then we will submit our proposals and Teixeira should not be spewing a position that suggests otherwise.” He reminded that during the discussions in parliament when consideration was being given to send the Bill back to the Select Committee, he had made it known the areas of the Bill with which the Opposition was concerned with. “We have made this clear to the press on numerous occasions and to the Chief Whip as well.” In addition to this, APNU’s Shadow Minister of Public Works and Telecommunications, Joseph Harmon expressed his

unwavering support for the Greenidge’s position. The Member of Parliament said, “The Bill that is before the Select Committee is not the same Bill that was before it last year. There were several proposals and recommendations that were added and since that is the case we have to be more cautious. It is important for the members of the general public to understand this and not fall prey to the malicious misconceptions that are being leaked into the media by the Chief Whip.” He added, “Teixeira is well aware of our concerns on the Bill and we have made it clear that while the work will be done, we will ensure that is done in a most accurate manner, and that can only be done if we follow the process which we have agreed on.”

19 underage girls rescued... (From page 2) passengers and behaviour of policen officers. “If there were surveillance cameras when my beautiful girls were raped in the police station, they would have been able to identify both policemen, and if they were wearing their uniforms,” she added. Broomes disclosed that Cabinet has opened the door

for GWMO to have a seat on the Board of the Mining School. She questioned whether the GWMO is only fit to sit on the Mining School Board and not to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Board, which is the highest decision making body for the sector. The GWMO, which has over 400 members, has been advocating for a voting seat on the GGMC Board but to no avail. The organization was presented a seat with nonvoting rights. However, the GWMO wants their voices to be heard. According to Broomes, women are exploited in the sector leaving them as broken

pork knockers. Reflecting on a human trafficking skit, which was part of the event’s programme, Broomes said, like the actors in the skit, many girls not only suffer at the hands of traffickers but the system also. She related experiences of many human trafficking victims who were neglected by the system and refused a second chance of having a normal family life and education. In most cases, the GWMO is charged with clothing, feeding and providing shelter for victims. The Childcare Protection Agency and the Ministry of Human Services as a whole are not always accommodating to the victims.

Monday January 27, 2014

Kaieteur News

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VILLAGERS, POLICE IN STANDOFF AFTER COPS ACCUSED OF ROBBERY Police and residents of Number 48 Village, Berbice were up to late last night engaged in a standoff following a robbery which the police are accused as the perpetrators. The residents blocked a police car that had turned up with ranks at the robbery scene after accusing them of carrying out the robbery on a supermarket run by Lallbachan Ramdeen and his wife at about 19:30 hours. But the police are insisting that the residents are overacting since the ranks who were on patrol duty, had merely responded to the report of robbery and were nowhere near the scene when it occurred. Earlier last night the proprietor of the supermarket and his wife were about to close their business when four men each armed with a “long gun” forced their way

in and held them at gunpoint. According to the couple’s daughter, Sabo Ramdeen, the men who were all masked proceeded to beat the couple while demanding cash and jewellery. When their demand was met with some reluctance from the couple, the bandits placed them to lie on the ground. They then began discharging rounds indiscriminately from their weapons, shattering several items in the supermarket as they terrorized their victims. “My mother say she told them to stop shooting, ‘I gon give y’all everything’,” the couple’s daughter related. The men were eventually handed about $1M in cash and jewellery, along with a quantity of cellular phone and land line cards. They then fled the scene. The police were summoned

but by the time they arrived the men had vanished. According to an eyewitness, the car in which the police ranks subsequently arrived was earlier seen traversing the area where the robbery had taken place and although, residents tried to stop it to report the robbery, it sped away. “The car pass and head towards New Amsterdam side, then pass back and head towards Skeldon side. People flag it down and it did not stop. All the time the robbery was taking place,” the eyewitness explained. He said after the bandits had fled the scene, residents saw the same “police” car

past back and head towards New Amsterdam. A few minutes later “the same car eventually returned to the scene with four ranks inside.” There and then the residents claimed that they were the perpetrators, and surrounded their car. Residents believe that the same four men had committed another robbery last Thursday in the adjoining village and since no one has been captured, they are convinced that the perpetrators are police ranks. “Was the same way it happen in Number 47 last week. It is overbearing now. People have to know about this,” the

eyewitness told Kaieteur News. But a senior police officer who later went to the scene to ease the tension, gave a different version of the events. He claimed that the police who first responded to the scene were on patrol in the Number 59 area when they received a report about a robbery at Number 48 Village. “They responded and when they got there, the people accused them of the

robbery and blocked the road with a truck. We eventually got them to move the truck but they blocked the car and refused to move,” the police official told this newspaper last night. Up to midnight, the standoff was still in effect.

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Kaieteur News

Monday January 27, 2014

Monday January 27, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 17

ECHO urges government to pay attention to radioactive Japanese vehicles The Environmental Community Health Organization (ECHO) has expressed serious concerns over the possibility of unsafe levels of radiation entering the country via imported used Japanese vehicles. The agency has thus urged the government to take heed of the negative effects this environmental hazard could cause locally. Executive Director of the environmental body, Royston King, told Kaieteur News that there are serious implications, both for the environment and human life regarding radioactive contamination. He said that the agency has already dispatched correspondences to the, “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),

Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Health, to investigate what is clearly an emerging negative environmental challenge, to ascertain the true status of this problem and to prevent it from hurting the ecology of the environment.” King stressed that the ongoing issue, especially uncertainty regarding contamination levels, “is really a frightening situation.” “High levels of contamination can significantly threaten both people and the environment. If individuals become contaminated with radioactive material, they will be exposed to radiation until the material is eliminated from their bodies, hair, and

The wrecked Fukushima nuclear Plant after 2011’s tsunami

ECHO Director Royston King clothing. The effects of radioactive containment depend on the level of radioactive contamination and the chemical toxicity of

Monday January 27, 2014 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You'll have to do a bit of selling today -- either for yourself or for a project you want other people to pitch in on. If all you do is focus on what you want out of them, folks may find you a bit insensitive. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Your philosophical notions are making life a little sweeter today -- so make sure that you're spending extra time pondering life's mysteries. You may actually stumble on something practical! ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Changing your mind about something might be called for today when you hear a convincing counterpoint. But don't switch gears right away. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You need to take care of yourself today -- so make sure that you're on top of your own needs. It may feel weird to put yourself first, but sometimes that's just the way it is. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): You feel tireless today, so make sure that you're in a position to do something useful (or fun) with all this great energy. You can get almost anything done without too much trouble. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Try to go with the flow today -- though you may feel like lashing out at the slightest provocation! It's one of those days when you've got to try to relax, if only to get past the small stuff.

********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Your communication should be especially expressive today -- so much so that you may find it simple to reach out to someone who has shut you out almost entirely. Work your magic! ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): Things seem pretty good right now -- maybe a little too good! Your innate skepticism is worth deploying, because you are sure to find something suspicious at the edges of this deal. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Your admiration for a friend or family member shines brightly today -- and it pays off, too! Hand out compliments freely and you may find that the gratitude comes back to you quickly. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): It's one of those days when the clock seems to move faster than usual. Unless you're under a hard deadline, that can be a good thing, as you may plow through lots of work without realizing it. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): You're the Welcome Wagon today -- at work, in the neighborhood or among your friends. Make it easy for new folks to integrate into the group and you should score some much-needed karma. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): Try to avoid blunt communication today - if you can give yourself time to craft your message, you should be fine.

the substance. In some cases, the substance may be disseminated throughout the body and quickly removed. In other cases, significant impairment can occur, such as organ damage or failure.” He said radioactive waste contamination can occur externally, internally, or through the environment. External contamination

occurs when the radioactive material, usually in the form of dust, powder, or liquid, gets on an individual’s hair, skin, or clothing. Internal contamination takes place when an individual inhales, swallows, or absorbs radioactive substances. Environmental contamination occurs when radioactive material is distributed or

released into the environment. Contamination occurs when unregulated radioactive materials- gas, liquid, or particles are released. “Plants, buildings, people, and animals can become contaminated when radioactive material is disbursed into the environment.” “A nuclear explosion, for example, can result in the distribution of radioactive contamination. The phenomenon is usually known as nuclear fallout. (Continued on page 18)

Public Health Sector still... (From page 15) embracing the field of Pathology. Fewer than 500 doctors have been trained over the past few years in Cuba through a strategic collaboration with the Cuban and Guyanese Government, and close to half of this amount is currently undergoing internship at various health facilities across the country. However, there has been no announcement by the Health Ministry of any of these doctors, save two, being identified for specialist training in Pathology. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud had however informed this publication last year that Guyana had commenced discussions with Cuba with a view of having the medical graduates be furnished with a bit more training through postgraduate programmes in the fields of Family Medicine, Orthopaedics, Psychiatry and Pathology. Pathology is the science of the causes and effects of diseases, especially the branch of medicine that deals with the laboratory examination of samples of body tissue for diagnostic or forensic purposes and is characterised by the post mortem examinations of corpses.

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Kaieteur News

Monday January 27, 2014

ECHO urges... (From page 19)

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(From page 17) When a radioactive substance is not properly sealed in a base container, it can spread to other objects, causing radioactive contamination.” This is the situation with the Japanese Fukushima nuclear Plant, which to date, is still leaking radioactive water following the destructive tsunami that ravished that country in 2011. In the meantime, local authorities say they are still investigating whether there is a need for alarm. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), which is responsible for the approval of items being imported into the country is still making the necessary checks, Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur stated. In a recent interview, he told Kaieteur News that he “does not want to trespass or invade areas concerning other relevant agencies.” Sattaur said that there are agencies that would have to be engaged in the matter since they would have specific functions. The Health Ministry has also pledged investigations into what Minister Bheri Ramsaran described as, “a very important issue.” Calls to EPA proved that the environmental agency is

not in a position to address the importation or presence of contaminated vehicles in the country. A staffer told this newspaper that EPA has no policy regarding the specific issue. The female employee agreed when asked, that the specific issue would be a matter for EPA, but she reiterated that the agency is not equipped to deal with it. Several car dealers have stated also that they are in no position to detect harmful vehicles when they are imported. They added that they rely on the assurances of Japanese exporters. One car dealer said that all his vehicles come from Japan, but he cannot ascertain its safety. Others say they can only insist that their suppliers provide vehicles with safe radiation levels. The issue concerning these Japanese vehicles came to light when Jamaican authorities returned two harmful shipments of vehicles and spare parts to Japan because it had unsafe levels of radiation; one shipment was heading to Guyana. Local officials are mum on questions pertaining to the possibility of harmful vehicles already being in the country. Suppliers say the assumption is not farfetched.

Friendship granny turns...

(From page 14) news visited the centenarian’s residence yesterday her great grandchildren were busy preparing all her favourite dishes. “Mommy loves nice food like curry chicken and cook up rice,” her eldest great-granddaughter Maria Watts said. “We have a celebration like this every year because we don’t know how much longer we will have mommy with us, we want to enjoy every moment of it,” She added. Mrs. McIntosh now has limited mobility but possesses a keen mind and vivid memory. She says her secret to longevity is hard work and good food. “I used to prepare cow heel Soup with pigtail on Sundays, that‘s what I would like. People always ask me how I so old and my memory is intact. I have everything anyone could ask for, everyone takes care of me and I’m contented.” “I used to do domestic work to look at my children. I worked hard to care for them. I was active until the day I fell and broke my rib.” “I used to look at my grandchildren. I just love children,” Mrs. McIntosh noted. A member of the St Agnes Anglican Church in Friendship, Mrs. McIntosh loves to read her bible. “I still read my bible and the newspaper… I like to read and although I don’t get to go church like before, the priest would still come and give me communion.”

Monday January 27, 2014

Kaieteur News

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

LARGE QUANTITIES O F H IGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICKSILVER) 99.99995% PURITY $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

One 210 Hyundai Excavator with one complete 6" Dredge and also 4" Dredge Contact: 650-2391

Large plucked chickens, wholesale only $300 per lb Contact: 266-2711, 609-4594 Whole chicken, wholesale only, free delivery to Ogle Airstrip Tel: 692 5373 Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Dell computers complete with 20" LCD $65,000, laptops @ $55,000 Futuretech - Call: 231-2206 Just Imported! David’s Beautiful Bridal Outfit & Accessories Re: Jewelry, Purses, etc. All going @ reasonable prices. Contact:225-9450; 649-4435 1 Bedford 4x4 truck with Hiab, 1 4x4 bush ready pick up - Contact Kim - Tel: 6585193 270 Amps Portable Honda Welders and 1-2002 Tundra Tel: 611-5114 Live/pluck chicken call: 6504421, 220-9203 1- 500 Ton Cargo ship - Tel: 676-6933 One 50ft fishing boat with ice box (1300 lbs) and 450lbs Bangamary Seine 2¾ Contact:695-9860

One Haier freezer, 17 c.ft. Tel: 654-6401. Two plot of land ¼ Acre or 3X25 Rod each @ Lot 15 & 16 Doctor Dam, La-Grange WBD - Tel: 697-5009; 665-7022 1 Stall @ Stabroek Market Tel: 658-0115; 718-757-8031 PVC Ceiling Panels. Best Quality! Tel: 614-8564; 6800862 Angle Grinder, Circular Saw, Belt Sander, Routers, drilling machine, foam spray and general hardware – Tel:6148564; 629-0372 3 Industrial air condition units, 1- Crash Mercedes Benz, 1- 15KVA generators, 1 – AE100 Toyota, 5 printers – Tel:223-1589; 227-4406 8am4pm Ford F150 spare parts and accessories - Call:685-2584 Greenheart Piles - Tel:6393450 1 Complete 6" Dredge. Tel: 623-2728; 667-5717

1 Farm at Yarrowkabra 20.1 Acres – Tel:265-3586 Yamaha R1 motorcycle. Excellent Condition - Tel: 685-1231 Gifts from Jerusalem, we have various varieties of amazing and unique gift items – Tel:613-9589;6780998 4 – 250 Gallons fuel tanks – Tel: 667-5717; 623-2728 Exclusive Designed Saris made in India. Price $5,000$6,000. Also Shalwars & Ghararas - Tel:216-1210; 6488961 (In Berbice) 336-6223 One half lot transported property at Triumph Railway Embankment E.C.D – Tel:6182840 One Female German Shepherd dog – Contact:6391431 or 665-9140

2 Bedroom apartment @ 2290 Section C Block X Diamond New Scheme – Tel:673-8128 Fully furnished Vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours- 227-1218 1 - Three Bedrooms house to rent @ Belyzheit Gardens Tel: 652-6565 Kitty -$80,000, Greenfeild Park - $US 1250, East Coast $40,000, Atlantic Garden – $US900 – Contact Diana:2272256; 626-9382

1 Shead 12" Robinson Moulder needs motor price for quick sale - $1M – Tel: 652-5601 Used Laptops $30,000 to $60,000 – Tel: 227-0095 Food warmer Call: 696-4300

One 45Ft fishing boat with Ice box (8000lb), 375lb catguts sane (5 inch) 40 Yamaha Engine – Tel:2207655; 667-8921; 695-9860 Rottweiler Pups, both parents importers with full Pedigree from champion blood lines - Tel: 685-2584

TO LET Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles call: 347933-9790, 639-4452. Aracari Hotel. West Bank Demerara Rates from $30 Tel: 264-2946-8 1 House in South Ruimveldt Tel :667-5717; 629-2912 Furnished rooms & Apartments (1,2&3) bedrooms apartment long & short term rental @ 95 Fifth Avenue Subryanville Phone: 227-2199; 227-2189 Fully furnished apartments for rent: TV, air-conditioned, hot and cold water @ South Ruimveldt Park- Tel:689-5877

VACANCY 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistant Call: 670-8893/684-2838 Vacancy Exist at Nirva Supermarket for cashiers. Apply in person with written application Bartenders, cooks, kitchen assistants & attractive waitress between ages 17 – 27 to work in the Kitty Area Tel: 227-5857; 610-8269 Drivers, Evening Cashiers, porters/bond attendants at Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff Street. For more information contact:592227-5288/89 1 I.T Technician Qualified in SQL server maintenance. Send Application, CV @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sherriff Street – Contact:592-527-5288/89 1 Experienced Cosmetologist & 1 helper / Cleaner Call:2274799

LAND FOR SALE 2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at Parika- Call: 226-7968 Gold and Diamond mining lands already prospected Tel:699-3992 Diamond New Scheme, Price - $6M Negotiable - Tel:6048369 Serious Inquiries only! Large fence lot with bearing fruit trees good location De Willem WCD – Tel:277-0024

WANTED 1 Female caretaker, preferably from Soesdyke area Contact:220-8110; 622-4364 1 Male Caretaker from ages 35-50 – Contact:220-8110; 622-4364 DIESEL MECHANIC FOR INTERIOR/ GEORGETOWN CONTACT: 223-5273/4 Male & Female Models needed urgently for upcoming shows - Contact: 677-3191 Urgently need live in waitresses to work in bar, reasonable salary offer - Tel: 259-0574 Couple (Husband & wife) to work on a Farm -Tel:601-5500 One Technician specialized in nail art design, air brush and hair extension – Tel:2316000 Porters & Salesgirls. Apply with written application at Best Buy Food Supplies, Lot 1 Middleton & Dennis St, Campbellville. Male & female bartenders, waiters, waitresses need urgently – Tel:677-3191 General Managers to work on land dredges Contact# 226-9768; 669-0855 1 Night Security – Tel: 6675717; 650-4761 Experienced Roti / Puri Cooks, Pastry Makers, Counter Servers & handyboys. Apply at Hacks Halaal, Lot 5 Commerce St. 1 Truck Driver with Fork Lift & Bobcat experienced – Tel:274-0424; 274-0435 1 Handy Man, 1 Small Engine Mechanic 3yrs experiencecall: 233-2408 A Hire Car to work, must be in good condition - Tel:6914963 Male & female to work at washbay in C/Ville - Tel: 6694676 FRESH MINT LEAF TO PURCHASE - TEL:2235273/4

SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

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Experienced taxi drivers – Tel:667-9013 Live in domestic must able to cook Creoles Dishes age 3045 - $55,000 – Tel:664-5199; 688-5409; 675-7043

Earn a Certificate in Cosmetology, wig designs or nails alone, beginning February 3rd Limited Spaces Tel: 666-5241/ 619-7603

1 Handyman in yard – Salary $60,000 per month -Tel:6645199; 688-5409; 675-7043 1 Female to work in interior shop as an assistant age 2035 - $80,000 - Tel:664-5199; 688-5409; 675-7043

Beautopia School of Cosmetology: Cosmetology, nails, facial/make-up courses Tel: 604-3002; 629-3497

1 Boy to work in interior as handyman age 20-30 $80,000- Tel:664-5199; 6885409; 675-7043

WANTED Experienced Sewing machine operators – Tel:220-4337 Single or small family for live in, security - Tel:227-1830 Labourers - Call:225-6070; 225-4492 Mechanic for interior Contact: 223-5273/4 Cashiers, waitresses, cooks & dispatchers – Tel:2332322; Cell:678-4470;629-4878 (Preferably applicants from EBD) Cashiers & Porters for Yog Yog’s Frozen Yogurt 79 Albert & Laluni Streets in Queenstown “Nimbus Building” Call:231-7002 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 General Domestic – Call:2262710 (Kitty or E.C.D area) One live in maid - Tel: 6431554 Salesman & Porters to work on a canter truck selling beverages, preferably from E.C.D – Tel:222-3927; 2226450; 649-9876; 616-3802

EDUCATIONAL Balloon Décor Training. Classes on 28th January 2014. Call 225-3133; 613-7513 to register and more info. Courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral & cake decoration - Tel: 670-2653; 618-1706 IAE @ 194 Camp St – Register for CXC 2014 Classes: Mathematics, English A, Business & Science . Flexible Timing – Tel: 683-5742; 223-0604

CAKES AND PASTRIES Courses in floral arrangements, cookery, cakes & Pastries, Cake decoration, bridal accessories, starting February 3rd - Contact: 2233303; 672-8768; 612-4193

PROPERTY FOR SALE VERSAILLES: Furnished 5 bedrooms, self-contained rooms, modern facilities, generator, beautiful landscape, gated community - Call: 592-6248704/ 592-684-9203 Close to Regent Street$46M, Campbellville (2 Buildings)-$23M, Camp Street - $34.5M - Contact Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382 One - 2 Storey House @ Avenue A Diamond Tel:643-5161 2 Business Property on Whim Public Road Berbice Tel: 619-7134; 225-6481 One three storey business property @ Middle Street Georgetown - Tel: 619-7134; 225-6481 House and land @ De’ Edward W.C.B - Tel:689-2973 2 Storey Property Agriculture Road - Tel: 612-2522 Rice Factory @ Wakenaam Tel: 686-4994; 225-3070 1 – 3 Bedrooms Transported concrete house with foundations for upstairs, Bungalow roof, high concrete fence 5184Sqft Land - Tel: 641-4812 Eccles Residential (Transported) 2 flat building 4 bedrooms, large patio, garage (3 vehicles), & large shed. Flood Free Area! - Tel: 652-5601 Concrete 3 bedrooms transported property @ New Scheme Tuschen E.C.E $8.5M – Tel:692-3454 Charlestown Corner Property - $35M - Tel: 6735882 2 Storey Transported property with 2 kitchens, 6 bedrooms, 2 toilet & bath @ Tuschen East Bank Essequibo – Tel:650-2982 Income Generating! 2 Storey concrete & wooden. 4 Apartments, concrete yard & fence, garage by SOL, Shell Road EBD – Tel:658-5452 Two story 4 bedrooms house with two lots. All conveniences. Move in condition @ De Willem WCD – Tel:277-0024; 684-6106 Continued on page 18

For our advertising rates call: 225-8491

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Kaieteur News

Monday January 27, 2014

Six Caribbean countries eligible UWI lecturer on $644m cocaine bust: Mexican cartels infiltrate T&T to participate in visa programme Trinidad Guardian University of the West Indies (UWI) criminology lecturer Daurius Figueira says the $644 million cocaine bust hidden in juice cans intercepted by US Customs officers at Norfolk, Virginia, USA, is the wakeup call that T&T has been infiltrated by the Mexican drug cartel. Figueira is also the author of the book, Cocaine Trafficking in The Caribbean & West Africa in the Era of The Mexican cartels. Speaking to the Sunday Guardian in a telephone interview last week, he said: “That shipment has all the hallmarks of a Mexican drug cartel operation, its fingerprints are all over it. “That is the wakeup call for T&T. The Mexican cartels have already infiltrated the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos islands, US Virgin Islands. It’s T&T’s time now, and Jamaica’s turn is next.” Figueira said the Mexican drug cartels’ strategy was to use the Caribbean to move their product not only to West Africa and Europe, but also to the eastern seaboard of the USA and Canada. He said for the first time in the history of the Caribbean islands, the Caribbean was becoming fully integrated into drug trafficking towards the world. Figueira said cocaine swallowers and mules transported the drug in

“modest” quantities to Canada and the US,but drug dealers were using containerised cargo to ship cocaine in massive quantities. He said the cocaine shipment that the US interdicted was not the work of small-scale players, where three or four people got some cans and “tried something” by filling them with cocaine and selling them. Figueira said it was a well-organised, industrial smuggling operation. Unlike the liquid cocaine in a Pear D soft drink bottle that caused the death of Royal Navy veteran Joromie Lewis in the United Kingdom in December 2013, the cocaine intercepted in the Virginia drug bust was not dissolved, it was moulded to fit cans labeled Trinidad Orange and Grapefruit juices. He said that meant the drug dealers had a mould to press the cocaine in

Trinidad Express Chaguanas West Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Warner has made several recommendations to the media toward improving standards. Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the amendment to abolish Section 9 of the Libel and Defamation Act, Warner complimented the Opposition MPs on their recommendations to Government and gave seven of his own, three of which were directed to the media. “To the media I ask them to bring the issue of defamation into the public domain by explaining the negative consequences of

criminal defamation laws. Secondly I ask the media to maintain high ethical standards as a tool to increase their standings in public opinion and last, work to strengthen the influence of the organisations of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) and the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association,” he said. Warner, who said he was part of a team that attempted to muzzle the media while sitting on the Government benches, made recommendations to the Government and also asked whether the media and other stakeholders were consulted

Daurius Figueira

that circular shape. Local manufacturer SM Jaleel and Company Ltd, which also makes the Pear D soft drink brand, stated on its Web site that it did not export the container of juices in which some 732 pounds of cocaine was concealed in. Sinaloa, Los Zetas cartels in the Caribbean Figueira said the Sinaloa and Los Zetas were the two dominant Mexican cartels present in the Caribbean today. He said when they were moving through the islands, their leaders remained nameless and faceless. Figueira said the Mexican drug cartels’ policy was that in every market that they established, they also became involved in retailing drugs, guns, trafficking, prostitution, and the smuggling of counterfeit goods. He said they were moving people through the Caribbean, carrying them into Central America, into Mexico, and then smuggling them across the border into the US. Figueira said the Mexican drug cartels used two strategies to set up their trafficking operations; They corrupted the military and police and took the local gangs to be their affiliates. He said members of the military/ police were also offered trafficking franchises as Mexican cartels preferred to corrupt and recruit them rather than politicians who were transitory.

Warner urges media to improve standards

ONE PINT OF BLOOD SAVES AT LEAST THREE LIVES! GIVE BLOOD TODAY!!!

Jack Warner on the amendment before it was brought to Parliament. “I ask, did you consult MATT, did you consult the Publishers and Broadcasters Association, did you consult the Law Association, did you get the feedback, because unless you get as wide as possible a view from the public that is not democracy.”

WASHINGTON - CMC – The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says six Caribbean countries are among 63 countries worldwide that are eligible to participate in two visa programs this year. The H-2A and H-2B Visa programs allow US employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural and nonagricultural jobs, respectively. The USCIS identified the Caribbean countries eligible

to participate in the visa programs as Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti and Jamaica. Generally, USCIS said it only approves H-2A and H2B petitions for nationals of countries the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated as eligible to participate in the programmes. USCIS also said it may approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries not on the list if it is determined to be in the interest of the United States.

Effective January 18, 2014, USCIS said nationals of the identified Caribbean countries are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa programmes. It said the notice does not affect the status of beneficiaries who currently are in the United States in H2A or H-2B status unless they apply to change or extend their status. The USCIS said each country’s designation is valid for one year from January 18, 2014.

St. Lucia and Mexico to deepen ties CASTRIES – CMC - St Lucia and Mexico are seeking to develop closer ties and improve relations. This was revealed by the new Ambassador of Mexico, Luis Manuel López Moreno, who recently presented his letters of credence to Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy . In his message, Moreno referred to the common history, geography and culture that Mexico and St Lucia share and mentioned that the relations between both countries have always been of respect, cooperation and goodwill. He said international cooperation for development in the Caribbean is a priority

Dame Pearlette Louisy for Mexico’s foreign policy, and he expects that Mexico and St Lucia take full advantage of their partnership in this field. The Ambassador also made reference to the 4th

Summit of the Association of Caribbean States, to be held in April this year, under Mexico’s presidency by virtue of developing our cooperation ties. “Your Excellency, as a country belonging to the great Caribbean, Mexico has as one of its priorities to work closer with the countries of the region and rest assured that Saint Lucia can always count on Mexico as a friendly and close partner”, the Ambassador concluded. He also expressed his government deep regret for the damages faced by the people of St Lucia in the aftermath of the storm that affected the country last month.

We’ll arrest any corrupt cop, says Hay Jamaica Gleaner - Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Anti-Corruption Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police Selvin Hay, is warning members of the police force that his investigators are impartial to rank when probing cases of misconduct. “We investigate corruption, and corruption is not confined to any rank,” Hay said as he addressed journalists during a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the newspaper’s North Street, Kingston offices last Wednesday. He was responding to suggestions that, in recent years, only lower-ranked policemen were being arrested and charged with corruption. “If it is a member of the constabulary [accused of corruption], no matter the rank , he is going to be arrested,” Hay stressed. While noting that he had

only a day earlier testified against a police superintendent, who had been arrested on corruption charges, Hay sought to remind the public that only a small percentage of police personnel are considered among the senior ranks. This fact, he pointed out, has an impact on the ratio of senior police officers who would likely be accused of, or arrested for, corruption. Hay declined to state the identity of the policeman on trial, but noted that the case was an example of his branch’s resolve to hunt down shady lawmen at all levels. Hay told The Sunday Gleaner that last year 109 persons were arrested for corruption. Of that number, 65 were policemen and women, while 44 were civilians. He said that only 50 of the policemen arrested were charged, while a little over 20

Selvin Hay of the civilians arrested were charged with corruption. Hay explained that while several officers might be arrested as part of an investigation, some individuals might become witnesses in cases, dependent on the ruling handed down by the Office of the Director of PublicProsecutions.

Monday January 27, 2014

Kaieteur News

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US officials probe illnesses Ecuador firm on reducing US presence, spies on Caribbean cruise KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — U.S. health officials yesterday boarded a cruise ship docked in the U.S. Virgin Islands to investigate an illness outbreak that has stricken at least 300 people with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that 281, or nearly 10 percent, of the 3,050 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas have reported getting sick during a Caribbean cruise that left Cape Liberty, New Jersey, yesterday. Twenty-two crew members also reported feeling ill. Company spokeswoman Janet Diaz said CDC representatives boarded the towering, 15-deck ship as it made a port call in St. Thomas, the main island of the U.S. Virgin Islands. At least two CDC officials, an epidemiologist and an environmental health officer, were expected to do the investigation and

evaluate the outbreak response on the cruise liner. The U.S. health agency had not responded Sunday to an email and a call seeking comment about the work aboard the ship. During the previous port call in Puerto Rico, the ship underwent “extensive and thorough sanitizing” to help prevent more people from getting sick, the company spokeswoman said. The ship bypassed a scheduled stop at the company’s fenced-in beach destination in northern Haiti to sail directly to Puerto Rico’s capital. “This was a difficult decision to make; however, we feel it is best to make this itinerary modification to h e l p p r e v e n t a n y more guests from becoming ill,” Diaz said. The passengers and crew who fell ill have “responded well to over-the-counter medication being administered onboard the ship,” she said. Fast-spreading norovirus is often to blame for similar symptoms sweeping closed

quarters like those on cruise ships, but a determination will likely have to wait until samples are tested in a lab. Diaz said special cleaning products and disinfectants that are proven to kill norovirus are being used to clean the ship. In a statement yesterday, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ tourism commissioner, said the territory was grateful for the CDC’s “quick response” and St. Thomas was ready to welcome ship passengers cleared to disembark. On Friday, an Explorer of the Seas passenger named Arnee Dodd tweeted that she had fallen ill aboard the ship and was quarantined with the other sick people. The Connecticut woman wrote that ship employees “put a lock down on food & are constantly cleaning everything.” It was not clear if any passengers were still being quarantined yesterday. The s h i p ’s next scheduled stop is the Dutch Caribbean country of St. Maarten.

CCJ Trust Fund ‘performing well’ PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – A judge with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) says his recent comments about the need to re-examine the trust fund that had been established to fund the court may have contributed to conveying a “wrong impression” of the state of funds available for the operations of the court. Last week, Justice Ralston Nelson told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that he was of the opinion that the time had come for a review of the US $100 million initiative given the changing global economic and financial environment. “I think when the sum of 100 million US dollars was arrived at, obviously the data they had considered would not have included the collapse of interest rates and the collapse of a large part of the financial world in 2008. “So that any calculations you would have made prior to setting up that fund now have to be revised anyway so that there is that aspect of it … and I think truth to tell is that the operations of the court were not fully looked at,” Justice Nelson told CMC. But in a brief statement issued late Saturday night, he

Justice Ralston Nelson said having reviewed the media reports on his comments “my comments were directed narrowly at the returns in the bond market and at noting that bonds were not producing the kinds of results projected ten years ago. “Fortunately, the bond market makes up only one portion of the investment portfolio of the Trust Fund which manages the US $100 million, the income of which is earmarked to fund the operations of the CCJ. The other investment options of the Fund are doing well. Most fundamental though, my focus was on the long term. It is inevitable that the court’s operations and functions will expand,” he said.

According to preliminary estimates released here, the initial capital investment of US $100 million was surpassed during the course of 2013. The CCJ Trust Fund 2012 annual report had indicated that despite a precipitous decline in global investment markets during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008, the Fund had in fact rebounded over the last few years. Trust Fund records show returns on investments – net of disbursements, contributions and expenses – reached +15.9 per cent in 2009 and +10.3 per cent in 2010 before declining -1.8 per cent in 2011 and recovering to +10.1 per cent in 2012. The Fund’s long-term target annual rate of return is 8.9 per cent. In fact, projections are the US $100 million initial capital investment will prove to have been surpassed during the course of last year as the 2013 accounts are also expected to reflect returns in excess of 10 per cent. At the end of 2012, the Fund balance was US $93.7 million. CCJ president Sir Dennis Byron has described use of the CCJ Trust Fund as the best funding mechanism in the world for any court.

Quito (AFP) - Ecuador on Saturday stressed it wanted the number of US military staff on its territory reduced, and warned it also would not allow US “espionage equipment.” “It just makes no sense that an outsized number of US military staff, who report to the US Southern Command, would be here, at the US Embassy,” Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters. President Rafael Correa said Wednesday he would ask the United States to withdraw American military personnel assigned to its embassy in Quito. Correa said he became aware of what he described as the oversized presence after learning that four US military personnel were aboard an Ecuadoran military helicopter that came under fire

Rafael Correa on October 3 near the border with Colombia. Correa, an economist by training who has long railed against America’s “imperialism” in its Latin American backyard, said Quito was “already taking measures” to address the issue. In Washington, a US official said that the 50 military personnel cited by Correa were “more than double the

actual number. Patino argued that “to coordinate things, you need two or three. You don’t need 50. We are trying to determine what it is they were doing here.” It was more than a gentle reminder that international trust in US intentions has not been fostered by the scandal over US cyber-spying. “We will not be allowing them to install spying equipment, and we are going to find out everything about the staff and teams they have here so we can avoid falling victim to legal offenses like the ones all around the world,” the top Ecuadoran diplomat warned. Ecuador has no US base. In 2009, Correa opted not to renew a lease that had allowed the United States to operate its counternarcotics operation in South America.

We have less than a year to get ready, Holness tells JLP delegates KINGSTON, Jamaica — Is an election less than a year away? That was the question Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Holness, left in the minds of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) delegates from Corporate Area constituencies attending Saturday’s Area Council One meeting at the Olympic Gardens civic centre, in his West Central St. Andrew constituency. “We have less than a year to get our house in order,” Holness told the delegates from the 15 Corporate Area constituencies which make up the party’s Area Council One. “You hear what I say? We have less than a year to get our house in order. I don’t have time for petty politics. I don’t have time for personal feelings. I don’t have time to be anchored down by imaginations of threats,” the JLP leader reiterated. “I have been liberated and my spirit is free, and I will going around Jamaica, in fact we have started already. I will visit every nook and cranny, every corner, every shop, every bar, every church, every service club, because we have to get our message out there,” he stated. He said that the JLP will be focusing on solutions, and wealth creation to reduce poverty in the country. “Wealth creation comes naturally to Labourites,” Holness told the crowd. “The

Labour Party is not ashamed, is not shy, is not afraid of saying we are the party that creates wealth in Jamaica.” “We are not afraid of wealth. Labourites don’t look on somebody and say, ‘bwoy, a so much dem ‘ave, mek we go tek way what dem ‘ave’. Not that is not Labour Party thinking. Labourites say, ‘I am proud of him having so much, let us work together to make more, so that all of us can have more. That is how the Labour Party thinks. That is Labour Party philosophy,” he stated. “I can’t see how you can say you love poor people, and for so many years you keep them poor. I love the poor, but I hate poverty. We are a party that believes in creating wealth,” he concluded. The next Jamaican general election is constitutionally due between December 29, 2016 (the day of the previous election in 2011) and March 16, 2017 (within three months

Andrew Holness of the date of the first sitting of the new Parliament on 17 January 2012). There is no fixed election date in effect in Jamaica at this time and so the exact election date is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. Local Government Elections are held every three years. The last Local Government Elections were held on March 26, 2012, and the next is due by March, 2015.

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Monday January 27, 2014

Obama to use speech to offer election-year agenda for Democrats (Reuters) - President Barack Obama may not say it in his State of the Union speech this week, but part of his underlying message will be: Please vote for Democrats in the November elections. Obama’s big speech tomorrow will be his sixth foray into the House of Representatives chamber to lay out his policy priorities for the year. This year’s address is critical to forming a narrative on which Democrats can campaign this year. And Obama wants to bolster his standing after a rocky end-ofthe-year controversy over the botched rollout of his signature healthcare law, and the tumult surrounding a government shutdown. Obama has seized on income inequality in America as the main theme of his State of the Union speech, which went through its usual draft process over the weekend. He will promote his demand that Congress raise the minimum wage and call for steps to increase jobs at the lower rungs of the economic ladder at a time when the stock market is soaring, but overall job

growth is tepid. The White House sees raising incomes as a key to building up the middle class and getting more Americans out of poverty and into better lives. The implicit message, that Democrats stand for the middle class, should help them as they gird for what could be difficult congressional elections in November. “I think it will define the battlefield of our debate, by clarifying for the American people about who’s on their side,” Representative Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Reuters. “The more the president talks about building the middle class and the more Republicans talk about protecting special interests, the better the battlefield for us.” Democrats will need all the help they can get. The party in control of the White House typically loses seats in midterm elections. Republicans are mounting a spirited attack to take control of the Senate and capture more seats to bolster

their majority in the House of Representatives. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said his party stands a good chance of winning eight seats currently held by Democrats and could possibly extend their gains further. The party needs to pick up a total of six seats to win control of the 100-seat chamber. “The American people will understand by this fall that we are the party of the private sector,” McConnell said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We’ve tried big government now for six years in a row, we know that it doesn’t work.” If Democrats lose the Senate, Obama’s ability to push legislation will be reduced greatly and solidify his status as lame duck. Democrats harbor hopes of increasing their seats in both chambers, but with Obama’s own job approval rating hovering around 40 percent in the latest ReutersIpsos survey, this might just be bravado. The president’s popularity reflects the mood of the country and can play a

President Barack Obama crucial role in midterm elections, even though his name is not on the ballot. “I would expect the Democrats will lose a few seats,” said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. “It’s going to be difficult for them to make gains. I don’t think the bottom is going to fall out from underneath them.” Obama will face the

familiar dilemma of secondterm presidents when he presents his State of the Union message, maintaining the country’s focus on his agenda before voters start looking ahead to the race to replace him in 2016. It is the biggest stage the president can command during the year, with millions tuning in. “It’s one of those moments when people tune in and they really want to hear what are your priorities and what your presidency is about,” said Mike McCurry, who was press secretary for President Bill Clinton. “Given the year they had in 2013, this is a good way to hit the reset button for 2014.” White House officials acknowledge that the fallout over the government shutdown, which Americans largely blamed on Republicans, and the healthcare website’s woes took a toll on Obama. They believe he has recovered somewhat, but as one official said: “We have

some work to do to restore people’s confidence.” After a year in which many of his key domestic legislative proposals were stymied, from gun control to immigration, Obama has scaled back his ambitions to some extent. He wants legislation to get through Congress, but in the absence of a consensus around some policy objectives, he is carrying out some measures through executive action. “I will measure myself at the end of my presidency in large part by whether I began the process of rebuilding the middle class and the ladders into the middle class, and reversing the trend toward economic bifurcation in this society,” Obama told The New Yorker magazine. Republicans will be listening to Obama’s speech to determine if the president is willing to move in their direction, such as on authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas.

Snowden says NSA engages in industrial espionage BERLIN (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency is involved in industrial espionage and will grab any intelligence it can get its hands on regardless of its value to national security, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told a German TV network. In text released ahead of a lengthy interview to be broadcast yesterday, ARD TV quoted Snowden saying the NSA does not limit its espionage to issues of national security and he cited German engineering firm, Siemens as one target. “If there’s information at Siemens that’s beneficial to U.S. national interests even if it doesn’t have anything to do with national security - then they’ll take that information nevertheless,” Snowden said, according to ARD, which recorded the interview in Russia where he has claimed asylum. Snowden also told the German public broadcasting network he no longer has possession of any documents or information on NSA activities and has turned everything he had over to select journalists. He said he did not have any control over the publication of the information, ARD said. Questions about U.S.

Edward Snowden government spying on civilians and foreign officials burst into the open last June when Snowden, leaked documents outlining the widespread collection of telephone records and email. The revelations s h o c k e d G e r m a n y, a country especially sensitive after the abuses by the Gestapo during the Nazi reign and the Stasi in Communist East Germany during the Cold War. Reports the NSA monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone have added to the anger in Germany, which has been pushing for a ‘no-spy’ agreement with the United States, a country it considers to be among its closest allies. Snowden’s claim the NSA

is engaged in industrial espionage follows a New York Times report earlier this month that the NSA put software in almost 100,000 computers around the world, allowing it to carry out surveillance on those devices and could provide a digital highway for cyberattacks. The NSA planted most of the software after gaining access to computer networks, but has also used a secret technology that allows it entry even to computers not connected to the Internet, the newspaper said, citing U.S. officials, computer experts and documents leaked by Snowden. The newspaper said the technology had been in use since at least 2008 and relied on a covert channel of radio waves transmitted from tiny circuit boards and USB cards secretly inserted in the computers. Frequent targets of the programme, code-named Quantum, included units of the Chinese military and industrial targets. Snowden faces criminal charges after fleeing to Hong Kong and then Russia, where he was granted at least a year’s asylum. He was charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national security information and giving classified intelligence data to an unauthorised person.

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Thai anti-govt. protester killed, adds to doubts over election BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai anti-government protest leader was shot and killed in Bangkok yesterday when violence erupted as demonstrators blocked early voting in many areas of the capital ahead of a disputed election next week. It brought the death toll to 10, with scores wounded, since protesters took to the streets in November, vowing to shut down the capital and force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. A spokesman for the national police, Piya Utayo, identified the dead man as Suthin Tharatin, one of the protest leaders. “Suthin was shot in the head and in the chest,” he said. Yingluck called the February 2 election, hoping to cement her hold on power, but the protests have continued and the Election Commission has been pushing to delay the vote. In a clear setback for Yingluck, a senior government official said that as many as 45 of the 50 polling stations set up in Bangkok for advanced voting had been shut because of antigovernment protesters. Bangkok police said clashes had broken out between anti-government protesters and Yingluck supporters, with the two sides trading punches before shots were fired. The Erawan Medical Center, which monitors Bangkok hospitals, said 11 people were hurt in the clashes in the Bang Na district. It was not immediately clear who had fired the shots, but the protesters accused the government and police of trying to intimidate them. “The government has allowed thugs to use

Anti-government protesters attack a voter near a polling station in Bangkok yesterday. REUTERS/Stringer weapons,” Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protesters, told reporters. Private gun ownership is widespread in the country. The violence, the worst in a month, came after a state of emergency took effect on Wednesday and adds to doubts over whether the February 2 election can go ahead. The U.S. State Department said yesterday it was “deeply troubled by efforts to block polls and otherwise prevent voting in Thailand, and by the most recent acts of political violence. “While we do not take sides in the political dispute and strongly support freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest, preventing citizens from voting violates their universal rights and is inconsistent with democratic values,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Chris Baker, a historian and Bangkok-based analyst,

said the violence added pressure on Yingluck to delay the vote. “It does weaken the government’s position. The protesters will blame this on the government,” said Baker. “With or without this incident, the likelihood for violence was there already. I don’t think it changes in the trajectory.” The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years and is starting to hurt growth and investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s secondlargest economy. The conflict broadly pits Bangkok’s middle class and elite, and followers in the south, against mainly poor rural backers of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former

Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in the populous north and northeast. The protests mark the biggest demonstrations since deadly political unrest in April and May 2010, when Thaksin’s “red-shirt” supporters paralyzed Bangkok to remove a government led by the Democrat Party, now in opposition. More than 90 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in that unrest. Yingluck, who would probably win the election easily, is set to meet Election Commission officials on Tuesday. The Democrat Party also plans to boycott the election. The protesters, led by firebrand former Premier Suthep Thaugsuban, accuse

Yingluck of being Thaksin’s puppet and want an unelected ‘people’s council” to oversee reform before any future election is held. On Saturday, a government minister said Yingluck was prepared to discuss cancelling the February 2 election if the activists ended their protests. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, also a deputy prime minister, said in a televised address the blocking of advance voting was “a serious offence” and that protesters had used force to prevent people voting. Yingluck’s government had already warned that anyone who tried to stop voting would be jailed or fined. City officials said they had begun negotiating with the protesters. “We have to negotiate with them and let them know that blocking the election is illegal,” said Luckana Rojjanawong, a Bangkok district official said. The election was already in doubt after a Constitutional Court ruling on Friday that opened the possibility of a

delay. The Election Commission is seeking the delay, arguing that the current environment is too unsettled. The protesters say Thaksin’s powerful political machine has subverted Thailand’s fragile democracy by effectively buying the support of rural voters with populist policies such as cheap healthcare and subsidies for rice farmers. Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs in northern Chiang Mai, said before the violence began that the disruption of advance polling would add impetus to the calls for an election delay. “The ability of those against advance voting to keep it from happening today could signal what may come next week - a decision to delay the vote due to an inability to hold the election properly,” Chambers said. About 49 million voters out of Thailand’s population of 66 million are eligible to cast ballots, with about 2.16 million registered for early polling.

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Monday January 27, 2014

New clashes as Ukraine’s President tries to tempt opposition KIEV (Reuters) - Police clashed with protesters in central Kiev yesterday and the fate of Ukraine’s government was uncertain after embattled President Viktor Yanukovich offered important posts to opposition leaders, including the role of prime minister. One of the president’s main foes described his offer as a “poisoned” attempt to divide the opposition and kill off mass protests. The demonstrations erupted late last year when Yanukovich ditched landmark agreements with the European Union and opted instead for closer ties with Russia. Emboldened opposition leaders said they would press for more concessions, including early elections, setting the stage for a tough political battle when parliament meets for a special session tomorrow. The two-month standoff has sparked the worst violence in Ukraine since it won independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. At least six people have been killed, according to the prosecutor ’s office and

medics, and the crisis has deepened tension between Russia and the West. For the opposition, accepting Yanukovich’s offer to serve under him in a revamped government carries the risk of breaking faith with thousands of peaceful demonstrators as well as alienating more radical protesters over whom it has only tenuous control. “Yanukovich’s offer always appeared as a poison chalice for the opposition meant to divide the opposition, and boost his chances in the March 2015 presidential election,” Tim Ash of Standard Bank said. In violence yesterday, a few thousand protesters tried to storm an ornate cultural center where hundreds of security forces personnel were gathered in central Kiev, a few hundred meters (yards) from the hub of weeks of opposition protests on Independence Square. In a two-hour pre-dawn confrontation, demonstrators threw stones and smoke bombs while police fired stun grenades and sprayed water

into the crowd. Police and security forces later left the building, its windows shattered, and streamed out through a corridor created by the crowd after an opposition leader, Vitaly Klitschko, arrived at the scene and helped to negotiate a solution. The opposition planned a prayer ceremony later on Sunday for protesters who have been killed. A coffin bearing the body of one of them, Mykhailo Zhyznevsky, was borne through the streets of Kiev before his burial, with several hundred people marching behind. Zhyznevsky, a Belarussian living in Ukraine, was one of three people officially recognized by the prosecutor’s office as having died from gunshot wounds after clashes last week. He would have been 26 yesterday, Yanukovich abruptly abandoned plans to sign political association and free trade deals with the EU in November, pledging instead to improve ties with former Soviet master Russia and

President Viktor Yanukovich angering millions who dream of a European future. The unrest has spilled over into other regions of the country of 46 million people. Protesters have occupied municipal headquarters in up to 10 western regions, where opposition is strongest, but there is also unrest in traditionally pro-Yanukovich areas of eastern Ukraine and the south. Live footage from the Espreso TV station showed several thousand people

trying to occupy the main municipal building in eastern city of Zaporizhzhya before being repelled by police using tear gas and stun grenades. About 3,000 more tried to storm regional headquarters in Dnepropetrovsk, birthplace of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, and were blockading the building. Further anti-Yanukovich rallies drew crowds of hundreds in Odessa and Kharkiv and protesters occupied the first floor of the state administration building in Sumy following negotiations with police, local media said. Hoping to end protests that threaten to bring the country to a standstill, Yanukovich on Saturday offered former economy minister Arseny Yatsenyuk the post of prime minister. Klitschko, a former international boxing champion, was offered the job of deputy prime minister responsible for humanitarian issues, the presidential website said. The presidency linked its

offer to the opposition reining in violent protesters. Though the protest movement is largely peaceful, a hard core of radicals has been fighting pitched battles with police away from Independence Square. Opposition leaders said they would press their calls for early elections and repeal of an anti-protest law. “We are ready to take on this responsibility and take the country into the European Union,” Yatsenyuk was quoted as telling crowds on Independence Square after emerging from talks with Yanukovich. But he added that this would entail the freeing of Tymoshenko, the president’s arch-opponent, who was jailed in 2011. Klitschko told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag: “This was a poisoned offer by Yanukovich to divide our protest movement. We will keep on negotiating and continue to demand early elections. The protest by Ukrainians against the corrupt president must not have been in vain.”

Talks to free S. African hostage in Yemen collapse

Johannesburg (AFP) - A group attempting to secure the release of an ailing South African man kidnapped in Yemen by Al-Qaeda said yesterday talks to free the teacher have collapsed. Kidnappers are demanding $3 million (2.2 million euros) for the release of Pierre Korkie, who has been held since May last year. “We have a major problem,” admitted Imtiaz Sooliman, chairman of South Africanbased disaster-relief charity Gift of the Givers, which has been engaged in protracted negotiations with the hostage takers. “Talks between us and Al-Qaeda have virtually broken down completely as they don’t trust us anymore,” he said in a statement. South African deputy foreign minister Ebrahim Ebrahim recently travelled to Yemen and made a television appeal for Korkie’s release. But that visit appears only to have worsened the situation as the kidnappers believed the minister was bringing the ransom cash and now suspect the money has been

“stolen”. Gift of the Givers, a non-governmental organisation, said it was urgently pulling its negotiator, Anas al-Hamati, a Yemeni national, from the country for his own safety. Sooliman said that Al-Qaeda had accused the charity of lying, claiming that “no government sends a high level minister to a country where their citizen is taken hostage,”, announces it to the media but then does not “bring any ransom money”. Korkie, a 56-year-old English teacher who is suffering from a hernia, was abducted along with his wife last May in the Yemeni city of Taiz by members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Korkie’s wife Yolande was freed on January 10 and has since returned to South Africa to fight for his release. The couple had lived and worked in Yemen for four years. An initial deadline of January 17 had been set for the ransom to be paid, but that was later extended by three weeks.

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EU, Russia to swap recriminations over Ukraine BRUSSELS (Reuters) European Union and Russian leaders will trade recriminations over Ukraine at a summit tomorrow, as the former Soviet republic reels from violent unrest after spurning the EU’s embrace and lurching back towards Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Brussels for talks with EU leaders at a time when relations are strained over Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s decision in November to turn his back on a trade and political agreement with the EU in favour of closer trade ties with Russia. That decision, rewarded with a $15 billion bailout from Russia, sparked weeks of proEU demonstrations in Kiev which three protesters have been killed. Police clashed with protesters in the Ukrainian

capital again on Sunday and the opposition said it would keep pushing for early elections, despite being offered the prime minister’s post by Yanukovich. The 28-nation EU, which accuses Russia of putting trade pressure on Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states tempted by closer ties with Brussels, showed its anger by cancelling the dinner that traditionally precedes its twice-yearly summits with Russia. It has opted instead for an intensive two-and-a-halfhour session of talks, restricted to top officials, to permit an in-depth discussion about Ukraine and other divisive issues. Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia while European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van

Rompuy and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Asthon will speak for the EU. Russia, which regards Ukraine as part of its sphere of influence, has told European governments to stop meddling in the Ukrainian crisis and has criticised politicians such as Ashton for visiting protest sites in Kiev. Russia and the EU have had “a number of differences which need to be discussed and clarified” at the summit, Van Rompuy said in a statement. The EU’s strategy of forging closer ties with exSoviet states was left in tatters when Armenia opted last September to join a customs union led by Moscow. Ukraine was next to jilt the EU, after Moscow tightened checks on its imports and threatened to cut off its gas supplies. Van Rompuy and Barroso

Syria to allow women, children to leave besieged parts of Homs Geneva (AFP) - The Syrian regime has agreed to allow women and children to leave besieged rebel-held areas of the central city of Homs, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said yesterday at peace talks in Geneva. “What we have been told by the government side is that women and children in this besieged area of the city are welcome to leave immediately,” Brahimi told reporters. “Hopefully starting today, women and children will be able to leave the Old City in Homs.” He said that as well as women and children, “other civilians are also welcome to leave, but the government needs a list of their names first”. The subject of Homs — where hundreds of families in the Old City are living under siege with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies — has been discussed at length since the two parties started face-to-face talks on Saturday. Brahimi said talks also touched on continued efforts to have convoys of humanitarian aid brought into Homs, with rebel fighters pledging not to attack them. Speaking separately, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad confirmed that women and children would be allowed to leave but blamed rebel forces for preventing that. “I have been personally

Lakhdar Brahimi involved over the past two years to get these women and children out of the Old City of Homs. But we could not. In all these attempts we have been prevented by the armed groups, who did not allow a single person out,” Muqdad told reporters. Brahimi admitted the talks were progressing slowly but said he was pleased with the atmosphere. “I am happy, because in general there is mutual respect and they are aware of the fact that this attempt is important and we must continue. I hope that this mood will continue,” he said. Yesterday’s talks also touched on the thousands of people jailed, kidnapped or missing in Syria. Brahimi said the opposition agreed to try to draw up a list of people held by rebel forces they control

or have contact with, to hand over to the regime and move the process of prisoner exchanges forward. Muqdad brushed off questions about a list of 47,000 people, including 2,300 women and children, allegedly held by the regime. “It is not as big as you described. More than 60 or 70 percent of the people have never entered any prison, 20 percent were released, and the rest haven’t been in a prison,” he said. “I deny categorically that there are any children being detained,” Muqdad said. He accused the rebels of press-ganging children and said any youngsters captured by government forces were cared for, not jailed. The opposition has called for the talks today to move to the core issue of political transition. “This is a political negotiation, everything we discuss is political,” Brahimi said. “I think tomorrow (today) I expect the two parties to make some general statement about the way forward.” Muqdad said the government had come to Geneva “very seriously and in all sincerity”, but struck a note of caution. “When we say we are ready to discuss everything, this does not mean that the opposition will have our full approval of what they want, or that we shall have their full approval of what we want,” he said.

Vladimir Putin

Jose Manuel Barroso

will stress to Putin that “there shouldn’t be any interference or threats” and that Ukraine and other exSoviet states should be free to take their own decisions, one EU source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A German member of the European Parliament, Knut Fleckenstein, urged the EU and Russia to work together to foster a dialogue in Ukraine. “If they do not want Ukraine to slide into a kind of civil war, they must work for

a dialogue between the Ukrainian government and the opposition. Russia and the EU can solve this issue together, but not alone,” Fleckenstein, a leader of a joint committee with Russian legislators, told Reuters. But the EU source said that, while both sides were likely to call for an end to violence in Ukraine, no joint statement would be issued after the meeting. The EU has launched its own mediation effort in Ukraine, sending

enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele for talks last week and Ashton later this week. “This is not going to be a summit about Ukraine ... (But) of course the dramatic developments there are undoubtedly a source of serious concern for both Russia and the EU,” Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said last week. Russia is the EU’s thirdbiggest trading partner after the United States and China, and two-way trade totalled more than 330 billion euros ($452 billion) in 2012. But the two sides are locked in quarrels over trade and energy which could be raised in tomorrow’s talks. The EU has launched a World Trade Organization dispute with Russia over allegations it illegally protects its carmakers, and has opened an anti-trust probe of Russian energy giant Gazprom. The Syrian conflict and negotiations with Iran on its nuclear programme will also be raised at the summit.

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Could Xavier’s Pan Am exploits gain her the nod over Fernandes? Could Alysa Xavier’s selection on the Pan Am Elite Hockey team which comprises some of the best players in the world tilt the scale in her favour for Sportswoman of the Year award. Xavier, whose selection on the Elite list was recently recognised by Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, joined Argentine star and 7time World Player of the Year Luciana Aymar on that exclusive register named by the FIH is a strong contender for the local award for outstanding female athlete of the year. She, however, will have to contend with multiple-times winner Nicolette Fernandes, who apart from leading Guyana to the Overall CASA

title where she also retained the women’s crown, has been making rapid strides up the world ranking and seems a formidable choice to gain the nod of the judges when they meet sometime shortly. The two athletes are far and away the two leading contenders for the award and it is anticipated that despite Fernandes’ admirable comeback from her career threatening injury to string together some encouraging performances, Xavier ’s selection on the Pan Am Elite squad is nothing short of astounding when it is considered that Guyana is now returning to hockey on the international stage and just like Fernandes has made an incredible leap up the

rankings as well. The Miami University of Ohio student’s reputation between the uprights is growing with some touting her as amongst the best in the Caribbean, a deserving recognition for all the hard work that she puts in. Fernandes on the other hand has been the most consistent female athlete for a number of years and her work ethic and resolute commitment to reach the top is unquestionable hence her steady rise on the world circuit. There is no doubt that members of the panel chosen by the National Sports Commission will have their work cut out, but whoever wins will be deserving of the accolade.

Basketball fraternity mourns the death of Trevor Rose By Edison Jefford The basketball fraternity was yesterday plunged into mourning following the death of the former Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) President, Trevor Rose, who was gunned down around Eccles on the East Bank Carriageway. Rose, who as a fashion designer brought a fire breathing dragon to life, caused a Banks Beer to effervesce with the appearance of an arctic chill and captured Guyanese folklore, served GABA as President during 2008-2011, with the same level of creativity. Rose won multiple costume band prizes for local companies including, Digicel, Banks DIH and was even earmarked in 2006 to design bands for the Jamaican Carnival, who’s CEO, Byron Lee chose Rose after witnessing the designer’s impressive work locally. That was the beginning of the popularisation of Rose as a force to reckon with in the industry in the Caribbean. He went on to form ‘Facts and Roses’, which was a collaborative effort with wife, designer, Michelle Cole and won the majority of prizes at Mash 2007. Rose had a deep basketball background, known for his long-range jump shots; he was nicknamed ‘Chinee’. It was his success in the fashion industry and his constant visits to Burnham Basketball Court that ignited his tenure as Georgetown sub-

association President. He won the presidency in September 2008 and his ambitious plan for basketball development in Georgetown resulted in the first sketch of a modern Burnham Court being drawn. As a result, the vibrant, always buoyant Rose had raised $11M for the project. In addition, his other notable achievements as a sport administrator, include linking the sport to important corporate entities and rebranding the sport’s image with his unique creativity, where the entertainment and fashion industries were constantly imported to basketball. Rose brought back basketball to Georgetown after some years of dormancy with an Inter-Ward tournament and revived the Division I and III Leagues in the City. He even invested his personal resources to form a club, Facts and Roses Jaguars to compete locally. However, Rose’s growth in the fashion and design world meant that more companies sought him for their Mash bands, which gave him little time to concentrate on managing the sport; despite being there for basketball in difficult times, Rose lost the 2011 GABA Elections. His departure from the helm of the sport in February 2011 started a downward spiral for the sport that lasted approximately two years until Michael Singh won the Presidency in Georgetown early last year and began the rebuilding work with

grassroots programmes. The last three years were not Rose’s best either; Facts and Roses folded, he was separated from Cole and his dominance at Mash diminished. However, his unique creativity allowed him to stay relevant with stage and other decor for groups like Hits and Jams. Rose recently returned from a Caribbean tour where he told this writer that he was exploring the markets outside of Guyana to launch his biggest project yet, ‘Rose Productions’, which he stated will encompass managing design, decor and marketing projects. His return to Guyana late last week was immediately meted with a conversation with this writer, where his ideas for Rose Productions were already taking shape. Rose wanted to bounce back in a strong manner that would have launched his work globally. GABA President, Singh extended condolences to the family and friends of the late Rose, stating that a wake will be held for the basketball aficionado on Burnham Basketball Court, as plans are streamlined with Rose’s family. The date will be announced later. Kaieteur Sport also takes this opportunity to extend sincere condolences to the basketball community and all those mourning the loss of Rose, including family and friends. May the soul of a brilliant contributor to the creative arts and former sport administrator rest in peace.

Monday January 27, 2014

SHELLY SPARKLES Wins 60m dash at Queens/Grace Jackson Meet

Triple Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right) speeds to an easy victory in the women’s 60m open at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Track and Field Meet. (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS). Jamaica Observer TRIPLE Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann FraserPryce opened her season in style, easily winning the women’s 60m open in 7.11 seconds at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Track and Field Meet at the Jamaica National Stadium Saturday. Nesta Carter, the 100m World Championships bronze medallist also made a winning start blowing away the field in 6.52 seconds to highlight the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s High School at this the 16th staging of the meet. Both Fraser-Pryce and Carter are using these races in preparation for the IAAF World Indoor Championships set for Poland in March. Fraser-Pryce, with her usual bullet start, was never in danger and actually cruised home ahead of the powerful Carrie Russell, her MVP teammate, and Elain Thompson of UTech. Carter did likewise and won comfortably ahead of his MVP teammate Winston Barnes. Meanwhile, the region’s fastest youngster, Zharnel Hughes of Kingston College (KC), made his long-awaited debut on local soil, winning his Class One 400m heat in a wonderful 48.80 seconds. The Carifta and Pan Am Junior 100m champion turned back Wolmer’s Boys’ Jaheel Hyde, the World Youth 110m hurdles champion, who did 49.16 seconds. But the fastest time was done by the impressive-looking Nathon Allen of St Jago, who clocked 47.96 seconds ahead of Jason Drake of Calabar High in 48.66. KC’s Karayme Bartley was third quickest with 48.76 seconds. KC’s Donte Williams continued his good form,

stopping the clock at 49.78 seconds in his heat. His teammate and Class Three record holder Nathaniel Bann was second-quickest with 49.95, with Calabar’s Akeem Francis third fastest in 50.53 seconds. Calabar’s Christopher Taylor cruised home in the Class Three 400m in 50.85, ahead of Javad Black of St Jago in 51.61 seconds. Edino Steele of Racers Track Club lowered the 400m men’s open record of 46.90 to 46.75 seconds. Riker Hylton, also of Racers, was secondfastest, winning his heat in 47.74 seconds, with Josef Robertson of Cameron Blazer, third quickest in 47.86. MVP’s Kaliese Spencer

easily won the women’s 400m open in 51.39 seconds ahead of teammates Anneisha McLaughlin in 52.77, and Christine Day with 53.66 seconds. Cameka Witter of St Andrew Technical High was quickest in the Class One girls 400m with 56.24 ahead of Shantae Green of Holmwood in 57.49. Ashley Williams of Holmwood captured the Class Two 400m in 56.66, which would have placed her a close second in Class One. Shanice Reid of St Jago was second-fastest in 58.19 seconds. It was Holmwood again in the Class Three 400m with Nadesha Wallace fastest with 58.39 seconds ahead of St Jago’s Sashell Frater with 59.32 seconds. Athaliah Boyd of St Jago won the girls’ high jump Under-17 with a height of 1.65m ahead of Colista Baker of Holmwood with 1.60m. Shanice Love, with 43.05m, captured the girls Under-17 discus. Coya Christie of Wolmer’s was second with 39.90m. Kyle Mitchell of Wolmer ’s Boys won the Under-17 discus with 43.96m ahead of Patrick Williams of Jamaica College with 39.93m. World Youth 400m champion Martin Manley of St Jago looked to be in good form winning his Class One 200m heat in 21.48 seconds. His teammate Chad Walker was second-fastest in 21.70 seconds.

Letter to the Sports Editor

The WICB should make its position known DEAR SPORTS EDITOR, I believe that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) should issue a statement setting out its position on Mr. Srinivasan’s attempt to take over world cricket. Although the proposal is in the names of India, Australia and England, I have little doubt that the intellectual author of this proposed takeover is the BCCI President. Reading Tony Cozier’s article on Sunday, it would appear as if the West Indies Cricket Board is going to toe the line and support this outrageous proposal – the reason being lucrative future India tours. However, although finance is important, we must not put finances above principles. I do not believe it will be fair to call on the Guyana Cricket Board to issue an individual position on this matter as it is surely subject to the principle of collective responsibility at the WICB. However, I do not believe there is any impediment to the Guyana Cricket Board demanding that the WICB publicly state its position before the meeting. We know the position of not only India, Australia and England but also South Africa. The WICB should take the West Indian public in its confidence and state its position. This cannot be a secret. Bish Panday