Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

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

These horses should To the victor goes the spoils be impounded; owner prosecuted DEAR EDITOR, My study window looks out directly onto the Railway Embankment. I can see clearly what takes place on the road in daylight. Nighttime is difficult because the street lights have never functioned for two consecutive months. I have written about these erratic lights several times before. Last Saturday around 23.00 hours, while on the c o m p u t e r, I h e a r d t h e screech of a braking car. I looked out and saw five horses running wild on the road, a feature I have seen countless times on the Railway Embankment. The vehicle had come to a halt. About two hours later, my daughter ran upstairs to inform her parents there was an accident. We know now it was a car that hit one of those rampaging horses and one person is dead and another critical. On Monday morning around 7am, I saw those very horses on the Railway Embankment again. Those animals that just twenty-four hours ago caused the death of a citizen were on full display again. I went immediately to the computer and typed this letter. Those horses have been running wildly on the Railway Embankment for years. Several accidents have occurred because of them. Surely, someone owns those animals. Surely, it is time to severely prosecute the owner and impound the horses. I know it is hard to ask the new government to do so much in just the five weeks it has been in office. But these

horses if not stopped are going to kill more people. Finally, one of the most ignorant things the past government has done is the use of low watt bulbs on public streets. This ignorance is almost morbid. You put lights on a street so users can see what is in front of them in the night. The bulbs that the previous Ministry of Works used were for decorative purposes not for street lightening. You can hardly see what is on the road with these bulbs. What a contrast we now have on the Railway Embankment. Go on the road that leads to the new Giftland Office Max mall. The bulbs are almost a hundred times brighter than the ones that are on the main road, that is, the Railway Embankment. How ironic it is that foolish politicians who did these harsh things to the Guyanese people now sit in the opposition lecturing the nation on what is right from wrong as if they know the distinction or have ever known it Frederick Kissoon

DEAR EDITOR, It is indeed strange that not too many high positioned individuals who have lost their jobs at various State run Corporation / Departments and the opposition is screaming “ witch hunting”. Actually there is some consternation among those who supported the ruling coalition that they have left so many in place even though they screamed corruption and nepotism when they were in opposition. This is politics, the present opposition finds it convenient to have selective amnesia when the members say and oppose the firing and sacking of the GUYSUCO or other boards. First and foremost these positions were filled with the oppositions fervent supporters, friends and in some cases family members. In politics all appointees serve at the pleasure of the governing party. This is not unique to Guyana. It is practised throughout the world, it is not witch-hunting. As a matter of record, the present APNU + AFC Government seems to be moving rather lackadaisically with this transformation via its transition team if there is one. It’s incumbent upon the APNU+ AFC coalition to make sure that the foot

soldiers who were aggressively pushing their agenda and campaigning vigorously for them be duly rewarded, because if they are not, come next election the foot soldiers overlooked during the process maybe not be willing to participate on their behalf again. It is likely they will jump ship or even form their own party, with such a slim margin of victory this can be a disaster for the coalition It is hypocritical for the losing party to cry foul when it has been weighted, measured and found wanting for the past two decades. The exorbitantly paid appointees by association and political activism , are grossly incompetent, and are casualties within the confines of said findings; they deserve to be fired. They should not be allowed to stay on. The decent and honorable thing for them to do would be to resign. But even this type of appropriate behaviour is lacking, seeing that over a month has passed and only a minute percentage have done so, the APNU+ AFC transition team should have recommended that these board members , appointed officers and CEO , who were listed candidates and activist, resign or be sacked.

Noise nuisance from internet café DEAR EDITOR, We the residents of 41 and 43 Third Street, Alberttown are kindly calling on someone in authority to put an end to this distress caused by the individuals running this internet. They have their customers coming on our bridges, and into our yards, speaking excessively loud, using foul language, sitting on chairs blocking our entrances, bracing down our fences and most of all when spoken to, we are abused and threatened.

Several reports were made to Alberttown Police Station and the person running the internet was told by the Police that he or she must stop the customers from this custom. However, it seems that this situation has now become unbearable. This is happening from Sunday to Sunday between the hours of 7.30 AM and 11 PM. Even on Christmas Day there is no peace. We have no alternative that to call on the relevant authority to put an end to this situation as early as possible. Stressed out senior citizens

There are several State Agencies , even if semiautonomous that come to the forefront NICIL — why are these individuals still on board, after so many negative accusations of inappropriate and illegal conduct on their part by the present coalition it was in opposition. GPL— Here is an exorbitantly paid CEO who never misses a blackout who is paid as much as a US- paid CEO with less customer base and for several decades still can’t get it right. GEA — the CEO is a political activist for the losing party. Why is he still there? Is it because he may have family members who are now in the ruling party? Is the coalition now saying that their criticism of corruption was baseless or is it they are weak same nepotism/ cronyism? This is an individual that is now being tabled in the media a young rising star of the PPP. Are we now sleeping with the corrupt enemy? I hope we can sleep with one eye open. GRA —- Nepotism in this agency is

unquestionable, and should not be tolerated The impetus should be to put your house and family in order first for the future. It is time to sack previous appointees and boards and replace them with your own qualified foot soldiers (Supporters). I just hope that the relevant Ministers have the guts and the will to act decisively or is it that they are satisfied with their own placement and no longer care for the party and its members and activists. I know that there are hard working people in the AFC who are highly qualified and who have the experience, who have sacrificed and who have worked hard but other than the minister positions there has been no move to place them. In politics it is “to the victor goes the spoils”. All over the world it is [politically correct and especially correct in Guyana) as the present administration made corruption one of its key platform but yet is not moving to remove the corrupt and the politically appointed. Sean Chetram

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Kaieteur News

Five years jail for American drug procurer An American citizen was yesterday handed a five-year jail term by Magistrate Leron Daly, after she was found guilty of procuring another woman to traffic cocaine. Dawn Saul-Khan, 56 was found guilty of procuring Chaliqua Johnson to traffic 0.365kg of cocaine to the United States of America (USA) on October 12, 2012, at Alexander Village. The convict’s last known address in Guyana was given as 2098 Festival City, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown. After hearing the Magistrate’s verdict the woman broke down in tears at the Providence Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate Daly, in summing up the evidence, informed the court that Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Telford, provided the court with credible evidence that proved Saul-Khan procured the woman to traffic the drug. During the trial, Khan had given a sworn testimony. She

also called Gavin Taylor to testify on her behalf. But the court did not believe the witness’ story. Johnson had also testified and told the court that on October 6, 2012, Khan picked her up from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and took her to a house in Alexander Village. She said that on the morning of October 12, 2012, Khan woke her up at about 04:30hrs, since they were scheduled to travel to the Unuted States. Johnson testified that Khan gave her two packets and told her that it was gold and she should strap it to her body. She added that the woman informed her that if she had refused to strap the item to her body she would have to make her way back to the USA, the best way she could. Johnson along with three other American citizens Gregory Hoyte, 20, of 157-18 7th Avenue, Queens, New York; Adrian Roberts, 38, of 1450 David’s Boulevard,

Queens, New York; assistant nurse Melissa Gouria, 25, of 148-17 Brookville Boulevard, Queens, New York were charged with the possession of narcotics. Johnson , Hoyte, Roberts and Gouria were alleged to have had 365, 745, 675 and 490 grammes of cocaine, respectively, for the purpose of trafficking. They were all busted with the drug at the CJIA on October 12, 2012. However, they told the court that Saul-Khan had given them the illicit substance to carry to the USA. According to court facts, all five were booked to travel on a Delta Airlines flight bound for the JFK Airport, in New York when cocaine was allegedly found on the person of the four individuals during a random pat down. Saul-Khan first appeared before former Magistrate Leslie Sobers on October 15, 2012 and denied the allegation. On that occasion she was released on $2M bail Gregory Hoyte’s matter is still pending, but he has returned to the USA. He was granted permission by the Chief Justice to leave the jurisdiction. Merissa Gouria and Chaliqua Johnson were freed on the charges and have also returned to the USA. Adrian Roberts died in Guyana while awaiting his trial.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Interim Report on Forensic audits...

Billions more found in NICIL irregular accounts - Junior Finance Minister An interim report prepared from the results thus far on the forensic audit into the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has been completed. While he preferred to not disclose most of the details of that report, Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, did state that government was able to locate several accounts holding billions of dollars which he vowed will be transferred to the Consolidated Fund. He said, too, that while he is looking at the interim report at this point, the complete report on the entity will be finished within two weeks and delivered to Cabinet which will disburse the information contained in it, as it deems fit. Sharma noted that the interim report reveals that several entities, particularly NICIL, the Guyana Gold Board and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) have failed to comply with the nation’s financial rules and regulations. The Junior Finance Minister said that while

Government is still entering into contracts for the completion of the forensic audits into several agencies and funds, as well as national projects, the audit into NICIL will also see special focus on the Marriott Hotel that was mostly funded with taxpayers’ money. It is good to note that the Inter-American Development Bank has indicated its interest in helping Guyana cover some of the costs for the forensic audits, Sharma said. Questioned about the cooperation the forensic team has received from Winston Brassington, who is still the head of NICIL, Sharma said that he is helpful, but only to an extent. The Minister, who was placed in charge of the forensic audits, said that Brassington in several areas is “trying to be technical.” The Junior Finance Minister said, “In relation to the forensic audit into NICIL, we are also paying attention to monies held in separate accounts and also NICILfunded projects. “When we ask him for contracts for projects or for a particular project, he is saying that he will deliver them in a

Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma special package by giving us all at one time. Then when it is time for him to deliver he doesn’t and is stalling. So he is trying to be technical and difficult with us.” Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, is currently in charge of the forensic audit into NICIL. The services of Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram, have also been retained for other contentious projects. Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said that Government will be going after the “big fish” which have been listed among the first batch of agencies to be audited. These include NICIL, GGMC and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The audits are being conducted to determine how the assets of the state were sold, disposed of or transferred under the previous administration.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

India to roll out $20 billion food welfare plan by December NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will roll out its multibillion dollar food welfare plan by December, the food minister said, allowing 67 percent of its 1.2 billion people access to cheap rice and wheat. The previous Congress-led government approved the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in August 2013. India’s 29 states and seven union territories had to implement it within a year.

After missing several deadlines, only 11 states could introduce the plan and the rest sought more time. “Finally most states have agreed to implement the NFSA by December, after the latest deadline ends in September,” Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters after meeting his counterparts from states yesterday. In his February budget, Finance Minister Arun

J a i t l e y earmarked 1.24 trillion rupees ($20.11 billion) for food subsidies. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi is implementing the expensive fo o d welfare plan approved by his predecessor Manmohan Singh, the government is now trying to rein in overall subsidies to focus on investment in manufacturing and infrastructure.

Two suicide bombers kill around 30 in northern Nigeria KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Suicide bombers killed around 30 people in two blasts in northern Nigeria yesterday, witnesses and a state governor said, the latest attacks in a renewed offensive by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks but they bore hallmarks of the Islamist militant group, which has bombed several towns and cities in northern Nigeria in the last 10 days after months when they were thought to be

hiding out in the Sambisa forest. Last week, more than 200 people died in a string of attacks in Africa’s top oil producer, piling pressure on new President Muhammadu Buhari who is trying to work with neighboring states to quell the insurgency. An attacker detonated a device yesterday at a local government building on the outskirts of the city of Zaria, killing 25 people and wounding 32 others, Nasir elRufai, governor of Kaduna

state, said on Twitter. Wi t n e s s e s a n d a military source said a female suicide bomber killed four people around the same time at a military checkpoint in S a b o n - Gari town in the northeastern state of Borno, which has been hit hardest by the insurgency. “A young lady wearing a veil with explosive devices strapped at her body detonated an IED at a checkpoint ... before she was checked,” the military source said.

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Kaieteur News

Russia cuts off power supplies to Ukraine rebels: Kiev Kiev (AFP) - Kiev said yesterday that Russia had cut off electricity to Ukraine’s rebel-run regions in what appears to be another sign that Moscow is losing interest in plans to splinter its neighbour. Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone through an extended spell without peppering his speeches with mentions of a “New Russia” (Novorossiya) made up of Ukrainian lands that were once under tsarist

control. The veteran Kremlin leader had fervently promoted the project while the separatists were gaining ground along Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland toward the end of last year. But Ukrainian insurgents who claimed to be in charge of re-creating a part of the old Russian empire have in recent weeks complained of a sudden lack of interest from the Kremlin and a dire shortage of funds.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said yesterday that energy-rich Russia had recently also stopped supplying electricity to the militia-run regions of Lugansk and Donetsk because bills were not being paid. “We held fairly productive negotiations with the Russians,” InterfaxUkraine quoted Demchyshyn as telling an energy ministry meeting. “We have been able to switch off four lines that ran from Russia to territories outside our control.” The energy minister said the cables supplied an allowance of $15 million (14 million euros) of power a month. “That money was not being paid,” Demchyshyn said. There was no immediate response to his comments from either Moscow or the rebels themselves. Most of the coalmines and steel mills have been either shuttered or cannot operate because of chronic shortages of electricity.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Obama, Vietnam leader discuss South China Sea in landmark meeting WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and the head of Vietnam’s ruling communist party discussed concerns over China’s ac t i v i t i e s i n t h e S o u t h China Sea during a historic White House meeting yesterday marking two decades of engagement between the former foes. Nguyen Phu Trong met with Obama in the Oval Office, where they had “candid” discussions over differences about human rights and religious freedom as well a pending Pacific trade agreement with the region, Obama said. Trong, one of the most powerful figures in Vietnam, invited Obama to visit his country and said he was grateful that the president had graciously accepted. Obama said he looked forward to going to Vietnam, but no date was announced. The Vietnamese leader’s trip follows a year-long charm offensive by the United States after a dispute over

sovereignty erupted between communist neighbors Vietnam and China in May 2014. Washington took advantage of the row, ramping up diplomacy with Hanoi after China parked an oil rig unannounced in waters that Vietnam considers its domain. Obama said the U.S.Vietnam relationship was based on mutual respect and said in the last two y e a r s alone “significant progress” had been made in cooperation on education, climate change, public health and security. In a nod to Vietnam’s concern about China, Obama said the South China Sea dispute needed to be resolved using international rules. The goal was to “ensure that the prosperity and freedom of navigation that has underwritten the enormous economic growth that’s taken place in the region continues for decades to come,” Obama said. Trong, without naming China specifically, said he had shared Vietnam’s concern

about the South China Sea and “the recent activities that are not in accordance with international law that may complicate the situation.” China has laid stake to nearly all of the South China Sea, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claim overlapping parts of it. Both men noted that the United States and Vietnam had made strides in their relationship. “There continue to be significant differences in political philosophy and political systems between our two countries,” Obama s a i d , adding diplomacy would help overcome disagreements. Trong said 20 years ago few would have imagined a substantive meeting between the countries’ leaders. “We have been transformed from former enemies to become friends, partners, comprehensive partners. And I’m convinced that our relationship will continue to grow in the future,” he said through an interpreter.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

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THE DOWNTURN IN COMMERCE It is difficult to find parking in certain parts of the city on any Saturday morning. Parking is extremely difficult to obtain outside of Guyana Stores and on Regent Street. This past Saturday and the Saturday before, at 10 a.m. you could have easily obtained parking in these two areas. This was surprising, and lends support to those who argue that commerce is not as brisk as it usually is. Even if you do not wish to believe the businessmen who are claiming that there has been an appreciable decline in sales since the elections, you have to take note of the decline in traffic on a day of the week when many persons take to shopping. The businessmen are

complaining that there has been a significant fall-off in sales. The signs are that they are not lying, that indeed there is a downturn in commercial activity since the last elections. People are not shopping as much as they did before and one has to ask why. The Peeper investigated the seeming downturn in commercial sales by the most practical method possible: walking around and gauging what was happening. Not all businesses were doing badly. Food still has to be put on the table. The supermarkets at month’s end are usually swamped with buyers. The numbers, from observations, tell me that this past month was not as high as is usually the case, but it

was not poor at all. This indicates that the problems may not be about people buying less than it is about some people not buying at all. A great many people still patronized the markets. The rainy season usually leads to an increase in the prices of vegetables and fruits. The prices are high; and people may not be buying as much as before because of these high prices. Some stores seemed to be doing well. I visited a store that sold ladies’ accessories. I could barely find my way to the cashier, because of the large numbers of women in that store buying all manner of ‘bling’. Then I visited a cosmetic store and found that business was brisk. So it would be wrong to say that

Dem boys seh...

Soulja Bai marching too slow Almost two months Guyana get a new Govt headed by Soulja Bai who got de best slow march, and Moses who part de Red Sea. Soulja Bai marching suh slow that even Brassington moving ahead of him. Dem been promise how dem gun investigate and jail people. Soulja Bai either still slow marching or he got problems wid he foot. He and Moses uncover a lot of skullduggery and crookishness, and yet nobody ain’t get charge, and de nation ain’t hearing nutten. Dem boys beginning to wonder if Soulja Bai start tekking he piece quietly from dem who rape de treasury, because dem ain’t hearing nutten bout prosecution. Just de other day dem boys see one major kantractah had half of de coalition drinking Champagne, Double Black Whisky and Ciroc by de bottles at a famous bar. Dem boys want all of dem who tek over to know that dem boys not only keeping dem eyes, but also dem ears and nose pun dem. Dem boys also keeping an eye pun dem foreigners who love to walk wid gift bags when dem going to govt offices. De last time, just before de election, rain fall and de gift bag buss. Money fall out and

dem boys hear was sheer US dollars pun de ground. That money was going to Ohh Pee. Dem foreigners scramble up de money and when dem lef de office dem didn’t have nutten in dem hand. Of course you know that dem didn’t lef de money fuh Ohh Pee people dry it out. At de time Ohh Pee had a bunch a scamps and de man who use to lead dem all, and who still resemble de devil, want to lead dem in parliament. Dem boys seh that he ain’t going to parliament because he love de Pee Pee Pee; he going to protect he fat pension wha he tek for himself. He also hope that he can protect he friend and he Babita who get people fuh send an invoice to government to pay $100 million. Dem boys seh that if that can happen to this day when we have a new government, imagine wha use to happen when Jagdeo was heading he government. No wonder people in de streets of Guyana, New York, de Caribbean, Europe and even China talking how he and he Babita is de two richest SOBs in de region. Talk half and hope Soulja Bai start fuh quick march and tek it all away… and dem boys ain’t mean tek it fuh heself.

all businesses are experiencing a decline in sales. But there is an appreciable reduction in the number of shoppers, at least in the city. I did try to find out what was happening, why people felt that the consumers were not buying. Some people felt that it had to do with the fact that government had not yet passed its Budget, and therefore a reduced amount of money was circulating in the economy. This argument is based on a premise that government spending translates into increase spending on consumer items. This is a questionable premise, because the government does not go shopping in the supermarket to buy food or to buy clothes. The government spends on stationery, office equipment and construction items. It is the payment by government to their workers in the form of wages which is more impactful on the sale of

consumer items. But the government is still paying its workers; these workers are not short of cash to go out and make their purchases. So why is there a decline in commerce? But even if one concedes that because the government has not yet passed its Budget that this is responsible for the fall-off in commercial activity, this raises another important issue. Is our economy, and particularly our commercial sector, so dependent on government spending? What about private sector spending? Should this not be able to prime the economy? Whichever way you look at this issue, it does present some serious challenges for the government. If the fall-off from commercial trade is because of a lack of government spending, then the role of the private sector in our economy needs to be re-examined, because it would mean that the private sector is either not generating enough wealth or is engaged

in massive capital flight. If on the other hand, the problem is not the lack of government spending, then it needs to be asked what is really happening that is leading to this dramatic decline in spending in our economy. There are no indications that the economy is in decline. There are some sectors that are doing badly. But that has always been the pattern of the Guyanese economy. All the sectors have never simultaneously done well together. If they did, the Guyanese economy would have been growing faster than China. It has always been that some sectors grow while others do not. Nothing has changed in that respect. Growth is being maintained. But that growth is not being reflected in commerce. Why?

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 08, 2015

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Can the APNU-AFC coalition lose the 2020 general elections? I was in a certain business place last Wednesday and the owner came up to me. This is a businessman who, when the PPP was in the government, was very close to President Jagdeo. This is one of the prominent names associated with Mr. Jagdeo. I would not name him, because in talking to me he asked that I do not identify him should I do a column on the conversation. I remember years ago, one of my pieces looked at the plethora of reasons that would be offered by the beneficiaries of PPP rule should the PPP lose power. I wanted to quote from it, but I cannot remember the file

name. Well the PPP has lost. My predictions have come true; those explanations are pouring down. Clinton Urling saw the role of Jagdeo as one of the causes for the electoral defeat. Dr. Vindhya Persaud, PPP Parliamentarian in the 10th Parliament cited some atrocious behaviour of PPP’s big wigs. She pointed to the Bheri Ramsaran incident with Sherlina Nageer. She also mentioned the middle finger salute by Rohee after he walked out of the polling station on Election Day. The businessman left and I made my purchase. He was there outside, next to his expensive black SUV. He

engaged me once more. He offered some reasons why the PPP lost. He cited long incumbency. I partially rejected that, informing him that if long incumbency was accompanied by simple, good behaviour, the PPP could have won again. He agreed. He spoke about arrogance. He told me that he found Bibi Shadick totally unfit to have political authority. I asked when all of this was happening why people like him didn’t speak out. I enquired about his voice when the PPP made the same Bibi Shadick the ProChancellor of the University of Guyana.

He didn’t answer my simple question. Where was the voice of Dr. Vindhya Persaud during the fifteen years of Jagdeo/Ramotar? As the months move on, the Guyanese people in and out of the country will hear more potent and persuasive theories of where and why the PPP went wrong by insiders like the businessman I met, Clinton Urling and Vindhya Persaud, but we must question whether they have the moral standing to offer these critiques. Power-holders will become tyrants if those who assist them in coming to office do not hold them accountable. Let me offer some names in the second tier leadership of the Alliance For Change that I consider friends – Michael Carrington, Neilson Mc Kenzie, Leonard Craig, Seivewright Benjamin, Marlon Williams, Trevor

Williams, Charrandas Persaud, among others. The last five names were my students at UG. Since the election to office of the AFC, I have repeatedly said to these leaders; do not let the AFC hierarchy do what it wants without speaking out. I have spoken that sermon to Trevor Williams on the phone as recent as last week. It is the silence of others in an organization that allows power to be abused in the administration of a nation’s affairs. I was at the founding of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) in 1976, and despite its phenomenal success from the time of its birth, the WPA didn’t have the type of courageous internal leadership that encouraged second tier leaders to speak out against the WPA hierarchy. Every WPA member in the middle and at the bottom of its structure couldn’t bring him/herself to openly criticize the big ones in the WPA. In this respect, the PNC more than any other political party, has led the way in attempting to put its top officers “under manners”. In Burnham days, the youth wing of the party, the YSM, openly disagreed with Burnham on many occasions.

Frederick Kissoon In one instance, Burnham had requested the YSM to send a contingent to greet the visiting Chinese Vice-Premier at the airport. They refused citing China’s relationship with apartheid South Africa. Opposition Leader, Desmond Hoyte from 1992 onwards faced severe castigations from his executive over policy directions. The history of this country would have been different if in the PNC and PPP, strong, independent minds had confronted their organizational heads over bad behaviour. The PNC (not APNU) and the AFC leaders are in office, therefore it is imperative that power is made accountable and disciplinary mechanisms exist to check power madness and immoral conduct. It will happen before 2020 and PNC and AFC personnel must be bold to stop it. Such a style cost the PPP the 2015 elections. The PNC and AFC hierarchy will lose the 2020 poll if they behave like the PPP. This they must be made to understand.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

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New Govt. only pretending to Suspect in Nandy Park shooting care about Guyana’s youth - PPP could face several murder charges

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee is saying that the new government is only pretending to care about the youth of Guyana. He made this assertion yesterday morning as he hosted the PPP’s weekly press conference at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown. Rohee said that his party noted “with utter disgust and rejection” the “hypocritical” statements made by Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and Minister within the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, at two separate events. He said that the comments to which they object both relate to the youth of Guyana. Rohee quoted Dr. Roopnaraine as saying, “Youths must become crusaders for national reconciliation” and that they are the future as well as the present. He said that Dr. Roopnaraine made that statement at an activity organized with an aim to look into a National Youth Policy. Further, the General Secretary quoted Garrido-Lowe at a graduation ceremony for students of the Hinterland Scholarship Programme where she said, “I see in front of me the future of Guyana and more importantly, the future of our indigenous population”. After the references, Rohee said that the PPP views the expressions as “mere highsounding and empty rhetoric spoken by those who pretend to be concerned about our young people in general and to those in the hinterland in particular.” Rohee said that the pretence is brought to light in the “on-going witch-hunt which has since spread to the hinterland and (is) severely impacting the young people in the hinterland communities. Scant regard was given to the fact that the Hinterland Scholarship Programme is one of the many flagship indicatives of the PPP/C administration.”

The former Minister added that the Ministers spoke from both sides of their mouths and failed to recognize that the vast majority of young people in the interior of Guyana face daily challenges which they must struggle to overcome either by dint of hard work and/or a rewarding income. In this regard, Rohee said that it is “sad to know that notwithstanding all the rhetoric, the Granger-led de-facto administration has cut loose and thrown onto the bread line 1,972 Community Support Officers (CSOs).” Rohee said that the CSOs were “unjustly” branded “political activists” by the new administration but they really and truly “carried out support services to the Village Councils, particularly in the social services sector in various Amerindian communities in their respective regions.” He noted that the CSOs used to receive a monthly stipend of $30,000 each which amounted to approximately some $60M per month paid by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. He said that the group of young people has been left in the lurch since the PPP demitted office. According to Rohee, “Minister (Sydney) Allicock has been totally neglectful to them by not telling them anything about monies owed to them much less about their future…Garrido-Lowe, Roopnaraine and Allicock are totally oblivious to the hurt and pain they caused to the 1,972 CSOs. They obviously don’t care a damn about them either. The question is therefore how and why should the Amerindian youths who make up the majority of CSOs become Roopnaraine’s crusaders of reconciliation or Garrido-Lowe’s future of the indigenous population, when such brutal and insensitive treatment reminiscent of the Spanish conquistadores is meted out to them by their modern day imitators.’ (Abena Rockcliffe)

Restructuring of $$M Sheriff St.Mandela Ave road network imminent The roadway expansion and enhancement of the Sheriff Street – Mandela Ave network, which falls under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, has attracted five bids. The engineer’s estimate is US$36,377,564. The bids are as follows:

Consultancy bids were opened for the implementation and support of a training programme for the Guyana Police Force. There was a joint bid from a local and a United States of Americabased group.

Travis Rudder

Beepat Taijram

Gladstone George

The man who police have held in connection with the brutal murder of Nandy Park resident Travis Rudder has been described as a “terror” in the Kaneville area and a dangerous “hit man”. The suspect, whose name was given as Orpheus Johnson is staring at, at least, two murder charges, including the killing of Gladstone George, who was killed in a mini bus at Agricola a little over two months ago. Johnson was nabbed on Sunday last while attempting to board a mini bus. At the time he had in his possession an unlicenced firearm. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed last night that Johnson is well known to law enforcement authorities and has “a rap sheet that is long as the Nile River.” He was fingered as one of the triggermen in last month’s slaying of Rudder, who was gunned down while sleeping with his reputed wife and their 16-month-old son. The Crime Chief also confirmed that Johnson was positively identified as the shooter in the murder of George, who was killed shortly after boarding a bus. And as if that is not enough, he is also linked to the murder of ex-policeman Beepat Taijram, called ‘Biggs’ 28 of Albouys Street,

Albouystown, who was shot dead earlier this year while driving a mini bus along the Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara. Johnson’s criminal career dated way back to 2009 when he along with another man faced multiple charges, including murder. One of the charges read that at Grove, East Bank Demerara, Johnson, being armed with a gun, robbed Neeparam Nambudhoo of a cell phone and a ring. During his arraignment before then Chief Magistrate

Mellissa Robertson, it was further alleged that at Kaneville, Johnson murdered Brendon Charles. Johnson’s rap sheet also contained the attempted murder of Krishna Persaud, who was shot in his left hip and upper abdomen during a confrontation with gunmen. Johnson somehow managed to get off from the charges. This time around investigators are almost certain that they have enough evidence to put Johnson away.

CORRECTION Kaieteur News in its Sunday’s Edition published an article headlined “Haags Bosch access road incomplete – says Solid Waste Head” which stated that the road in question is estimated to be 75 per cent completed. The statement was attributed to Head of the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Project, Gordon Gilkes, who has since contended that the foregoing is an inaccurate reflection of what he said at a press conference last week Friday (July 3, 2015) at the Kingston, Georgetown, Ministry of Communities. He pointed out that the Ministry of Communities wishes to indicate that the Haags Bosch Access Road was completed in June 2010 by H. Nauth and Sons. “The road that was reported as incomplete, as was asked by one of the reporters present at the Press Conference, is the Access Road around the location designated in the future for Hazardous Waste Materials. This roadway which is constructed by the Joint Venture is approximately 75 percent completed,” Gilkes clarified. Kaieteur News apologises for the inaccuracy of the aforementioned report.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Ramotar, Benn, others kicked off PPP’s Parliamentary list - party unclear when taking seats A little less than one month after the 11th Parliament was opened, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) seems to have finally made up its mind about its list of Parliamentarians. But with a sitting of the National Assembly set for tomorrow, the party, which appears to have abandoned its “Civic” component, remains unclear when it will take up its seats. Some 10 new faces, including former President Bharrat Jagdeo, will be appearing. He is to be the Leader of the Opposition. But a number of experienced heads will not be taking up seats including former President Donald Ramotar; former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. Also absent from the list are Prime Ministerial

candidate, Elisabeth Harper; Dr. Nanda Gopaul; Faizal Jaffarally; Jennifer Webster; Bibi Shadick; Robeson Benn; Kwame Gilbert and Norman Whittaker. The new faces include Collin Croal, a former Permanent Secretary; Gillian Persaud, Zulfikar Mustapha; Alister Charlie; Venkatasuma Anamayah; Nigel Dharamlall; Dr. Clive Jagan; Charles Ramson Jr, and Africo Selman. The presence of Dr. Jagan will mean that it will be the first time that a Jagan will be in Parliament since the 1990’s. Also included in the list and drawn from Geographic Constituency are Carnel Damon; Irfaan Ali; Komal Chand; Anil Nandlall; Neendkumar; Priya Manickchand; Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo; Dr. Jennifer Westford; Dr. Frank Anthony; Indranie Chandarpal; Juan Edghill; Joseph Hamilton; Odinga Lumumba; Ganga Persaud;

Dr. Vindhya Persaud; Dr. Bheri Ramsaran; General Secretary, Clement Rohee; Dharamkumar Seeraj; Pauline Sukhai; Gail Teixeira and Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. Missing from the list is businessman Clinton Urling, who after endorsing the party in the lead-up of the May 11 elections clashed with senior officials after criticizing Jagdeo. Explaining the absence of Dr. Ashni Singh and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, PPP said yesterday that both, who were being considered for Parliament, have asked that their “unavailability to serve the Party in the 11th Parliament of Guyana be made public to avoid any speculations”. According to RodriguesBirkett in the PPP statement, “I have decided to do some work overseas that will take me out of Guyana for extended periods and which will not allow me to do the required work of a Member of Parliament at this time. My new engagement doesn’t

NEW FACE: Collin Croal take away from my commitment to the Party.’’ Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Ashni Singh, long seen as close to Jagdeo, thanked the PPP for considering him. In declining, he said: “As I explained, my personal and other commitments would make it difficult for me to discharge the obligations of a PPP/C MP in the manner I would like to at the current time. I remain firmly committed to the PPP/C, and I continue to be available to be of service to the Party in other capacities’’. PPP said that it arrived at the list after a series of consultations at various levels over many weeks. “As customary and inkeeping with the party’s policy, a number of factors were considered such as experience, youth, gender, ethnic composition, geographic-spread among others. The PPP remains proud of its democratic tradition which allows the various tiers of our Party to make meaningful inputs in the decision-making process.” The PPP made it clear that the Opposition Leader (Jagdeo) has been fully endorsed by its Central Committee. “Full disclosure in respect of those parliamentarians who will fill the position of Leader of the Opposition and Chief Whip, will take place at the swearing-in of the thirty two (32) PPP Members of Parliament.” PPP insists that the list represents a list of persons who have the capabilities of representing “all Guyanese”, more particularly, the over 200,000 persons who voted for the party. “A number of new faces are expected to be heading for the National Assembly with a good blend of youth and experienced Parliamentarians. However, the Party has not made a decision regarding when these Members of

NEW FACE: Dr. Clive Jagan

NEW FACE: Nigel Dharamlall

OUT: Donald Ramotar

OUT: Robeson Benn

OUT: Dr. Nanda Gopaul

OUT: Bibi Shadick

OUT: Dr. Ashni Singh

OUT: Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

Parliament will take up their seats in Parliament. Consultations are still ongoing.” PPP, which has been in Government for 23 years, was facing its toughest test after losing the elections on May 11 for the first time. It has approached the court

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it.

claiming that the polls were rigged, although the international community said it was above board. The party had promised to revamp its image. The presence of Jagdeo, who is facing private criminal charges of racial incitement, has also been seen as a major problem. His administrations have been accused of corruption and gifting tax concessions to friends and a number of favoured investors. A number of audits are ongoing within several state agencies.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Caricom Heads advocate for continued Kennard recommends attempted murder charge for Russian roulette cop Hugh Wooding placements for UG students Almost two months after he allegedly shot a 19-yearold Albouystown woman while playing Russian roulette, a policeman is likely to face a charge of attempted murder. Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, Cecil Kennard, has recommended the course of action after perusing the file on the matter. It is now left to the Director of Public Prosecutions to make her decision on whether or not the charge should be instituted. On April 22 last, Sheqqenna Anderson, a mother of one, was reportedly shot in her abdomen by the policeman, who happens to be a friend, and who was playing Russian roulette at the time. The policeman was one of the ranks on foot patrol duty in the Albouystown area as part of a police initiative to curb crime in the community. According to relatives and neighbours who were there at the time, Anderson invited three police ranks clad in blue and black uniforms into her home, after one of them requested to use the bathroom. Kaieteur News

Cecil Kennard understands that the policeman at the centre of the incident had in his possession a .38 revolver, which did not have bullets in it. He allegedly took a live round from one of the other officers present, placed it into the barrel and decided to play a dangerous game of Russian roulette. In recounting the final moments before Anderson was shot, a relative claimed, “She [Sheqqenna] went stand up by the window. He come in and he start playing with the gun. I turn and tell he that I ain’t playin with no gun

cause gun don’t have eyes, and I left to go in the bedroom. By the time I reach the door all I hear was “POW! And when I come out I see she holding her belly.” Kaieteur News was told that when the police rank realised that his friend was wounded, he got scared and ran away from the scene. One of his colleagues ran after him, while the other stayed with the wounded woman and subsequently rushed her to the Accident and Emergency Unit of Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. “He run away, drop the gun on Sussex Street, and his other colleague that was chasing him found the gun and took it to the Brickdam Police Station,” a relative recalled. The rank was placed under close arrest, while an investigation was carried out. As is the norm with matters involving police ranks, the file was sent to the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority for his recommendation, before the DPP gives the final advice. It is not clear if the policeman is around to face the charge if it is instituted.

Despite prevailing concerns, the top 25 graduating law students of the University of Guyana (UG) are expected to be granted access to the Hugh Wooding Law School this year. This decision was one made at the recently concluded 36th Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Barbados. The automatic entry allowance for the local law students has been one that has been fraught with uncertainty in recent years. For the past few years Guyana has been forced to fight relentlessly for placement of its top performing students at the Hugh Wooding Law School, a situation that had its genesis when the Council for Legal Education (CLE) suspended the Hugh Wooding Law School and UG’s special arrangement for automatic placement for 25 of its (UG’s) top performing students. However, the need for a permanent solution as it relates to the automatic placement of UG students at the Hugh Wooding Law School is one that the Attorney General and Legal

Attorney General, Basil Williams Affairs Minister, Basil Williams, is hoping to realise soon. And based on information out of the AG’s Chambers, Williams, as part of his plan to address this issue, has proposed a meeting to be convened shortly with the UG law students. He, nevertheless, spearheaded the proactive tactic that allowed for the issue, though short-term, to be addressed at the recent Heads of Government conference. While the Attorney General did not attend the conference held in Barbados, he took a decision to contact

the Guyana delegation there, headed by President David Granger, to amend Guyana’s agenda to include the automatic entry of the top 25 UG law graduates to the Hugh Wooding Law School for 2015. Williams in his request asked that Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, who attended the conference, seek an agreement with the Caricom Heads to continue the interim arrangements made at their Intercessional Meeting in 2013. At that meeting it was decided that the 25 top UG Law graduates would be allowed automatic entry to the Hugh Wooding Law School for 2014, pending the conclusion of another Collaborative Agreement between UG, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Council for Legal Education (CLE), and the completion of a study and submission of a report on the status of Legal Education in the Caricom Region. This move to have the Guyana delegation raise the matter at the meeting came on the heels of a meeting the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister held in his Continued on page 24

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Kaieteur News

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Wednesday July 08, 2015

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FOR SALE

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Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 23

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

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE POLICE DEAR EDITOR, I have argued elsewhere that the efforts of the Minister of Public Security to reform the Guyana Police Force and enhance the public security environment will go for naught if he continues to rely on the same people at the helm of the organization. Imagine the police took two hours to arrive on the scene Ganesh Ramlall’s murder, just two days after the Minister handed over to the force eleven vehicles appropriated from the Community Policing Groups. I refuse to accept that vehicles from that set were not allocated to the West

Demerara police for patrol and emergency response purposes. If they were then my original point stands since I cannot see what prevented an earlier physical response at that crime scene. Incidentally, there seemed to be confusion on the part of the police when they issued a release which asserted that the bandits had stolen victim’s licenced firearm, when in fact the man’s weapon was in his home. This was a clear indication that no proper initial investigation by way of interviews not to mention preserving its integrity was conducted by the first

responders. Yet we are constantly reminded that ranks are participating in various local and overseas courses. Apparently no one is the least bit interested in knowing if the knowledge those ranks acquire is shared for the benefit of the organization. We are told that the Minister ’s decision was prompted by information provided by the Commissioner of Police, and therefore it would be unbelievable if indeed the patrol capability of the Divisional was not addressed in the allocation. This brings me to a related

issue; one wonders if vehicles are just sent to an area just on someone’s say so, or whether there is some quasiscientific model that informs the allocation of resources. I rather suspect that the latter is not a feature of the strategic thinking of the Commissioner and his management team. It is important to note that the patrol function consists primarily of two activities (i) calls-for-service; and (ii) administrative and crime prevention activities. The latter category includes the presence of patrol units as a crime deterrent, and the availability

of emergency units to provide reasonable response times for high-priority calls-for-service. The demand for services provided by the patrol varies among divisions as a consequence of the geographic and demographic factors that are peculiar to each division. If the Force really is to move away from rhetoric to reality then the Minister, and by extension the Guyanese people, must be afforded a high level of comfort if data can be provided which will be useful for policy making including but not limited to the time taken to answer

the phone from the time it starts to ring; time taken before patrol is dispatched to scene with details; time taken from time of dispatch to arrival at scene; analysis of how the foregoing are impacted e.g. temporal variations of hour, day, weather etc.; analysis of locations and roads across police divisions and patrol shifts. We need serious action to back assurances; no more nice sounding hollow phrases which are increasingly becoming an insult to our collective intelligence. Edmund Syfox

Lawlessness at the Alberttown Fire Station DEAR EDITOR,. I am cognizant of the fact that there is much remedial and reconstructive work that needs to be done within governmental departments by this new administration and particularly by the Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan. This latest atrocity underscores my point. On Sunday last my friends and parishioners, Rafeek ‘Fazel’ and Zilla Khan and their four children, lost everything they owned, to a house fire. But if their tremendous loss itself is not devastating enough, you need to read how it could have been prevented, or at least reduced. The fire started in the living room about 2 AM, Yaniv, one of the sons noticed it. He alerted the other two

persons in the house – another brother and a cousin. They immediately called the Alberttown Fire Station. (The rest of the family were in Bartica visiting a sick relative) The Alberttown Fire Station is at the side of the Khan’s home, literally! They could lean through their window and touch the fence of the fire station. When they called the fire station, about two or three minutes into the fire, they were told by the officer on duty that there was no driver for the fire engine. The officer told them that the designated driver called in sick about 7 PM the night before (Saturday). No replacement for him was at the station at 2 AM the following morning (Sunday). Not only was there no driver for the fire tender but

GECOM prepares for local govt. elections Last weekend, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) engaged some of its internal staff, consisting of Registration Officers, Assistant Registration Officers, Clerk IIIs and other selected staff from the Voter Registration Division, in a Refresher Training Programme, in order to further instill in them their respective roles and responsibilities. According to GECOM, some of the important areas addressed at this training exercise were the correct completion of forms, processing of registration transactions, field verification, field investigation and reporting (double registrations), submission of transactions/reports, distribution and record keeping of ID cards, and other pertinent issues relative to Local Government Elections. GECOM is currently in the early stages of preparation for the likely conduct of Local Government Elections in the future. “All administrative and logistical arrangements are being carefully fine-tuned and put in place for the efficient, free, fair, and transparent conduct of Local Government Elections,” the commission said yesterday. One critical subset of GECOM’s preparations is the recruitment and training of adequate and competent staff. “This is currently being done and will continue as we await the announcement of a definitive date from the Honourable Minister of Communities for the conduct of Local Government Elections, subsequent to his in depth collaboration with GECOM.”

the fire hydrant that is in front of the Khan’s home, is covered by a 40 foot container, belonging to a construction site next to Khan’s residence. (The owner of the construction site moved the container and invited the media to see the fire hydrant. Suffice it to say, there is no visible hydrant there) When the Alberttown Fire Station told the distraught family that they did not have a driver, they summoned a fire tender from “Central” Fire Station. Central station is downtown Georgetown, by Stabroek Market. It took that

tender about 20 minutes to get to the scene of the fire. By then the top flat of the house (mostly wooden), was entirely engulfed in flames. WhenI got to the scene about 2:40 AM, there was only one fire tender there and the house was still burning. I tried to ascertain why there was such a limited amount of activity and effort to extinguish the flames. I was told that they were conserving water. About 3 AM another fire tender arrived from the Campbellville Fire Station with a water pump.

That pump was used to increase the water pressure and the fire was eventually subdued. It was then confirmed that the family had lost everything. Around 6 AM Sunday, some embers flared up and again, the fire tender from Campbellville – and its water pump – had to be called, which suggests that there was still no driver for the fire tender at the Alberttown Fire Station, just next door to Khan’s home. Pastor W. P. Jeffrey Practical Christianity Ministries Founder/President

From page 22

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Reported botched abortion in Berbice...

Doctor’s fate likely in a few weeks - CMO Although the investigation into the death of 22-year-old Kamili Arjune is still on-going at the level of the Guyana Medical Council, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, expressed confidence that a final decision is imminent. Arjune, a Suriname national, was pronounced dead last Good Friday after a reported botched abortion at a clinic in Port Mourant, Berbice. As CMO, Dr. Persaud is a de facto member of the Medical Council and according to him, “we are meeting in another couple of

weeks.” The upcoming meeting, he disclosed, will represent a statutory council meeting which will deliberate finally on what would be the outcome of the Arjune case. According to Dr. Persaud, if the culpable doctor is found guilty of malpractice, the Council could impose sanctions such as a letter of reprimand, suspension of licence (determined by both the Council and the Minister of Health) or he could be stricken off the Council’s list of doctors eligible to practice in Guyana. Dr. Persaud had disclosed that among the breaches, is

Caricom Heads advocate... From page 21 Chambers on Thursday last with UG’s Law Department Head, Sheldon McDonald; Former UG Registrar, Vincent Alexander and President of the Bar Association, Christopher Ram. The meeting was one that represented a commitment from Williams to urgently discuss the automatic entry issue with the UG administration. Based on the outcome of the Caricom Heads meeting, Williams’ proactive intervention yielded a satisfactory outcome. A statement out of the Attorney General’s office revealed that “Caricom Heads at the just concluded 36th Heads of Government Conference in Barbados, called on the Hugh Wooding Law School to continue to make provisions for the automatic entry of the top 25 Guyanese University of Guyana (UG) law graduates.” Even as he lauded the decision by the CARICOM Heads to continue with the interim agreement in allowing the automatic entry of the UG graduates to the Hugh Wooding Law School for 2015, the AG was also in high praise for the team effort of the Foreign Affairs Minister to firmly state Guyana’s case, thereby gaining support from the Caricom Heads.

the fact that the doctor in question was not licenced to perform the abortion, neither was his private clinic certified to conduct the medical termination of pregnancy. Another breach, he disclosed, was the fact that the doctor had not reported the woman’s death within the stipulated 24 hours. The CMO had also told this publication that it is required by law that once a pregnancy-related death occurs, it should be reported to his office. “Any woman who dies during any stage of pregnancy or up to 42 days after delivery, must be reported to the relevant authority (the CMO’s office),” said Dr. Persaud, as he related that it is expected that such deaths within Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10 must be reported within 24 hours. While those that occur in the hinterland regions, must be reported within 72 hours. According to Dr. Persaud, he first learnt of the matter after it was reported in this newspaper. He however noted that “there is due process where all involved are given a chance to both verbally and in writing respond to allegations that are made, but I think we will come up with our final decision shortly.” The doctor under investigation had sent a

response to the Ministry of Health regarding the accusation levelled against him through his lawyer. And Dr. Persaud expressed his hope that “we can come up with the best action.” To facilitate the Medical Council’s investigation, the doctor in question was sent on administrative leave. Although the incident occurred at the doctor’s private clinic, he is also a medical practitioner at a Berbice public health facility. Moreover the Berbice Regional Health Authority had made the decision to halt the doctor’s active duty in the public health sector. “To send the doctor off on administrative leave is the

limit of our jurisdiction,” said Dr. Persaud as he informed that the Medical Council has to adjudicate on any other practice licences. Even as they await the outcome of the investigation, Dr. Persaud disclosed that he has remained in contact with the family of the deceased woman. According to him, he has been working towards addressing the difficulty faced to acquire a death certificate. The difficulty, the CMO said, is linked to the fact that because the pathologist who undertook the post mortem examination was unable to ascertain exactly what the cause of death was, a request

Dead: Kamili Arjune for further examination of Arjune’s remains was made. But according to Dr. Persaud, “we are working on that right now to try to get the final death registration and have it submitted to the General Register Office, and help the family to acquire the necessary documentation that they would need.”

Duo accused of jewellery theft granted bail Yesterday two persons accused of stealing jewellery made their first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge of simple larceny. It is alleged that between June 30 and July 1, Travis Mars and Coleen Boyer, of 58 Friendship Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara, carted off a quantity of jewellery, the property of Annette Phoenix. The court heard that the two stole 13 gold rings valued $516,000 and 3 gold chains worth $362,000, among other jewellery, all totaling $1.273 M. The defendants denied the allegations and were released on $75,000 bail each by Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan. Mars’ Attorney Dexter Todd during his bail application, asked for his clients to be released on reasonable bail. He also stated that Mars is known to the virtual complainant (Phoenix).

Travis Mars The attorney explained that his client has been entrusted before to take items to Matthew’s Ridge where Phoenix’s business is located. Todd contended that Mars had some disagreement on payment on the day in question to which he had voiced his concern. However Todd said that the man continued working for Phoenix.

The attorney said that his clients’ share a relationship and that Mars normally goes alone to transact the woman’s business. He added that Boyer decided to accompany Mars on the day in question, since she wanted to visit her mom. The Attorney further stated that Phoenix called the police because she thought Mars would have taken her belongings. The police went in search of the defendant and apprehended him. Todd noted that Mars has been cooperating with the police and the items were returned to Phoenix. The attorney pointed out that Boyer was never employed by Phoenix; she was just with her partner. Police Prosecutor, Deniro Jones had no objection to bail. The two accused were ordered to return to court on July 27.

Probation report ordered for... (From page 3) was not purely based on the request, but on the fact that Attorney Madan Kissoon was not present to mitigate on behalf of his client (Tyndall). Kissoon, the court learnt, had fallen ill

over the holiday weekend. In further addressing the packed courtroom, Justice George also noted that she is yet to ascertain whether the sentence of the death penalty or terms of years would be suitable for the two.

On January 6, 2008, Colleen Forrester’s body was found by police ranks; her ankles were bound and her body wrapped in sheets before it was tossed into the septic tank. Forrester was strangled and beaten to death with a pestle (mortar stick). According to reports, she was last seen at the William Street, Campbellville residence on December 26, 2007. While leading his defence, Tyndall in an unsworn statement essentially blamed the murder on Hope. And Hope, who testified under oath, told the court that he had nothing to do with the murder. The prosecution’s star witness, Nikita Semple, was 12 years old at the time.

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Barbados public workers stage protest march BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - About 5,000 public workers marched through the streets of the capital in a mass protest called by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), and Government has been warned that there is more to come. Although it is keeping exactly what that is close to its chest, the NUPW said Monday that while its members were not on the streets yesterday, government can expect four more phases to the action. “This is just the beginning,” union president Akanni McDowall said. The protest was sparked by the Barbados Industrial and Development Corporation (BIDC) forcing 10 employees to retire. A total of 13 people over the age of 60 went home but the BIDC said two of the other three had indicated prior to the BIDC’s decision that they wanted to retire by August while the other was not appointed in a post. The NUPW is insisting that the 10 either be reinstated or be paid until they reach the age of 67, the age at which retirement will be compulsory from January 2018. But as it staged the march,

...govt. warned of more action the union which was supported by the island’s largest union – the Barbados Workers’ Union – the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, the Barbados Union of Teachers, the Nurses Association of Barbados and the Unity Workers Union, said the protest was about more than just the BIDC workers. The NUPW said they were marching against the government’s disrespect, and for justice for all workers who have been wronged. “It speaks to our larger concerns about the level of disrespect, which exists. The failure to consult, the removal of privileges and a shift in favour of approaches which seek to undermine our protocols and seek to establish processes of industrial relations,” BWU general secretary Toni Moore said. Phase 1 of the action involved nurses, employees of the National Conservation Commission (NCC), the National Assistance Board, Customs and Excise, the Barbados Transport Authority, the Caribbean

Broadcasting Corporation, Barbados Government Information Service, the National Cultural Foundation and the Sanitation Service Authority. Among the other marchers were Opposition Leader Mia Mottley and other Barbados Labour Party members, members of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP), David Comissiong and other Pan Africanists. Minister of Labour Senator Dr. Esther Byer has urged the NUPW to return to the bargaining table. She said the protest action was premature as the dispute had not gone to all the appropriate channels. The NUPW held a meeting with BIDC officials under the chairmanship of Minister of Industry and Commerce Donville Inniss last week, but that ended in a stalemate and the union decided to go forward with its industrial action. “We have to come back to the table, and it is not as if this strike is an effort to bring the parties to the table, because there has been no effort.

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Kaieteur News

Prospects of new Greek rescue rise at euro zone summit

Newly appointed Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos (C) is welcomed by Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem (L) and French Finance Minister Michel Sapin at a euro zone finance ministers meeting on the situation in Greece in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday. (REUTERS/Yves Herman) BRUSSELS (Reuters) Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won a commitment to seek a last-minute rescue at an emergency euro zone summit yesterday, before his country’s banks run out of money. EU leaders will hold a further summit on Sunday to approve a plan to aid Greece if creditor institutions are satisfied in the meantime with a Greek loan application and reform commitments. “The ball is in Greece’s court,” Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said. “Next Sunday the final meeting will take place on Greece ... I am not pessimistic.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who arrived saying there was still no basis for

reopening negotiations with Athens, changed her tune in the room and was actively involved in efforts to find a last-ditch solution, euro zone sources said. Merkel said she expected a formal loan request from Athens today and more detail on how Greece would cooperate to make its economy more competitive tomorrow, in order to seek the approval of the German parliament to start negotiations. “We all share responsibility for the euro,” she said of the decision to invite all EU leaders on Sunday - a timetable she said reflected the danger of the situation and the urgent need for a solution. Short-term finance could

also be made available if the Greek government came up with satisfactory proposals and took “prior actions” in passing laws to convince creditors of its intent. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann warned, however, that if there were no deal on Sunday, euro zone governments would have to prepare “Plan B” — code for Greece losing all access to euros and so finding itself excluded from the currency area. With Greek banks down to their last few days of cash and the European Central Bank tightening the noose on their funding, Tsipras tried to convince the euro zone’s other 18 leaders to authorize a new loan swiftly.

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Iran nuclear talks extended, source says 48 hours left for deal VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and major powers gave themselves at least until Friday to negotiate an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, but a source from one of the powers said yesterday they had to wrap up in the next 48 hours. “We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said outside the hotel where the marathon talks between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States are taking place. The spokeswoman for the U.S. delegation, Marie Harf, said the terms of an interim

deal between Iran and the six would be extended through Friday to give negotiators a few more days to finish their work. The negotiators had set yesterday as a deadline when it became clear last week that a June 30 deadline would not be met. But despite a push in the past few days they made clear again that they still needed more time. “We’re frankly more concerned about the quality of the deal than we are about the clock, though we also know that difficult decisions won’t get any easier with time,” Harf said. There was disagreement

about whether the talks were in effect open-ended. U.S. officials hoped to wrap them up in time for a 4 a.m. GMT Friday (midnight EDT Thursday) deadline to secure an expedited review by the U.S. Congress, but it was unclear if that was possible. “No deadline is sacrosanct for us,” senior Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi told reporters. “We are ready to stay in Vienna and continue talks as long as it is necessary.” Western diplomats said they had not yet given up hope of making the deadline for the U.S. congressional review.

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Jamaica’s top cop troubled PM promises to make T&T green by increase in homicides KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica’s top police official said Monday there has been a “troubling” and “unacceptable” increase in killings, with 602 homicides so far this year on the Caribbean island that has long grappled with high rates of violent crime. There have been reductions in every other major crime category in 2015, but homicides are on the rise, Police Commissioner Carl Williams said. Half of the slayings are rooted in gang conflicts and 80 percent are done with guns, according to police statistics. “Our communities continue to be ravaged by the senseless spilling of blood,” Williams said. Last year, Jamaica saw double-digit decreases in every crime category, including a 16 percent drop in homicides. The 1,005

Dr Carl Williams slayings recorded in 2014 was the lowest annual total in over a decade on the island of 2.7 million people. It’s a long way from National Security Minister Peter Bunting’s goal of reducing crime to “First World levels” by 2017, when he

hopes Jamaica will have a maximum of about 320 homicides. Still, last year’s reduction in killings was touted by Bunting as a “breakthrough year in the fight against crime.” With slayings ticking upward, Jamaica is increasing joint operations between the police and military. Williams said there will be an intensified presence of law enforcers on the streets, with officers “dominating major thoroughfares and occupying public spaces to deny criminals the opportunity to operate.” Williams also introduced a campaign aimed at intercepting the flow of smuggled firearms coming into Jamaica and seizing guns from criminals. He said Jamaicans will soon be offered rewards for providing information leading to the seizure of illegal weapons.

Brazil’s Rousseff tells paper she is uncowed by opposition calls to quit SAO PAULO (Reuters) Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told newspaper Folha de S. Paulo in an interview published yesterday that she plans to finish her term and continue with efforts to narrow the budget deficit in spite of

growing calls among opponents for her resignation. When asked repeatedly by Folha reporters about heightening pressure for her to step down amid revelations that members of her ruling coalition received bribes from state contractors in recent years, Rousseff said she would not back down and was uncowed by calls for her resignation. “I am not going to fall. I won’t, I won’t. That’s too

wimpy, this is a political fight,” she told Folha. “There’s no basis for me to fall.” “Try me, try me,” she added. In the interview, Rousseff said part of the opposition are trying to instigate an impeachment process. “To oust a president you have to explain why. They are mixing their wishes with reality. Is there any real basis to do that? I don’t believe there is any at all,” she added.

Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar Monday night outlined plans to create a new energy-efficient and ecofriendly Trinidad and Tobago. Speaking at the United National Congress (UNC) Monday Night Forum in Gasparillo, the Prime Minister spoke of solar-powered schools, housing and community centres, adding that some aspect of this plan is already in gear. She said further that under her Government, legislative changes will be made to the T&TEC and Regulated Industries Commission (RIC Acts which will allow citizens, companies and organisations to install their own renewable energy technology and to sell the excess to the national grid. This, she said, will stimulate the creation of a new industry in T&T founded around micro-wind and micro-solar applications. Persad-Bissessar said where feasible, all community centres will be outfitted with external solar PV lighting, accompanied by a three-day battery back-up system.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar She said electricity bills will be reduced and these centres can be better utilised in the event of natural disasters as their power source would not be compromised. Persad-Bissessar disclosed that this process has already started and 13 community centres have solar lighting. The Prime Minister said further that houses built by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) or other

Government agencies will be outfitted with renewable energy technologies such as solar PV lighting and solar water heaters. She said all street lighting in new housing developments will be solar and/or wind powered. Persad-Bissessar touched on the issue of race, which has reared its ugly head in the election campaign. She noted Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley’s position that the People’s National Movement (PNM) will not run its campaign based on race, adding that this was not believable. The Prime Minister called on Rowley and PNM youth officer Fitzgerald Hinds to apologise to the people for the “lagoon” comments Hinds made at a PNM meeting in Belmont. Hinds and the PNM have said that these comments were not racist in any way. The Prime Minister also hinted that she had information to raise questions over Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner’s position that he took a $1 a month salary as MP over the past five years.

The Bill, which was passed with four amendments, provides for an increase in the personal income tax threshold and will make the first J$592,800 (US$5,085) of each Jamaican’s annual income, tax-free. The threshold was previously J$557,232 (US$4,776). The latest proposed adjustment, on coming into effect, will translate into a cumulative increase of $85,488 (US$732) in tax-free income facilitated over the past two years, with the personal income tax threshold having stood at J$507,312 (US$4,347), at the start of that period. “These increases in the income tax threshold for individuals have been introduced in recognition of

the social impact occasioned by the economic adjustments, as a result of the economic reform efforts,” said Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding, who led the debate on the Bill in the Upper House. “They will increase the disposable income of employees and compliant self-employed i n d i v i d u a l s and, thereby, also provide additional stimulus to the domestic economy.” Golding pointed out that the Bill also seeks to formalize the introduction of the revised income tax threshold for the 2015 assessment year, which made the first J$557,232 (US$4,776) of annual income earned, as at January 1, taxfree.

Senate passes legislation that will see Jamaicans paying less income tax KINGSTON, Jamaica Jamaicans will be paying less income tax from next year. The Senate has passed the Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2015, that will facilitate the provision of an additional J$35,568 (US$305) in tax-free income for workers, effective January 1, 2016.

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JAMAICA TALLAWAHS BEAT ST LUCIA ZOUKS BY 9 WICKETS

CPL - The Jamaica Tallawahs registered a crucial 9 wicket victory against the St. Lucia Zouks in their first home match of the season. Fifties from Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle made light work of the St. Lucia Zouk’s total of 158-4, with the Tallawahs reaching the target with 24 balls to spare. Although the run-chase was the highest successful chase ever at Sabina Park in the CPL, the Tallawahs were hardly troubled in pursuit, with some loose early Zouks bowling ensuring they got ahead of the rate and from that point they never looked back. Walton and Gayle batted with care and caution, finding a perfect balance between defence, rotation and attack, never letting the run-rate spiral and punishing bad balls whenever the pressure hinted at mounting. Gayle, unusually, played second fiddle to Walton who was the early aggressor and then as the Tallawahs neared their target, stepped up his attack

Santokie took two early wickets for the #Tallawahs at Sabina Park Cricket Ground, Kingston, Jamaica. (CPL) once more. Only when Walton was dismissed did the Gayle we know and love come to the fore as he thrashed fours and sixes away to carry the Tallawahs home. Although they set a record target, the Zouks may

look back on their innings and feel they were a few runs short. Kevin Pietersen was the only batsman who scored more than 29, blitzing 83 not out from 57 balls - his second consecutive CPL fifty. Pietersen’s last two

Wednesday January 08, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) There are ways of making extra cash if you put your mind to it. Sudden changes in your financial situation are likely. TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) You may be overly emotional when dealing with your mate. You should look into a healthier diet. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You should be traveling to that exotic destination you've been dreaming about. CANCER (June 22-July 22)

You need to concentrate on the areas where you can make a difference. Your obviously unique way of doing things has caught the eye of someone in a higher position. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) You may have a problem with someone you live with if you don't include them in your gathering. Take care of matters involving institutions or government agencies. Spend a quiet day with the one you love. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) You have more than enough on your plate already. Don't let your partner get you going. You are best to travel or attend lectures or seminars.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Put in some extra hours and finish those careful jobs before you move on to some fun and games. You will be erratic and quite likely to make personal mistakes. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)

Don't make accusations unless you are completely sure that you are correct. Do whatever your mate wants; it really doesn't matter as long as you're together. SAGIT (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Don't hesitate to enlist the aid of friends or family if you have a big project to finish in your domestic environment. Short trips will be educational. CAPRI (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) You could be attracting individuals who are anything but good for you. Those you work with may have little consideration for the underdog. AQUAR. (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) You may find yourself changing crowds. Your unique contribution to the organization will enhance your reputation. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Anger may cause you grief; control your temper and try to sit back and calm down.

innings have reaped 157 runs from 96 balls. The Tallawahs did admittedly bowl excellently at the beginning of the Zouks innings after winning the toss and electing to field. Krishmar Santokie removed Johnson Charles in the first over of the match before getting this season’s leading run-scorer Andre Fletcher stumped for 8 in the third over. The loss of Ross Taylor too before the end of the Powerplay, ensured a rebuilding phase must occur, and although Pietersen and

Annai deny hosts St. Ignatius... From page 34 was again brought down and had to leave the field for more medical attention but the infringements were not serious enough for any Charity player to be given yellow or red cards by the Referee, who traveled from the City to officiate in the game. When Jamladeen returned he was switched from forward to defence and when a ball was blasted into his stomach he was taken out of the game, bruised and battered, but with his pride intact. With their main threat eliminated, Charity had things their own way. A cow with a dangerous looking pair of horns wandered onto the field and had the players scampering, much to the amusement of a fair size crowd which included many females and shortly after Culpeper made it 6-nil in the 62nd minute. The ever present Culpeper again beat Forde but the effort was deemed off side before Arnold Wells put the icing on Charity’s cake when he buried in the 7th goal in the 89th minute to spark wild celebrations.

Darren Sammy later kicked on, the understandable

caution they exhibited in the second quarter of the innings, perhaps saw them finish a few runs light of what would’ve been a more pressuring total. Pietersen did his best to repair the damage smiting a flurry of boundaries as the innings wound to a close. Having scored 56-3 from the first ten, the Zouks managed an impressive 102-1 from their last ten. The Zouks didn’t bowl well early on however, and once they let the Tallawahs slip there was no stopping them. The action continues today with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots taking on the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The Warriors will be hopeful of a victory as they sit at the bottom of the points standing.

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GTA Runs off Olympic Day Open Taekwondo Tournament The Guyana Taekwondo Association (GTA) recently held the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) sponsored Olympic Day Taekwondo Tournament in observance of the Olympic Week of activities. A release from the association informed that, the competition saw athletes participating in both Poomsae (forms) and Gyrugi (fighting). The athletes participating came from various divisions. In the junior boys (gyrugi) and mix Junior (poomsae) category it was Randy Ali who took first place, followed by Brandon Alin second in the gyugi. But Shenique Bourne took first place in the mix juniors (gyrugi) and had to settle for fourth place in the poomsae category. Akil St. Hill took second place in both gyrugi and poomsae, and young Ezekiel Kellman, who put up a fierce battle in the gyrugi but was unable to take the winning spot, had to settle for third place. Both of the female categories proved to be exciting as Aliya Persaud won

Participants and officials take time out for a photo following the Taekwondo association Olympic Day event. first in the poomsae followed by Raquel Felix second and Rosa Sukdeo third. But over to the Gyrugi, Raquel Felix proved to be the strongest in

that division as she emerged in the first place, followed by Rosa Sukdeo in second, who had to bow out due to injuries, then Aliya Persaud and Maria

Singh. In the beginner male category, Witney Archibald took the first place in both the gyrugi and poomsae followed

by Bidesh Dwarka who settled for the second place in both events. Though these two young adults have only started Taekwondo recently, they still put on a good show. Over to the Intermediate males poomsae division 1; Vishaal Ramsook won, followed by Dequinn Benn second and Steven Persaud third. And in the poomsae division 2; David Browne took the winning spot followed by Julian Bandhan. Then it would be Restogi Pereira who took the first place in the poomsae division 3. In the gyrugi division 1; there was a lot of excitement as the athletes battled it out but, Vishaal Ramssok once again took first place, as Julian Bandhan also once again took second place, followed by Steven Persaud in third. Across in the gyrugi division 2; It was yet another heated and exciting match as the athletes squared off a g a i n s t e a c h o t h e r, which saw David Browne gaining the winning spot, followed by Brandon Rodrigues in second and Dequinn Benn in third place. In the senior males’ poomsae, Stefan Wong gave an outstanding performance that landed him in first place, followed by Orlando VanRossum second and Wayne Forde third. In the senior males’ gyrugi, Wayne Forde and Ricardo Narine first faced off in an exciting match, with both athletes showing off their aerial kicks but, it was Narine who emerged as the

winner. Then it was over to Orlando Van-Rossum and Kossadyn Kirtchhoof in a heated match, both athletes demonstrated an array of excellent kicks but, it was Van-Rossum who would emerge victoriously. The excitement grew as Forde and Kirtchhoof battled for the third place; nonetheless Forde was able to earn more points than Kirtchhoof and took the third place. But it was Narine who ultimately claimed the first place in the senior males gyrugi as Van-Rossum was unable to continue due to leg injuries and had to settle for second. This competition was successfully coordinated and pulled off by Coach – Ms. La Toya Herbert, who s a i d s h e was happy and excited for all the participants and hoped that next year the competition can grow even bigger. She conveyed her thanks to all the instructors who came out and offered their support. She further expressed special thanks to Coach Ramjeet Ramphal, Coach Roy Bacchus and Coach Kawall Ramkiran. Meanwhile, the public is being reminded that the Guyana Taekwondo Association training facility is located in Woolford Avenue upstairs at the Guyana Teacher’s Union Hall. Classes are held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. For further details you can contact Sir Roy Bacchus 644-4402 or Ms. La Toya Herbert 670-2615.

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Dale Hing wins GNRA Pistol shoot Scotiabank on board with Demerara Cricket Club

Dale Hing (centre with cap) along with the other participants take a photo after the competition at Timehri ranges. National Smallbore captain Dale Hing amassed 139.59 points to win last Sunday’s Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) Practical Pistol Shoot at the Timehri ranges. The competition comprised two stages with the marksmen engaging various targets both stationary and moving with accuracy and speed for the best score at the fastest time. Second position was won by Ray Beharry who totaled 92.83 points with Ryan McKinnon in third spot with 83,93, Azaad Hassan fourth with 77.51 and Gordon Richards fifth with 70.12

points. Hing won the first stage with 100 points to beat into second position Gordon Richard who secured 66.77 points, while third position went to Ray Beharry who shot 56.53 points. The other top finishers were David Dharry 51.20 and Azaad Hassan 48.40. In the second stage, McKinnon took the top honours with 100 points followed by Hing in second position with 87.99 points. Third place was occupied by Beharry with 80.69, fourth Hassan 64.56 and Joshua Ramlakhan 26.92 in the other positions. Hing said he was pleased

with the turnout of shooters for the event organized over the Caricom weekend. International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Regional Director Harold Hopkinson was also in attendance for the one-day event. Results stage 1: Dale hing-100 points Gordon Richards-66.77 Ray Beharry-56.53 David Dharry-51.20 Azaad Hassan-48.40 Results stage 2: Ryan Mckinnon-100 points Dale hing-87.99 Ray Beharry-80.69 Azaad Hassan 64.56 Joshua Ramlakhan 26.92.

Running Brave athletes dominate Caricom relay Competition and friendly rivalry on Sunday afternoon saw Running Brave Athletics Club running away with the lion’s share of prizes at the inaugural Caricom relay, coordinated by the Ministry of Education’s Department of Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Association of Guyana and several sponsors. The National Park was abuzz as teams comprising five persons each competed in several categories to claim the various trophies and medals at stake. Running Brave claimed

three first places and a runnerup spot in the four divisions that were contested. Running Brave athletes were unstoppable in the Male and Female Open categories, subjecting Police to a second place in both divisions, while they also won the Junior Male competition. Linden and Police took second and third respectively. However, Linden turned the table on Running Brave in the Junior Female showdown. There were also events for the masters athletes, while the novelty

race was won by comedian Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones ahead of Leslie Black and Joseph Rajkumar. The event was sponsored by Banks DIH Limited, Payless Variety Store, Mohabeer Cambio, Star Party Rentals, Real Value Supermarket and Fullworks’ Seasoning and Blue Spring Water. The organisers expressed gratitude for the support of those entities, spectators and athletes who all combined to ensure a successful inaugural event.

LONDON (Reuters) Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah will run in the 3,000 metres at this month’s London Anniversary Games as he prepares for the world championships in Beijing starting in August. Farah, who is aiming to successfully defend his world 5,000 and 10,000 metres titles next month in China, believes the meet at the

Olympic Stadium on July 24 comes at an ideal time. “The race will be exciting on the Friday night at the Olympic Stadium. My training is going well and it is just what I need to prepare more for the IAAF World Championships”, he told the British Athletics website (www.britishathletics.org.uk). “This year ’s World Championships are hugely

important to me and the 3,000 metres at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will be the best possible preparation.” The worlds will take place from Aug. 22-30. Farah, 32, withdrew from last month’s Diamond League meet in Birmingham citing stress over doping allegations faced by his coach Alberto Salazar, who has denied any wrongdoing.

Farah to compete in London Anniversary Games

Scotiabank relationship officer Karen Harris presents the cheque to Alphius Bookie in the presence of manger Brian Hackett (right), DCC head Alfred Mentore (left), Sachin Singh and Qumar Torrington. By Zaheer Mohamed As part of its corporate responsibility Scotiabank Robb Street branch has throw its support behind the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) rendering assistance to three of its talented young players. The entity yesterday presented a cheque to the club which will be used to purchase gears for Alphius Bookie, Qumar Torrington and Sachin Singh who have been selected to represent Guyana at the Regional U15 tournament which is set to start here on July 20. Speaking at the ceremony, Scotia bank manager Brian Hackett said that they have started a partnership with the club particularly with the young players. “What we have been doing is looking at financing particular areas in order for the young players to achieve their goals. So with this presentation we have given birth to our partnership with the organization,” he stated. He said that the bank will continue to assist with other activities and get involved in the general development of the youths to ensure that their education and cricket go hand in hand. “We plan to work closely with DCC in making this a reality. So what we need to do is to identify the cricketers with the discipline, knowledge and skill and help them to move on to the next level.” Hackett pointed out that this initial part of their agreement is to make sure that cricketers acquire the gears to play the game adding that Scotiabank is always happy to support the youths. “It has always been part of our passion because the development of the sport rests with the youths and we are looking for opportunities to contribute,” he said.

President of the club Alfred Mentore explained that this venture is important because it ensures that the players are well equip for tournaments, adding that they are thankful not only to Scotiabank but other sponsors who have assisted the club. He stated that the club is in the business of promoting both academics and sport. “Sport comes under Education so this is being consistent with the Government objective which will assist the youngsters to become well rounded individuals. He made reference to one of their former player Sunil Rupee whom he said was admitted into a university in England because represented Guyana. Mentore informed that the club plans to reward its

members who succeed at the CSEC exam and host a coaching clinic in August. Bookie who part of last year’s Guyana victorious U15 team feels that the venture will motivate the players. “We are very thankful for this because without the corporate support we would not have proper gears and facilities to play the game.” Only recently the club presented a quantity to gears to its players who have been selected to represent Guyana in the various Regional youth tournaments. Among those who have lent their support are Star Party Rentals, P and P Insurance Brokers and Consultants, Life Time Real Estate and Management, Normac Inc, Buddy’s Pool Hall, Caribbean Clothing and West Kaburi Mining.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 08, 2015

Marian Academy edge NAMS in NSBF Girls’ competition By Edison Jefford Marian Academy edged New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS) yesterday when the Girls Competition in the week-long 2015 National School Basketball Festival (NSBF) continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Point guard, Jada Mohan poured in eight points to lead Marian to a 12-8 victory that set them on a collision course with female group leaders, Kwakwani Secondary. Makeba Ifill contributed the other four points in Marian’s win.

Ronelle Lyken and Keisha Sampson both had four points for NAMS in the 30minute game that had a slow offensive start. Mohan led Marian to a 4-2 lead with nine minutes to play in the initial period, before Sampson equalised with a put-back in

the paint. The offensive struggles continued for about five minutes, before Ifill finished a jumper to ensure Marian went into the halftime break leading 6-4; Mohan finished a lay-up to extend the lead to 8-4 with nine minutes to play in regulation time. Multi struggled throughout the last half, scoring their first points inside six minutes compliments of Lyken. However, Mohan scored her team’s last four points to push the game beyond the reach of NAMS. Marian has a 1-1 record with a loss to Kwakwani. In the Under-19 male competition Sunday night, Marian Academy edged JC

Chandersingh 38-37 with Judah Stephney and Jonathan Mangra scoring 10 points apiece. Damani Thomas had seven points and 10 rebounds to contribute to the effort. Osafo Profit scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Mickle Lewis added nine points and took eight rebounds for JC Chandersingh. Michael King finished with e i g h t p o i n t s a n d seven rebounds for the Berbicebased school. Dennis Niles and national senior player, Terron Welch led Linden’s Technical Institute (LTI) to a 72-64 win against Bishop’s High School. Niles poured in 27 points and 10 rebounds as

Welch contributed 24 points and nine rebounds. Tahquille Johnson scored 13 points. For Bishop’s, Timothy Thompson had 29 points and nine rebounds while Daniel Haynes added 17 points and eight rebounds. Marvin Durant had nine points. Defending champions, Kwakwani Secondary continued their campaign with a 55-37 drubbing of NAMS. Stanton Rose poured in 17 points with Kerrol Phillips adding 11 points. Troy David had nine points. For NAMS, Kevon Wiggins had 11 points with Neil Wills contributing nine points and Ramone Fogenay eight points and six rebounds.

Mark McDonald and Shivani Persaud are GBTI 2015 Junior Champions

The juniors concluded the finals of the Boys and Girls U18 with the new champions being Mark McDonald and Shivani Persaud, respectively. McDonald made the finals when he defeated Hemraj Resaul, 6/3, 6/7(7/5), 10/7, while Jordan Beaton defeated Keenan Persaud, 4/ 6, 6/1, in the semi finals. Beaton looked solid in the opening set racing to 2/0 advantage, but a confident McDonald made a comeback with his die hard attitude. He played a more consistent level of tennis with the right amount of aggression to secure the title 6/4, 6/4. Beaton had the higher 1st serve percentage but McDonald secured more winners and fewer errors which aided in his win. On the girls’ side of things, Kalysca Fraser defeated Sarah Klautky while Shivani Persaud defeated Diana Bharrat. Fraser and Persaud had an intense match that went to a super tiebreaker. Persaud and Fraser played a similar style of tennis however Persaud had the edge over her opponent with more striking shots. She won 7/6(7/2), 4/6, 10/5. No. 2 seed, Leyland Leacock has progressed to the finals of the Men’s singles after a skirmish through the bottom half of the draw. He defeated his fierce rival, Benjettan Osborne, 6/3, 6/ 2. The opposition was greater in the first set but Leacock countered well to Osborne’s flat forehand strokes. Leacock’s biggest challenge came in his match against Philip Squires, who denied him a spot in the final of the Men’s Singles Open. History seemed it would repeat itself when Squires comfortably took the first set 6/3. A determined Leacock cleaned up the errors and made a comeback to win the second set 6/4 and a 4/2 lead in the third set until he

Shivani Persaud and Mark McDonald pulled a leg muscle. He mustered the last of his fuel as he collapsed with a win at 6/3. His opponent in the finals will be Anthony Downes who also had a slight scare in the semi finals. The defending champion, Downes, looked impenetrable in the first set when he made no hesitation to chalk up 6/0. While up 3/0 in the 2nd set, Downes pulled a groin muscle which limited his mobility, Lopes then dictated the pace of the game, extended the rallies and occasionally got to the net to put

away the volleys. He took a substantial lead at 5/3 serving for the set when Downes used his experience to launch an insurgent and break his serve. He won the next three consecutive games and captured the set 7/5. The title can be either Downes or Leacock but it will come down to being physical prepared for a long match. Leacock would need to clean up the unforced errors but is the best candidate to counter Downes’ power.

Serena overpowers Azarenka to reach semi-finals LONDON (Reuters) Top seed Serena Williams overpowered Victoria Azarenka in an absorbing Wimbledon quarter-final on Tuesday, recovering from a set down to win 3-6 6-2 6-3. The American, who will face Russia’s Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals, is two wins away from holding all four grand slam titles concurrently — the socalled Serena Slam she also achieved in 2002-03. The 33-year-old was second best in the first set against the Belarussian former world number one on

Centre Court, but she found an extra gear and dominated thereafter. Three consecutive aces at 4-2 in the third set moved her to within a game of victory and although 23rd seed Azarenka hung on and threatened to break back, Williams would not be denied and stayed on course for a 21st grand slam title. “It was fun out there and I saw Victoria smiling as well, we both really enjoyed it,” five-times Wimbledon champion Williams, who has won 26 grand slam matches in a row, said in a TV interview.