Kaieteur News

Thursday Edition July 10, 2014 - Vol. 7 No. 27

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Govt. currently without pre-qualified drug suppliers …sole sourcing permitted under certain circumstances - Dr. Luncheon President Donald Ramotar (second left) views the artist’s impression of the proposed hotel.

Guyana to get another multi-million-dollar hotel - this time at Liliendaal

Govt. to buy garbage truck for four times the cost

India group eyes Diamond man shot by robbers Guyana gold and who wanted diamond fields phone number

Rohee unaware of former First Lady’s claim of abuse

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Thursday July 10, 2014

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Authorities to impose Spent shells were compulsory standards lying in Albouystown on jewelers yard for two years “From henceforth the gold jewelers and retailers of gold jewelry would be under a legal obligation to make available to purchasers of their products, information about their standards. This is now compulsory and is being applied by the investigators of the Bureau of standards.”

This is according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) Dr. Roger Luncheon as he was updating the media during a post Cabinet press briefing at the office of the President.

Luncheon outlined that in 2010 the specifications of gold sale in the jewelry sector was adopted by Guyana as part of a CARICOM (Caribbean Community) initiative but was only established and outlined as voluntary. “There was no compulsion in essence on the jewelers and those who worked with gold for ornamental purposes to abide or adopt these standards of 2010.”

Those standards he said had a lot to do with the karat, “that’s the amount of gold in a specimen, and it also had to do with alloys that had to be used to make the gold utensils …more malleable for the purposes of the design of the article.”

- were to be melted down and sold as scrap metal The HPS said that Cabinet met on July 8 and received a presentation by the Minister of Housing and Water/ Tourism Irfaan Ali on the status of the gold standard from 2010 to now.

Luncheon said that Ali “indicated that after a series of consultations and engagements with stakeholders in the retail gold sector, there was an understanding reached based on which Cabinet made those standards absolute.”

What that means according to Luncheon is that from hence forth the producers and retailers of gold jewelry would be “obligated to adopt these standards, a major feature of which is the provision to the purchaser of information that deals, as I said, with the karat content of the material and the alloys used in perfecting the structure of the utensil.”

IAC says: 254 years needed for Guyana to equal Singapore’s 2013 economy

D

espite the bragged about economic growth the country has experienced over a prolonged period of time, the issue of brain drain continues to be on the front burner. The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) has expressed alarm that despite this period of economic growth, the country’s migration outflows continue to go unchecked.

The IAC noted that the preliminary census result, which was released last week by the Finance Ministry and the Bureau of Statistics, indicate that the population of Guyana has decreased from 751, 223 in 2002 to 747, 884 in 2012, a decrease of 3,339 persons.

The IAC “is extremely alarmed by these statistics because they indicate, unmistakably, a high net migration outflow of between 15 and 20 percent of the current resident population of Guyana between 2002 and 2012.”

The Committee insisted, therefore, that Guyana’s post-independence economic history must be understood so as to place this

population stagnation and decline in perspective. In a public missive, the Committee said that according to the stats published by reputable international organisations, which place Guyana’s brain drain among the highest in the world, if not the highest, it is recognized that the current census figure suggests strongly “that the brain drain from Guyana continues unabated in spite of the strength of Guyana’s economy. “(The economy) has witnessed14 consecutive years of economic growth according to GDP per capita statistics published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”

The organization said that it recognized that the trend could be traced back for several decades when the country’s population stood at 701,718 in 1970; 759,567 in 1980 and 723,673 in 1991.

“These figures indicate that migration outflows since 1970 probably, cumulatively, equal or surpass the total amount of persons now resident in Guyana in 2014.”

It is believed that

comparative analysis of the respective economic growth patterns of Guyana and Singapore will shed much light on Guyana’s current predicament.

“According to IMF statistics, the GDP (nominal) per capita in 1960 for Guyana was US$304 while that of Singapore was US$395. In 2013, the values were US$3,729 for Guyana and US$54,776 for Singapore. Comparison of the GDP (nominal) per capita between Guyana and Singapore illustrates that in 1975, Guyana was where Singapore was in 1968 and for the follow up years Guyana has lagged behind the Southeast Asian country.

Guyana and Singapore were almost equal in 1966.

“As of 2006, Guyana was where Singapore was in 1973, and in 2013, the country stood where Singapore was in 1979.” The Committee went on to say that between 1960 and 2012, the population of Guyana increased by a factor of 1.34, while that of Singapore increased by a factor of 3.22.

The IAC said that using statistics obtained from the (Continued on page )

The spent rifle shells that were found in the Albouystown yard.

T

w o m e n , including a member of the Guyana Defence Force, who were detained by police, are to face charges in connection with the discovery of thousands of spent rifle shells and four magazines in an Albouystown yard.

Kaieteur News understands that the two men, who are brothers, are to be charged for possession of the magazines, following the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution, while investigators continue to probe the origin of the spent shells.

Police raided the James and Victoria Street property on Sunday when they responded to a call that two men were violently attacking each other.

The two men, one of whom permanently occupies the house where the items were found, have since gone into hiding.

However, their two nephews, one a soldier, turned up after the police searched the yard and found the items.

Reliable sources associated with the Albouystown house informed this newspaper that the spent shells were to be melted down and sold as molten copper.

Kaieteur News understands that the shells were taken to the Albouystown yard two years ago by a horse cart operator, who is still to be located.

“He bring them in two crocus bags and left them because the scrap metal man

didn’t want tek dem like dat.

Dat is big trouble,” the source said.

The source pointed out that he was surprised when the police made a big fuss over the find since the shells were “lying in the yard for everyone to see.”

He said that the four magazines were among the shells but were taken out and stored in the house by one of the men in custody.

“I don’t know why he keep it without reporting it to the police. The army clothes the police find were his too; he’s a soldier and now he get heself tie up,” the source told this newspaper.

The big question is where did the all the spent shells come from?

A senior police official told this newspaper that the shells definitely did not come from the police.

“I can’t imagine where they could have gotten that amount of spent shells from.

They couldn’t get it from the TSU; the police don’t do that type of firing at Eve Leary,” the officer said.

He suggested that they might have come from the Timehri ranges which fall under the control of the Guyana Defence Force.

“The Timehri range is a restricted area, even the police have to seek permission from the Army to use it. So I can’t see how one could just pick up all those shells and bring it to Albouystown without someone becoming suspicious,” the officer stated.

However, a source in the GDF explained that while they try to pick up as many spent shells as possible after using the ranges, one can still walk around and find hundreds of them that were not recovered.

The two men in custody are expected to appear in court today.

Thursday July 10, 2014

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

When it comes to ‘interference’ the PPP are the Task Masters DEAR EDITOR, After reading Peeping Tom’s article in the Kaieteur News earlier, which as we have noted before, seems to be a Freedom House PPP position – he concludes that the US envoy and for that matter the American Administration crossed the Red Line in the US Ambassador’s Independence address last week Wednesday.

The bad word is ‘interference’ - This of course is a horrible thing, but Guyana a small country with a dwindling population, compliments of this government, has always been part of a global international culture of ‘interference’. On a lighter side I suppose our parents produced us thanks, to some form of interference.

Let’s get serious - so when it is convenient the PPP can (double) cross the red line.

Peeping Tom can remove his blinkers and take a journey with the PPP decade by decade, and he will find out that when it comes to interference the PPP are the Task Masters.

To be brief let us take the examples of each decade 1950s when our constitution was suspended, the PPP sought the interference of India, the independent African country Ghana, Yugoslavia and the British Labour Party led by a former Prime Minister Clement Atlee,

and there is an interesting piece on that: “Efforts by PPP leaders, Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, to travel to London to protest the British action were deliberately thwarted; airlines refused to sell them tickets, and some Caribbean countries refused to admit them at their airports to make connecting flights.

Eventually, they managed to privately charter a plane to Suriname where they obtained seats on a Dutch airliner to Amsterdam. From there they travelled to London where, unfortunately, they were unable to make any headway with the Conservative-led Government, and even with the leadership of the opposition Labour Party. It was obvious that in those Cold War days, the “communist” label was stuck on them and the conservative-minded political leaders just showed no interest in denouncing the trampling of democracy by the colonial power.

Nevertheless, both Burnham and Jagan addressed public meetings and trade union groups and won great sympathy for the cause of the Guyanese people.

From London, they travelled to the Indian subcontinent where they explained their case to political leaders and addressed large sympathetic crowds in major Indian and

Pakistani cities”.

- 1960s the PPP sought and in some instances secured the interference of Cuba and the USSR - Training of PPP youths, supply of arms and certain equipment, and the famous ‘rocking chair’ meeting between Jagan and Kennedy.

- 1970s Jagan and the PPP both secretly at an international forum sought the interference of the Eastern Block.

- 1980s PPP turned to Caricom to interfere, and cross the red line, and even accused Caricom leaders of being soft on Burnham.

- 1990s the PPP with Desmond Hoyte’s naïveté, secured the interference of US President Jimmy Carter who even persuaded Desmond Hoyte to violate our Constitution by denying Guyanese overseas the opportunity to vote in the National Elections. (See Ralph Ramkarran’s article on this question).

Peeping Tom, please peep some more, there is so much more I can tell you about crossing the line.

In fact the Ambassador broke no rule, violated no protocol, he simply did what we all should, that is, move in line when the light turns to Green.

He must be congratulated for expressing the views that every patriot should express.

Hamilton Green, J.P Mayor

DEAR EDITOR, I must be numbered amongst the citizenry who clamour vociferously for local government elections.

At the same time however, I am puzzled by those more prominent stakeholders who harp about governance, while clearly appreciating little about organisation – in this case the entity which is central to the organisation of effective elections.

Those interested in organisation should have recognised by now that there is not so insignificant shortage of senior managerial capability in GECOM, consequent upon the filling of the vacant position of Chief Election Officer; compounded by the resignation of the substantive Deputy.

This means that the latter vacancy created must now be

filled – logically by the same process of selection and recruitment as publicised for the CEO’s position. Should the process perchance result in an internal promotion, then it means that again there will be room for further replacement.

In any case no account seems to have been taken of the possibility, however remote, of the current CEO being

indisposed for whatever reason.

Who then will be effective competency in charge?

The important urgency surrounding these appointments is that they are all related to ensuring the operational capacity of GECOM to deliver effectively in satisfying current anxious expectations about elections, and local government elections in particular.

E. B. John

Managing Elections

Analysis of a speech — A bad marriage from the start DEAR EDITOR, We are all in it - Don’t just point a finger at the feral outof-control Priya. Whether Donald Ramotar is a de facto president who has usurped power, or Priya Manickchand is unpolished, we cannot lay all the blame at their doorstep.

The voting populace usually gets the government that they elect, and this is exactly the case.

On the part of the citizens, nothing constructive has been done to get rid of the present government. Nothing constructive, not even effective verbalization has been done thus far to eject the present Government, and elect one that can change the face of things, everything that is even the streets.

On a secondary note why is the media, seemingly playing into the hands of Priya, by focusing so much time on the verbal encounter with Ambassador Brent Hardt, at the celebration of the 238th independence anniversary of the United States of America. I am certain that although he has stepped over the so-called diplomatic boundary and attacked the President and Government of Guyana, we would all agree that his behaviour was indicative of how he felt about the government, and not to throw fuel to the fire.

What about his other behind-our-back/away-fromour-face verbalizations? After all, the basic and most important duty of an ambassador is to represent the interests of the United States to foreign governments, and keeping the president and State Department informed of events in the host country. So another question would be, what was President Obama and his team told, and in what light was the present Guyanese government presented?

As the rant continued, Priya claimed that Guyana, like so many other countries

in the world, has been one stage on which American hegemony has played out, with reference made to the events of 1950 and 1960— over half a century ago. Such wrong abounded and despite these memorable injustices to the citizens of Guyana, over the years nothing seems to have been done to prevent a recurrence, for the Minister herself said that ever since the Ambassador assumed office, he contributed to a tensionfilled relationship with the Government of Guyana. Were the rules established before the game was played?

It was stated that these said areas of tense relationships have attracted considerable efforts on the part of the Guyana Government to address, but often times without success.

Why no success? To whom were they addressed?

Just recently Bahrain ordered a U.S. diplomat to leave country, after he had met with a leading Shia opposition group. So if from Day 1, Count Zero, the Ambassador was proving too much to handle, stepping out of bounds, not playing by the rules, then as has been said before, protocol should have been followed, and his removal requested.

What gain was it to the Guyana Government to still keep this errant diplomat?

Yes, America has been Guyana’s main benefactor, and this position goes without saying. Now it is too

late for tears and swears, as it has opened the door to fears and nightmares.

Contravention of diplomatic norms and violation of diplomatic protocol must be addressed and dealt with at the time of its onset.

In a counter statement, even as he was preparing to exit Guyanese soil for the last time, Hardt reiterated his call for the hosting of local government elections, which he stressed that the US believes that such elections will be a transformative issue for Guyana. Even the most myopic can see that he was not speaking for himself, but echoing the sentiments of the American Government. Why now behave as if for him this behaviour was new. Both players were no strangers.

The only thing new was the venue. Act 2 Part 2, Ambassador Hardt did not step back to launch the attack, and the feral went viral.

His call for an election met with rejection. However, his call should not fall on deaf ears, as now he is speaking for the Guyanese populace.

Do not blast the messenger but listen to the message. Deal with the issues raised. Do not kick against the goad just get the election on the road.

Yvonne Sam

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Govt. currently without Rohee unaware of former pre-qualified drug suppliers First Lady’s claim of abuse …sole sourcing permitted under certain circumstances - Dr. Roger Luncheon

New GPC’s Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop

By Gary Eleazar The timeframe for which bidders who were prequalified to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health, has expired but Government is still to complete evaluation of potential new suppliers.

This was confirmed by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who following his post Cabinet Press briefing yesterday, said that all new contracts would have to await the results of the current process of vetting suppliers to be prequalified.

In the absence of that, any procurement of drugs and medical supplies would have to go to a public tender.

According to Dr Luncheon, given the current situation, he is certain that Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, is working with alacrity to ensure that the prequalification process is completed as soon as possible.

Asked about the abandonment of the practice of resorting to sole sourcing, Dr. Luncheon said that the law cannot be abandoned.

He reminded that sole sourcing is permitted in law under certain circumstances.

Under the Public Procurement Act, the procuring entity may engage in single-source procurement when the goods or construction are available only from a particular supplier or contractor.

It is also applied when a particular supplier or contractor has exclusive rights with respect to the goods or construction, and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.

Meanwhile, under the revised criteria for the prequalification of suppliers of drugs and medical supplies the bidders must demonstrate a gross turnover of $1B (US$5M) and net assets of $500M (US$2.5M).

One of the Ministry’s criteria is that maximum score will be awarded to applicants who have paid $50M in corporate taxes annually.

The company with 50 or more employees, and warehousing capacity of 30,000 square feet in the city, will also gain an edge.

New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC) is owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend and is the only supplier, locally, with its own bond of that size.

According to the revised prequalification criteria, maximum points will also be awarded in the evaluation process to the applicants who have been supplying Government for more than seven

years without any negative reports.

Opposition Leader Brigadier (rtd), David Granger, has criticized the set criteria saying that what the Ministry has done is to devise tailor-made criteria meant to negate other competitors so that New GPC will be used as the sole supplier of drugs.

The Opposition Leader conceded that the National Assembly would be unable to prevent the implementation of this strategy, given that it is a Ministerial Order.

He did say that with the coming into being of the Public Procurement Commission what they might be able to do is address procurement at that time.

Granger ’s sentiments came on the heels of criticism of the pre-qualification criteria

by Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan.

Ramjattan, in an earlier interview, had said, “Could you imagine the resultant impoverishment of the treasury and corresponding enrichment to New GPC! This is bloody larceny, but in the eyes of past and present PPP administrations it is economics. The little boy who picks your pocket for a $2,000 would have to go to jail.

“But this big company will be extolled as virtuous when over $2B is what it profits in a roughly similar activity.”

With billions of taxpayers’ dollars at stake, independent suppliers and the Opposition have time and again been accusing Government of favouring New GPC, a company whose principal, Bobby Ramroop, shares close ties with former President Jagdeo.

The company has been benefiting from billions of dollars annually, controlling supplies of up to 80 per cent of the drugs purchased by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the Ministry of Health.

- “Me and my wife have an excellent relationship”- Rohee General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee says he is unaware of any claim by former First Lady, Varshnie Singh, about suffering “hitech” abuse by the hands of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Rohee was yesterday asked to weigh in on Government’s staunch defence of Education Minister Priya Manickchand’s ‘feral blast’ against former US Ambassador to Guyana, Brendt Hardt, versus the party’s deafening silence when the former First Lady made public claims against Jagdeo back in 2009.

The Alliance for Change (AFC) had called out the Administration on what they described as sheer “hypocrisy” in defending Manickchand’s behavior, when she was delivering a speech last week at the US Ambassador Brent Hardt’s home.

The AFC had likened Manickchand’s behavior to that of “Sitira Gal” which Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira called “sexist and racial”.

Minister Rohee told Kaieteur News yesterday that he does not know about Varshnie Singh making claims of abuse. Rohee then inquired from the reporter whether Singh had made the claim “recently”. The reporter pointed out to the Minister that Singh had made the claims several years ago.

Rohee then went on to say that it was a private matter between husband and wife.

When the reporter pointed out that the claims were against someone who isn’t considered private since Jagdeo was President of the country at the time the allegations were made against him, Rohee in an offhanded manner noted that “he (Rohee) and his wife have an excellent relationship.”

Clement Rohee Teixeira had said on national television that the opposition has a history of being “racial and sexist” towards women of East Indian decent. She alluded to AFC’s characterization of Manickchand as “Sitira Gal” as part of a “racist and sexist” pattern. “It’s really saying basically …that Indian women in this country must know their place. They mustn’t come out of their confines and suddenly be out there speaking.”

The senior public servant said the women’s movement has not been defending Indian women like Acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba, Finance Minister’s wife, Gitanjali Singh and former Supreme Court Registrar, Sita Ramlall.

Via a press statement released yesterday, the AFC said that it has noted the “lame” attempt by the Presidential Advisor on Governance to turn criticism of Manickchand’s “uncouth behaviour” at the residence of the US Ambassador by labeling such criticism, “racist and sexist”.

The party said that Teixeira’s attempt to do so is an insult to women of all ethnicities.

The statement added that “coming from the PPP Government, it is just a spin and distraction from their exploitation of racism to procure back the support they are rapidly losing in all their strongholds.”

The AFC said that the ferocity with which the Minister has attempted to drag the dignity of Indian womanhood into ruckus over the defence of her “boorish behavior” discloses a depravity of mind too frequently displayed by the Government when purporting to speak on behalf of the country.

The AFC stated that no woman; regardless of ethnicity, who aids and abets improprieties and illegalities must feel she is immune to criticism.

The opposition party, in a seemingly sincere attempt to guide the government officials along the right path, advised that “if Manickchand and Teixeira want to be taken seriously representing East Indian women or any woman, they should start by addressing the most dastardly abuse of our East Indian sister, Varshnie Singh who was deceived into thinking she was married to Jagdeo (former President.)

“While they are at it, they ought to publicly clarify their role in that cruel hoax and comment on the mental and emotional abuse Varshnie Singh suffered at the hands of the man who, in her mind, was her husband but who threw her out after he had abused and misused her to his satisfaction.”

The Party said that it will refrain from further comment on this matter.

When information was made public about the extent to which the then Head of State, Bharrat Jagdeo had reportedly illtreated his wife, Kaieteur News had sought comments on the issue from both Manickchand and Teixeira, both of whom refused to give any.

At the time, Manickchand was the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, a portfolio that demanded her protection of all victims of abuse, particularly women.

Manickchand, on July 2, launched into an attack on US Ambassador, Dr. D. Brent Hardt. And for her efforts she was soundly booed by the invitees.

Thursday July 10, 2014

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Guyana Foundation empowers Failed students indicative female entrepreneurs in Linden of administration’s failings

Women at the empowerment workshop The Guyana Foundation recently took its work to Linden where it conducted an entrepreneurship training workshop for a group of female business owners.

This highly interactive and engaging programme was held in the Boardroom of the Region Ten Democratic Council Building. It was conducted by one of the Foundation’s Trustees, Eric Phillips, who is a business consultant, a lecturer at the University of Guyana, and a 1990-1991 White House Fellow.

The workshop was developed in response to a request from local social worker, Kayana Amos, who contacted the Foundation while conducting a research study in Linden for a Master’s degree programme she is pursuing. She shared her observation that many female entrepreneurs in the town were having difficulty growing and sustaining their small businesses, and asked the Foundation to assist.

Because women’s empowerment is one of the programme goals of the Foundation, and in

recognition of the important role of female entrepreneurs, the Foundation immediately began developing a programme to provide these individuals with training, and practical skills that they can implement.

The participants in the workshop included food caterers, shopkeepers, a craftsperson, boutique owner, and even a taxi driver.

During the programme, they were encouraged to network with other businesses in Linden, to build relationships among themselves, and to think strategically and creatively in developing their businesses.

They were provided with information about common mistakes to avoid, best practices, and also had the chance to ask specific questions about scaling up their businesses. At the completion of the program, the participants were able to organize themselves as a group, and will be formally registering as an NGO over the upcoming week.

An interim management committee has already been identified to guide the group’s

activities as it seeks to continue building the capacity of women entrepreneurs in Linden. At the same time it will also be conducting projects to help transform their community.

Region Ten Chairman, Sharma Solomon, offered his support and encouragement.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of the Foundation, Anthony Autar, explained that this was the first project that the Foundation has conducted in Linden.

“We are delighted that we were able to assist this group of women, and to provide them with the encouragement and skills they need to keep moving forward with their businesses. Women play such an important role in sustaining local communities, so we hope that the participants in this workshop will be part of efforts to bring improvement and transformation to Linden.

“The Foundation will continue to support and empower these and other groups of women, and will be returning to the town shortly to conduct other programmes.”

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), yesterday, rewarded the six top performers at the recent National Grade Six Assessment Examination by presenting each of them with books and an electronic tablet.

Party Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha, prior to the handing over told those present, among them the parents of the students, that the PPP placed emphasis on education, ever since taking office. It has sought to ensure substantial investments in the sector.

Party General Secretary, Clement Rohee, who initiated moves to reward the successful students, prior to handing over the tokens, said that in Guyana there are rarely bright spots in the world of politics. As such, he said that in the political arena, people are always on the lookout for success stories such as those who performed well at the examinations, “because the bright spots are an indication of the progress that our country is making. These are positive signs.”

According to Rohee, each of the students represents the future of the country.

Rohee said that as a party, the PPP follows activities such as the Grade Six

…says Rohee as party rewards high flyers

PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee, presents NGSA top student Jorrel De Santos with his gift. examinations very closely.

“We pay very close attention to students who would pass exams and we pay very close attention to students who did not pass exams because it means perhaps that we might be failing in some areas,” according to Rohee.

He said that with the failures the administration would look to see where

exactly they are failing the students and seek to rectify the situation, be it in teaching or social work.

Rohee pointed to the fact that many students in Guyana come from single parent homes or broken homes or situations over which they have no control and as such it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that no child is left behind.

Gaza rockets land deep in Israel as it bombards Palestinian enclave

An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod yesterday.

(REUTERS/Baz Ratnert)

Former New Orleans Mayor Nagin gets 10 years in corruption case (Reuters) - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison for corruption during the critical years of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. A jury in February found Nagin, a Democrat, guilty on charges including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion.

Nagin, 58, stirred national controversy with his erratic behavior after Katrina breached floodwalls and inundated New Orleans in 2005, killing at least 1,500 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Citing Nagin’s devotion to family and commitment to helping New Orleans, U.S. District Judge Helen Ginger Berrigan said a shorter prison term than that recommended under federal sentencing guidelines was warranted.

She ordered Nagin to turn himself in to begin serving his sentence by Sept. 8. With good behavior, and barring any appeals, Nagin could get out of prison after about 8-1/ 2 years.

Berrigan also ordered Nagin, who prosecutors say accepted bribes valued at over $500,000, to pay about $84,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Addressing reporters outside the courtroom, prosecutor Matthew Coman, who had sought a stiffer sentence, thanked community members who had come forward to help the prosecution build its case.

“What Ray Nagin did was sell his office,” Coman said, as supporters of the former mayor sought to shout him down.

During the 10-day trial, prosecutors portrayed Nagin as a mayor on the take, granting favors for bribes that included tons of free granite delivered to a kitchen countertop company he ran with his sons.

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli air strikes shook Gaza every few minutes yesterday, and militants kept up rocket fire at Israel’s heartland in intensifying warfare that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 47 people in the Hamas-dominated enclave.

Missiles from Israel’s Iron Dome defense system shot into the sky to intercept rockets launched, for the second straight day, at Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial capital. Some were also aimed at Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant, 80 km (50 miles) from Gaza, but were either shot down or landed in open

country.

With cries of “Allahu akbar” (God is great), Palestinians in the Gaza Strip cheered as rockets streaked overhead toward Israel, in attacks that could provide a popularity boost for Islamist Hamas, whose rift with neighboring Egypt’s military-backed government has deepened economic hardship.

Dimona, desert site of a nuclear reactor and widely assumed to have a role in atomic weaponry, was targeted by locally made M75 long-range rockets, militants said. The Israeli army said Iron Dome shot

down one and two others caused no damage - it was unclear how close they came to the town or the nuclear site.

Communities near coastal Tel Aviv and in the south, closer to Gaza, were also targeted. In the longest-range attack since Tuesday, when Israel stepped up its offensive, a rocket hit near Zichron Yaakov, a town 115 km north of Gaza.

At least 41 civilians, including 12 children, were among the 47 Palestinian dead in two days of fighting, and some 300 people have been wounded, hospital officials said.

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Thursday July 10, 2014

Wanted Trinidad police officer commits Dominica will not accept or allow suicide after being placed on ‘Wall of Shame’ same sex marriage – Skerrit

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – A police officer committed suicide hours after a photo of his appeared on a television programme hosted by a senior police officer that he was a fugitive from the law.

Constable Christopher Madeira, who had been on suspension from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), died after he ingested a quantity of weedicide on Tuesday.

His picture had been posted on the television programme “Beyond the Tape” co hosted by Inspector Roger Alexander.

The post carried the words “The first member of the protective services to grace the ‘Wall of Shame” is Christopher Madeira.

If you see Madeira, do not approach or confront him since he is considered armed and extremely dangerous…instead call ANY police station, 623-0362/ 4968 or send an email to beyondthetape@tv6tnt.com if you have information that could help the police capture this fugitive from the law”.

Under his photograph, it stated he was wanted for two charges of misbehaving in public office, and failure to appear in court.

The charges alleged that he and another police officer, Corporal Lennox John, knowingly and wilfully handed over a loaded firearm and a bullet-proof vest belonging to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

ROSEAU, Dominica CMC – The Dominica government says it will not accept same sex marriages insisting the island will not follow other countries in doing so.

“I will make it clear that there are some things that this government will not accept and we will never allow for the state to recognize same sex marriage in our country. If other countries want to do it, that’s a matter for them but there are certain guiding principles that we must follow,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said.

The local group, Minority Rights Dominica (MiriDom), has been calling on the government to re-examine the Sexual Offense Act of Dominica as it relates to buggery, claiming that the legislation “discriminates

Roosevelt Skerrit against people because of their sexual preferences.

“We are just asking that everybody be treated equally,” the group said, adding that it was still awaiting correspondence

from Prime Minister Skerrit on the issue.

But Prime Minister Skerrit said while he is willing to meet with MiriDom to discuss issues, concerns and recommendation but, “I don’t think any one group should impose any views on any other group.

“We are prepared to meet with MiriDom at any time. We will seek to contact them again and arrange for the Minister for Social Services and myself to meet and discuss with them.”

The prime minister also dismissed reports that police were threatening to arrest people at their homes engaged in same sex.

“This has never happened in Dominica and I don’t think that will be happening any time now or later,” he said.

Ex-Guatemalan leader Portillo to be freed from U.S. prison in February NEW YORK (Reuters) Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo is scheduled to be released from a U.S. prison in February, more than five years after his arrest on money laundering charges.

Portillo’s Facebook page announced that he would be freed on February 25, 2015.

Inmate records from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed the date.

The Facebook post also said Portillo’s attorneys would seek to have him transferred from a New York prison to Florida and would seek permission for him to complete his sentence in Guatemala starting in September 2014.

Portillo, 62, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison in May after admitting he took $2.5 million in bribes from Taiwan and laundered funds through U.S. banks.

After his sentencing, h i s a t t o r n e y, D a v i d Rosenfield, indicated he would seek credit for the more than four years Portillo had been incarcerated since 2010.

Neither Rosenfield, nor

Alfonso Portillo the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan, which prosecuted the case, immediately responded to a request for comment.

Portillo served as president of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004 and was extradited to the United States in May 2013 after a year-long fight.

A Guatemalan court previously cleare d h i m o f l o c a l embezzlement charges.

U.S. prosecutors initially accused Portillo of laundering tens of millions

of dollars he embezzled from the Guatemalan government, including $2.5 million provided by Taiwan’s embassy in Guatemala.

Portillo pleaded guilty in March to one charge of conspiring to launder money but said the money from Taiwan was actually a bribe offered in exchange for Guatemala’s continued diplomatic recognition.

China claims the Taiwanese government is illegitimate; the two have been governed separately since 1949. Only 22 countries maintain diplomatic relations with Taiw a n , i n c l u d i n g Vatican City, Paraguay, Panama, Haiti, Nicaragua and the tiny island countries of Nauru and Palau.

As part of Portillo’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson also ordered him to forfeit $2.5 million.

At h is sentencing, Portillo touted his record as president, emphasizing tax and education reforms he instituted in Guatemala.

“All men make mistakes as well as achievements in life,” he said in court.

IMF warning for Trinidad and Tobago WASHINGTON (CMC) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday warned that Trinidad and Tobago remains vulnerable to a decline in energy prices, and called for structural reforms to diversify the economy and improve its growth potential.

The IMF said while it welcomed the

improved growth outlook, and noted the strong external position and limited fiscal vulnerabilities, it agreed, however, that the reduction in economic slack and the need for a durable consolidation of the fiscal position suggest that a tightening of macroeconomic policies may be necessary in the near future.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 9

A MUCH BETTER OPTION

A community in Alberttown, one of the wards in the city, has come together to help clean the drains so as to prevent flooding and generally improve the environment.

One of the representatives of the group remarked that he was using resources and was not seeking any assistance from the government.

Just why the government’s name had to be invoked is beyond me. It is not the government that is responsible for ensuring that the drains are clean. It is the responsibility of the City Council and it is the failure of the City Council over a period of three decades that have led to the present deplorable state of the city.

If anything therefore, it is the City Council that should be providing the support to these community groups that are doing what the Council is supposed to be doing.

In another case, a former member of parliament is reported to have urged the government to do something for the city.

But why should the government do more for the city? What is it about the city

that makes it deserving of more assistance from the government?

A strong argument, in fact, can be made that the government is doing too much for the city.

The government is paying its taxes which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars. It is repairing roads which are municipal roads.

The tab for this runs to billions of dollars over a period of years.

The government is giving a healthy subvention to the Council.

The government is doing a lot more. In fact, it now has a rescue package of close to a billion dollars earmarked for the city. What more should the government do?

The City Council has compounded the problems it inherited by its attitude towards illegal vending and squatting in the city.

Georgetown is a mess which cannot be restored unless major issues such an illegal vending and squatting is addressed.

But the Council lacks the political will to deal effectively with these problems. In fact, it can be argued that it is because of politics that the

vending and squatting problems have emerged.

Politics will also ensure that Georgetown remains the mess that it now is. The government will spend its billion dollars to restore the city.

It will demonstrate its good intentions towards the residents of the city. But the ruling party will not reap any electoral rewards for the considerable outlays that is making in the city.

The PNCR will win Georgetown. It will win it narrowly because of the new system that will be used, but it will win it nonetheless and despite the pathetic record of that party in administering the affairs of the city.

As the populace waits on those elections that will restore the PNCR to the power at City Hall, new problems are developing; one of them is traffic control. It seems as if everyone these days has a car or wants to travel in a car.

People are not walking as much as they used to do. And it seems as if there are more taxis today than there were vehicles twenty years ago.

This is making the traffic situation intolerable.

Dem boys seh...

Police want statement from dead man Guyana full of laugh. From top to bottom dem got stupid people. Lord Canary was a Minister in de PNC and he didn’t know how many calendar months dem had in a leap year.

Rohee didn’t know de difference between Dominica and de Dominican Republic. Kumar didn’t know de ABC countries (America, Britain and Canada.) He did seh Argentina, Brazil and Chile.

Yesterday, Rohee tell reportahs that he never hear, he never see or he never know bout any report that Jagdeo use to abuse he wife.

He then tell dem gyal when dem point out that de abuse been in de news, that if is true, is a private husband and wife story.

Dem boys want tell he that dem magistrate jail nuff husband fuh that same private story.

And dem want he to know that he can try beating he wife, too.

De same Rohee, when dem reportahs ask he last week if he gun run fuh president, he seh that now is not de right time to answer that question. Dem boys want to know if he

serious and if he think he can ever be president of Guyana.

He is impossible. De things that does come out he mouth is bare stupidness. And is de same stupidness he pass down to de police force. De other day de Comandah Heineken run down to a yard in Albouystown and tek charge when he hear that de police find nuff thousand spent shell and AK 47 magazine.

People seh that dem same shell been in de yard pun de ground fuh donkey years.

Even police use to run in and see dem same shell and lef dem. Dem, boys seh that is a man wid a donkey cart pick dem up from someway fuh melt dem fuh get de copper.

De cart man dead, according to de neighbour and de shell dem lef right deh.

Rohee got de police confuse and he also got de people in de lock up. He also got Comandah Heineken looking fuh de cart man in de cemetery fuh a statement.

Talk half and hope Rohee is not de next president or de whole country gun get dotish.

The government was to have implemented a plan to divide the city into four quadrants.

Some streets were to have been converted into one-way streets.

That plan was to have been implemented since April.

It is now July and there is no hint as to when the plan will be implemented.

It is hoped that the authorities will not wait until Christmas to implement the plan.

Given all the problems that confront Georgetown: the problem of markets falling

apart, the problem of drainage, the health threat, illegal vending, squatting, inadequate road lighting, a cemetery that is now a jungle, traffic congestion, lack of proper zoning and administrative squabbling in City Hall which cannot maintain its own building, it makes little sense for the government to try to restore Georgetown.

It is a mission impossible to bring this city to any order especially with the politics that is involved.

It is best that a new city be constructed. Guyana

should have a new capital.

Other countries including Brazil changed their capital city.

Guyana should do the same. It would be more feasible to construct a brand new city outside of Georgetown than it would be to clean up the mess that Georgetown has become.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Regime change: Uncle Sam may have called it George The Americans felt in 1991 that Guyana had a long spell with the PNC in office.

President Hoyte’s approach would have satisfied any neoliberal, conservative capitalist Prime Minister/President in the world. But the Americans opted for regime change.

They felt that the organization, GUARD, plus deep promises Cheddi Jagan gave them, were reassuring enough to replace the PNC in office. The rest is now history.

We are at that point where history is repeating itself.

Uncle Sam looks like he had enough of the PPP. The PPP knows this. Guyana is seeing the crazy action of a drowning man clutching at straws manufactured at the Industrial Site Company of Bobby Ramroop. What could have caused the Americans to think of regime change?

First, it is not completely related to lack of democracy though that is definitely a factor. Let us deal with the democracy issue. Five years ago, diplomats from the Canadian and UK High Commissions told influential

people that they believe the PPP does not want local government reform because the PPP sees such reform as encroaching on its monopolistic power.

Both embassies were completely willing to fund local government reform but the offer was rejected.

The ABC countries, suspecting that the PPP was not interested in democracy, were now convinced. One can say that from thereon the ABC countries began to think about regime change. Making regime change possible were the dialogues that were taking place between the ABC diplomats and opposition parties and certain stakeholders.

In all these confabulations, the consensus from the Guyanese side was that the PPP had become unhistorical and is an obstacle to a democratic future in Guyana.

Secondly, the Americans had enough data on the Jagdeo regime to want it to seek regime change. Uncle Sam is an old player in diplomacy. Surely, after dominating the world since World War 2, the Americans were not going to rush in and

seek the extradition of Mr. Jagdeo and members of his government.

Uncle Sam knew that was not going to go down well.

The strategy was to wait. It was clear to any analyst on Guyanese politics that the asylum status given to Captain David Clarke of the GDF after his drug trial, was a decision by Homeland Security based on what Clark revealed about drug trafficking in this country.

Make no mistake, Clark and Roger Khan implicated political actors and not traffickers alone.

Thirdly, the Americans are convinced that corruption in Guyana involves siphoning off money that comes from international lending agencies and that it will not stop, the PPP will not confront corruption and that the chief actors in corruption are the very people who are supposed to investigate it.

The corruption monster has turned off the ABC states and it lends to the temptation of regime change. One thing is certain; if the PPP reengages with the Americans there will continue to be nasty spats because the PPP will not confront corruption. It cannot

and will not, because the biggest corrupters are the ones that are at the apex of power.

Fifthly, the Americans have returned to the period where it has assurances from the opposition as when the opposition PPP in 1991 gave its word. Those assurances are that if the opposition obtains power, it will not depart from mainstream politics.

It would appear that both the PNC and AFC and certain stakeholders have convinced the ABC diplomats that there are plausible alternatives to the PPP that will be moderate, liberal, democratic, anti-racist, anti- corrupt and pro-active on money laundering and drug trafficking.

It is almost certain that the PPP leadership knows this and is running scared. The obvious question to be asked is why the PPP cabal does not seek a compromise. The answer is standard --it cannot. Dictatorship cannot pursue rational choices because irrationality, hubris and hauteur kill off logical perspectives.

This is common to dictatorship, the PPP being no exception.

Frederick Kissoon The most positive occurrence that will emerge in the months to come is if the ABC countries, particularly the Americans, keep up the pressure; there will be defections from among the ranks of the PPP hierarchy.

Most kings and queens in the PPP will not want to antagonize the Americans to jeopardize their future and their families’.

They may also want to jump from a sinking ship as “Sash” Sawh contemplated doing in 1999 when he believed the public servant strike would have toppled the government. He had already made plans to leave for Canada. As we head into 2015, one thing is certain – there will be no Local Government poll and no General Elections.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Continuation of controversial projects

Finance Minister has to face the consequences of his “feral blast” on the constitution- AFC

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh “Just like when you can knock down someone on the road and drive away, that is what he is doing with the constitution. Collide with it and then go ahead as if nothing has happened because he is the Finance Minister.

That is the terrible nature of the country now.”

This was the contention of leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan in response to the assertions by the Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh that government is going ahead with controversial developmental projects despite the combined opposition (AFC and A Partnership for National Unity) disapproved of them in National Assembly.

Members of the opposition had said that while some of the projects would be

good for Guyana, their structure and the contracts to execute them are unacceptable.

At his most recent press conference, at the National Communications Networks studio, Dr. Singh told the media that the PPP administration has every intention to finish all the projects it has started despite what the opposition says or does.

He said that this is because the administration most candidly feels that it is what is best for Guyana.

“We will not let these development projects be derailed; we will persevere with them; we have no difficulties subjecting them to the ultimate degree of parliamentary scrutiny,” the Minister had said.

According to Ramjattan (one has) to spend monies with approval, otherwise what is the nature of the purse of the Nation. Ashni Singh seems not to understand that...

“You are committing rape and then you are saying that nothing will happen when you breach the law in Guyana.”

AFC Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo, wading in on the Finance Minister’s statement said that Government spent the $4.5B unlawfully in violation of the constitution and didn’t even find it necessary to expedite the process to validate the spending on the Thursday the 10th sitting of Parliament.

“Even in defiance and disregard of the National Assembly you spend, one would have thought that if you had any modicum of shame or any sense of latent responsibility you would come to the Parliament to seek ex ante Parliamentary approval,” said Nagamootoo.

He said on their (government) own call they had differed Parliament from the last sitting to the 10th of July “so we thought there was no real emergency or pressing need to come and have this matter before the National Assembly.”

NO CONFIDENCE Nagamootoo continued that withstanding the fact that the next sitting of the National Assembly on the Thursday would be private members day, “a government matter would take precedent

Teen accuses stepfather of sexual molestation A teenager, who has leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against her stepfather, is in the protection of a social and welfare officer.

Efforts to have the 14-yearold-undergo a medical examination are being pursued by the officer.

There are reports that the Anna Regina Secondary School second form student, allegedly had sex with her boyfriend during the lunch period, at the Secondary

School. Another report of the incident involving the teenager was subsequently spiraling on the internet.

The incident was later brought to the attention of members of the Department of Education and the police. The child and her mother later lodged statements with the police.

The teenager has further implicated her stepfather, informing police and the other parties that the man had also

abused her sexually.

The mother of the teenager said that she was only allowed to see her daughter, yesterday, and was informed that a social and welfare officer were in the process of accompanying the child to the Suddie Public Hospital for a medical examination.

The mother said that she has not heard from her husband since the allegations were leveled against him.

if they so wish and they could’ve brought it forward.

But I think that they are having political diarrhea knowing that the constitution provides an option for the removal of an unpopular government by way of a no confidence motion.”

The AFC Vice Chairman contended that even a “mere hint of a no confidence option being exercised, has caused them to decide that they are not coming forward with any supplementary to clear the illegal spending.

“They have ideally exercised that option on a specific event of illegality and or unconstitutionality.”

Speaking to the state of the no confidence motion Nagamootoo said that the government people are having consultations right now. “This is contingent on the happenings of a certain event of unconstitutionality

and illegality. For us the statement of Excesses is an example of outrageous, unlawful spending.”

Commenting on the no confidence motion, Nagamootoo said that the motion was not drafted. “We did not produce a draft motion because we have not arrived there.

“We have only said that we are considering this as an option under the constitution and we have taken consultations on it even with APNU, but we have never promised at this stage we would have a draft motion.”

“Drafting a motion is not a complicated thing. It could be done within the shortest possible time.”

The Finance Minister, in justifying the legitimacy of spending $4.5B of the $30B that was not approved by the combined opposition in the 2014 budget, pointed to the

AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo Guyana Constitution which reads.

The AFC Vice Chairman said that the Finance Minister has been badly advised “as he has been on so many other occasions on this issue; I believe that he has not interpreted the constitution correctly and he is on a misadventure of his own.

“We don’t believe the article of the constitution he is referring to gives him a n y protection from his illegality. He has to, at some stage; face the consequences of his feral blast on the constitution.”

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Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

Govt., ruling party questions GECOM’s preparedness to hold any election The ruling Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) as well as the Guyana Government are both questioning the preparedness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to pull off either the Local Government or the General Elections.

These sentiments were yesterday expressed by both the General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee, and Head of the Presidential

Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, speaking at different forums.

Rohee during the party’s weekly press engagement at Freedom House yesterday said that the party noted the many public statements calling on government to hold Local Government Elections “however the critical question is GECOM’s readiness.”

Rohee pointed to GECOM’s public pronouncement that enough ground work has been done to ascertain boundaries countrywide for the 585 constituencies which would mean the same number of lists of electors in order to hold Local Government Elections and responded by saying “the PPP is not confident this has been done thoroughly so as to ensure that every eligible voter will be correctly placed on his or her constituency list.”

As a result, Rohee said that the party is calling on GECOM to undertake physical verification within the various communities as well as invite political parties to have their representatives be a part of the process in order to allow a fair and transparent process if and when elections are called.

In seeking to qualify his statements, Rohee used as example the Diamond, Housing Scheme and said that GECOM’s figures for the 2011 elections points to 4,504 persons eligible to vote and GECOM has further opted to disaggregate this list into four smaller separate lists and constituencies.

He said that GECOM had proposed this since 2010 but the plan was aborted based on a request from the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR).

According to Rohee, the party is reliably informed that

GECOM does not have the separate lists to date.

He noted that since the 6th Cycle of continuous registration has been concluded and the Commission is about to undertake a claims and objections exercise, there is no possibility of Local Government Elections being

held by August 1.

Meanwhile Dr Luncheon at a subsequent press engagement at the Office of the President was asked to respond to the fact that the US Diplomats seem set to continue to call for Local Government Elections.

He responded by saying that persons should check

with GECOM on their preparedness to hold either election given the stance taken by all of the stakeholders including the diplomatic community.

According to Dr Luncheon the elections commission has to signal its preparedness, “I don’t believe they (are) ready.”

Recent accident victim caught red handed during robbery spree

A man who was a victim of a recent hit and run accident which claimed three lives, two sisters and their niece— has been charged and remanded to jail on two counts of robbery under arms.

He was positively identified at the scene of one of the crimes and fingered as a notorious bandit. This was after his mask was pulled off by one of the victims.

The man, Delroy Park, 28, called ‘Sticky’, of Cromarty Farm, was the first of the five victims of the hit and run accidents on Wednesday June 11, last.

Yesterday, Park appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Whim Magistrate’s Court on the charges of robbery under arms. On July 5, last, at Kilmarnock Village Corentyne, Berbice, Park and others who were armed with a gun, robbed Alisha DrepaulHoyte and Andre Hoyte of a cellular phone, a gold chain, two gold rings, a wrist watch and a silver bracelet.

Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sheriff, who opposed

Robbery victim: Delroy Park bail, cited the nature and prevalence of the offence in which a gun was used. He also stated that the accused is a suspect in other robberies under arms offences and more charges are likely.

The police were after a group of bandits who had committed a number of robberies and rape in the Central Corentyne area. The first incident occurred on April 12, at Lot 21 Maida Farm, Corentyne Berbice.

During that ordeal three masked bandits, armed with a shotgun, cutlass and knife, entered the home of a hire car driver and robbed him of cash, a cell phone and jewelry.

The men also robbed the man’s wife of a substantial amount of cash and a large quantity of gold jewelry.

They also robbed two other persons, who were in

the home at the time, of cash and a quantity of gold and jewelry, a cell phone and US$700. The man’s wife was allegedly also raped during the rampage.

The second incident occurred on May 2 in which three armed bandits attacked and robbed a woman of Maida farm and stole US and Guyana Currency. The men later raped the woman.

During the Saturday incident after the bandits attacked and robbed the couple the men then took the woman to a house nearby and forced her to call out her relative with the intention of continuing their rampage.

However, as the woman opened the door after hearing her relative call, the woman made a dash for safety into the house.

The perplexed woman who had just opened her door then grabbed at the man’s face and ripped off his mask. She was terrified to see that it was Park. The man lived not too far from her and she knew him.

The man escaped, but was subsequently nabbed by police.

When he was captured he was wearing a neck brace as a result of the recent accident.

He was later positively identified during and ID parade.

Investigations are continuing into the other incidents and rape. He is expected to return to court on the August 13.

Diamond resident freed of wounding charge A Diamond Public Road resident was yesterday freed from a wounding charge after the victim whose head was completely bandaged, came forth in the city court and stated that he wished not to proceed with the matter against him.

Rodrick Robertson, 33, and Mervin Harry appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty to face charges that stemmed from an altercation between the two.

Robertson was charged

for unlawfully and maliciously wounding Harvey with intent to maim, disable, disfigure or harm him.

Harvey was accused of assaulting Robertson.

The incident occurred on June 27, last, on the Diamond Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

Both men pleaded not guilty but asked not to proceed against each other.

Their requests were granted and the matter was dismissed against both men.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

This high tonnage truck with large compactor was quoted for between US$96,000 and US$126,000 depending on the Freight on Board cost to ship the truck.

H

ead of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, yesterday announced that Cabinet gave its no objection to solid waste contracts for the procurement of one Hook Lift truck that costs a whopping US $436,000.

The price for such trucks online, brand new, ranged from the lowest tonnage and compactor size for US $20,000 to the highest tonnage and compactor size worth US$120,000.

The price is also dependent on whether the truck is coming with the

Page 13

Govt to buy truck for four times the cost

compactor which collects waste, or by itself. It would be cheaper without the compactor so in the case of the price quoted for the highest tonnage brand new truck the price would be less than US$120,000.

Dr. Luncheon did say that the truck would be lifting large compactors but didn’t say if it would be coming with the compactor.

However, utilizing the highest truck price, that still leaves US $336, 000 in overpricing.

Luncheon himself was taken aback by the price of the truck when he was

delivering the figures within the distribution of contracts. He said, “One hook lift truck the one that hooks the garbage bin and pull it up is at a cost of US$436,000 odd. That’s a lot of money boy.”

He was later asked why did Cabinet not red flag the pricing taking into context that he himself was taken aback by the price for the one truck.

Luncheon responded, “I live three minutes away from here. Anything other than on foot to me is a little car drive so I am not too knowledgeable. But I know

about money and that’s a lot of money.” In justifying the acquisition of the vehicle

however he said that the truck would be used to lift huge bins that that have already been purchased and distributed across the region.

“I don’t think there is any intention of having manual labour lift these larger bins… and dump them into the trucks. This is to me the justification to get these specialized equipment trucks that carry some features that allow them to do that…The truck obviously is going to

contribute to maximizing the use of those bins. If that is what US$436,000 will do why brake a lance?”

He said that it is highly unlikely that the truck is a used one for the price. “It has to be a new facility.”

Luncheon also said that Cabinet gave its no objection contracts for the procurement of laboratory equipment for the Georgetown solid waste management programme and that is at a cost of US$112,000.

Jehovah’s Witnesses host Convention

J

ehovah’s Witnesses are inviting all of their neighbors to attend their annual convention to be held at the National Park, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

The theme of this year’s program is “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!”

Samuel Moore, a convention spokesman, states, “People of many faiths pray for God’s Kingdom. This convention will explain what that Kingdom is and how it can be a positive influence in our lives. A highlight of the programme will be the keynote address on Friday morning.

The Witnesses will discuss how that

Kingdom is benefiting people today.

He adds, “A core belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses, based on Biblical and historical evidence, is that Jesus Christ began to rule as the King of God’s Kingdom in 1914. The convention programme marks this year as the centennial of that event.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses extended personal invitations to most persons within the Georgetown area to attend the convention with them. The programme will begin on Friday.

Worldwide, there are over 7,900,000 Witnesses in more than 113,000 congregations.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

Workshop on regional quality GPL to pay more infrastructural policy held for power poles

amidst shortage

A section of the gathering at the GNBS workshop

A

national meeting on conformity assessment and draft regional policy for quality infrastructure was hosted recently by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) in collaboration with CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).

GNBS Executive Director Evadnie Enniss noted that the packed workshop underscored that stakeholders understood the importance of standards within their respective businesses and the agency welcomes such a turn out.

Underscoring that the overall conformity assessment is to demonstrate the quality of products and services independently of the manufacturers, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Dhaneshwar Deonarine said “conformity assessment service providers shall pay attention to

the national needs, be transparent, be non-discriminatory and avoid unnecessary barriers for trade. In this regard the government has identified its conformity assessment bodies that are in the process of streamlining these agencies to ensure that they are and can meet the requirements of international standards…”

“The conformity assessment body and relevant ministries have commenced the process of implementing the national standards with the assistance of the GNBS and other partners.”

Deonarine said the agricultural sector is one of the largest areas of investment in Guyana’s economy since more than $50 billion is invested in current expenditure annually by large and small scale farming enterprises “…we must maintain our agriculture products to be the leading export sector and the breadbasket of the Caribbean, so I urge the government agencies and

key stakeholders to underscore the benefits of having testing certification bodies accredited so that the market share of Guyana’s product can expand and meet the necessary quality requirements.”

He explained that the GNBS is currently completing a needs assessment project which is focused on identifying testing and metrology facilities required to ensure that products are tested by an accredited laboratory and measurements used by industries traceable and acceptable globally.

“Testing will be available for the first time in many areas related to food safety and quality to support the work of the regulations. The GNBS will continue to receive support from the Guyana government to strengthen its capabilities to implement the national quality infrastructure which was launched in 2012.”

GPL expected to pay more for wallaba poles in face of severe shortage.

A

s h o r ta g e o f power poles has prompted the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) to up its prices.

Yesterday, the stateowned power company asking for Expressions of Interest in a notice published in the Guyana Chronicle, said it was looking for 30foot, 40-foot, 45-foot and 50foot lengths.

The poles are to be used f o r G P L’s c o n t i n u o u s enhancement of its network.

The company has been battling a severe shortage of the poles for a number of years now.

For the 30-foot poles, GPL said it is willing to pay $25,000 each; for the 40-foot poles $35,000; for the 45foot poles -$45,000 and the 50-foot poles- $60,000.

In April, the company disclosed that it was looking

for at least 10,000 poles to carry out its programmes in the next year or so.

These include the 40-50 feet lengths which are ideal for the new transmission lines being run along the coasts.

However, the shorter 30 feet lengths, for the normal power line poles, will remain the most critical.

In the past, GPL was depending on mainly the loggers for the poles.

However, these operators have been demanding more money as access to the wallaba trees became harder.

The loggers claimed that access to the trees was an expensive process as the trees were deeper in the forestry concessions.

The demands for poles have grown in recent years as new housing schemes, maintenance and a US$40M programme to run new transmission lines started.

The Chinese contractor on the transmission line project immediately ran into problems as the longer lengths were not available.

The shortage had delayed works on the new transmission lines.

The company was forced to import pine poles to meet demands.

GPL had indicated that it was in talks with current suppliers. Works in a number of new housing schemes have also been facing delays.

GPL has been toying with the idea of using concrete poles or metal poles to meet the growing demands.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 15

Guyana to get another multi-million-dollar hotel - this time at Liliendaal

A

lthough the local hotel market is saturated, an India- based company trading under the name ‘Sun and Sand Group of Companies’ yesterday turned the sod for the construction of a US$54M five-star, luxury hotel and casino at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Construction on the163room hotel began immediately and will be completed in approximately 18-months.

Sun and Sand Group of Companies also has an interest in investing in Guyana’s mining, housing and shipping sectors. In India the group is in involved in several areas, including hotel properties, service apartments, real estate and townships.

In attendance at the sod turning event were President Donald Ramotar, former President Bharat Jagdeo, Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali, Managing Director of BK International Brian Tiwari, politicians and businessmen.

The construction of the Sun and Sand Hotel will include many modern conveniences and amenities including a casino and restaurants. When completed, the 290,000 square feet hotel will also house a commercial block and club house of approximately 45,000 sq. ft. which is being touted to provide direct benefits to Guyanese through the provision of several hundred jobs.

Director of Sun & Sand Group of Companies, Bhushan Chandna explained that employees will benefit from training to provide high level services in the hospitality industry. The anticipated knowledge and information transfer will be of substantial value to the Guyanese human resource pool.

He said that the hotel will also provide indirect benefits as it serves as a significant c a t a l y s t t o G u y a n a ’s growing tourism sector and the economy in general.

The Director said the company has decided to invest locally, “because Guyana is an upcoming country that has a stable economy.” He noted that as Guyana continues to grow economically, the demand for additional services

President Donald Ramotar and Director of Sun & Sand Group of Companies, Bhushan Chandna turning the sod.

especially in the hospitality sector will increase.

Chandna also noted that the company wants to expand its operations here and contribute to the growth of the country. “Our motto is to bring luxury and pleasure so as to enhance Guyana’s tourism,” the Director stated.

The hotel and casino is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016 and Chandna expressed gratitude to the Guyana government for being investor friendly.

“The government of Guyana has been extremely supportive and has demonstrated that it is investor friendly…Mining is booming in Guyana and our company is into mining as well,” he said.

President Donald Ramotar said, Guyana can become a tourism destination and the construction of another hotel adds to the development and expansion of attracting airlines

and businesses to Guyana.

“By the expansion of the airport we are attracting new airlines and we are getting more direct links to Europe, North America and Africa and many other places that will help us to improve arrivals in our society…We have a lot of facilities that can be used such as, the national stadium where large sporting events can be held, the convention centre and the hotels themselves are being built to capacity to hold large conferences and meetings and these are extremely important in driving tourism in allowing us to meet the full potential…this investment, like the Marriot Hotel will also stimulate more investment into the interior where we have tremendous tourist potential,” the President underscored.

The President said that the landscape and skylines are changing in the country,

which will have a spin off effect to stimulate tourism and benefit communities.

“The government will facilitate and encourage these kinds of investments in our society, and a good business environment in which works can be carried out.”

Acting Minister of Tourism Irfaan Ali said, the

new hotel and facility is an addition to the tourism reserve facilities which will be available for Guyanese and visitors.

“When we made the investment in the Marriott, we realized that the government’s vision and strategy was to build tourism with the necessary

infrastructure, not only for the sustainability of the sector but to ensure it can attract the tourists that are necessary.

It is a transformative move and we have seen how it has stimulated many more moves in this sector and this will no doubt bring many other trickle down investments.”

Ali underscored.

Page 16

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

Berbice freak storm caused major damage to GPL‘s infrastructure

GPL crews conducting repairs Monday in Yakusari, Black Bush Polder.

Sunday’s freak storm in the Upper Corentyne uprooted 19 poles, the stateowned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) said yesterday.

As a result, GPL sustained major damage to its primary and secondary networks with customers experiencing outages as emergency crews effected repairs to the network.

However, the faults were rectified and power restored by 21:00 hrs on Tuesday.

According to GPL, while the major effect of the stormy weather was the uprooting and breaking of both primary and secondary poles, the network was also affected by roof sheets, and in one case at Tain, a section flew into the lines causing damage.

In total, after the storm passed, 19 primary poles were uprooted, with numerous left leaning and three secondary poles down.

GPL said that major damages also occurred in the Black Bush Polder community where 10 primary poles had to be replanted and reinforced.

Restoration of power to this area began at 02:30hrs and was completed by 10:30hrs on Tuesday.

The power company also said yesterday that crews are

currently engaged in mopping up operations and addressing isolated cases where individual consumers may have had service interruption caused by the high winds.

Sunday’s sudden high winds and rain in the Upper Corentyne, Berbice area, was one of the worst that residents have seen in years.

The hour long storm ripped the roof off several homes in especially Yakusari, Black Bush Polder.

A number of homes, some unoccupied, also came down.

In one case, two children barely escaped after their home came crashing down from the pillars.

Unfortunately, the family’s goat was not so fortunate and was crushed.

Trial for murdered Sophia woman nears end

J

ustice Diana Insanally is expected to sum up the murder trial of Paul Anthony Lo Hing, today.

Ye s t e r d a y, D e f e n c e Attorney Huckumchand Parag and State Prosecutor Natasha Backer made closing submissions before the jury, in the case in which Lo Hing is accused of killing his girlfriend, Shoala Gilgeous.

Gilgeous was reportedly strangled during a heated argument in August of 2012 at Block ‘E’ Sophia Residents recalled that the incident marked a tragic end to the couple’s one year relationship.

On Tuesday, Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh had testified that a Post Mortem (PM) examination determined that the victim died due to asphyxiation owing to manual strangulation, which was compounded by blunt trauma.

Dr. Singh was the last witness in the murder trial to take the stand.

The Pathologist told the court that during his external examination of Gilgeous’

DECEASED: Shoala Gilgeous

body, he noticed that the surfaces of her nails had turned blue, which is indicative of lacking oxygen.

“There was bleeding in the eyes and visible injuries to the head neck, back, and shoulder. There were also marks of compression to the neck, which is consistent with manual strangulation.”

O n F r i d a y, A l a i n Gilgeous, the brother of the murdered Sophia woman told the court that he is certain that the woman’s boyfriend had killed her.

“Somebody can’t walk off the road and kill my sister just so …Paul and my sister were living alone,” Gilgeous stated under cross examination by Parag.

The victim’s brother, who is currently in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), told the court via Skype that he learnt his sister was living with the accused after he returned from the twin-island Republic in February 2012.

The witnesses recalled that the couple would get into constant disagreements and fights during their time together. He said at one time, (Continued on page 19)

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 17

India group eyes Guyana gold, diamond fields A

n India-based company, Sun and Sand Group of Companies headed by Rajesh “Lucky” Satija has made a whopping US$54M investment in Guyana’s hotel industry.

But even though it plans to start construction of the multimillion dollar five-star hotel this month, it is quite eager to venture into Guyana’s gold and diamond sector.

The sod for the hotel was turned yesterday at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara to launch the ultimate luxury hotel project. But the event left media operatives with many questions unanswered.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali, was present at the launch as were a number of persons from the local business world.

Ali used the opportunity to criticize the media for promoting negative headlines instead of those which highlight the country’s tourism potential.

He was also critical of some sections of the private sector for belittling his Ministry’s investment in the hospitality sector.

Director of the Sun and Sand Hotel, Bhushan Chandna, presented President Donald Ramotar with a plan of the hotel project.

Ali said that the $800M allocation in this area is intended to transform Guyana’s human capital, so that a different approach to international standards can be had. This will improve the country’s ability to provide quality hospitality services.

He told the Director of the Sun and Sand Hotel, Bhushan Chandna, “You have targeted the right market and we want to say to you that your investment in

this country is secure. We are going to work with you to ensure the success of your venture.” President Donald Ramotar who was also present at the event said that the US$54M investment shows the tremendous confidence that the international investors have in our country.

Chandna in his presentation extended heartfelt thanks to President Ramotar and Minister Ali for

their support.

“I acknowledge their blessings and I thank all those who worked behind the scenes.”

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was there declined photo opportunities with the group for the media and made it pellucid to media operatives that he was not entertaining any questions.

The Director then proceeded to give a brief

background of his company.

The India-based company, he said, is under his Chairman. He said that the Company is into housing, real estate, manufacturing metals, mining, hotels and casinos in various parts of the world.

With the support of the Guyana government, Chandna said that his company will ensure that this private project will be a very successful venture for both parties.

As for its contribution to the economic growth of the country, the Hotel Director explained that his company will definitely start in the field of mining as soon as it acquires its licence.

Initially, he said, when asked about BK International being the contractor, “We have not yet decided because all the materials will be from India or China and from various parts of the world…”

The Director was then asked how selection of a contractor could start so late since construction is expected to begin later this month. Chandna said, “My team is also coming from India and it is waiting on us but the local contractor will

be Mr. Brian (Tiwarie).”

“The Team is not only coming for construction but we will also take senior staff from Guyana like engineers and architects for the project.

We have built three hotels so far in India.”

As it relates to its interests in mining, the Director explained that the Company has already applied for a prospecting licence, but would be unable to answer any other question on it because it is not his “baby.”

“The people responsible for it will be coming soon; one of them is the Chairman.

That is a separate business all together. We are going to bring a lot of investment into this country and under the leadership of the Chairman, we are growing by leaps and bounds,” Chandna said.

Both Minister Ali and President Ramotar were given the plans of the hotel yesterday.

The cost of the land, while unknown, is part of the contract agreement. “That is a part of the US$54 deal.”

Chandna said that he is working in more than 19 countries but that he comes to Guyana every month for 15 days.

Page 18

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

Second reading of new proposed Education Legislation deferred Although the second reading of the New Education Bill was initially proposed for today in the National Assembly, this much anticipated undertaking has been deferred.

According to Minister of Education Priya Manickchand the development represents part of her effort to honour a request from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU’) s Shadow Minister, Ms. Amna Ally.

Manickchand disclosed yesterday that “I have been asked by the Shadow Minister of Education that we put it off a little bit so that they (APNU) can have more time to look at it.”

The Education Minister, who was at the time addressing a gathering at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), informed that “I have agreed to put it off, I think until the next sitting of Parliament, which should be soon and so we won’t be debating it tomorrow (today).”

- Opposition needs time to scrutinise further The Bill is one designed to address, among other things, the quality of education at all levels, even within public and private educational institutions. It is therefore intended to repeal and replace the archaic Education Act currently in existence. It was crafted following consultations with stakeholders across the country, and therefore seeks to reform the legal framework of education in Guyana, and provide an effective system of education related to the needs of the people.

And since Article 149H (1) of the Constitution mandates that every child is entitled to free primary and secondary education in schools owned or funded by the State, the Bill makes provision for such a realisation which is however, subjected “to available resources of the State and the availability of educational facilities to all persons in Guyana.”

Also contained in the Bill are provisions for ensuring free education to all persons and a component that speaks to quality education at all levels, both in public as well as private schools, and other educational institutions in Guyana.

Further still, the Bill is outfitted with a component to cater to the strengthening of the existing school management system so that it allows for the maximum participation of parents and teachers in the management of schools.

The Bill which also provides for the disciplining of children in the school environment, is being touted as a mechanism that contains measures that will “ensure for the benefit of children, enhancing their talents, mental and physical and ensuring a rounded education in all schools.”

A n d M i n i s t e r Manickchand told the gathering at NCERD yesterday that the Education

Bill is premised on a common theme which emphasises “how we can make our system practical and useful while making sure that we are catering for a modern Guyana as against what the previous Bill catered for.”

The first reading of the Bill was done at the previous sitting of Parliament; an undertaking that comes at a time “when a lot of things are happening in Education,” according to the Education Minister. She made a point of noting yesterday that the Bill is the first whole education legislation that has been proposed since Guyana gained its independence in 1966.

Currently, the Education Ministry is in the process of finalising its Strategic Plan which will guide its work for the next five years. The

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand previous Strategic Plan expired last year, having spanned the period 20082013.

It is expected that the Strategic Plan currently under construction will be published shortly, according to the Education Minister. “Our entire theme will be on focusing on how do we make sure our children are learning, and becoming the kinds of practical citizens that Guyana needs to take our development to the next level?”

Moreover, Manickchand

noted that “all of what we are doing in that plan – everything in Literacy, Science, Mathematics and Special Needs Education – all the areas we are focused on will be on improving our learning outcomes.”

And according to the Minister too “we are excitedly working on that so that we can finish it shortly and expose to the nation and education partners exactly what is going to happen in the Ministry of Education over the next five years.”

Woman pleads for assistance to keep mother alive

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28-year-old w o m a n determined to keep her mother alive, is pleading with members of the public for financial donations. Jacklyn Mootoo, 48, of Durban and Creen Streets, Newburg, Georgetown, suffers from renal failure and is in need of financial aid for dialysis treatment.

Mootoo has to undergo treatment at the Doobay Renal Centre thrice a week, but the weekly payments are more than the family can afford.

If Mootoo does not get the treatment needed, she will eventually die, her daughter, Joanne James said.

The Ministry of Health has committed to paying for 80 treatment sessions, and has already contributed to the first 40.

James is adamant that should there be a long lapse

between treatment periods, her mother could become increasingly ill.

The woman said that her mother has to receive treatment for the rest of life and while it’s a lifelong dedicating process “I just wish to hold on to my mother as long as possible.”

Mootoo was diagnosed with renal failure almost a year ago. A letter from the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to the Health Ministry dated June 17, 2014 explained that Mootoo has been diagnosed with end stage renal disease and is receiving hemodialysis.

“She however, cannot financially afford to continue her dialysis sessions. She is therefore, referred to your institution for financial assistance to continue her long term hemodialysis management.”

Renal failure (also

48-year-old Jacklyn Mootoo suffers from renal failure kidney failure or renal insufficiency) is a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood. There are two main forms; acute kidney injury, often reversible with adequate treatment, and chronic kidney disease, which is often not reversible.

To render assistance, James can be reached on 225-3125.

IAC says: 254 years needed...

From page 3 IMF database to arrive at where Singapore’s economy in 2013; it would take Guyana 254 years (from 1960) or another 200 years from today to match that.

“This reality should be a cause of urgent action. The IAC, therefore, calls upon all political parties, all trade unions, all religious bodies, all cultural organisations, Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and all of civil society to study these facts presented by the IAC and, taking the example of the

people of Singapore, join together to combat divisiveness, feelings of insecurity and to combine intellects and to plot a fresh approach for Guyana; where people feel safe and want to make the country their home.”

Chief Statistician and Census Officer Lennox Benjamin who presented the 2012 preliminary results last week explained that migration continues to be the major factor in the population size. He said the country’s population peaked in 1980, but has never regained that level despite increased birth rates.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 19

Major restructuring of Georgetown on the horizon The Ministry of Public Works will be undertaking a Sustainable Urban Transportation Study of Georgetown to enhance and regulate the transportation network, essentially bringing order to the city, according to Transportation Engineer, Patrick Thompson.

Without revealing much details about the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the project, Thompson said the Study will focus on legislation and regulation; traffic congestion; and parking control.

According to Thompson, the TOR is currently being reviewed by the InterAmerican Development Bank which would be financing the project through a loan to the Government of Guyana.

The Ministry has advertised for consultancy firms to respond to an Expression of Interest, following which it will shortlist and invite six firms to bid for the project.

He related that the consultancy firm would have to comprise a Public Transportation Expert, Transportation Engineer Modeler, and an Environmental Specialist. In addition, the consultancy firm must be experienced and be able to incorporate international best practices to make this project a reality.

Thompson said the strict criterion for hiring the consultancy firm is necessary because the

consultant would have to make considerable inputs during the implementation phase of the project.

Thompson enlightened, that the Study would focus on developing appropriate legislation and regulation for the orderly operation of public transportation. To this end, the Ministry will be addressing the specific needs of passengers to reorganize the way public transport operates. According to the engineer, a lot of minibuses enter the Stabroek Market area that does not necessarily need to be there. As such, the Study would have to provide a solution to have the transportation network regulated.

Offering an example, he said many passengers traversing the Parika to Georgetown route do not necessarily need to come into the city or to be more exact, Stabroek Market.

Therefore, there could be a bus terminal at Mandela Avenue where the 32 minibuses could park whilst passengers join appropriate minibuses to continue their journey.

Having this system in place could help curb the traffic congestion that is plaguing the city. And by no coincidence, traffic congestion is another focus of the project.

Currently, this is a major problem in the city with vehicles sometimes taking 20 minutes to traverse two blocks in the commercial hub of the city such as

Trial for murdered...

From page 16 he even got involved in the physical altercation between the two. “I had to part them because they were arguing at first and then they start fight and I had to get in and part them.”

The witness told the court that at the time he resided in the adjoining apartment to the couple’s home.

He said that on the day of the incident, the accused called him to enquire whether he had seen his sister.

“I does drive taxi, so I headed up to Splashmins. When I reach up there I get a call from Paul (accused). He tell me that my sister ain’t moving, that I must come and take her to the hospital. I call we big sister, Alana, and tell she fuh go and check on Shoala” As a result of what the accused told him, Gilgeous said that he returned to Georgetown, where he visited the police station before heading to the crime scene.

“My sister was lying on the bed like she sleeping but blood and slime was running out she mouth,” the witness told the State Attorney, Backer, last Friday.

-Transportation legislation, traffic congestion and parking to be addressed Regent Street.

This aspect of the Study takes into consideration private transportation that

has been on the increase.

Planning and parking control is an important aspect of this Study. Thompson

acknowledged that the features of Georgetown are changing with many high rise buildings. In addition,

several businesses have taken up the responsibility of providing parking for their customers.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

No electricity crisis at Mibikuri Hospital, says Doctor-in-Charge ...generator is fully functional The Mibikuri Hospital, Black Bush Polder.

The four rechargeable lamps available for staff to use during the night

By Leon Suseran The Doctor-in-Charge of the Mibikuri Hospital at Black Bush Polder on the Corentyne, has refuted the allegations in yesterday’s edition of the Kaieteur News captioned, ‘Mibicuri Hospital left in darkness after storm.’

Dr. Tariq Uddin and Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), Michael Itwaru, sought to clear the air about the article which alleged that the hospital was “in disarray with a malfunctioning generator unable to provide electricity to the facility whenever there is a blackout.”

Uddin acknowledged that the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) electricity supply to the hospital was knocked out some time after noon on Sunday as a result of the freak storm that hit the area. However, the generator was operational as soon as night crept in.

Uddin said that the incident described was an isolated one as a result of the storm and such happenings are not regular occurrences at the facility.

“We have a manual Lister generator. I usually put it on personally. If I am not there, the other doctor puts it on.”

Dr. Uddin added, “The generator was fully

functional when the storm hit; it functioned until 12 in the night that Sunday.” It is usual for them to switch the generator off around midnight since the patients are asleep at that time, and standby lamps are available for use by the nurses should any need arise.

Additionally, in the case of any emergency, the generator can become operational again during the wee hours of any morning of any day.

He did note, though, that the generator was found to have a “minor” leak, “so that some fuel would drain from it.” This problem was discovered around 08:00 hrs the following day (Monday).

Dr. Uddin said, “I immediately put things in place and I called somebody in the area who fixes these things and asked him to inspect it.” The electrician inspected the engine and “before it got dark (on Monday), the generator was up and running.”

“During the day, we don’t really need power. The only thing we need power for is storage of medication, and we have ice- packs. Those were being used; we had back- up. There was absolutely no major effect of being without power during the day, and in the nights when we really needed the power, the generator was (Continued on page 24)

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Man gets bail for killing 7-year-old application was submitted to the court by Attorney at Law, Paul Fung-a-Fat, who asked the court to consider that his client had been a remand prisoner for “quite a while” and that there is no evidence of speed or that his client was intoxicated at the time.

The lawyer said, too, that Carrol had never been involved in any road accident before.

Corporal Mangru on this occasion did not offer objections to bail.

Responding, the Chief Magistrate granted bail in the sum of $400,000 with the condition that Carrol reports to the Subordinate Officer in charge of the Traffic Department at the Ruimveldt Police Station.

The case will be called again on July 31 for statements.

After spending more than three weeks as a remand prisoner, the 28-year-old maintenance worker charged in relation to the road accident that killed a Grade Two St. Pius Primary School pupil, was granted bail.

It was Jermaine Carrol’s third bail application and Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry granted it at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, yesterday.

On June 16, Carrol, appeared before the Chief Magistrate and was formally arraigned on two charges cause of death by dangerous driving and for driving an uninsured car.

On June 12, last, on Freeman Street, East La Penitence he allegedly drove a car PPP5831 in a manner dangerous to the public

causing seven-year-old Joseph Quallis’ death.

He was accused too of using the said car which, at the time, was not covered by third party risk insurance.

Carrol pleaded not guilty and sought bail.

At his third court hearing, yesterday, another bail

Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of a shooting incident, which has left a 29year-old father of two nursing a single gunshot injury to his left shoulder.

Injured is Delon Frank of 20th Street, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Frank was shot during a robbery which took place around 20:00 hours on Tuesday. The bandits carried away his cell phones, cash and jewelry.

He claimed that the two men approached his gate Tuesday evening, pretending that they were looking for one of his acquaintances.

“They come like they want a number for somebody I know, and I take out my cell phone to get the number for them and one of them pull out de gun. I start wrestle with them and one of them turn and

shoot me in the back.” The men subsequently fled the scene.

“I was wearing my gold chain. I had my two cell phones and approximately $40,000.

“I believe that they de tailing me because I don’t take public transportation and I does wear my gold chain, so the only way that they could get to me is if they come to my gate.

“My yard is secure and how the persons approach like they want ask something, by the time I realize is an ambush it done happen.”

The man said that he was taken to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was treated for his injuries.

“The bullet passed through a little below my

shoulder but I am thankful it didn’t damage any major arteries or organs. I am currently in a stable condition awaiting my release from GPHC.”

Wendell Codogan was sent from court on his own recognizance yesterday after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, on a charge of threatening his cousin, Lawrence Williams.

In the court of Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry, Police Prosecutor, Bharat Mangru , said that on July 4, last, the cousins had an argument over some money, and Codogan used a series of ‘ f’s and s’s towards Williams.

Codogan then got hold of two cutlasses and threatened to chop Williams. The defendant was later charged

for the offence. Cadogan pleaded guilty before Magistrate Priya-Sewnarine Beharry.

In his explanation, he said that his cousin sells ‘narcotics’ in their yard, at 63 Hunter Street, Albouystown. He added that his function in the business is to acquire customers for Williams, in order to receive ‘tips’.

On Friday last, the defendant explained that Williams told him that he would receive ‘nothing’ for his efforts. He said that an argument arose because of payment.

He said that his cousin

allegedly ‘ran upstairs looking for a gun’, so he decided to arm himself with the cutlasses.

“He always get a pipe in he house,” said Codogan.

When asked by the Chief Magistrate what he meant by ‘pipe’, the defendant said he meant a ‘gun’.

“He get cache with a bunch of guns and ammo in East Coast,” he further stated.

The matter was transferred to Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

Codogan was released on his own recognizance and the matter was adjourned until July 15, 2014.

Victim: Joseph Quallis

Diamond man shot by robbers who wanted phone number

Injured: Delon Frank

Quarrel over ‘drug’ payments leads to charges

Page 21

‘Mongoose’ to face retrial for killing child Murder accused Fazal ‘Mongoose’ Mohamed, called ‘Boy’, 23, of No 67 Village, Corentyne Berbice will have to face a Judge and Jury again. This was after the mixed jury in his murder trial failed to come up with a unanimous verdict in the Berbice High Court.

Mohamed was on trial for the gruesome murder of seven-year-old Saheed ‘Buddy’ Muknauth, also called ‘Shiam’ of No. 68 Squatting Area, Corentyne, Berbice on August 20, 2012.

Justice Rabindranauth Singh took most of the morning to sum up the evidence to the Jury. The Jury then retired around 11:00 hrs before returning around 13:10 hrs without a decision. The Judge asked if additional time would help break the dead lock to which they answered in the negative. The Jury was split nine for and three against.

On Tuesday, both the defence and prosecution had summed up their evidence before the Jury. State Prosecutor Renita Singh in her summation had told the jury that the case was clear that it was the accused that inflicted

injuries to the deceased that caused his death. She also drew the attention of the Jury to the many lies and inconsistencies of the accused.

Defence Attorney Raymond Alli, admonished the jury not to believe the prosecution’s story. He based his defence on the theory that the police made up the story and forced his client to sign the statement.

Also on Tuesday the prosecution called Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan who concluded that the child died from multiple injuries to various parts of his body. The lad’s body was so decomposed that the post mortem had to be done at the scene where it was found.

The body was spread eagled and floating in a pond surrounded by shrubs and trees.

Earlier in the trial the judge admitted the caution statement purportedly given by the accused. In his statement the accused had admitted that about 16:00 hrs on the day in question he took the accused down a street at No 68 village. He then carried him into some big bushes

which had some shallow pond inside.

He then cuffed the deceased numerous times on his head and pushed him down. He then picked up a stick and beat the lad on his head “plenty times”. He saw blood on the accused and left and went away.

The Prosecutor had earlier told the court that the child’s mother, Anita Persaud, had earlier in the day ingested kerosene and was a d m i t t e d a t the Skeldon Hospital, leaving her six children ages ranging from 12 years to two months at home.

She had later in the afternoon taken a selfdischarge to be home with the children, when she discovered Saheed missing.

It was later learnt that the child was seen around 17:30 hrs on the day in question with the accused holding his hand, crossing the road. He was reportedly the last person seen with the lad on the day he disappeared.

Muknauth’s body was discovered at the back of a rice mill in a pond in a clump of bushes some two days later.

Page 22

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Kaieteur News

FOR SALE SONY PLAYSTATION 2 WITH MEMORY CARD & 2 GAMES. PS2, PS3, XBOX360 ORIGINAL GAMES –TEL:609-8132; 672-8569 (MAX) One 4 Wheel Drive Massey Ferguson Tractor - $2.8M – Tel: 697-2492 Used double door fridge from $30,000 – Tel: 223-4207

LAND FOR SALE Land for sale at Better Hope South – Price $6,350,000, negotiable – Tel: 642-7898 At Eccles Housing Scheme – price $6.5M – negotiable – Call:616-6000 15 Acre transport land opposite Timerhri Docks, next to Kamuni Creek – Tel: 2224708

DRESSMAKING

One Stall at Stabroek Market – Tel:679-1151. Also One stall at Stabroek Bazar – Tel:6996437

PROPERTY FOR SALE

24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl, office assistant & handyman- Call: 670-8893/684-2838 Office clerk senior/junior CXC: English, Mathematics & computer knowledge an asset- Call: 225-0188/225-6070

1-2 storey wooden & concrete house with 5 bedrooms, upper flat & lower flat 4 apartments located@ Shell Road, kitty - $38.9M Tel: 642-7898

Experienced News Reporter - $150,000 -$200,000; Hours: Midnight – 8AM; 6 days per week - Tel: 673-5475 GUARD for Land of Canaan, accommodation available, LORRY DRIVER living on E.B.D. 266 4427 Cashiers @ Shell Service Station Providence EBD. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm-12pm) – Tel: 265-7305 1- Live in maid, must be from the country between age 3545yrs & know to cook Indian Dish – Tel:662-1124; 611-0200 Experienced Male/Female Bar attendant, experienced Chef/Cook & one domestic at Cotton Club, Lot 44 Public Road, Kitty – Tel: 231-1908; 231-1912 Kitchen assistants and cooks to work and live in Buckhall Essequibo – Tel: 668-7660 or 690-4860 Part time Medical doctor, Medical lab. Tech. Nurse – Tel:698-2809 for Appt.

Exists for Cashier, apply with application & passport size picture @ Survival, Lot 173 Sheriff Street. Tel: 227-5286/9 One female to assort goods & labourer, apply in person @ Alabama Trading G/Town Ferry Stelling

Jean offers courses in dressmaking, designing curtains, floral decoration & cake decoration – Tel: 6181706; 670-2653.

Dolly’s Car Rental - Call: 2257126/ 226-3693 dollys autorental@yahoo.com/ www.dolly sautorental.com LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

ProgressiveAuto Rental: Cars & SUV for rental- $4,000 & up per day- Call: 643-5122, 219-3900 ,Email:pro_ autorental @yahoo.com ACCOMMODATION

MASSAGE The Gents Spa: Beautiful qualified masseuses, new attendants from Cuba & Trinidad, drinks available – Tel:657- 5979

Diamond: Avenue A - Three bedrooms, two-storey concrete house & 1st Bridge - Flat concrete & high house.

Have property for sale?

Contact: 643-7633 1-3 storey business – Opposite GPHC, Middle Street, 2 business property @ Whim Public Road Corentyne, Price Negotiable – Contact:619-7134; 225-6481 Two transported properties (house & land) & One 100 acres farm land with live stock & fruit trees. – Tel:6928923 2- Storey 10 rooms Hotel/ Restaurant/ bar with attached apartments uptairs & downstairs. large store room @ Better Hope, E.C.DCall:222-2514 Double lot at Ruimzeight, W.C.D – Call: 629-1532; 6647326 2 STORIED CONCRETE 5 BEDROOMS 3 TOILETS & BATH, AIR CONDITION/ HOT& COLD, MULTIPLE PARKING, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY – TEL:6098132; 672-8569 (MAX)

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

Toyota 4 Runner, PGG Series, V6 3000CC price neg. Tel:6975158; 227-1028 Games for PS2, PS3, XBOX360, WII, consoles also available – Call: 6722566, 265-3231

VACANCY

Tourist Villa: Furnished Rooms & apartments- 1, 2 &3 bedroom apartments at affordable rates – Lot 95 Fifth Av e n u e , Subryanville – Tel: 2272199; 227-2189; 227-2186 FOR HIRE Moving? Need to transport goods? One canter for hire – Contact: 694-5441 or 6854161

Mining Blocks to rent at Mazaruni and Kwakwani – Tel: 627-4900 GT TOOL RENTALS SPECIALS CONCRETE SAW; JACK HAMMER WELDING MACHINE, PRESSURE WASHER & RANSOM – CALL: 675-0767; 627-5098.

One building with spacious yard space at Coverden, E.B.D. Call 623-1615 for more information.

CAKES & PASTRIES Floral Arrangement, cake decoration, cake & pastry Contact Sharon: 223-3303; 672-8768

Thursday July 10, 2014

SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad.

Call: 660-5257, 647-1773 Summer Special: Earn a certificate in cosmetology, wig designs or nails alone, limited spaces - Call Abby: 619-7603, 666-5241 Hair Station for rent - $5,000 weekly, also 1 Nail tech with clients – Call: 604-3002; 2316972 Nail courses, Day & evening, also Brazilian & Indian Virgin Hair – Call: 604-3002; 6998477; 231-6972

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Permanent & Visitors Vi s a Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 2256496, 662-6045 Repairs, sales & spares, air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032,647-2943 Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312, 627-3206 (Nick) For low cost: Repairs to fridge, freezer, A/C unit, microwaves, TV & washing machine - Call: 629-4946 or 225-4822 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer- Call Omar: 2310655, 683-8734 Commercial and domestic building designs from $10,000 estimates and electrical works available – Contact Sean: 667-2189 Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, washing machines, A/C units – Call Lindon: 6411086, 694-2202, 227-8907 Certified electrician: Does your house / business need electrical installation & wiring. Affordable cost (negotiable)- Contact Zaheer Ibrahime: 638-4311; 234-1626 We Refill HP Printer Ink $2,000; Cannon printer ink $2,500. Phone: 650-7699 COOL TECH: Repairs Service & Installation of all types of homes appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration Units – Tel: 233-2008; 675-4959 A/C & fridge re-gas & repair - $8,000 – Tel: 223-4027

VEHICLE FOR SALE 2006 Blue Nissan Titan.

Fully Loaded GSS Series.

Contact: 604-6108.

New model Toyota RAV 4 $2.5M negotiable – Tel: 2255034, 639-5577 Toyota Avensis, Corolla 110, Tundra – Tel: 645-0078; 6030078 One Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, PMM Series Call: 2250188, 223-7500, Mon-Fri 8:154:15pm, Sat – 8:15-1:15PM Diamond Auto Show: Black Nissan, Blue Bird 2007, fully loaded, 2/4 wheel drive – Tel: 682-1822 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms - Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash. Also parts available & 30 seater buses; extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 Toyota Premio (grey), Spacio & Belta. Never registered – Call: 269-0432; 686-0323 Toyota Rav4, 2004 Series, PNN - $3.6M Neg., one Corolla NZE PLL Series $1.5M Neg. Contact: 6687660 Toyota Raum, AT212, AT192, L-Touring Wagon, AE110 Corolla, Tacoma, 2007 Year Model, fun cargo – Tel: 6445096; 6971453 Best 2007 Nissan Titan f l a i r, t r u n k c o v e r, 2 2 " mags, air brush $2.8MCall: 674-9593 Toyota Fun cargo, PMM series, immaculate condition - $1.250M – Call: 601-8625 Toyota Raum, PMM Series, leather interior, DVD, touch screen, 17" rims, candy paint, alarm & remote start $1.4M – Tel: 601-8625 2005 Audi A4, leather interior, 17" rims factory, PSS series, after market head & Tail lights Halo - $4.2M – Call: 601-8625 J’s Auto Imports: In stock Allion, Premio, Blue Bird, Spacio, Madza Axela – Tel: 696-4659 First Class Auto: 2006 Premio, 2006 Allion, 2004 Spacio, IST, Axela, Fielder, Rush – Call: 609-8188; 638-3045 AT192 with AC, mags, music - $820,000 – Tel:675-2650 One Toyota NZE PLL Series excellent condition, fully loaded 17" Chrome, rims, alarm system & music- $1.7M Negotiable – Contact: 6916707; 625-6043 Toyota AT212 Car, Toyota Vigo Jeep, Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, fully loaded, excellent condition, price negotiable – Call: 687-2237/ 225-8427 (Continued on page 23)

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Letters... Where your views make the news

DEAR EDITOR, I had a dream this week, in fact two dreams. In the first one an Asian mafia group had moved into my house and had stripped me of everything I owned. My household was subjected to the most dastardly behaviour on their part. I didn’t know what to make of the dream, but it was followed by one where a huge rat was living in my house and my efforts to hunt him down were not bearing fruit.

In reality I would not be hunting down any fourlegged rat, big or small, but this was a dream. The rat had the audacity to challenge me for trying to get rid of him.

This is like corruption, a ‘barefaced’ thing. There was a cartoon in one of the newspapers a while back, portraying corruption as a monstrous rat running down our small economy.

In an episode of Bones which I saw last weekend, entitled “The Graft in the Girl”, the investigators discovered that the bones of a sixty-something year old who had died of cancer,

were being passed off as those of a much younger person and were being sold to recipients who became terminally ill.

This is just a plot in an episode of an investigative series, but it mimics our reality. The guilty parties’ love of money led them to perpetrate a crime which was causing death to a number of people. Of course, they weren’t bothered by this.

They had become slaves to money.

We do not take a strategic view about our own lives when greed consumes us.

When we worship at the altar of money, we let reason desert us, and we do whatever it takes to keep the money coming our way. We may even see or rather convince ourselves of issues that further our personal interests.

We may even kill people who do not support our views, and as occurred in that episode of Bones, people died in order for greedy people to make money. We fail to see the bigger picture, the one in which we ultimately destroy

ourselves. In Terry Cooper’s “The Responsible Administrator” it is suggested that we need integrity and moral imagination in order for our own lives to have genuine stability.

A lack of ethics reminds me of the story of the Emperor ’s New Clothes, where the swindlers conned the Emperor and his people into thinking they were selling him a fine suit of clothes, when in fact they were selling nothing at all; a good example of groupthink. In this case the target audience bought into believing something that did not exist, and which was only peddled by the swindlers for their personal gain.

When the love of money takes control, we live a pretentious life where we may lie to ourselves, put out ideas that are self-serving and divisive in order to rule, and ignore the long term detriment to society. We in fact become corrupt. Living for “Now” becomes the important thing.

We stifle our conscience and of course make ourselves sick

in the process of destroying ourselves. We damage our best assets - our health and family life.

Our failure to see that decisions that benefit a few, rather than the majority whom we profess loudly to serve, leaves a large percentage of the population living in difficult and vulnerable circumstances which create conditions for societal ills to grow.

It is good to remember that our own security is tied up with that of others, whether we like to think about it or not; and that in pursuit of our own selfish objectives, we can become a casualty of our own actions.

R e s p o n s i b l e administrators recognize how much difference they can make in the lives of the people they serve, and should count it a privilege to do so with integrity. Their own lives will also have better quality.

Sincerely doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people, not just a few, promotes that.

Rosemarie Terborg Davis

DEAR EDITOR, Not surprising, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of PNC/APNU, David Granger, has joined with his AFC counterpart in denouncing the speech made by the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Priya Manickchand during the US independence celebration at the home of the United States Ambassador, Brent Hardt.

He called on President Donald Ramotar to disassociate his Administration from “these worthless remarks” and to issue an unconditional apology to Ambassador Hardt and the people of the United States of America.

APNU called her remarks,

“vulgar and worse than useless.”

It is obvious that Mr. Granger either did not hear that speech, or he is deliberating spinning this to gain political advantage.

There is nothing vulgar and useless about the truth.

Founding Leader of the PNC, Forbes Burnham would have been ashamed of Granger for allowing the American Ambassador to interfere with our internal affairs, and to disrespect our Head of State and country without closing ranks behind the Administration to give him the send-off he deserved.

Burnham and Cheddi Jagan fought too hard for

Guyana’s independence to allow foreign intervention to divide us as a people.

While it is true that the Minister was booed and heckled during the delivery of her speech, the ringleaders who instigated the chaos, calling for the Ambassador to revoke the Minister’s US visa, included a wellk n o w n provocateur and opponents of the government.

If Forbes Burnham had delivered this same speech to the American Ambassador, they would have been cheering him on. Hypocrisy to say the least!

Minister Manickchand was asked to deliver the Government of Guyana’s

official response to a meddling diplomat in the presence of persons experienced in the art of protesting and heckling.

What other response could have been expected from such a gathering?

Surely it was in the interest of the opposition to make the government look bad.

But it is a sad day indeed when our leading politicians and their sycophants compromise our democracy and the integrity of the principles our Founding Fathers fought for, to suckup to foreign intervention for fear of losing their visas, or being denied one.

Dan Rahim

Protecting their own interest

Cheap airfares, but don’t fly

DEAR EDITOR, The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over with hopes for another result.

Countless times we’ve seen air carriers come and go; but not before they flood the market with alarmingly cheap fares. Why do the consumers get carried away with these fly-by-night operations whose promises of cheap flights eventually cause us to lose our money?

Those who run to the cheap airfares and false promises have basically done this before under another name. Dynamic is only one

week old and here is the result: delayed flights, cancelled flights, aircraft being grounded and five-hour long bus rides to New Jersey and Connecticut. I had family on one of those flights and they related how furious passengers were that their tickets were booked to travel to JFK and they were taken to other airports.

Dynamic is not the loser here, we the people are the losers. We the people are the ones who are getting fooled by the same people with lies and their false promises.

These lies under the pretense of competition and tourism

were the same slogans that were pronounced before.

The travelling public needs to know that the same people involved in promoting this airline and the ones who are selling the tickets on Liberty Avenue were all involved in the now defunct

infamous EZjet operations.

Again, by the definition of Insanity, if we continue to support these fly-by-night operations, we’ll get the same results as EZjet. I’m still awaiting my refund from that carrier!

Christopher Persaud

(From page 22)

LEARN TO DANCE LEARN LATIN DANCES IN 1 DAY @ National Park Tarmac, July 27th, 2:30-5:30, Register now! $2,000 (1 person) – Call: 612-6475; 6298842

WANTED Live out domestic babysitter and live in babysitter –Call: 225-0188, 225-6070 (Monday to Saturday ) (8:15am4:15pm) One handy boy to work in the interior- Tel:681-6044 Experienced taxi & bus driver at Princess Hotel, Providence – Tel: 616-5419/265-7076

EDUCATION: I.A.E is registering students for its secondary school, Forms1-5; CXC classes for adults – Repeaters and beginners – Call: 223-0604; 683-5742 Summer Classes: Phonics, Language, Mathematics, Art & Craft, fun day (4-12yrs) July 15th – August 15th @ Roxanne Burnham – Call: 6194355; 218-2076 I.A.S 2nd Street Alberttown, summer classes – 4-17yrs ($5,000 for six weeks) CXC classes for adults, 1200 per Subject – Tel:223-7906; 6905008 Summer computer classes, Ages5-16, Parika Location, Micrographics Technology, Former Bollywood building – Tel:264-3057; 626-4833

Male & Female Cashiers apply in written application at NIRVA supermarket – Tel:2275771 One live in experienced domestic must know to cook & bake. Starting salary $70,000 monthly – Tel:6105043 Over edge and straight stitch operator to work at Garment Factory – Call: 222-2541 Monday – Friday Salesgirl/boys and porters apply in person, to Avinash Water Street 8:30 to 4:30 Berbice or Essequibo – Live in family: Husbandhandyman duties & WifeLight domestic – Tel:2271830 One Domestic –Tel: 223-8295 CLEANING LADY TO COOKAND CLEAN HOUSE MUST KNOW HOW TO COOK GOOD GUYANESE FOOD, EBD. TEL: 231-8529

Now Enrolling for summer computer classes – Ages: 514yrs, certificate course @ MicroGraphics Technology – Vreed-En- Hoop –Tel: 2643057 Now Enrolling for a Diploma in computers (9 courses) Special discount for 2014 CXC students @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-EnHoop –Tel: 264-3057

VEHICLE FOR SALE Mitsubishi Car EVO 2 mag rims, DVD/CD, air brush – Tel: 610-6927 One Toyota Hilux, Extra Cab, Excellent condition – Tel: 663-4978

TO LET Rooms for rent (preferably female) Tel: 649-4711 TO LET One three bedroom top flat unfurnished – Contact: 6815058; 687-0835; 644-7207 Fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment for rent with TV, Air-condition , hot & cold, cable (in south) for foreigners –Tel:689-5877

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

2014 round of Sagicor Visionaries Challenge launched In light of the fact that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have their place in helping to build a better future for Guyana and by extension the rest of the world, the Ministry of Education together with the National Centre for Educational Research Development (NCERD) and Sagicor yesterday launched the 2014 phase of the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge.

The Challenge, which targets Caribbean secondary schools, is done in collaboration with the Caribbean Science Foundation with a view of bolstering students’ interest in the STEM subject areas.

Sagicor Visionaries Challenge was conceptualised by the Caribbean Science Foundation in partnership with the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and represent an opportunity for young people to make a difference, learn more and challenge themselves.

Schools across Guyana participated in the Challenge last year before the winning school – Zeeburg Secondary – was able to face off with its regional counterparts.

Although the schools’ shrimp dryer project did not see it carting off the top prizes it however allowed Guyana to be recognised for producing not only the best project in terms of plan and design but also the country that entered the most projects.

And according to National Science Coordinator and Representative of the Caribbean Science Foundation, Ms Petal Jettoo, “Guyana has the potential to shine and outshine the rest of the Region as we put forward our visions and ideas.”

Jettoo who chaired yesterday’s proceedings, venued at the Kingston, Georgetown, NCERD auditorium, disclosed that the Caribbean Science Foundation was established in 2010 with support from

partners including UNESCO. Its vision, she noted, was to assist with the diversification of the economies of the Caribbean by harnessing Science and Technology for economic development and to help raise the standard of living.

Sagicor was soon on board supporting the efforts of the Foundation along with that of the Caribbean Examination Council.

But according to Corporate Communications Manager at the Trinidad based Sagicor Life Inc., Ms Marlene Chin “we began this exceptional journey in 2012 with only an inkling of how life changing it would be for us at Sagicor and the young visionaries.”

Chin who travelled here for the launch of yesterday’s forum recalled that for many persons involved in the start of the venture the use of the acronym STEM was in fact “new territory.” However, she noted that “the more we talked with our partners at the Caribbean Science Foundation and the Caribbean Examination Council it became clear that what we saw as unchartered territory was truly the next frontier.”

According to Minister of Education, who graced the forum, the projects that were produced by students during the 2013 course of the Challenge were rather impressive, thus she was only

too pleased to be supporting another round of the venture this year.

Reflecting on the innovative projects created during the past year of the Challenge, the Minister boasted about how “our young people took problems and applied classroom knowledge they had and came up with projects that are viable that could solve that problem...”

“I was deeply impressed by that...I particularly liked this whole concept of the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge because it really brings Science to life...” said the Minister as she pointed out that while teaching in the classroom is good and necessary “if we can’t teach our children to practically apply what they learn in the classroom, whether that be in the Science subjects or other subjects, then I think we are failing them in some regard.”

Also speaking yesterday was Assistant Chief Education Officer, Doodmattie Singh who noted that the creative application of knowledge and the demonstration of innovation, civic responsibility and problem solving are critical elements of any school curriculum. Moreover, she urged that teachers seek to forge these elements among their students.

Speaking from the perspective of the Caribbean

Examination Council she disclosed that over the years the body has been working tirelessly to ensure that students exiting secondary level schools can measure up to what “we know in the Caribbean as ‘the Caribbean ideal person’.” And ‘the Caribbean ideal person’, according to Singh, is people who are able to identify Challenges facing them and have the will to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges identified.

Moreover, syllabuses were developed and revised, new subjects were offered, with the newest set to be introduced shortly being the Green Engineering syllabus; teachers have been trained and school based assessments were introduced.

As a result, Singh noted that since the aim of the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge has a mandate that is identical to that of Caribbean Examination Council, the body has been only too committed to be involved in the Challenge.

Yesterday saw Lakshman Ramdatt of Zeburg Secondary who represented Guyana on the regional and international scene of the Challenge last year sharing his experience with the gathering at the launch as a motivation factor for students within the audience who are expected to participate this year.

From page 20 working.” The doctor was upset that it was alleged that he had refused to leave his quarters to assist the nurses in the “pitch-black building.”

“I was never called because there was no situation.

I live in the compound. Any single thing that happens, I am there, even if Dr. Moonsammy is on call. We look after everything together!”

Itwaru stated that the contents of the article were erroneous, “because electric-

ity was available on Sunday evening at the institution— at least up to 12 am.”

“It could function (after 12) but they [the hospital staff and patients] do not need it after, so the patients would have to sleep and at 22:00 hrs the staff would make their checks, administer medications and such, and then they would take it off because they have other lights to back- up. In case they need it [the generator] back, they would put it on—it is a key- start

[generator].”

A nurse at the facility said that she did not need the generator during the day. “We have ample lighting and so on during the day. I was on duty on Monday up to 19:00 hrs and it was put on when the place got dark.”

Uddin denounced allegations, too, that, “nurses and patients alike are forced to endure the horrendous condition that presents itself.”

He noted that the facility is well- equipped with materi-

als and drugs to deal with surgeries and emergency situations.

The official stated that the facility is equipped with several rechargeable lights, and not one lamp as the article suggested.

He provided proof. “All of them are functional—every single one of them—and they are fully charged!”

He said that at no time would nurses have needed to use their cell- phones and torchlights to illuminate their work area.

From left: Sagicor’s Marlene Chin, Ms Petal Jettoo, Lakshman Ramdatt and Minister Manickchand

No electricity crisis at Mibikuri Hospital, says...

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 25

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

China’s Wanda to build $900 China to take measures to promote million complex in Chicago judicial independence – Xinhua

China’s Wanda Group, controlled by the country’s richest man Wang Jianlin, says it will invest $900 million in a five-star hotel and apartment complex in Chicago, as it acquires more assets in the US. The project, to be located near the intersection of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, w i l l b e t h e c i t y ’s t h i r d tallest building with a height of 350 metres (1,148 feet), the company said in a statement.

It will be a mixed-use development consisting of a 240-room “super fivestar” hotel, residential units and commercial space, and heralds greater expansion into the US, according to the statement posted Tuesday.

“The Chicago project is just the first step of Wa n d a ’s property investment in the United States,” Wang said in the statement, adding the

company would invest in five-star hotels in major US cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco “within a year”.

Wa n d a h a s m a d e a s e r i e s o f b i g - ti c k e t p u r c h a s e s o f We s t e r n assets in recent years as it seeks to spread itself internationally.

L a s t m o n t h S p a i n ’s biggest bank Santander announced that it had sold a historic skyscraper in Madrid to a Wanda subsidiary for 265 million euros ($360 million).

The deal followed the Chinese conglomerate’s acquisition last year of British yacht maker Sunseeker for 320 million pounds (now $548 million) and its $2.6 billion takeover in 2012 of US cinema chain AMC Entertainment.

It is also spending 700 million pounds on L o n d o n ’s tallest

residential towers.

Construction on the Chicago property project i s e x p ected to start this year and it is scheduled to open in 2018, Wanda said.

A Wanda arm listed in Hong Kong said in a stock exchange statement Tuesday that it and another Wanda subsidiary will have combined “capital commitments” of no more than HK$1.75 billion ($226 million) in the Chicago project.

Executives at Wanda were not immediately available to explain the discrepancy between the figures when contacted by AFP yesterday.

Wang, formerly a senior member of the ruling C o m m u n i s t P a r t y, w a s ranked the richest man in China and 26th wealthiest in the world, business magazine Forbes reported i n F e b r u a r y, w i t h h i s personal worth estimated at $14 billion. (AFP)

(Reuters) - China will act to promote judicial independence over the next five years with measures including specialised tribunals for environment and intellectual property cases, state media reported on Wednesday.

President Xi Jinping’s administration has sought to weed out corruption in courts, but critics say the ruling Communist Party pays only lip service to independence of judicial organs because courts ultimately answer to Party authorities.

The official Xinhua news agency, quoting a plan released by the Supreme People’s Court, said superior courts will henceforth be able to set up circuit courts to handle complex cases as well

as tribunals specialising in environmental or intellectual property issues. Current handling of specialised cases is often marred by lack of subject-matter expertise among judges. The Supreme People’s Court appointed a senior judge to head a newly formed tribunal in charge of environment and resources cases last month.

“The reform will be focused on efforts to remove some deep-rooted problems affecting the capability and fairness of the country’s judicial system,” Xinhua said, quoting the court document it said was issued at a press conference on Wednesday.

At present local officials can often influence court decisions in their jurisdictions. Miscarriages of

justice caused by abuses of official power have stoked public discontent.

Xinhua said that trial judges’ right to issue rulings independently would now be “further guaranteed”. It provided no specifics, although it said judgements would no longer need to be signed by courts’ chief justices.

Local courts’ finances will be managed separately from money and goods they collect as litigation fees, fines and forfeitures, Xinhua added.

The high court document also addresses courts’ budgets as well as selection of personnel. Special committees to choose justices will be set up at province-level courts, Xinhua said.

India’s Modi tightens grip on ruling party, naming close aide as chief NEW DELHI (Reuters) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest political associate was named the president of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party yesterday as the leader tightened his grip on the party he carried to its biggest election victory this summer.

Amit Shah is a controversial former minister from Modi’s home state of Gujarat in western India. He faces three counts of murder and was banned briefly during the election campaign this year for delivering hate speeches. But the stocky, bearded Shah masterminded the BJP’s strongest showing in the battleground state of northern Uttar Pradesh, helping to propel the party to an absolute majority of its own in the parliamentary election.

“The spectacular success that he achieved in Uttar Pradesh has never been done before,” the outgoing party

chief, Rajnath Singh, told a news conference. “So we decided to give him the national responsibility.”

The party’s top decisionmaking parliamentary board unanimously chose Shah as his successor, added Singh, who is now in government as the federal home minister.

As workers at party headquarters celebrated with the beating of drums, Singh and Modi both offered sweets to Shah. Shah’s elevation completes Modi’s takeover of the party apparatus and comes ahead of a clutch of elections in states the prime minister is hoping to win back from the opposition, to help him achieve his ambitious economic and political plans.

The BJP now rules just eight of India’s 29 states.

In a break from tradition after the crowning of a party chief, neither Modi nor Shah spoke to reporters. Instead, Modi posted a message on

Twitter saying Shah had started his journey as a simple party worker and repeatedly proved himself.

But Shah’s elevation as head of a major party marked a new low, said Yogendra Yadav, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, which has campaigned for a clean-up of Indian politics.

“A sad day,” Yadav said in a Twitter message. “Amit Shah’s appointment as BJP president further lowers the minimum moral qualification for becoming a national leader.” The son of a well-todo businessman, Shah was interior minister for seven years in Modi’s cabinet in Gujarat before his 2010 arrest on murder charges and subsequent release on bail.

Shah denies charges that he ordered the killing of a man police said was an Islamic militant on a mission to assassinate Modi. The man’s wife and a witness were also killed.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Barbados public hospital gets a lifeline with BDS$22 million injection BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – The Barbados government Tuesday announced a BDS$22 million (One BDS dollar = US$0.50 cents) injection into the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) after doctors there warned that they would only be performing emergency medical procedures, owing to a shortage of supplies.

Health Minister John Boyce told Parliament that the QEH is not in a crisis and that the new funds were a short to medium term remedy to the shortage of basic and essential health supplies currently affecting the island’s main public medical facility.

“I am comfortable that the short term arrangements that have been put in place will see that immediate turn around and I’m comfortable with the fact, and Barbadians need to be assured that with the injection. . . of some $20 million, the medium term has also been comfortably taken care of,” Boyce said.

“I trust that some of the points which I have been able to put to Barbadians today have helped them to appreciate where our prioriies are, and the fact that recognising our priority, action has been taken to alleviate the situation and indeed to correct the situation,” he added.

Vice President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr Vikash Chatrani, said the decision to adopt the new working schedule was taken at an emergency meeting of BAMP members on Monday.

He said that representatives of the QEH’s administration were in attendance and confirmed that the hospital was

John Boyce experiencing critical shortages in basic and essential supplies.

“As a result of these critical shortages BAMP was informed that the QEH would only be performing urgent and emergency surgical procedures.”

Earlier this year, pharmaceutical providers to QEH had withdrawn their services, protesting overdue payment for goods delivered, and resumed supplies only after government paid BDS$20 million (One BDS$ = 50 US cents) into the debt account.

“It cannot be business as usual. We believe that the short-term financial injections (or) supplements have failed to rectify the serious situation that exists at the QEH, and we urge the g o v e r n m e nt to immediately restore adequate levels of funding in order to prevent harm to our patients,” Dr. Chatrani said.

Opposition Shadow Health Minister Dr Maria Agard had tabled the motion on a “matter of urgent public importance”.

Dr. Agard said the situation had reached crisis proportions and she called for the Minister of Health to be held accountable to the

people of Barbados.

“The Minister of Health must stand transparent, accountable to the people of Barbados in addressing these issues to protect our people and return the operations of QEH to a state of normalcy.

“He cannot no longer continue in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, (to say) that quality healthcare at the QEH has not been compromised, that it is business as usual and that he and his administration are doing all (they) can to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare.

“We have heard it from doctors, we’ve heard it from nurses, we’ve heard it from patients, we’ve heard it from visitors to the hospital; there is a problem and the problem needs to be fixed,” she said.

But Boyce told opposition legislators that they should not to seek to panic the public about the current shortage since he said this situation was not uncommon.

“It is not a political debate, it is about healthcare priority,” he said, adding that “ the worst thing we can do as a country today is seek to (suggest to) Barbadians or any visitors that there is some insurmountable crisis, far from it!

“I want to assure you that the shortages that were referred to in the statement from the medical doctors have been addressed and are being addressed and what has been agreed is that we deal with emergency and scheduled procedures.

“This is a normal practise whenever we have to deal with any kind of shortage. It occurs sometimes with the public being informed and many times it occurs without any words being whispered,” Boyce said.

Govt. says it has ‘nothing to hide’ over Ellington’s sudden retirement KINGSTON, Jamaica: Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator Sandrea Falconer says the Cabinet has no information about a US-imposed arms embargo on Jamaica.

She says the Government has nothing to hide, as it comes under more pressure to explain the reasons for the sudden departure of Owen Ellington as Jamaica’s police chief. Ellington went on preretirement leave last week stating that the investigation into the death squad activities and the Commission of

Enquiry to be held in the West Kingston operation have led to his decision to leave the force. Since then, speculation has been rife that he was forced out by Jamaica’s international partners who have, among other things, refused to supply the government with guns and ammunition. This morning, Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator Sandrea Falconer again deflected questions from journalists on the reasons for the Commissioner’s sudden departure. Senator Falconer

says she cannot comment on reports that the United States government requested Ellington’s removal.

She said the Cabinet had no information on whether Jamaica is under an arms embargo. She says National Security Minister Peter Bunting may make a statement on the matter.

Tuesday, the Opposition tabled questions in the House of Representatives demanding the Government answer whether the US government has invoked provisions of the Leahy Act.

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Venezuela gets US$ 16.13m in prospects at TIC Trinidad Guardian - Staterun Venezuela Exporta programme concluded its trip to T&T with more than US$16.13 million in “business intentions” between Venezuelan and T&T importers, state news agency AVN reported. This was the result of its four days at the Trade and Investment Convention (TIC) 2014 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

The sectors that generated the most interest among T&T investors were construction, with US$7.2 million in business planned; packaging, with US$3.2 million; information technology, with US$2.86 million; and health, with US$1.62 million. AVN said the South American country views the strengthening of non-oil relations with T&T as important because this country is a gateway to Barbados and Jamaica.

Venezuela won the best pavilion award at TIC, beating Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Canada and the United States.

Vasant Bharath Venezuelan Trade Minister Dante Rivas was at the opening ceremony and hailed the opportunity as invaluable as it opens a window for Venezuela’s exportable products.

Trade Minister Vasant Bharath applauded the participation of the visiting countries and highlighted that Venezuela and T&T have to face the challenge of oil

economies trying to grow other sectors.

Venezuela Exporta is a creation of the Foreign Trade Bank of Venezuela, best known by its Spanish acronym, Bancoex.

The agency said 40 Venezuelan companies offering over 450 exportquality products were at TIC. Apart from the trade s h o w, p a r t i c i p a n t s a l s o benefit from having established channels for direct business meetings.

The visit to T&T was part of a programme that began in San Salvador June 25–27, when more than 70 participating Venezuelan companies firmed up US$18.27 million in deals.

Since Venezuela Exporta started on July 8, 2013, in Montevideo, Uruguay, the project has travelled to Guayaquil, Ecuador; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Bogota, Colombia; Havana, Cuba; and Manaos, Brazil, with US$91 million in intended transactions, AVN said. The next top is Cochabamba, Bolivia from today to July 12.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

Ukraine threatens to retake territory from defiant rebels KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces yesterday warned separatists in the eastern town of Donetsk that a plan was now in place to take back the territory they occupy, but defiant rebels reported a steady flow of new recruits who were ready to fight.

The Ukrainian military pushed the rebels out of their best-fortified stronghold in the town of Slaviansk on Saturday, but they have regrouped for a stand in Donetsk, a city of nearly a million people. Rebels also still control strategic buildings in Luhansk near the Russian border.

Separatists said on Tuesday that Igor Strelkov, a Russian military officer from Moscow who until the weekend led rebels in Slaviansk, had assumed command of the “defense of Donetsk”.

President Petro Poroshenko has ruled out using air strikes and artillery that might endanger civilians and said on Tuesday night: “There will be no street fighting in Donetsk.”

But the government says it has a plan to retake Donetsk and Luhansk and deliver a “nasty surprise” for the rebels.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko spelled out the threat yesterday, saying: “There’s a plan to liberate Ukrainian territory from the terrorists, and it doesn’t depend on the readiness or the unreadiness of Strelkov and his underlings to defend, as they call it, the Donbass.”

But separatists in charge of a ‘mobilization’ center for the self-proclaimed ‘people’s republic’ said yesterday that recruitment of new fighters was continuing at a pace since Strelkov made an appeal for fresh recruits on Tuesday.

About 300 volunteers had come forward to join up since Tuesday, many more than the usual number of 25-30 people

per day, separatists at the center said.

Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting government forces in the Russian-speaking east since April in a conflict in which more than 200 Ukrainian troops have been killed as well as hundreds of civilians and rebels.

The conflict has driven relations between Russia and the ex-Soviet republic to an all-time low and sparked the worst crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the Cold War. After a patchy performance at the start of the campaign, government forces have been re-invigorated by the Slaviansk victory and signs that rebel calls on Russia for help are now going unheeded.

Poroshenko referred back to those early days of the campaign when, he said, Ukrainian soldiers had refused to carry out orders and refused to fight, a time when “a bunch of provocateurs could stop a brigade of paratroopers or special forces”.

“On July 7 the country had 320 km (200 miles) of open border (with Russia) ... A month has passed and now the army ensures the border is closed,” he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande spoke by phone with Poroshenko yesterday, with the aim of restarting talks with separatists on a ceasefire, Merkel’s spokesman said.

But hundreds of rebels are setting up barricades and digging in on the outskirts of Donetsk since pouring in from Slaviansk and nearby areas recaptured by the government.

Many of the rebel fighters are from Russia, though Moscow denies supporting their revolt, which began in April after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula following the overthrow of a

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (3rd L) inspects weapons seized from pro-Russian separatists as he meets with Ukrainian servicemen near the town of Slaviansk. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich ) Moscow-backed president in Kiev.

Despite the rebels’ claim of a strong flow of recruits, Strelkov, also known as Igor Girkin, appeared to be disappointed at the number of volunteers coming forward.

He told a local rebel TV station that volunteers would be offered monthly pay of 5,000-8,000 hryvnia ($430 to $690) from now on to fight.

“Maybe this will help those people who are hesitating to find the strength in themselves and join the ranks,” he said.

But Lysenko derided this as an empty offer: “The terrorists are resorting to all methods to deceive the local population. We are coming across leaflets with promises that they are ready to ... pay 8,000 hryvnia and 20,000 Russian roubles ($600) per month. They are stopping at

nothing to try and persuade people to come over to their side.” Many men of fighting age were wary of the call to arms. In Donetsk, Evhen, a 35year-old who runs his own business, said: “I personally would only join if the situation became really critical. I never did military service and I have no military experience. I support the idea (of insurgency), but there is no clear support (from Russia).

Sensible people worry about how it will all end.”

A 19-year-old who would not give his name said: “I won’t join them. For a start, I want a united country.

Secondly, there are an awful lot of marginals among them.

There are robbers. They frighten people and take away their businesses and cars.”

In Kiev, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk meanwhile appealed to Western

institutions and donors for further cash and credit to rebuild infrastructure such as roads, bridges and buildings in the east that have been shattered by the conflict.

But he expressed confidence that Ukraine’s compliance with criteria set by the International Monetary Fund meant the Kiev government was on course to secure soon a second tranche of $1.5 billion under a $17 billion IMF program.

The ex-Soviet republic received a first slice of slightly more than $3 billion in May under a program drawn up to help it plug holes in its budget and settle a big foreign debt.

But Ukraine told international donors on Tuesday in Brussels that the Fund’s bailout was not enough to bring about a full recovery because of the drain caused by the cost of the war against the separatists, and it called on them to join in a “Marshall Plan” to further help Ukraine’s recovery.

Ukraine’s turn towards the West and away from Moscow has cost it billions of dollars in promised Russian support for an economy on the verge of bankruptcy after years of rule rated by watchdogs as among the world’s most corrupt.

Taking up the same theme on Wednesday, Yatseniuk said Ukraine needed further aid to establish functioning

infrastructure on the border with Russia.

In addition, Ukraine wanted help to meet an estimated cost of 8 billion hryvnia (about $700 million) to rebuild infrastructure.

Yatseniuk said Ukraine would also want donors’ help to work out a “postrehabilitation” program to regenerate the Donbass - an economically depressed eastern region of decaying infrastructure in the steel and coal industries - which has become the battleground for the insurgency.

The European Union agreed to add 11 new names to the list of persons targeted with asset freezes and travel bans over the Ukraine crisis and the sanctions are likely to take effect on Saturday, an EU diplomat said.

Ukraine accused Russia of abducting a woman army officer who was captured by separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.

Nadezhda Savchenko, 33, was seized by pro-Russian rebels in June while she was fighting with pro-government militia on the outskirts of Luhansk on the border with Russia, local media say.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry demanded her release but Moscow said she had been charged with involvement in the deaths of two Russian reporters killed near Luhansk.

Kublalsingh’s dad vanishes in forest Trinidad Express - RAY Kublalsingh, the father of Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, has gone missing. Kublalsingh, 81, was last seen at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday walking behind his home at Kowlessarsingh Trace, Claxton Bay. A search party of police officers, soldiers, and friends and relatives of the Kublalsingh’s supported by helicopters of the National Helicopter Service began searching for the elderly man Tuesday afternoon. Wayne Kublalsingh told the Express yesterday morning that his father went into a forested area to plant cassava sticks and has not returned.

Police were told that the elderly man sometimes wanders off and becomes disoriented.

The search continued this morning.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Builders Lumber Yard triumph Builders Lumber Yard registered successive victories when the Rafman Ali softball tournament continued last Sunday at Better Hope.

Builders Lumber Yard overcame Accomplishment and Challengers by 10 wickets each in their two matches.

Accomplishment were bowled out for 83 in 12 overs batting first. Sohan Raghunanand claimed 3-11 and S. Sumra 2-6. Erie Sharma and Zulfikar Ali then

guided Builders Lumber Yard to victory with an unbroken opening stand of 87 in six overs. Sharma scored 34 not out and Ali 30.

Challengers took first strike and were sent packing for 89 in 12 overs.

Mahase Chunilall grabbed 5-14 and Raghunanand 2-15. Builders Lumber Yard replied with 93 without loss in nine overs. Ali fashioned an unbeaten 66 and Sharma made 22.

ThursdayJuly 10, 2014 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): This is an important day for you to make valuable connections with others, Aries. You'll find yourself engaged in fast-paced, witty conversations and debates from which you can learn a great deal. *************************** TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): It could be hard for you to get a handle on things today, Taurus, as your focus seems to jump from one subject to the next without finding resolution for any. *************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): You might come across strong opposition today from someone who seems to want to cut straight through to your heart, Gemini. In reality, this is a message reminding you to think about things in terms of the collective - the oneness of us all. *************************** CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): Act on your instincts today, Cancer, and you won't go wrong. You may need to give up a bit of control and put logical thinking aside for the day.

Let the wind take you where it wants you to go. *************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Today you'll find that you're the missing puzzle piece that people need in every situation, Leo. Engage in light conversation in social arenas and feel free to turn your charm up full blast. You have the ability to make favorable impressions on just about everyone, so get the day off on the right foot. ************************ VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): You may find that people want to do a great deal of talking but not a great deal of feeling today, Virgo.

Go ahead and put your emotions on the back burner and let your mind take over. Deal with facts and make sure your emotions don't interfere with the information you receive. Things can get clouded if you don't stay true to the communication that's taking place.

Be conscious of your words.

LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): IYou should be able to evaluate your emotions from a very neutral, detached perspective today, Libra. Use this opportunity to take action based on what you feel. *************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 - NOV 21): If you're talking about another person today, Scorpio, make sure you aren't saying anything that would be upsetting if they were standing right there. Gossip may be running rampant, but that's no excuse for you to contribute to it. *************************** SAGITTARIUS(NOV22-DEC 21): It's important for you to take action on a day like today, Sagittarius. Trust yourself and your instincts. Oftentimes you'll have the perfect advice for every situation and every other person except yourself. *************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19) : Yo u m i g h t f i n d yourself a bit unfocused and confused about which way to go, Capricorn. The baffled look on your face isn't helping anyone else figure out how to help you.

Don't feel obliged to remain in an unhealthy situation.

*************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): It's important for you to get outside and feel the wind blowing, Aquarius. Reconnect with nature and be aware of the four elements. Take deep breaths and fill your lungs with this energizing life force. *************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): Make practical use of the thoughts you have synthesized over the last few days, Pisces. Stretch your boundaries and extend your wisdom to the people around you. This is a day to take action. Connect with your heart and move forward with your plans. We normally think of our hearts as being soft, tender, and vulnerable. Today think of your heart as being tough, strong, and adventurous.

Page 29

Cavs make salary room, Heat to make pitch for LeBron (Reuters) - The Miami Heat were poised to make a direct pitch to retain free agent LeBron James, while the Cavaliers reportedly agreed to a deal on Wednesday to free up salary cap room in their bid to lure James back to Cleveland.

With the signing period kicking in after the stroke of midnight, widespread media reports said James was set to sit down with Heat president Pat Riley in Las Vegas, where the four-time league most valuable player is hosting his basketball camp.

Straining to improve the Heat after last month’s fivegame NBA Finals loss to San Antonio given salary cap limits, Miami have announced agreements to add free agent forwards Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.

Cleveland, believed to be the chief rival to Miami for getting James’s signature on a new contract, made salary room for the Akron, Ohio native by agreeing to a threeteam swap that will enable them to drop $9.5 million

Lloyd urges...

From page 32 Barnwell, Trevon Griffith and Paul Wintz representing Guyana at the senior level, while Barnwell is still striving to cement a place in the West Indies team.”

Words of encouragement also came from Dowlin, Wiltshire, Greaves and Club Captain Jamal Hinckson, while Persaud on behalf of his teammates and awardees, moved the vote of thanks.

Meanwhile, the following businesses/ individuals made the event a successful one- P&P Insurance, Travis Dowlin, Truck Masters, Dependable Spares, Caribbean Clothing, Lifetime Real Estate, Hits and Jams Entertainment and Michael Van Sluytman.

The awardees wereUnder-15- Ashmead Nedd, Sagar Hetheramani, Alphius Bookie and Bhojnarine Singh, Under-17-Shurfane Rutherford, Travis Persaud, Renaldo Renee, Raymond Perez, Kemo Paul and Timothy McAlmont and Under-19: Kemol Savory and Brian Sattaur.

With the exception of Paul and Sattaur who were engaged otherwise and given a leave of absence, all of the other awardees were present, while Garvin Nedd expressed thanks to the president and executives of DCC for their support.

LeBron James against the cap.

James played his first seven NBA seasons with Cleveland before joining Miami as a free agent in 2010.

The Cavaliers would send guard Jarrett Jack ($6.3 million) and Russian forward Sergey Karasev ($1.5 million) to the Brooklyn Nets, and center Tyler Zeller ($1.7 million) along with a future number one pick to the Boston Celtics, according to espn.com and other media sources.

Brooklyn would ship guard Marcus Thornton to Boston, while Cleveland was expected to acquire a future draft pick in the three-way

swap that would bring the Cavs $21.7 million under the cap.

The Cavaliers were also receiving draft rights to Ilkan Karaman, Christian Drejer and Edin Bavcic.

While James, who reached four NBA Finals and won two championships in his four seasons in Miami, could change the league landscape with his decision on where to play next season, other big names were also weighing their options.

Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds last season for a New York Knicks team that are keen to retain him, has been courted by the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

Chris Bosh, who joined the Heat as a ‘Big Three’ along with fellow free agents James and Dwyane Wade in 2010, has reportedly been offered a four-year deal worth $88 million to join center Dwight Howard and guard James Harden in Houston.

Other prominent players shopping their talents include Luol Deng, Gordon Hayward and Spanish veteran Pau Gasol.

Page 30

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 10, 2014

National U-17 Football squad to be named Sunday Coach Joseph satisfied with preparation Head Coach of the National Under-17 Football team, Brian Joseph says he is satisfied with preparations so far as the 25-man squad Tuesday afternoon intensified training at the Buxton Ground on the East Coast of Demerara for their trip to the Dominican Republic to participate in the CONCACF U-17 World Cup Qualifiers.

The squad will be trimmed to 16 on Sunday before the teenagers depart Guyana next week Tuesday July 15.

The Linden-based Joseph disclosed that ideally he was hoping for some more time to work with the youngsters but added, “It is what it is and we have to make the best of the time we have.”

The Head Coach said from what he was seeing

during the practice sessions, the strength of the team is its defence and forward line.

“We have a well balanced team and the Captain will also be known when the touring party is announced,” Joseph said after transportation problems in picking up the players from the City based Hotel, resulted in the squad and support staff reaching the practice venue over one and a half hours late.

The players were taken through physical and tactical drills before engaging each other in a practice game, while the three goalkeepers in the squad worked with the goalkeeping Coach Andrew Hazel.

Region 10’s Anthony Stephens, the Coach of twotime National Digicel Schools Champions Christianburg

Talented Job Caesar dribbles a ball during yesterday’s practice session at the Buxton Ground Secondary, has been appointed ‘Developmental Coach’ and, like Physiotherapist Charlene

Henry and Assistant Coach Shevon Monchoir, will travel with the team. Bartician Keno

Seaboard Marine CMRC

Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey sweeps class at Digicel Williams International Guyana’s 25 year-old Kristian Jeffrey claimed a clean sweep in the three CMRC Group 4 races at the opening round of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC).

A record 27 regional competitors participated in the Digicel Williams International Race Meet, which was the first staged at the redeveloped Bushy Park Circuit.

The largest contingent came from Guyana, which was also the only country to field riders in the CMRC Superbike Championship, with Nikhil Seereeram and Stephen Vieira claiming a win apiece.

After testing on Thursday and Friday, teams got down to serious business on Saturday with qualifying for all classes on the 24-race programme.

Roger Mayers, CMRC Champion in 2011, claimed pole position for the home team in his Ford Focus, ninetenths quicker than reigning champion Doug Gore of Jamaica (Audi TT-RS DTM); Guyana’s Mark Vieira (Mazda RX-8) and Kevin Jeffrey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) lined up on row two, with locals Barry Mayers (Suzuki SX4) and Stuart Williams (Lotus Elise) on row three.

Saturday’s race programme was cut short after a number of incidents caused delays, the scheduled CMRC races moved to

Sunday morning. As the 14 Group 4 cars set off on their first formation lap, however, the engine of Jeffrey’s Evo blew, causing a small underbonnet fire and a further delay; he played no further part in proceedings.

An incident at the first turn of the race, at the Ws Hairpin resulted in early retirement for pole-man Mayers, with a broken wheel on the Focus, then Gore took time to re-start after a spin on the following lap.

This left Vieira to seize the initiative, leading until lap five, when he coasted to a halt on the exit of The Bullet as the constant restart had left his tank empty by the middle of the actual race.

This handed the lead to Kristian Jeffrey (Evo IX), who had started on the last row of the grid after issues in qualifying.

Jeffrey claimed a memorable victory in his first serious outing in the car, consolation for father Kevin, who was watching from the infield after he beached his car on the infield due to some issues.

Mark Maloney (RX-3), who also started at the back of the grid, was second, with Williams and Barry Mayers third and fourth. Jamaica’s Peter Rae (RX-7) finished fifth, with Guyana’s Vishok Persaud (Subaru Impreza STi) sixth and Gore seventh and last.

Tr i n i d a d ’s o n l y C M R C Group 4 runner was Kristian Boodoosingh (Evo 6.5), who had qualified seventh, but retired midway through the first race, not to be seen again.

In race two, with the grid based on race one results, Jeffrey made the b e s t g e t a w a y, t o l e a d throughout, with Vieira second and Gore third.

Having started at the back a f t e r h i s rac e o n e retirement, Mayers was working through the field when contact with Mark Maloney approaching the Ws Hairpin sent him off across the gravel trap and into the tyre wall.

The Focus was damaged beyond i m m e d i a t e r e p a i r, b u t Mayers said later: “The gravel trap certainly did its job. It slowed me down a lot; otherwise the accident could have been much worse.”

Jeffrey made it a hattrick in the final race either he or his father have won five of the last six CMRC races, Kevin with two wins last November on their home track South Dakota. Williams finished second, to end the day s e c o n d i n t h e D r i v e r ’s Championship points table, ahead of Rae - the only driver other than Jeffrey to score in all three races, maintaining his 100 per cent finishing record at Bushy Park - and Barry Mayers.

The CMRC Group 2 races were just as lively as Jamaica’s Kyle Gregg won two races, but it was Barbados leading the Country Championship standings at close of play.

On Saturday, having set no qualifying time, Gregg was near the back of the record 16car race one grid but had charged up to fourth when the race was red-flagged, then the restart postponed overnight. He had to do it all again Sunday morning, finishing second to Mark Thompson (Honda Civic), whose determined performances made him the w e e k e n d ’s Overall Champion Driver.

Edward Corbin (Starlet) was third and reigning champion Kurt Thompson (Honda CRX) fourth of the eight finishers - the Civics o f G u y a n a ’s S h a i r a z Roshandin and Chet Singh a n d Tr i n i d a d ’s H a r e s h Nanan (Nissan Sen t r a ) a n d Ya z i d A l i ( C i v i c ) completed the field.

In race two, Gregg followed Kurt Thompson for one lap until the local driver retired, then was never headed; Roshandin picked up more points for Guyana in second, ahead of Jamaica’s Vivian Mitchell (Civic), then Corbin and Singh. Gregg led from lights to flag in race three, with Mark Thompson second, from Corbin, Mitchell and Singh.

(Barbados Advocate)

Washington is the only surviving member of the National under-17 team which

participated in the last tournament at this level in 2012. (Sean Devers)

Argentina beat Netherlands on penalty kicks to reach World Cup final SAO PAULO, Brazil — Lionel Messi finally has his shot at a World Cup title, the one championship the world’s best player has yet to win.

Argentina was a perfect 4-for-4 on penalty kicks and Sergio Romero came up with two monster saves as the Albiceleste edged the Netherlands to earn a spot in Sunday’s final against Germany. When Maxi Rodriguez’s penalty kick banged off Jasper Cillessen’s hands and flew backward into the net to seal the victory, Messi took off running, a wide grin spreading across his face. It’s Argentina’s first appearance in the final since 1990, when it lost to Italy.

Messi is a four-time world player of the year, and he has a trophy case filled with hardware from the Spanish and Champions leagues. But he’d never come close to soccer’s greatest prize, and critics have said he couldn’t even be in the conversation for greatest player of all time without at least one World Cup title.

Now he has his chance.

Argentina will need a far more spirited effort than it showed against the Dutch, however. The game was a ragged, plodding affair, with the teams combining for just eight shots on target.

Germany and Brazil had that many GOALS in the previous night’s semifinal. Argentina had two chances to win it at the end of extra time, but

Cillessen easily saved a header by Rodrigo Palacio and then a mis-hit chip shot

by Rodriguez.

But in the shootout, it was all Argentina.

The Dutch had gone to penalties in their quarterfinal against Costa Rica, with manager Louis van Gaal showing some genius by bringing on backup goalkeeper Tim Krul. But van Gaal couldn’t do the same Wednesday, using up his final substitute to bring on Klaas Jan Huntelaar for Robin van Persie in extra time.

As dialed-in as the Argentines were, however, Krul might not have made a difference.Romero bodyblocked the first shot, by Ron Vlaar, and let out a roar that could be heard all the way to Buenos Aires. He pounded his chest and then held up his left glove, kissing it.

Messi was not nearly as emotional after leaving Cillessen flat-footed on Argentina’s first shot, simply shaking his finger as he trotted away from the penalty spot. Arjen Robben evened things up, but then Ezequiel Garay put one over Cillessen to give Argentina a 2-1 edge.

Romero batted away Wesley Sneijder’s shot, screaming “Vamos!” repeatedly as the Argentine fans began celebrating.

Though Dirk Kuyt made his penalty to keep the Dutch hopes alive, Rodriguez finished it off, setting off jubilation in the stands.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Annandale Secondary; IBE advance Barnwell, Ramjattan lead GCA/Hadi’s first division batting and bowling after competitive encounters The players of Annandale Secondary is all ecstasy following their win over Bygeval Multilateral rains

By Michael Benjamin A stunning goal on the stroke of regulation time by Shafeer Sanichar earned Bygeval Secondary School (BSS) a temporary reprieve after they had trailed Annandale Secondary School (ASS)by one goal for the better part of the game but they eventually fell to their nemesis 4-3 on penalty kicks when the Digicel Schools’ Football tournament continued at the Betterverwagting Community Centre Ground yesterday afternoon.

Ian Docker stunned the BSS custodian in the 32nd minute after taking advantage of an accurately place corner kick by one of his teammates from the right of the goal.

Thereafter, the tussle for possession was fierce as both teams fought relentlessly for the advantage goal. Their most valiant efforts were rendered inconsequential as, despite many near misses, the score remained1-0 at the end of the first session.

The ferocious battle to retain their lead saw the ASS attacking ferociously but their opponents matched the level of determination attacking and defending with gusto. Sanichar was the standout and on several occasions his enterprising raids were stopped by the opposition’s stolid defence.

He persevered and when he was fed a dolly of a pass from the left wing, balanced himself and unleashed a ferocious kick, his supporters on the touchline were cheering long before the ball flew past the outstretched hands of Annandale custodian and settled aback the network simultaneously with the shrill sound of the

Jason Cromwell (L) stands tall over Deshaun Trotz at the conclusion of their game against IBE

referee’s whistle.

Bygeval Secondary conceded the advantage after missing their first shot but was offered a reprieve when their opponents emulated the anomaly in their second attempt. Thereafter, both teams pierced their opponent’s goal until Bygeval’s fifth attempt sailed over the uprights while Annandale’s proved too hot for the goalie to hold.

Earlier, Buxton Youth Developers (BYD) and International Business Education (IBE) clashed in a thrilling encounter after their game, initially scheduled for Tuesday afternoon but temporarily aborted, was eventually contested. The

IBE eventually prevailed after Jason Cromwell netted a brace in the 29th and 66th minutes with support from Deshaun Trotz in the 39th.

Early showers had left the field in a muddy state and the players found the going extremely tough.

Nevertheless, they engaged in a competitive and entertaining battle.

Cromwell’s goals was a demonstration of determination and guts especially since he and launched several failed attempts; his final attempt, just four minutes before the end of the game was a demonstration of grit and determination and sent his team to the next round.

Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) all rounder Christopher Barnwell and Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) spinner Devish Ramjattan are top batsman and bowler respectively in the 2014 Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Hadi’s World Inc first division 2-Day tournament. Barnwell has so far notched up 549 runs with three centuries, while GYO Kwame Crosse is in second position with 254 including one century followed by Joseph Perry on 248. Ramjattan has picked up 18 wickets to date including two five-wicket hauls. Everest’s Troy Gonsalves currently occupies second spot with 17 scalps and Kevin Ross of Transport Sports Club (TSC) in third position with 16.

Charwayne McPherson of TSC is heading the Noble House Sea Foods second division Zone A batting with 351 runs including one century followed by Leon Williams of the

University of Guyana (UG) on 342 with two centuries and Khemraj Ramdeen of Everest on 278. Zone B is being led by Wazeer Mohamed of GYO with 235 runs with one century ahead of Nickosie Barker of Malteenoes Sports Club on 209 runs with one century and Martin Pestano Belle of Georgetown Cricket Club on 203.

Javid Rasheed of Everest Cricket Club is zone A current top bowler with 47 wickets while Dennis Squires of DCC is leading zone B with 16. Demerara Cricket Club is ahead on the points table with 90; Malteenoes Sports Club in second spot on 52 and GYO third with 47 in the Hadi’s first division. UG (122) and DCC (124) leading teams in zone A and B respectively in the Noble House Sea Foods second division competition. Both tournaments will continue as soon as weather permits.

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Kaieteur News

Regional Under-15 tournament starts July 22 in Jamaica Guyana will face the Leeward Islands at the Melbourne Club ground in Kingston Jamaica in one of three opening matches in this year’s Regional under-15 cricket tournament from July 22 in Jamaica.

The Guyana pacers especially should be inspired by the Melbourne ground, where the likes of legendary West Indies fast bowlers Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh played in their formative years.

Also in action in the opening round are title holders Trinidad & Tobago who will start their defense against Windward Islands at the Kensington Cricket Club and host Jamaica face Barbados at the Jamaica Defence Force ground at Up Park Camp.

This year, the Regional Under-15 Tournament – in its 19th season – will be contested under a round-

robin format, featuring five rounds of 50 overs-a-side matches with the team accumulating the most points being declared champions.

T&T captured the title for the seventh time last year, when it was staged in the south-western Jamaican parish of St. Elizabeth, by topping the points table following victories over Windwards, Leewards, Guyana and the home team.

Their only loss came against traditional sporting rivals Barbados.

The two-island republic’s side narrowly edged out the Windwards for the top spot, with Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and the Leewards following.

Schedule of matches Tuesday, July 22 Guyana vs Leeward Islands – Melbourne Jamaica vs Barbados – Up Park Camp Windward Islands vs

Trinidad & Tobago – Kensington Thursday, July 24 Barbados vs Guyana – Melbourne Trinidad & Tobago vs Leeward Islands – Police Windward Islands vs Jamaica – Kensington Friday, July 25 Guyana vs Trinidad & Tobago – UWI Mona Barbados vs Windward Islands – Police Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – Kensington Monday, July 28 Windward Islands vs Guyana – UWI Mona Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago – Police Leeward Islands vs Barbados – Melbourne Wednesday, July 30 Guyana vs Jamaica – Melbourne Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – Police Trinidad & Tobago vs Barbados – Up Park Camp

Lloyd urges DCC youths to win with dignity Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd told the young Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) players who were selected to represent Guyana in the regional U-15, 17 and 19 tournaments to win with dignity. He was speaking at a farewell reception held recently by the club in Queenstown.

“Go out there, work hard and whatever you do, do it efficiently. Be professional in everything you do and remember that fitness is important,” he said.

“You are representing a club that has a rich history. It is over 100 years old and amongst one of the oldest clubs in the country, with the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) being the oldest, so you aware of that and the talent that walked out these doors and now you are doing the same, do so with pride and dignity,” added Lloyd.

The reception was attended by the Club’s president Alfred Mentore, Secretary Seon Greaves, Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer Ullanda Wiltshire, Coach Garvin Nedd, former Test player Travis Dowlin, parents and special invitees.

The 69 year old Lloyd who played 110 Test matches for the West Indies and led them for 11 years (1974 to 1985) during which time he had a run of 27 successive Test matches without a defeat, gave a brief history of the club.

Clive Lloyd “The first West Indies Test captain, M.P Fernandes, came out of DCC and we have a street in QueenstownCrown Street- which I think could be the only street in the world that has produced three Test players. As a young player here, we were all excited about playing for this club as it had a very rich tradition with such players in the caliber of Lance Gibbs, Roy Fredericks, Roger Harper and myself, just to name a few and we never had a coach, as you are privileged to have now.”

While you are making trips at such a young age, that was something that was never afforded to me until I played for Guyana, while making the West Indies team was an unforgettable moment for me and it should be an ambitious thing for you too.”

As it relates to the players themselves, Lloyd, who in 1971 was named Wisden

Cricketer of the Year and also goes by the call name ‘Super Cat’ for his athleticism in the field during his playing days, urged them to be more knowledgeable of the game.

“As players, you must learn to read the game and also point out deficiencies to your captain, as it relates to certain players whom you would have played against, while at the same time work hard on the negative side of your own game.

When I look at the game being played today in comparison to other sports, and even at this gesture that is being done here today, you have everything being given to you so all you have to do is get your mind right and apply yourself,” said Lloyd.

Prior to Lloyd giving his remarks, Mentore reminded the gathering that the function was just a tradition that is customary with the club. He said that the club has managed to surpass last year’s target with the number of players -13 in total- who will be representing Guyana at the Under-15, 17 and 19 levels.

“The numbers that are evident this year in comparison to last year show good signs and also underline the efforts of the Club’s hard working coach Garvin Nedd, who has been putting in a lot of time and effort.

It also shows that DCC is not short of talent since we also have Christopher (Continued on page 25)

Thursday July 10, 2014

Regional U-19 series set for Guyana, U-15 in Jamaica

U-15 encampment to commence today, U-19 to start tomorrow at LBI

By Sean Devers When the 2014 Regional under-19 Cricket Tournament commences on July 22 in Guyana, the home team will be seeking its 13th title after the inaugural tournament was held in 1968 when Guyana, under Keith Aaron, emerged champions in Barbados.

This year the encampment for the under-19 side will start tomorrow at the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence Hostel and indoor facility in LBI on the East Coast of Demerara.

The National under-15 team, which travels to Jamaica for the 2014 Regional under15 competition on July 20, starts their encampment at the same venue today. Both squads will be encamped at LBI simultaneously.

The U-15 camp is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday July 15, while the U19s will also end their encampment on the same date and players in the U-15 squad are asked to assemble at the Hostel at 10:00 hrs today, while the U-19 players are asked to be at LBI for 17:00 hrs tomorrow.

Guyana’s only success at the Under-15 level came in 1998 when Narsingh Deonarine led them to the inaugural title in Jamaica under the management of

Carl Moore. In 1999 left-arm spinner Suraj Paltoo gave them back-to-back titles when the tournament was first played in Guyana.

Guyana finished second the next two years to register their best four years at this level before a downhill slide left the South American pups without a title for 13 years.

Carl Moore’s son Julian Moore, who was a player back in 2000 in Trinidad, is now the Coach as he hopes history can repeat itself as he returns to the Reggae Country where his father was triumphant.

Moore told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that he was looking forward to the five-day camp.

“We could have done with some more time but we have to make the best of what we have got and if we can put in the hard work and learn we stand a great chance of resurrecting past glory this year,” Moore said.

Timur Mohamed led Guyana to their second under-19 title in 1975 in Barbados and again in 1976 in Jamaica.

Latchman Bhansingh won Guyana’s fourth championship in 1985 after Carl Hooper gave up the Captaincy to concentrate on his batting.

Hooper dominated that tournament with bat and ball scoring 404

runs and capturing 33 wickets.

Guyana then began a record six consecutive championships from 19921997 but Guyana has not won a tournament since 2007 when Steven Jacobs won the title in St Kitts after he had led Guyana to its last title on home soil the previous year.

The U-15 squad: Bhaskar Yadram (captain), Joshua Persaud (Vice Captain/W/k), Kevin Sinclair, Christopher Campbell, Alphius Bookie, Kurt Lovell, Steve Deonaraine, Ashmead Nedd, Sagar Hetheramani, Orlando Jailall, Stephen Kamaladeen, Colin Barlow, Bhojnarine Singh, Kris Ramnarine Standbys: Junior Philips, Mark Ramsammy, Robin Williams, Khemchand Hardyal: (Manager) Andy Ramnarine, (Coach) Julian Moore The U-19 squad Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shimron Hetmyer, Kemol Savory, Sharaz Ramcharran, Brian Sattaur, Kemo Angus, Keon Morris, Balchan Baldeo, Daniel Basdeo, Steven Sankar, Akel Wallace, Nial Smith, Dimon Waldron, Askay Homrag Standbys: David Latchaya, Avanash Persaud, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Shivindra Hemraj. (Manager) David Black (Coach) Adrian Amsterdam

Enterprise Busta SC supports Amanda Persaud

Amanda Persaud (left) collects the gears from coach of the Enterprise club Latchman Yadram Enterprise Busta Sports Club on the East Coast of Demerara recently donated a quantity of cricket gears to national female U-19 player Amanda Persaud. Persaud, who has been selected to represent Guyana in the upcoming Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) T/20 tournament and resides

at Enterprise, received a pair of boots, batting pad, batting gloves and a tie pad.

In a brief remark she thanked Club, Sunil Seepersaud, Tiger Sports, Chatterpaul Singh, Jitlall Jowhirlall, Kavita Yadram and Latchman Yadram for their assistance over the years.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Froome out, Nibali in IOC says Rio report encouraging but vigilance needed command after Tour mayhem L A U S A N N E Switzerland (Reuters) Brazil has presented an “encouraging report” about preparations for the 2016 Rio Games but vigilance is needed to ensure venues are ready, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.

IOC President Thomas Bach, who was heading to Rio for the World Cup final and talks with officials including President Dilma Rousseff, also said the IOC would review its ticketing procedures in the light of an unfolding FIFA scandal.

He was speaking to a news conference after Rio o rg a n i z i n g c o m m i t t e e president Carlos Arthur Nuzman presented a report to the IOC’s executive board three-day meeting in Lausanne.

“We can really see that there is great dynamism there in the preparations, in particular the city of Rio de Janeiro where the mayor and governor have taken action on the government side and are making progress with regard to different venues,” Bach said. “We are very confident that their World Cup is encouraging. We are very confident that we will have a great Games in Rio de Janeiro and that the sportsloving Brazilians with all their enthusiasm will be wonderful hosts for the athletes and all the participants.”

He added: “It was altogether an encouraging report. Also at the same time indicating that we have to

IOC President Thomas Bach stay vigilant and there is still no time to lose. But you really feel the determination and enthusiasm of the Organizing Committee and their partners.”

Bach said it was important to maintain the momentum to prepare venues in time, and for test events which will start later this year.

“This is the major issue to address now, to be in time to respect the schedule for the venues and do so of course in close collaboration,” he said.

TICKETING Asked about precautions the IOC might take to avoid a repeat of ticketing scandals in Brazil, Bach said the matter had been discussed by the executive board on Wednesday and there would be close cooperation with the organizing committee and legal authorities in Rio. “We have asked Mr. (Gilbert) Felli (IOC executive Games director), who will stay in Rio after my visit there, to coordinate

with the organizing committee and legal authorities and public authorities in Brazil to check whether we need adaptations to our regulations according to the legislation in Brazil,” he added.

“We are awaiting this report. Then we will take the necessary decisions if any are needed.

“We have a system in place, this system has been improved after London (2012). But it is under constant monitoring because it has to be adapted to the national legislation in the host country,” said Bach.

Bach, a German national and the 1976 Olympic fencing champion, said he had watched Germany crush Brazil 7-1 in their World Cup semi-final on Tuesday. He offered consolation to all Brazilians by recalling Germany’s defeat at home to Italy in extra-time at the 2006 semi-final.

“You have a day of mourning,” Bach said. “But then people start to realize that there is a match about the third place and this is again an opportunity to present your team, to present your country.

“Then a day after the final we had one million people in the streets of Berlin thanking the team and the organizers for a wonderful World Cup. “I can understand today in Brazil there will be this day of mourning but the Brazilians are very optimistic people and they know that after each defeat there is a new victory waiting for you. I am sure that they will grasp this

Warner wants T&T PM to help former football chief P O RT O F S PA I N , Trinidad (CMC) — Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has made a passionate plea to Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to come to the rescue of former top football executive Oliver Camps. Camps, the former president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, is reported to be in debt and in danger of losing his home.

Warner’s appeal to the Prime Minister follows her announcement that the government will settle the outstanding US$1.3 million owed to 13 members of the 2006 World Cup squad.

“Mr Camps’ home Madam Prime Minister is

now threatened. If he cannot raise the money he will lose it

by September 2014, if not before,” claims Warner.

“In this regard I am therefore asking the Prime Minister to be as benevolent to Mr Camps as she has been to these footballers and save the home of this senior citizen.” Camps was president at the time of T&T’s World Cup qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Members of the squad argued they were never paid all the monies owed them coming out of the historic 2006 campaign in Germany and have been engaged in a legal battle with the TTFA. “This group of footballers

who played three matches in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and who never scored a goal nor win a match there and who now stand to benefit from the Prime M i n i s t e r ’s b e n e v o l e n t gesture received $20 million dollars from the Patrick Manning administration, $7 million from FIFA, $4 million from the TTFF, $6 million from Jack Warner through the courts of Trinidad and Tobago and now $1.3 million USD from the People’s Partnership Government,” stated Warner. “A total sum of close to $50 million dollars and this excludes gifts from private organisations like Clico and others.”

ARENBERG PORTE DU HAINAUT France (Reuters) - Chaos and carnage rained down on the To u r d e F r a n c e o n Wednesday as defending champion Chris Froome crashed out of the race on stage five and Italian Vincenzo Nibali seized control.

On a miserable wet day in northern France, Froome did not even make it to the notorious cobbled sections as his second fall of the day, following another painful spill on Tuesday, led to him quitting after less than a week of his attempted defense.

The batted and bruised Briton, who fell some 70km from the finish of the 152.5km ride from Ypres in Belgium, hobbled around in clear pain before climbing into a Team Sky car.

“Obviously it’s devastating for Chris and for the team. We knew it was going to be a tough race,” Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford told reporter.

With crash after crash decimating the peloton, Italian Nibali powered away f r o m S p a i n ’s A l b e r t o Contador on the slippery cobbled sections, taking over two minutes on the Spaniard who, before the race, was regarded as the main threat to Froome’s title defense. The Astana rider, who took third place on stage won by Dutchman Lars Boom, now leads twice former champion Contador, who is 19th overall, by 2:37. Boom is the first Dutchman to win a Tour stage since Pieter Weening in 2005. “It was a really stressful day and a very hard race. I wasn’t thinking of the yellow jersey,” Nibali told reporters.

“I was just focused on riding the best I could. I’m in good shape. I’ve prepared for this particular stage but the conditions today were very different from those I experienced when I came and rode on the cobbles.”

D e n m a r k ’s J a k o b Fuglsang guided team mate Nibali home, taking second place on the stage and is second on the overall standings, two seconds behind the Italian.

RAIN PELTED Froome had already hurt his wrist in another tumble on Tuesday and he looked edgy as the rain pelted down. He was helped back into the peloton early in the stage after one crash which left

him with some grazes but when he hit the tarmac again later it was more than his body could take.

After talking to his support crew and shaking his head, he limped to the team vehicle and climbed in.

“We really believed in Chris and his ability to win this race. But it’s not to be this year,” Brailsford said.

“It was exciting, wasn’t it?

You’ve got to say that when you see the way Nibali rode, it was very impressive.

“It’s just unbelievable to ride away from (Fabian) Cancellara and (Peter) Sagan on the cobbles. We’ll remember it for a long time.”

Froome is the second high-profile casualty of the Tour so far after fellow Briton Mark Cavendish abandoned after a horror crash in Saturday’s opening stage bunch sprint in

Cannondale rider Sagan is third in the overall standings, 44 seconds behind Nibali, after the Slovakian stayed out of trouble to maintain his solid start to the race.

Among those who crashed on a hectic day were triple Paris-Roubaix champion Cancellara as well as overall contenders Tejay van Garderen (now 2:11 behind overall), Alejandro Valverde (2:11) and Jurgen van den Broeck (1:45).

American Andrew Talansky and Frenchman Thibaut Pinot also managed to stay on their bike and trail Nibali by 2:05 and 2:25 respectively.

Team Sky will now back Australian Richie Porte, who lies 1:54 off the pace in eighth place overall. “It’s all for Richie now, surely,” said sports director Nicolas Portal. Thursday’s sixth stage

Belkin team rider Lars Boom of the Netherlands celebrates as he wins the 155.5 km fifth stage of the Tour de France . REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen Harrogate. As Froome departed, Nibali powered ahead. With mud splattering his face, the Italian looked light on the cobbled sectors whereas Contador struggled but at least stayed on his bike to limit the damage.

MUD DRIPPING “It was a complicated day,” Contador told reporters seconds after crossing the finish line, mud dripping from his face. “I lost some time but the most important was to avoid crashing. We will now recuperate and look forward.” Contador had some sympathy for Froome. “From here I want to give support to @chrisfroome, months of work and everything gone. A big loss for the Tour,” he wrote on his Twitter page.

With Froome out the race will be harder to control as it heads towards the Vosges region, where Contador will fight tooth and nail to close the gap on Nibali.

will take the battered peloton over 194-km from Arras to R e i m s a s t h e To u r commemorates the centenary of the start of World War One. Overall classification: 1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Astana) 17hrs 07mins 52secs 2. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana) +2secs 3. Peter Sagan (Svk/Cannondale)+44secs 4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol/Omega Pharma Quick-Step) +50secs 5. Fabian Cancellara (Swi/Trek) +1min, 17secs 6. Jurgen van den Broek (Bel/Lotto) +1min, 45secs 7. Tony Gallopin (Fra/Lotto) +1min, 45secs 8. Richie Porte (Aus/Team Sky) +1min, 54secs 9. Andrew Talansky (US/Garmin-Sharp) +2mins, 5secs 10. Alejandro Valverde

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Thursday July 10, 2014

NATI, Kwakwani, Plaisance, England v India: Murali Vijay UG through to NSBF U-19 semis century repels hosts in first Test

New Amsterdam finishes in the paint despite a valiant defensive effort from Saints’ Travis Belgrave (#9) Tuesday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), Kwakwani Secondary School, Plaisance Secondary School and University of Guyana (UG) advanced to the semis of the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) Tuesday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

T h e N A Te c h n i c a l Institute defeated Saint Stanislaus College 47-26 with Edmar Semple scoring a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Shemroy McKenzie added 11 points and five rebounds in support. For Saints, Travis Belgrave had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Stanton Rose landed 15 points with five rebounds and Leonard Primo scored 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Kwakwani to a 61-40 win against P r e s i d e n t ’s C o l l e g e .

Shaquille Adonis scored 17 points with four rebounds for President’s College.

Continuing in the Under19 competition of the NSBF, Plaisance recorded a 35-27 win against Marian Academy with Malcolm Powdar scoring seven points and seven rebounds while Terrence Daniels added six points and eight rebounds.

The University secured a nail-biting 54-52 win against Linden’s Technical Institute (LTI) with Jonathan Pooran scoring 22 points and five rebounds and Daniel Ramlagan 18 points and six rebounds for the nation’s top academic institution.

For LTI, Terron Welch had 24 points and nine rebounds while Dennis Niles scored 22 points and seven rebounds.

In the U-16 competition, St. Rose’s High School blew away PC 53-30 with Nathan

Saul scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds.

Shamar Huntley added nine points and 11 rebounds to help Saul. For PC, Leon Harte had 10 points and six rebounds.

Bishop’s High School recorded a 49-41 win against Plaisance Academy with Timothy Thompson scoring 26 points and 14 rebounds and Terrence Joe adding nine points and seven rebounds.

Andrew Johnson scored 14 points for Plaisance.

In the U-14 competition, Rose’s secured a walkover from Bishop’s while Marian won 22-10 against Saint Stanislaus College. For Marian, Jahleel Young scored nine points and 14 rebounds while Josiah Daniels had six points and six steals. Gordan Trotman scored three points but grabbed ten rebounds for Saints.

U.S. Open prize money upped 11.7 percent for 2014 (Reuters) - The prize money pool for this year ’s U.S. Open has been increased by 11.7 percent to a record $38.3 million, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Wednesday.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3 million, a record payout at the year’s final grand slam, while winners of each round of the singles competition will be awarded a doubledigit percentage increase over last year.

“Last year to recognize the importance of the players and the key role they have in building

our sport, the USTA shared our vision to reach $50 million in prize money at the U.S. Open by 2017,” USTA chairman Dave Haggerty said in a statement.

“This year ’s prize money increase c o n t i n u e s t h e commitment to make the U.S. Open one of the most lucrative purses in all of sports.”

The total purse for the U . S . O p e n ’s s i n g l e s , doubles and mixed d oubles competitions which exceeds those at two of the other three grand slam tournaments - has been increased by 12.5 percent over last year.

This year, Wimbledon had a total prize pool of 25 million pounds ($41.98 million) while the Australian Open had an overall purse of $33 million and the French Open paid out a total of $34.54 million.

In the last three years, prize money for the main draw at the U.S. Open has been increased by 64.6 percent.

This year’s qualifying tournament will offer more than $1.5 million in prize money for the first time, a rise of 11 percent over 2013.

The 2014 U.S. Open will be held from Aug. 25-Sept. 8 in New York.

M Vijay continued to accumulate throughout the day. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Murali Vijay hit an unbeaten century but industrious bowling and athletic fielding helped England restrict India to 2594 on a lifeless Trent Bridge pitch on the first day of the five-Test series.

In conditions more akin to Nagpur than Nottingham, India opener Vijay batted throughout the day to score an accomplished unbeaten 122, and captain Mahendra Dhoni was 50 not out in an unbroken partnership of 81.

But England’s quartet of seamers never lost heart, responding well to a difficult morning as skipper Alastair Cook was rewarded for attacking field placings with quick wickets after lunch and tea. Stuart Broad was the pick of the bowlers with 1-26 off 19 overs at his home ground, while there were two wickets for James Anderson and one for Liam Plunkett.

Ben Stokes, recalled in place of Chris Jordan, bowled 19 economical overs.

“We had a good day all in all - we toiled away on a really placid pitch,” Anderson told BBC Sport.

However, the absence of frontline spinner was exposed as Moeen Ali conceded 50 off nine overs and was dismissively crashed for a straight six by Vijay in the final hour of the day.

Moeen was one of four players with fewer than five Test caps in an England side desperately seeking to end a

run of eight Tests without a victory.

India are also a team in transition. Since their 4-0 defeat by England in 2011, star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have all retired, leaving six of their top seven playing their first Test on English soil.

The unfamiliar surroundings did not unnerve Vijay, who got off to a flyer with three fours in the first over of the day before settling down to anchor the innings.

He spent 13 balls on 99 before bringing up his fourth Test century off 214 balls with a flick to square leg.

The morning had belonged entirely to India as they scored 106 runs for the loss of one wicket, that of Shikhar Dhawan, superbly caught one-handed by wicketkeeper Matt Prior off Anderson.

The pitch was so benign that by the end of the session Broad was bowling with only a single slip in place.

E n g l a n d ’s d a y w a s revived by an inspired field placing by under-pressure captain Cook. Clearly bowling to a plan in the second over after lunch, Anderson held back some pace and drew a mistimed drive from Cheteshwar Pujara which was athletically taken by Ian Bell at silly mid-on.

With a Test average of 50.36 at number four, the

stylish Virat Kohli has been talked about as the natural heir to Tendulkar. But his first Test innings in England lasted only eight balls as he edged Broad to Bell at second slip.

Rattled by the sudden momentum shift and the extra step in the stride of England’s seamers, India knuckled down and barely scored a run for the next hour.

They successfully took the sting out of England’s attack and began scoring more freely later in the session before taking tea on 177-3.

Cook brought himself in at silly point after tea and once again the change of tactic paid instant dividends as Ajinkya Rahane toe-ended a pull off Plunkett straight to the skipper.

Anderson described Cook’s performance as “brilliant”, adding: “He worked really well with the bowlers. We had a lot of discussions about field placings. We had to get a bit funky at times.”

However, England’s pursuit of further wickets was thwarted by Vijay and Dhoni.

Dhoni, who is yet to score a Test hundred outside Asia, was characteristically positive as he brought up his 30th Test fifty from 64 deliveries in the final over of the day.

Scores: India 259 for 4 (Vijay 122*, Dhoni 50*, Anderson 2-70) v England.

Thursday July 10, 2014

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P&P celebrates 10 years All-round Dilshan overpowers South Africa of junior tennis camps

Devi Balkarran, P&P Account Executive, presents cheque to GLTA President Grace McCalman, while P&P Insurance CEO Bish Panday (left) and GLTA Junior Chair Surendra Khayyam look on.

P & P Insurance Brokers CEO Bish Panday was elated to host the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association President Grace McCalman and Junior Development Chair Surendra Khayyam to reinforce for the tenth time, his sponsorship commitment for the annual GLTA Tennis Camp, the Tennis body said in a release.

In 2004 under its Interim Committee of Grace McCalman, Colin Sawh and Rawle Sue-Ho, the defunct tennis association was successfully re-established during an AGM with four years of audited financial statements and eight financial clubs. But it was the P & P tennis camp which formed the foundation for the successful re-establishment of the junior programme at the Park Players Club under the guidance of former National Coach Debbie Bumbury and current National Coach Shelly DalyRamdyhan. The majority of the members of the National Squad also emerged from the camp and subsequent follow-up training programmes at the club.

Mr. Panday, who is no stranger to the sports fraternity, recounted his unwavering support for decades for various sporting activities to provide safe and healthy recreational opportunities for children and to foster discipline. He wishes to see greater responsibility and commitment from adults to save our children from developing harmful habits.

In this regard, GLTA Junior Development Chair, Surendra Khayyam, who was also at the meeting, expressed his intent to take up the mantle of junior development so that Guyana can truly benefit from the sport but admits that it would be a tall order without comprehensive support and a strong and committed executive.The camp which is geared for children aged 6-18 years is the feature junior clinic of the year which attracts young children at all levels to enjoy fun practice drills and competitions in order to gain appreciation for the sport of tennis. Parents would then seek to sign up their young ones with clubs

with junior programmes for continuation based on their interest. The camp generally attracts at least 50-80 children which has led to a significant increase in requests for coaches for private schools and clubs.

This now imposes on the GTA and the Tennis Coaches Association new constraints for a speedy increase in coaching capacity.

The camp will be conducted during weekdays from July 14th to 28th.

Children 6-11years from 8:00am to 10:00am at the National Gymnasium on Mandel Avenue. Children 1218years from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the National Racquet Centre at Woolford and Camp Streets.

Fee per child is $1500 for the two week period.

Registration is being done by telephone by contacting 6241739. All parents are asked to be present to complete registration with fees at 7:45am on Monday July 14th at the National Gymnasium to prepare for the Opening Ceremony.

Nigeria suspended by FIFA over government interference Reuters - Nigeria was suspended from international football on Wednesday because of government interference, FIFAsaid in a statement.

World soccer’s ruling body sent a letter to the Nigeria Football Federation (FFF) last week expressing its concern after the NFF was served with court proceedings preventing its President from running the African country’s soccer affairs.

“As a result of this decision, no team from Nigeria of any sort (including clubs) can have any international sporting contact,”

FIFAsaid.

“During the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, or in friendly matches.”

FIFA said the court order compelled the Nigerian Minister of Sports to appoint a senior member of the civil service to manage the NFF until the matter was heard in court without giving any date for the hearing.

The authorities then appointed a person who decided to convene an extraordinary

general assembly on July 5, FIFA said. “This extraordinary general assembly was convened in violation of the NFF statutes,” addedFIFA. “The suspension will be lifted once the court actions have been withdrawn and the properly elected NFF Executive Committee, the NFF general assembly and the NFF administration are able to work without any interference in their affairs,” added FIFA. Nigeria, the African champions, reached the last 16 at the World Cup in Brazil before losing 2-0 to France.

ESPNcricinfo - Thirteen is thought to be the number of misfortune. For Hashim Amla and South Africa, it was the opposite until today.

On the 13 occasions before this one when Amla has scored an ODI century, South Africa have emerged victorious. He recorded his 14th century - becoming the quickest to the mark - in Pallekele but the result was not in his team’s favour.

Tillakaratne Dilshan’s enterprise in the first ten overs and wickets in the middle and latter portions of the South African chase bookended a the Sri Lankan comeback and ensured the three-match series will go to a decider on Saturday. Dilshan raced to a half-century in 40 balls to set Sri Lanka up for a competitive total and then ended South Africa’s biggest partnership 75 between Amla and AB de Villiers - to clear Sri Lanka’s path to victory.

South Africa were 101 for 2 in the 20th over when Dilshan lured de Villiers forward with a flighted delivery but the South African captain could not clear longon. He was comfortably caught by the substitute fielder Thisara Perera well inside the field to spark a mini-collapse. South Africa lost five wickets for 26 runs with Dilshan claiming three of those and the gash was too big for even Amla, who scored his second successive ODI century, his third in four matches and his third on this tour so far, to mend.

T h e v i s i t o r s ’ shortcomings were further highlighted by a much improved Lasith Malinga, who took wickets at the top and tail of the South African innings, and the loss Dale Steyn. The pace spearhead had bowled 2.2 overs when he was struck on the right thumb after Dilshan drilled the ball back at him. Steyn was taken for an x-ray which revealed severe bruising. Though there wasn’t a fracture, he will need to be monitored over the next few days to determine his availability for the rest of the tour.

What will hearten South Africa is that Steyn batted for 35 minutes.

He appeared in discomfort at times but scored 23 runs and starred in a 53-run stand with Amla that almost gave South Africa the unlikeliest of resurgences.

Steyn batted with a resolve that was absent in some of his team-mates, most worryingly Jacques Kallis.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is overjoyed after taking the wicket of AB de Villiers. (AFP) After Quinton de Kock was bowled by Malinga from around the wicket, it was up to Kallis to build a foundation in the chase but he lasted only seven balls before being bounced out by the same bowler.

Despite Steyn’s injury, Kallis did not bowl either, which has left his contribution in the series to just one run in two matches and he has been thoroughly outplayed by his competitor in the all- rounders department, Ryan McLaren.

Although McLaren was dismissed cheaply, overcome by the pressure created by the spinners, he dismissed four batsmen at the death of the Sri Lankan innings, including three in one over, to curb their charge.

Sri Lanka’s lower order implosion - five wickets for 11 runs - was sparked by Mathews edging McLaren to the keeper.

The Sri Lankan captain had contributed to his team’s highest stand of the innings, 71-runs with Mahela Jayawardene which ensured the efforts of Dilshan upfront were not squandered.

Jayawardene had battled through the stranglehold Imran Tahir and JP Duminy created and the trouble he had with legspinner’s googly.

He eventually fell to a wrong ‘un but ushered Mathews through a tricky middle-overs period to help build a competitive total in the same mentoring way as Dilshan had handled his stand

with Lahiru Thirimanne.

By the time Thirimanne, who was promoted to No. 4 arrived at the crease, Dilshan already had a half-century, had single-handedly got Sri Lanka’s scoring rate above six an over before South Africa began to rein Sri Lanka in.

Tahir, Duminy, McLaren and Morne Morkel conceded only 44 runs between the 10th and 19th overs. Thirimanne could only score slowly and eventually succumbed to frustration when he hit Tahir straight to mid-wicket but the 62 runs he put on with Dilshan were crucial to Sri Lanka’s chances.

Soft dismissals aside, Sri Lanka batted with a good enough understanding of the surface to ensure they would not have to rue mistakes.

Similarly, their lapses in the field which included two dropped catches - Amla on 67 and Miller on 0 - can be overlooked because they did not prove too costly even though Amla moved on to a three-figures. Instead they will focus on the advantage their spinners gave them.

Dilshan, Sachitra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis bowled 24.1 overs between them and their six wickets cost only 102 runs.

The Sri Lankan performance was not perfect but it did not have to be.

Scores: Sri Lanka 267 (Dilshan 86, McLaren 448) beat South Africa 180 (Amla 101, Malinga 4-24) by 87 runs.

Argentina beat Netherlands on penalty kicks to reach World Cup final P.30

Argentina's goalkeeper Romero saves a penalty from Netherlands' Ron Vlaar during the shoot-out. (AP)

Seaboard Marine CMRC

Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey sweeps class at Digicel Williams International P.30

Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey seen in the lead during one of his three wins at the CMRC at Bushy Park in Barbnados on Sunday Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210