Kaieteur News

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 5

THE FREEING OF ANIMALS Town Clerk laments those FROM CAPTIVITY who just want to criticize DEAR EDITOR, One day I went to the market and bought a nice hand of eight sweet figs. Like always I placed them in a fruit bowl on the kitchen table. When Kamla, our helper, came into the kitchen she saw the bananas leaving through the kitchen door in the hands of a monkey walking on his two hind legs. The monkey jumped from the 2nd story porch to the coconut tree and made himself comfortable between the base of two palm branches. His much smaller partner looked at the bananas and edged expectantly closer. The male singlehandedly ate six of the bananas giving his “partner” only the skins; but he could not finish the last two. When he stood up the female reached out her hand but the male took the remaining two bananas and placed them in a small pocket between the branches, covered them with leaves and sat down upon them. After a few minutes he stood up and extracted the last two bananas and devoured them. From that day on the male was called Bully and the female Baby. Although we had fallen in love with Bully we felt sorry for Baby and devised a system to ensure she got her share of the fruit. We had a young man (Leon) climb one of the coconut trees in the vacant lot and hang a small pulley around the trunk about fifteen feet high. We hung another pulley from the 2nd floor porch at the same height and ran a line between the two with each end of the rope attached to a small plastic bucket. We would put fruit in the bucket and pull on the line until the fruit reached the coconut tree. Baby proved to be the brighter of the two and was the 1st to learn how to extract fruit from the bucket. Once Bully saw Baby removing fruit he took control and dominated the fruit bucket thereafter. While Bully was busy with the bucket we fed Baby on the porch. Bully then decided he was losing out and tried to control

both the fruit bucket and the fruit on the porch railing. He would sit in the top of the coconut tree midway between the two feeding points and threaten Baby with sounds. Baby would let Bully make the first move. He would usually jump to the porch railing, grab the fruit and then rapidly climb to the top of the first coconut tree. From there he would launch himself flying 20 feet through the air. He would catch the end of a coconut branch and his weight would carry him in an ark towards the trunk of the tree where he would reach the fruit bucket in a matter of a couple of seconds. Sometimes he would get there before Baby but more often than not he would find an empty bucket with Baby sitting in the almond tree peeling bananas. If we stopped the fruit bucket halfway to the trunk of the coconut tree Bully would jump to the end of a coconut branch and hang from his third leg (his tail) while he extracted fruit from the bucket with both arms. Over time as Bully put on weight his leaps got shorter and his time slower. Towards the end of 2015 we learned that Baby was not really a baby. I discovered that by watching them hunt, gather and frolic in their miniature forest in the middle of Queenstown. They began to spend more time together, forming a much tighter bond. When they were thirsty in the early morning they would go to a flowering tree, pick the pink flowers, roll them with their tiny hands and squeeze the dew into their mouths. Once Bully picked a young coconut, hit the top against the trunk, used his fingernails to open the top, drank the water like a thirsty man and pulled the jelly out through the hole with his long fingers. After feeding they would usually curl up in their favorite coconut tree and take turns picking fleas from one another. After a time we noted they were becoming more intimate and started to act more like young teenage lovers. We

began to imagine Bully, Baby and a young “real capuchin baby” jumping limb to limb and tree to tree. Although that was a nice dream I knew it would never happen because civilization continued to encroach upon the limited Queenstown forest. Neighbors cut down more trees, making it difficult for the monkeys to continue their feeding circuit, so they tended to spend more time in the vacant lot south of the B&B. They began waking us up at 5:00 am by running over our roof, knowing full well that we didn’t serve breakfast until 7:00 am. We were forced to screen our doors and windows to keep them out of the house and they killed nine small palm trees in our garden in their search for palm heart, which they loved. We delivered Bully, Baby and what looked like Baby’s twin sister (a stressed/ frightened Capuchin rescued from a vendor around Stabroek Market Area) to Variety Woods and Greenheart Ltd on the evening of January 23rd 2016. By the afternoon of January 24th, 2016 all three monkeys were released in their reserve far, far away from danger. The dream we now have is to visit the biodiversity area someday and hopefully see Bully and his own tribe of little Bully’s and Baby’s jumping tree-to-tree and limbto- limb in their own private reserve. Thank you VARIETY WOOD AND GREEN HEART LTD FOR CREATING A BIODIVERSITY RESERVE. Thank you Georgetown Zoo for coming to our assistance. Editor: we plea with the public: 1. Don’t bring wildlife to Georgetown. 2. Don’t cut down the few trees remaining in Georgetown/Queenstown. 3. When you see animals suffering, do something to improve their lives. 4. Do not buy wildlife or trade in wildlife; they should be considered National Treasures and should be protected by us all. Syeada Manbodh

DEAR EDITOR, Within recent times, we, at City Hall, have noticed letters appearing in certain sections of the media, criticizing different aspects of our operations, some are even downright condemnatory and others attempt to present a very negative narrative of the council; we welcome them. We are very aware that many of these individual letter writers have their personal and other hidden agendas. However, it is part of the democratic process, which we embrace as a city and nation, and even those negatives could not prevent such individuals from using media or any other communication infrastructure to achieve their objectives. Citizens would recall that, about eight months ago, the city was in filth, disorganized, and very ugly. Yet, some of our detractors, who are now writing letters daily in certain sections of the press, did not pen one line against it. Now that, the council is making an effort, to reshape it in a way that is considerably different to what it was I the recent past, council’s every action is seen in the negative, by some of those very individuals, who remained silent when the city was characterized by piles of rotten garbage, clogged alleyways and canals in unsafe and unhealthy circumstances. We are not particularly worried by this strange action of new letter writers and naysayers but only wish to make that point because it is an important one as we go forward to make Georgetown a better place. The history of the city council demonstrates that it has never been afraid of criticisms. In fact, we would be the first to admit to our administrative frailties and imperfections, which are not unique to the council; such weaknesses are within the curtilage of all commercial and public organizations, at different levels, in many different ways. Nevertheless, we are taking careful note of all criticisms. We are using

them to enhance our strengths and detect and improve on our administrative and other weaknesses. We thank all those who have been writing and encourage them to continue to have a keen interest in the affairs of the city. Moreover, we are committed to democratic values, including the accommodation of different points of view on the way we manage the city. I wish to say to all of our officers and workers, particularly those who are at our riverfronts, managing our sluices, kokers, pumps and allied drainage equipment, solid waste workers, our public health, food and hygiene and environmental inspectorates, our nurses and care givers and our security officers and ranks, you are doing a great job; obviously, there is room for improvement but I am happy that you are making the effort. Let us remember that our ultimate responsibility is to deliver to all citizens high quality service. We know that it is a choice to work at city Hall but

an honour to serve our citizens in their local communities. All employees of the municipality know that we working on a new attitude towards our work. Consciousness, critical awareness and purpose have a vital role to play in this new attitude. The duty of all of council workers is to faithfully do your official assignments and to remain firmly committed to the vision and mission of the Georgetown Municipality. Let us also remember that we are a team partnering with all stakeholders and citizens to promote the sustainable development of this great city of ours. Finally, we wish to express thanks to all of our citizens for their support and cooperation with our effort to restore Georgetown to its pristine state, to make it compatible with other city in the Caribbean and the rest of the world and to allow Georgetown to shine as the glorious sun. Royston King Town Clerk

The incredible transfer... From page 4 balance. I am contending that the corruption under the PPP was partly ethnically motivated and would in the end have ethnic consequences. African Guyanese, who have been dispossessed of ancestral lands will not take very lightly the transfer of state lands into the private hands of the East Indian elite. They should not take lightly such transfers into the hands of the elite of any ethnic group, including their own. So we now have a Guyana in which ownership of common resources are disproportionately in the hands of one group. That should not be allowed to stand. I am opposed to the rape of state resources from a social-class standpoint. Denying the poor while enriching the rich is wrong and ugly. I oppose those actions from a purely political standpoint. Governments should not facilitate corruption; it’s undemocratic. I am opposed to using government for unfair ethnic distribution of state resources. It is ugly, dangerous and morally wrong. African Guyanese and poor people of all races have a duty to press this government to recover those resources and to put measures in place so that what the PPP did does not happen again. David Hinds

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Kaieteur News

Monday March 28, 2016

Forensic audit finds…

Sugar Welfare Fund operated on ‘paper and pen’ accounting system By Jarryl Bryan A forensic audit conducted into the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund (SILWF) has revealed that the fund has been operating a manual or ‘paper and pen’ accounting system, despite the organization acquiring a superior, more efficient system in 2011. The audit’s review of the accounting system was carried out on September 04, 2015 and has found that the fund could have been far more productive and services to sugar workers could have been better, if the more efficient system, formerly known as the Enterprise Resource Planning (ACCPAC) software, had been used. “The ACCPAC accounting software, comprising of four modules was installed by New Technologies Enterprise, an authorized service provider, at a cost of $5.164M. After over three years, it is yet to be operational, with a high volume of accounting work still to be completed for years 2012 to 2014.” Sage 300 ERP (present system) is an award-winning financial system that integrates other business solutions, including ERP, Business Intelligence, EDI, Point-of-Sale and Warehouse Management. The auditors found that while the Bookkeeping staff, an Accountant (a Level Three ACCA student) and four accounting personnel (two Senior Clerks, a Grade Two Typist Clerks and a Grade One

- despite acquiring superior system for $5.1M in 2011

Scores of sugar workers during a protest

Typist Clerk) all seemed comfortable in the mediocre system of accounting, SILWF could have optimized its duties, which include granting loans to sugar workers. “They are generally comfortable operating in the existing manual system,” the report stated. “And perhaps may have contributed to the ERP (ACCPAC) becoming a ‘white elephant’ up to the present time.” While the accounting system at the time of review was certainly not up to par and $5M was spent on what became a ‘White elephant’, the auditor did acknowledge that the Accountant was generally capable of carrying out duties and that the department is sufficiently staffed. According to the report, however, the committee that governs the SILWF and the Fund’s Administrative Manager have over the years

just accepted the laid back culture to the Fund’s system and do not pressure the organization as a whole to be more productive. “With the same complement of staff, SILWF can accelerate its activities in granting loans to sugar workers and intensifying rehabilitation works for the benefit of sugar workers.” According to the Auditor, it would appear that the decision to acquire this software was both poorly planned and executed. However, in view of the money already spent, the Auditor recommended the purchase of a server which is required to make the system work. “To obtain the benefits from this system, SILWFC should purchase the Server that is now required as soon as possible,” it said. “It is our view that in a small accounting environment as SILWF, basic off-the-shelf

accounting software such as Quickbooks or Sage would have sufficed.” LAPSES IN ACCOUNTING & DEBT RECOVERY The Auditor made further indictments on the current accounting system. It was noted that despite being suggested by the Auditor General’s office, a cash book is currently not maintained. Instead, an alternative method of tracking payments is employed. “The Accountant maintains a computerized Spreadsheet of all expenses and income from which he prepares an Income & Expenditure Statement (on a cash basis). The Accountant, however, does not maintain a system to track the bank balance. But SILWF runs an Imprest system (where a fixed amount is reserved, at present $9M) and as funds are spent, the Imprest account is replenished.” The Auditor noted that

the Accountant is expected to carry out bank reconciliations regularly, after collecting the bank statements each month from the Bank of Guyana. It is understood that one person from SILWF is authorized by the Finance Ministry to collect the statements. However, the Auditor has highlighted a worrying fact. The last bank reconciliation was done for the month of June 2015, when, in keeping with best practice, this reconciliation should have been done promptly every month. The auditor has also flagged SILWF for not maintaining a list of unpaid invoices by date ranges, which would show overdue payments. This is because the management believes that all of its loans are secured by sufficient collateral that will be used to recoup losses. This practice, according to the report, has caused SILWF not to maintain a Debt Collection Department. “SILWF does not maintain an aged receivables listing. However, they are of the view that all loans granted are secured by sufficient collateral which can be used

to recoup for any losses,” the auditor stated. “It follows therefore that SILWF does not maintain a Debt Collection Department nor is legal action taken against long standing bad debtors.” The SILWF forensic audit, which was one of many announced by the Grangerled administration upon coming into office last year, was conducted by Maurice Solomon, to the tune of $4.7M. It is one of several recently released by the Ministry of Finance. Some of the other worrying findings have been that for years, there were no audited financial statements. The Criminal Investigative Department (CID) had at one point even become involved in investigating the case of the missing $35M from the Fund. The SILWF is controlled and administered by a Committee. This Committee is required to facilitate disbursements for the benefit and welfare of sugar workers. Such disbursements include home loans to sugar workers, developing housing areas, and to provide water subsidies.

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

Trump questions NATO, Asia nuclear weapons ahead of Washington summit Reuters - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump yesterday doubled down on his criticism of NATO, a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy for decades, and called for the alliance’s overhaul days before world leaders convene in Washington. President Barack Obama will host the Nuclear Security Summit on Thursday and Friday with 56 delegations in attendance. While preventing nuclear terrorism will headline the discussions, Trump’s views could be a topic as well, particularly behind the scenes. In another sharp departure from historic U.S. policy, Trump said in an interview published yesterday by The New York Times that he would consider letting Japan and South Korea build their own nuclear weapons, rather than rely on America for protection against North Korea and China. The billionaire businessman, vying to win his party’s nomination for the Nov. 8 presidential election, also said he might halt U.S. purchases of oil from Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies unless they commit ground troops to fight Islamic State or pay the United States to

Donald Trump do so. “NATO is obsolete,” Trump said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. The 28-country North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was set up in a different era, Trump said, when the main threat to the West was the Soviet Union. It is ill-suited to fighting terrorism and costs the United States too much, he added. “We should readjust NATO ... it can be trimmed up and it can be, uh, it can be reconfigured and you can call it NATO, but it’s going to be changed,” he said. On March 21, Trump said the United States should slash

its financial support for NATO, which was formed in 1949 after World War Two and became a bulwark against Soviet expansionism. Russia will not attend the upcoming nuclear summit, but China’s President Xi Jinping will. Obama said the United States will review international efforts to combat Islamic State militants during the summit in the wake of the Brussels attacks. Trump’s chief rival for the Republican nomination, Texas Senator Ted Cruz called the real estate mogul’s views on NATO “catastrophically foolish.” Speaking on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Cruz said Trump is “out of his depth.” “Abandoning Europe, withdrawing from the most successful military alliance of modern times, it makes no sense at all,” Cruz said. “It would hand a massive victory to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, a massive victory to ISIS,” the militant group also known as Islamic State. Cruz said if he were elected president, his approach to Islamic State would be to “carpet bomb them into oblivion.”

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Portia to face fight …Challenge being mounted against PNP president at next annual conference Jamaica Observer President of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller will likely face a challenge to her leadership when the organisation holds its annual conference in September 2016, the Jamaica Observer has been told. Simpson Miller, 70, will be taken on by a former Cabinet minister who retained his seat in the February 25 General Election won by the Jamaica Labour Party, which took 32 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, to the PNP’s 31. Some of those closely working with the male individual have asked the Sunday Observer to refrain from mentioning his name at this time. Although the margin of victory goes down in history as the closest since Jamaicans began voting in general elections in 1944, there is discontent that Simpson Miller’s leadership had most to do with the PNP making history as the first one-term administration by the party. Calls have been coming

for Simpson Miller, veteran Member of Parliament for St Andrew South West, to give up the leadership of the PNP, but sources close to her have told the Sunday Observer that she is in no hurry to place her bags in the departure lounge. Now, the former Cabinet minister, who has never lost an election as a candidate, is bent on taking the plunge that could be detrimental to his chances of becoming party leader, should he fail in his bid to win over a majority of the near 5,000 delegates who would normally make the decision at the annual conference’s private session. “Now is the time to take on Portia. The JLP is in its first year of a five-year Administration and so it is best to get the leadership challenge out of the way so that there can be healing by the party long before the next General Election comes around,” one party elder told the Sunday Observer, while confirming that plans were well advanced for the challenge to Simpson Miller to occur. “The PNP has grown

Portia Simpson Miller stale. Little or no progress has been made under Simpson Miller’s leadership. She does not even understand how an economy ought to be run, and even now she cannot stand up and address an issue off the cuff without having to be prepared by her handlers. “That is not the party that Norman Manley, his son Michael, and PJ Patterson worked so hard to remain relevant,” another party senior said. “I am just so disappointed by all that has happened to the PNP in the last few years. This is not the party that some of us envisioned,” he said.

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Kaieteur News

Monday March 28, 2016

Belgian police break up street protests as attack investigation widens Reuters - Belgian police briefly used water cannon to control several hundred rowdy protesters in central Brussels yesterday after they ignored an official call for marches to be postponed following Tuesday’s bombings. Amid fears of further attacks, officials wanted to give police the scope to focus on investigations which have widened to other countries, leading to the arrest of an Algerian in Italy and intelligence cooperation with Germany. Police carried out 13 new raids in Belgium itself. Hundreds nevertheless gathered at the Bourse to express solidarity with the victims of the suicide bomb attacks at Brussels airport and on a rush-hour metro train. Thirty one people were killed, including three attackers, and hundreds more injured. Islamic State has claimed responsibility. Most of the protests were peaceful but white-helmeted riot police used the water cannon against a group of protesters, many of whom local media described as right-wing nationalists, who burst onto the square chanting and carrying banners denouncing Islamic State.

“It is highly inappropriate that protesters have disrupted the peaceful reflection at the Bourse (stock exchange). I strongly condemn these disturbances,” Prime Minister Charles Michel said according to Belga news agency. Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur said the group were “scoundrels”. In and around Brussels and Antwerp, police carried out 13 new raids in connection with the attacks, with nine people questioned and five later released, the prosecutor’s office said. With links to the Paris attacks in November becoming clearer, and amid criticism that Europe has not done enough to share intelligence about suspected Islamist militants, cooperation appeared to be deepening. Belgian press agency Belga said yesterday prosecutors had charged a man in connection with a raid in Paris on Thursday that authorities say foiled an apparent attack plot. Belga named him as Abderamane A. who prosecutors had said on Saturday was being held after being shot in a raid in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek. After a series of raids in

Demonstrators protesting against the wave of terrorism confront police near the old stock exchange in Brussels, Belgium. March 27. 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman Belgium and Germany, Italian police also arrested Algerian Djamal Eddine Ouali who is suspected of making documents for militants linked to the

bombings, Italian media said on Saturday. His name was found in documents in a raid on an apartment near Brussels last

October, including some with photos of militants involved in the attacks in Paris and in Brussels and the aliases they used.

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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THE STATE HAS NO ROLE IN LIMITING COMPETITION IN BROADCASTING When the PPPC took office in 1992, they were accused of being indecisive. The same allegation can be said of the ruling APNU+AFC coalition. The coalition can also be accused of being confused when it comes to the review and award of broadcast licences. It does not seem to be able to know how to review the licence issued by the former government and how to encourage greater competition in broadcasting by issuing new licences. If APNU+AFC is of the view that the award of broadcast licences by the Jagdeo administration was unlawful, then it should challenge these awards in a court of law. It cannot of its own simply abrogate any licence issued by the former government. It has to gain the judgment of the court which is the arm of the government that decides on the legality of actions taken by government. There is a view that even if the licences granted by the Jagdeo administration were unlawful, they may not be revocable because the persons and entities to whom the licences are granted

cannot be faulted for any unlawful act by the State. The realization that the State may not be in a position to revoke the licences granted by the former President has created paralysis within the Guyana Broadcasting Authority. The Authority does not seem to know how to proceed. Statements are emanating from within the authority which confound rather than bring clarity to what is going to happen with those licences and the many persons and entities whose applications were not allegedly fairly considered by the former government. The inability of the Guyana Broadcasting Authority to revoke the licences issued by former President Bharrat Jagdeo does not prevent the authority from granting new licences. The granting of new licences will help break the alleged monopoly of friends and cronies of the former administration by allowing other operators to enter into the broadcast market. Yet even this straightforward decision to license new broadcasters is not being implemented. The latest round of excuses is

that: a. There are no broadcast regulations in place; b. There is a need to determine how many broadcasting entities can be accommodated given the size of the advertising pie. The absence of broadcast regulations of course is not preventing the existing radio and television stations from gobbling up audience share. They are gaining a solid foothold in the market while others with legitimate expectations to a licence are still waiting. By the time those who are waiting receive their licences, the existing stations would have already dominated the share of media audience in Guyana and the new stations will have to play catch-up. The delay in granting new licences creates an uneven playing field for prospective entrants. The excuse about the need to determine how many stations can be accommodated because of the size of the advertising pie is pitiful. The size of the advertising market has nothing to do with the broadcasting authority. This is a commercial decision. If the State begins to limit the

Dem boys seh...

Before and After the Wedding Yesterday one of our reporters tied the knot and this was the conversation dem boys overhear. Husband: At last! I can hardly wait! Wife: Do you want me to leave? Husband: No! Don’t even think that. Wife: Do you love me? Husband: Of course! Always have and always will! Wife: Have you ever cheated on me? Husband: No! Why are you even asking? Wife: Will you kiss me? Husband: Every chance I get! Wife: Will you hit me? Husband: Hell no! Are you crazy?! Wife: Can I trust you? Husband: Yes. Wife: Oh my Darling! But when Jagdeo, that scamp, get married and dem boys hear de conversation was identical words. De only thing was that people got to start reading those same words from de bottom up. Now people can understand why Varshnie lef him and why he does tell people how he was never married. Since then he always at de centre of every crookish scheme in Guyana, down to de housing scheme. But dem got people who does con him and BK is one. Dem boys hear BK con him wid de land pun de East Bank. Dem boys hear Irfaat get instruction to give BK 100 acres land fuh develop a housing scheme name Sunset Lakes. Two week after de deal cut BK call de man who own BaiShan and arrange a sale. Everybody know that if is one thing that dem

Chinee don’t miss out on is land. Wheh dem come from land is scarce. BK arrange fuh buy de land fuh US$2 million. He sell it fuh US$8 million. When he tell De Rat right away de scamp face light up. He seh he want US$4 million of de profit. But de Chinee man run into some money problem. He loss nuff money at de Casino suh he only pay US$4 million. When De Rat ask fuh he cut BK tell him that de Chinee Man ain’t pay up. Soon after de elections come and Soulja Bai promise to jail all dem scamps. Dem boys seh that all of dem scamps should be selling kites from de roof of Camp Street prisons. People saying Soulja Bai fall in a coma which dem boys ain’t believe. Talk half and be careful wid dem kids flying kites near Brassington wire.

amount of entrants into a market, it will remove competition and create monopolies. The excuse about the size of the advertising pie is a most dangerous one. It defies the need for competition within the media. A market economy is based on competition. Those who can deliver the goods cheaper and effectively are going to prevail where fair competition exists. Those who cannot compete must fall by the wayside. It has happened before. It happened before with a television station in Guyana who could not compete and had to be sold. It is the law of the market. There is need for measures to promote fair competition, not for interventions limiting the number of stations. There is equally no need also for content to be controlled. No station should be told what they should be

broadcasting. The totalitarian approach in trying to influence what people broadcast is going to return Guyana to the age when the media was totally controlled by the government. Free speech is going to be made a victim of any attempt to determine content. The government has an obligation to encourage competition and not to concern itself with the advertising pie. If limits on entrants into the market were based on the size of the advertising pie, this newspaper would not have been born. When Glenn Lall established Kaieteur News, everyone told him he was a mad man, that the market could not sustain another newspaper because the advertising pie and the readership were too small for more than two newspapers. There are today four daily

newspapers. The advertising pie is not a static phenomenon nor is the readership. Also for ten years, this newspaper never got a single advertisement from the State. For the first ten years of this newspaper’s existence, it was deprived of State ads. It did not go under. In fact it forced this newspaper to become busy at reporting the issues that people want to learn about and the result is that Kaieteur News became the leading newspaper in Guyana. The state has no role in limiting, because of the size of the advertising pie, the number of broadcasting licences which can be issued. This is an excuse which can promote protectionism, censorship and dictatorship, none of which has a place in a free and democratic society.

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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BRIAN TIWARIE (BK) APPOINTED BUSINESS ADVISOR TO GOVT.

Tiwarie’s certificate of appointment

Security is main concern for Guyana’s 50th anniversary

Guyana’s 50th anniversary celebrations is expected to attract a large number of people from all around the world and the organizers for the event will be doing everything to ensure everyone feels safe, comfortable and at home. Chairman for the Golden Jubilee Celebration, Bobby Vieira said that security during the event will be their main concern. There will be members from the Guyana Police Force and ranks from the Joint Services overlooking the event. At this point, the Chairman said that the event is still in its planning stage. “We are working to ensure adequate security because we expect to get an influx of people, including foreigners,” Vieira related. He explained that they are in the process of setting up an online accreditation process where participants, including artistes, vendors among others can be accredited. Once accredited, persons will receive a badge, featuring their name and photograph, indicating which area they will be working. “You will have to go online to the website and fill

out an accreditation form or you can go to one of the Ministries, either Tourism or Culture and fill out the form. We are still working on that,” the Chairman said. The event will feature Guyanese Singer, Sasha Wintz; Vocalist Cherry-Ann Hislop; Soca Artists Adrian Dutchin and Jumo Primo, as well as Chutney singers Gopaul Mangalram and Joyce Urmila Harris. Guyanese-American hip hop stars Red Café and Ryan Leslie have also been invited to perform. There will also be performances from the Bethesda Healing Center Dance Ministry, God’s Battalion of Praise Youth Choir, Impressions Dance Theater and classical Indian dancers Nikita Persaud and Nadia Persaud. Singer Anthony Alleyne, is slated to sing the US National Anthem while Lenessa Alexander will sing the Guyana National Anthem. Guyana’s Golden Jubilee

Bobby Vieira week of celebration starts on May 19 and ends on May 26. It will showcase the country’s development, history and talents. Meanwhile, since Easter is being celebrated today, Vieira is asking all parents, who are planning to take their children to the Durban Park to fly kite, to be extra careful and conscious of the surroundings. “We are appealing to parents to keep an eye on their children because construction works are ongoing at the park. We are not denying access; just be careful,” the Chairman urged. He explained that vehicles will be barred from entering the park. “There are some stands that are completed that persons can use.”

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

Contractor/Businessman, Brian ‘BK’ Tiwarie, has been named as a Business Advisor to Government. The appointment was made on January 19th by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. According to the Instrument of Appointment signed by the Minister, Tiwarie is appointed the Ministerial Advisor on Business Development. Under the previous PPP/ C administration, Tiwarie was able to become one of the most powerful contractors involved in some of the biggest projects, including the stalled East Bank Demerara four-lane extension project. He is one of the main contractors on the West Coast Demerara Road Improvement Project and was involved in the construction of the troubled Supenaam

Ferry Wharf, Essequibo. In addition to contracts, Tiwarie has spread his tentacles to the aviation, mining and quarrying businesses. His foray into the housing sector, however, has landed him in trouble with recent revelations that he sold 100 acres of lands to a Chinese logger Chu Hongbo. According to court documents on the case filed earlier this year, Tiwarie, through his company, Sunset Lakes, acquired the Providence lands in April 2014 for $471M. He paid down just over $117M. Eight weeks later, he sold the entire plot for US$8M ($1.6B). After Chu Hongbo, the buyer, failed to pay off $4M by April last year, Tiwarie filed a court action asking for the land to be taken back.

New Ministerial Advisor, Brian Tiwarie The businessman, who was close to the previous administration, became close with the new Government shortly after President David Granger was sworn in last May. He was involved in the cleanup of Brickdam.

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Kaieteur News

Monday March 28, 2016

Local porn site continues to torment women

A snapshot of the site When a new Facebook account with Emily Singh’s name and picture sprung up and began ‘adding’ people, her actual friends thought it was a little strange. It was even stranger for Singh (not her real name); she hadn’t set up a new Facebook profile. In a vicious, targeted attack, her ex- husband set up the spoof account with her details, and posted explicit, intimate sexual pictures they had taken together- then invited all of her friends and family to see them. Within two days, the pictures of Singh had also appeared on a local porn site, www.Guyanaxxx.com now www.Guyanaporn.com and had been viewed nearly 1300 times. This was in January 2013. Like the increasing number of people affected by the site, Singh was stunned by what had happened to her. Her life was “turned upside-down,” she said. She had to report each of the eight photos individually to Facebook, and ask for them to be removed. The profile was eventually deleted. While the pictures were taken down from the social media site, the operator for the

local porn website has ignored her pleas. Today, nude photos of her still dot the internet. “It is sick that these kinds of things happen and there is nowhere you can go to report it. When it first happened to me, I was so depressed. I spoke with a police friend of mine and he told me that the police cannot tackle cyber crime,” Singh said. She explained that it was devastating for her to accept the fact that nude pictures of her are out there and the police couldn’t do anything to help her. The local porn site came into the limelight in August 2015 when several women called this newspaper and explained that their pictures were being stolen from Facebook, photo shopped and posted on the site. The information was handed over to police but nothing was done. When news of the porn site first appeared in the media, it was hurriedly taken down for a few days but was subsequently reopened. In August last year, a Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) woman had claimed that a man who had (Continued on page 24)

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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CALL ME MR. TEA Alicia Silverstone said that she considered a box of fine European chocolates to be better than sex. American author and writer, Spalding Grey, disagreed. He thought skiing was better than sex. Lil’ Kim is quoted as saying, “I haven’t had sex in eight months. To be honest I now prefer to go bowling.” Singer, songwriter, Tom Lehrer, insisted that when you get to fifty-two, food becomes more important than sex. Harold Pinter, the British playwright, stood by his view, “I tend to think that cricket is the greatest thing that God ever created on earth- certainly greater than sex although sex isn’t too bad either.” I can see a certain twisted logic in what these people said but the one that I do not understand or subscribe to is Boy George’s view, “I would rather have a cup of tea than sex.” Although, upon reflection, I suppose his prospective partners must have said the same or worse, possibly preferring Karma or any other kind of Chameleon if it came to that. Or they could say to the Boy, “Leaf me alone, I’m bushed.” Growing up and even well into my forties and fifties, I

detested tea. Even though my doctor forced me to lay off coffee, I drank tea by default and under protest. I used to tell this story to the fanatic tea drinkers. If you’re squeamish and are one of those tea fanatics you might wish to skip this joke and seek solace in the meantime with a cuppa. I wouldn’t be oolong. A very cute little girl was playing with her miniature tea set. Her father was in the living room and her mother was out shopping. The little girl came out to the living room and offered her father a cup of tea, which was in fact just water. He thought this was really cute, so he took several cups without complaint. When the mother came home, the father had the mother stop and watch the little tea ritual, as her daughter brought the father another cup of “tea” and he drank it. The mother said, “Very nice. But has it occurred to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?” My take on it is that he and all other tea drinkers could never ever really tell the difference. There were times, even in my worse coffee-drinking days, that I had tea but under special circumstances.

Working for PAHO and elsewhere, especially the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), we had extremely long meetings and workshops. While the WICB Directors were allowed an open bar during the Board Meetings by President Julien Hunte, as Corporate Secretary and by choice, I stayed off the hard stuff. As the circular discussions spun the time out into light years, I used to go to the tea table and try to at least counteract the effects of the accumulated acidity from the meetings and the many cups of instant coffee drunk black and bitter. I took as much milk as hot water and though normally not a sugar user sweetened my tea with at least two heaped teaspoons. I suppose the tea took me back to my comfort zone of childhood since it reminded me of the “green tea” that my grandmother had available every morning together with “cocoa tea”, “Ovaltine tea” and “coffee tea.” Occasionally when the coffee ran out at my Grandmother’s house, I had no choice but to drink the green tea (Red Rose) and even when I added more milk and sugar I was still

always on the edge of regurgitation. It did not help to change my attitude when I read that the essayist, William Hazlitt, died, they said, from his addiction to tea which he drank, “not wisely but too well.” My weakness in those days, and even now, is humour. There was a PG Wodehouse story (which I remember but am not sure of all the details) about a man who had stopped drinking and switched to tea with fatal consequences. He was hit by a bus two weeks later. There was also the Beatnik who burnt his tongue from drinking tea before it was cool. Eventually, at the age of fifty nine I was dragged kicking, screaming and tantrum-throwing to the tea table by my doctor. Possibly having to pass through Miami airport, the armpit of the Universe, twice and sometimes four times a week, my cholesterol was bad and getting worse. My heart was as clotted as the cream the British use on their strawberries chased with tea, and my end was as imminent as it was growing. As Hamlet said there is a divinity that shapes our ends but, as I tend

to add, there is also a divinity, perhaps the same one, which ends our shapes. So tea it became, was and is. Now I start my day with a cup of filtered coffee from Kenya, Jamaica or Fiji. Generally I stay with a mild brew because I can’t deal with too much domestic acidity so early. Then I become Mr. Tea or Tea Deyal. What helped me cope was a Small Island Developing States (SIDS) meeting in Mauritius where I was introduced to a vanillainfused black tea which seemed to be the national drink. It had “body”, something that the other insipid teas did not have and I loved it. I still import it but not as much as before since I find that I can drink even plain Lipton, Tetley and the other collections of scrapings from the cutting room floor without any milk, sugar, qualms or fears.

I doubt that I will ever be a member of the Litteratea or Glitteratea. I won’t be a scion of the nobility and change my name to Earl Grey. If anything, I prefer Kenyan AA or Jamaican Blue. When I really want to indulge, I drink tea with all kinds of stuff added, like cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla, anise, cloves and cardamom. It goes back to India, has been around for centuries and is known as Chai or Chai Tea. I add some Carnation evaporated milk to mine but I stint on the sugar, using Stevia instead. I just had a cup while sitting writing this column. After all, Chai Tea begins at home. *Tony Deyal was last seen quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, “A woman is like a tea bag - you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Not that he is ever tempted to validate this.

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Kaieteur News

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Building Construction: house plans & estimates, floor sanding, lacquering & painting, boat for Santa Mission –Call: 650-4362 Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves – Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 INNOVATIVE MARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs to LED, Plasma, LCD and all other electronic equipment. Ordering of circuit boards. Abdul Electronics. Call: 225-0391 JADESCO offers: Architectural designs (house plans), 3D designs, construction, rehabilitation works and estimates. Call:612-0468; 649-3059 Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call: 629-4946 or 225-4822 PEN PAL Indian male is seeking female, age 30-33yrs. Write: M.D, 7475 Goreway DR #47 Mississauga on L4T 3T3 Canada.

WANTED Housekeeping staff to work at Hotel. Call: 638-2027 from 9am to 4pm Hairdresser/sales representative needed for hair products. Must have a vehicle. Call: 231-4999; 6770480, email:irbcguy@gmail. com One bulldozer operator to work in West Bank area. Call: 694-3978; 627-9909 Bill clerk (girls) to work at grocery stall in Stabroek Market, experience is an asset. Call: 226-9800 Housekeeper to cook for an Indian Family in Turkeyen, 6 days @ $15,000 weekly. Police clearance and reference required. Call: 655-6766 Operator, porters/labourers. Apply at Wieting & Richter Ltd. Live in domestic must know to cook and bake -$80,000 monthly. Call: 610-5043 Live in waitress must be able assist with lotto and top up$70,000. Call: 610-3974 One experienced sales clerk to work at Curtains & Drapery. Call: 225-2224 Driver/porter @ Carmen’s Funeral Home, Little Diamond, E.B.D. Call: 2655010; 647-1776 Female domestic to work in Trinidad, must be educated and know to cook. Between 25-35 years.Call 1868-755-1990 Contract cars and taxi drivers (salaries paid). Call: 2310002; 231-0316

Private Custom Brokerage Certificate: training course29th March 2016. Register now! Call: 223-1506; 694-8322

TAXI SERVICES G R TA X I S E RV I C E . CALL: 219-5000; 2271982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494

VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Fielder & L-Touring Wagon, AT192, AE100, Funcargo, Tundra, Pickup 4X4 solid DEF, (Ducati 1098cc). Call: 644-5096; 6971453

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154

Nissan Titan- Call: 696-5135

AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BRR, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154

PROPERTY FOR SALE Flat house in Grove, (corner property) 1 Block from main road, price negotiable. Call: 1905-626-2572 Transported property @ Grove $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House & land fully furnished, 3 self contained rooms, 1 master bedroom, alarm systems, 9 cameras, 7 AC units. Call: 628-0016; 667-2536 House & land at Good Hope E.C.D -$32M negotiable. Call: 654-4312 & 629-3344 House & land @ Block 8 Mon Repos, E.C.D -$27M neg. Call: 654-4312; 629-3344, serious inquiries only. Church and 2 storey building Lot 180 Charlotte Street Bourda-Call: 227-6817; 6247341 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244

One Toyota Premio PTT series. excellent condition, reverse camera-$1.850M, prices negotiable. Call: 6280481 Smart choice Auto: 08&06 Premio, 08&06 Allion, 212, Runx, IST, Fielder. Call: 6523820; 665-4529 2005 SPACIO -$2.2M NEG, 2006 PREMIO-$2.3M NEG, NOAH & VOXY-$1.7M NEG. ALL VEHICLES FULLY LOADED & UNREGISTERED. CALL: 642-7295

House & land (3yrs old) for sale at Canal No.2 Polder, 53/ 4 rice land elsewhere. Call: 718-657-9040; 266-2897; 6909331 La Parfaite Harmonie: $1M & $1.3M, Uitvlugt: $3M, Providence: $9M & $4.5M, Kitty-$18M, Sandpit @ Yarrowkabra -$90M. Call: 6046724 Diamond: $15M & $14M, Grove: $9.5M, New Road V/ Hoop: $6M, Pouderoyen:$45M, Goed Fortuin : $7M, La Grange $10M. Call: 604-6724 Property @ Lot 87 Albert Street- Call: 669- 8701

Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call: 225-9032;647-2943;6045198 ADORABLE PUPPIES FOR SALE. CALL: 615-0146 Labrottie puppies (jet black) for sale @ $50,000/each; 5 weeks fully de-wormed & vaccinated. Call: 654-7683 One 20 tons dump, one truck tray, one blocks machine, one ZF gearbox. Call: 6179230/269-1406 (9 Stalls) 64 to 72 (47feet long x 7 feet wide) @ La Penitence Market Albouystown. Call: 663-1597; 218-4837 XBOX360 E with games & controller PS3 super slim with games & controller. Call: 6838386

One Toyota Hilux E/Cab pickup M/T 3RZ engine. Call: 676-0931

Brand new KIA sports SUV. Call: 624-5650

1-Toyota AE100 Wagon. Call: 618-8040; 658-1272

Dachshund Puppy, dewormed -$12,000 Call: 2160521; 694-3567

1 Toyota RZ, year 2011, price$1.6M, 2 Recon Winch 17500lb. Owner migrating. Call:649-8214; 679-1415; 2332583; 674-8589 TO LET 2 Bedrooms apartment for rent with toilet & bath inside at Section ‘B’ Field, Turkeyen. Call: 231-2669; 646-4976

Must Sell! Owner migrating: Two bedrooms concrete house, recently built, in Werk-en-Rust -$30M negotiable. Call: 645-6498 One roadside, 2 storey building @ V/Hoop, ground excellent for restaurant or other business –Call: 6540779

CAR RENTAL EDUCATIONAL

Modfiw Beauty Salon is looking for professional cosmetologist to rent beauty station. Call Marcia: 682-2604

Monday March 28, 2016

LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building- Tel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 615-0964; 689-5997

Leyland DAF55, Flatbed truck-in, excellent condition. Call to negotiate: 675-4287; 628-0016; 667-2536; 233-2383

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Furnished salon @ 153 Middle Road La Penitence. Call: 665-3307 Executive Furnished 4 bedroom house@ Republic Park, EBD-Call 600-2031 Furnished 2 bedroom house@ Farm, EBD $150,000 per monthly neg. Call 6002031

LAND FOR SALE Eight (8) Acres farm land at Kuru Kururu with creek passing through-Call: 6431861 1.5 Acre W.B.D. Call: 6580115 Land at Yarrowkabra 200ftX300ft, price $1.300M. Call: 645-0489

Executive semi furnished 4 bedroom house, air condition, Lamaha GardensCall 600-2031 Two bedrooms, bottom flat, with A/C, hot & cold, security, overseas clients only- Call: 226-1519 2 Bedrooms apartment in Eccles for rent, recently built, fully secured -$80,000 per month. Call: 641-0568

VACANCY Accounts Clerk/Salesgirls, apply at D.Singh & Sons. Call: 226-1316 One maid who knows Indian cooking and a helper cleaner for a salon spa. Call: 2310734. Apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek. RA Soda: male & female workers, bond clerks, accountants, drivers, housekeeper, worker with mechanical idea. Call: 3302399/ 623-5920 1 Female cleaner apply @ Technical Services 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles. Porters, apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling. One domestic cleaner must be able to prepare vegetarian meal. Apply in person at Alabama Trading Georgetown, Ferry Stelling. 1 Male professional baker to work in St. Maarten. Please send resume marguritagrocery@hotmail.com/ Contact: 1721-526-63610/ 1721-580-9232

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Bharrat Jagdeo is an irredeemable character DEAR EDITOR, Six months ago, (SN 21 September 2015), in an article entitled “Why does Jagdeo want to be President again” we wrote this; “the word shame seems to have disappeared from usage in the political arena of the country”. Well Mr. Editor we did not

have to wait long for more proof. In your publication of 25 March 2016, former President Jagdeo demonstrated his temerity and shamelessness. He looked Guyanese in the eye and said the most dishonest and barefaced thing, that “… there was ethnic and regional

balance when he granted those radio and television licenses…” in 2011. It did not matter that Guyanese know that one third of the licenses were given to one of his friends and to the PPP, a political party. In order to possess this degree of dishonesty and

New book on Jonestown by... From page 4 Kwayana forcefully argues that the Peoples Temple was actually a “state within a state” (a term that may have been used by top ranks in the Burnham regime), given the extent to which the Burnham regime was involved, and the level of secrecy associated with its creation. Kwayana reminded us of some simple facts that we may have taken for granted: Jim Jones “was in full control of truth and “he embodied the media…”. This was eerily the simplicity with which the Burnham regime governed

Guyana, particularly during the late 1970s, ironically, a time when Kwayana’s opposition to Burnham was strongest. He reminds us of the contempt Burnham had for the Guyanese people - at the time when Guyanese faced import bans on many essential items, the settlers at Jonestown were exempt from the country’s customs and immigration regulations. Now domiciled in California, the area from which most of Jones’s innocent victims migrated, Kwayana found time to meet with

survivors of the People’s Temple. His book offers some new insights into a national tragedy that claimed Guyana as an international pariah state. Not embedded in pretensions, or utopian theoretical approach, A New Look at Jonestown is well worth reading, not because it was written by a politically/ socially conscious Guyanese activist, but because of what it has to offer in our greater understanding of what essentially was a Guyanese national tragedy. Baytoram Ramharack

temerity he must believe one or all of the following things; (a) He owes Guyanese nothing and that Guyanese can’t do him anything, irrespective what he did, (b) Guyanese have no memory, and (c) Guyanese are not only illiterate, they are stupid. It does not matter what he believes. What matters is that he is prepared to insult the people of that country by saying to them, in effect, that the thing I did in 2011 which you protested vehemently against because, instinctively and in your heart, you know it to be wrong in every sense of that word, well, I have no apology to make; go to hell I don’t care what you think. Know this and be warned; when a man who is obsessed with power lose the capacity to be ashamed he will say anything, is capable of the worst things, the worst acts, and will always engage in the

abuse of power. As Guyanese have seen for themselves during the period 2001-2011, in case after case, he is not only capable of saying anything he is capable of much, much worse, too many to recount in this letter, including the case of the Radio and Television licenses. It takes a particular category of dishonesty and crass to behave this way, to insult a people so directly this way. The tragic story that is Guyana continues, because people like him are allowed to come to power. In Belgium (Thursday 24 March 2016), the Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Keon Greens offered to resign, after it was revealed that Turkey provided them with information about one of the Brussels suicide bombers, months before the bombings of Tuesday 22 March 2016, but they failed to act on said

information. They tendered their resignations out of shame at their incompetence and the cost to the country. They did not have to but know it is the right thing to do. Now Mr. Editor, these are the kinds of political personalities that people in a democracy should elect; the type that acknowledges their failure, and is ready to leaves office, because they are courageous enough to take personal responsibility for their actions and failure. One can trust such men with power. They are not power drunk and are clearly decent human beings. Mr.Jagdeo is a different story, a human being who is devoid of the capacity for shame :(Guyanese can finish this sentence and reflect on the implications for themselves). Good luck to the people of Guyana. Ivor Carryl

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park

Security officials gather at the site of a blast outside a public park in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday. REUTERS/MOHSIN RAZA Reuters - A suicide bomber killed at least 65 people, mostly women and children, at a park in Lahore yesterday in an attack claimed by a Pakistani Taliban faction which said it had targeted Christians. More than 300 other people were wounded, officials said. The explosion occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park close to children’s swings. The park is a popular site for members of Lahore’s Christian community, many of whom had gone there to celebrate the Easter weekend holiday. Witnesses said they saw body parts strewn across the parking lot once the dust had settled after the blast. “When the blast

occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air,” said Hasan Imran, 30, a resident who had gone to Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park for a walk. Officials said 65 people were killed and about 300 wounded. Police Superintendant Mustansar Feroz said most of the casualities were women and children. The Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack. “The target was Christians,” a spokesman for the faction, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore.” “He can do what he wants

but he won’t be able to stop us. Our suicide bombers will continue these attacks.” Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious minorities often over the past decade. Many Christians accuse the government of doing little to protect them, saying politicians are quick to offer condolences after an attack but slow to take any concrete steps to improve security. Salman Rafique, a health adviser for the Punjab provincial government, said many of the wounded were undergoing emergency surgery in hospitals. “We fear that the death toll may climb considerably,” he said.

U.S. Democrat Sanders says party leaders may ‘rethink’ after wins Reuters - Fresh from Democratic presidential primary wins over the weekend in three U.S. states, Bernie Sanders yesterday claimed political momentum he said could help him win the backing of Democratic power brokers in his race against Hillary Clinton. Sanders easily won nominating contests in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii on Saturday. His latest remarks reflect his plan to chip away at Clinton’s commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to win the party’s nomination. Interviewed yesterday by U.S. broadcasters, Sanders said Democratic “superdelegates,” who can change their allegiance, might rally behind him because some polls suggest he has a better chance than Clinton of beating a Republican candidate. “Momentum is with us. A lot of these super-delegates may rethink their position

Bernie Sanders with Hillary Clinton,” said Vermont Senator Sanders on CNN’S State of the Union news programme. About 85 percent of the votes at the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where a party nominee will be chosen to face the Republicans in the Nov. 8 election, are being determined

by state nominating contests. The other 15 percent is held by party power brokers who are free to vote as they like, meaning they could hold the key in a tight contest. Super-delegates include party leaders and elected senators, members of the U.S. Congress, and governors. After Saturday’s contests, the former secretary of state led Sanders by just under 300 pledged delegates in the race for the 2,382 needed to be nominated. Adding in the support of super-delegates, Clinton had 1,712 delegates to 1,004 for Sanders, according to a tally by RealClearPolitics.com. The U.S. senator from Vermont needs to win up to two-thirds of the remaining delegates to catch Clinton, who will keep piling up delegates even when she loses under a Democratic Party system that awards them proportionally in all states.

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Pope urges compassion for migrants in Easter appeal Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis yesterday spoke out against the “rejection” of refugees as the European migrant crisis saw its latest desperate scenes on the Greek border with Macedonia. The pontiff used his Easter address to urge people to offer “welcome and assistance” to those fleeing war and poverty, as Europe struggles with its worst migration crisis since World War II. Countries along Europe’s “Balkan route” have toughened their stance on migrants in recent weeks, closing their borders to those seeking to transit in search of a better life in the continent’s wealthier northern states. The shutdown has led to a bottleneck at the GreeceMacedonia frontier, where the Greek authorities have been trying to evacuate an estimated 11,500 people stranded at the squalid Idomeni camp. But yesterday, dozens of migrants who had left, rushed back to the camp following a rumour that journalists and Red Cross officials would

Pope Francis help them force their way across the fence into Macedonia. The EU and Turkey struck a deal earlier this month that will see new migrants arriving on the Greek islands returned to Turkey, in the hope of discouraging them from making the dangerous sea crossing. During Good Friday prayers, the pope decried what he called Europe’s “indifferent and anaesthetised conscience”

over migrants and on Sunday he took up the theme again. “The Easter message of the risen Christ... invites us not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees... fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice,” the pope said. Francis has long called for the global community to open its doors to refugees and fight xenophobia — appeals which have intensified since the controversial EU-Turkey deal. In his Easter address, the pope also referred to Syria’s “lengthy conflict, with its sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law”, voicing hope for a positive result from UNbrokered peace talks that opened in Geneva in midMarch and are to resume in April. Syria’s five-year conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, with neighbouring countries bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis.

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Monday March 28, 2016

Putin hails Palmyra recapture, trumpets Russian role Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday hailed Syria’s recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra, while stressing the role of Moscow’s military in reversing the Islamic State tide. The recapture of the ancient city represents a major victory over the Islamic State group, whose fighters had destroyed many monuments at the UNESCO world heritage site since they overran it in May last year. Putin phoned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to personally congratulate him yesterday, the Kremlin said. “Putin congratulated Assad on Syrian forces successfully completing a large-scale operation to

Vladimir Putin liberate Palmyra with the support of Russian air and space forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement. Assad in turn “expressed gratitude for the effective help given by the Russian ... air

forces to Syrian forces,” the Kremlin said. The Syrian leader told Putin “successes such as the liberation of Palmyra would be impossible without Russia’s support,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti state news agency. Backed by a barrage of Russian air strikes, Syrian troops and allied militia launched a major offensive to retake the desert city earlier this month. Moscow pledged its full support despite announcing on March 14 a surprise order from Putin to start withdrawing armed forces from Syria. Russian state television yesterday emphasised that its troops played a key role in the liberation of Palmyra.

Guyana and Suriname will not become air hubs, says IDB report WASHINGTON, USA — A report commissioned by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) concluded that Guyana and Suriname will not in the near future become air hubs in the region. The report by Andy Ricover, titled Constraints to Regional Air Connectivity between countries of the Guyana Shield and South America”, which was released in November 2015, added that the respective governments of those countries should therefore actively engage in negotiations to connect Guyana and Suriname with major South American hubs in Colombia, Brazil and Panama. The Guyanas will not become hubs anytime soon and poor infrastructure and services don’t help. Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is currently being expanded and modernized but that won’t make much of a difference because neither Guyana nor Suriname have the “volume of origin and destination (O&D) traffic”. But this could all change if the tourism industry takes off in either one or both of these countries.

As a result of low O&D passenger traffic, “in terms of operational facilities, the current state of the infrastructure of Georgetown and Paramaribo international airports present no operational constraints. Both terminal buildings, at Paramaribo and at Georgetown, offer a relatively low level of service to passengers,” the report asserts. The report claims that both Suriname’s Johan Pengel and Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan airports, “even without proper measurement of the buildings, the dimensions and appearance of the facilities are not up to the international accepted levels of service”. It added that “all areas related to passenger processing areas, particularly for outbound passengers, present deficient conditions of facilitation, comfort and acceptable level of service”. Both airports in Guyana and Suriname are expensive for passengers and airlines. The report claims that Paramaribo and Georgetown airports are the seventh and eighth most expensive airports of a sample of airports in South America. (Caribbean News)

US Supreme Court declines to review convictions and sentences…

Two senior Stanford executives MIAMI, USA — The former Antigua and Barbudabased Ponzi king, R Allen Stanford, who is preparing to file a petition for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, may be wasting his time. The high court recently refused to hear certiorari petitions filed on behalf of two of Stanford’s senior executives, Mark Kuhrt, and Gilbert Lopez, Jr. Both men had received 20-year sentences after being convicted on multiple counts of wire fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had affirmed their convictions. The Supreme Court apparently did not buy into the

R Allen Stanford two defendants’ arguments to the effect that there was a conflict in the decisions of the various circuits regarding errors in jury instructions, and considered that

any errors that occurred during their trial were harmless, given the evidence admitted. Stanford, who reportedly is also seeking to have his conviction and sentence heard, pursuant to conflict certiorari, has an uphill battle even to get in the door. Only a small fraction of certiorari petitions are ever granted by the Supreme Court, and it is doubtful that he will be successful. Furthermore, his post-trial filings have all been pro se, filed without the benefit of an attorney. As the saying goes, a person who represents himself has a fool for a client. Was he planning on arguing the case himself before the Supreme Court? (Caribbean News)

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Financial services threat to be investigated Daily Observer - The threat being posed to the financial services sector in Antigua and Barbuda as well as other Caribbean countries will come under the microscope at special OAS We d n e s d a y in Washington DC. T h a t ’s a c c o r d i n g t o Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders who chairs the Permanent Council of the OAS. He says countries in Central America have also been subject to worrying developments directly affecting their financial services sector. According to Sir Ron says this in turn poses a threat to their economic growth and political stability. MP and former Financial Services Minister

Sir Ronald Sanders o f T h e B a h a m a s Ry a n Pinder is among three experts who will address the Permanent Council of the OAS. The OAS press release did not detail the new

developments but derisking by international b a n k s a s i t ’s c a l l e d i s occupying the attention of Antigua and Barbuda and the region. Under pressure from US regulatory agencies, banks in America are cutting off correspondent relations with Caribbean indigenous and offshore banks unilaterally and with very little notice. The de-risking means the possible loss of access to the international financial markets by mainly regional indigenous banks. It would affect transactions such as wire-transfers. Prime Minister Gaston Browne chairs a Caricom high level group that will lobby several entities including the World Trade Organisation and the US congress.

Monday March 28, 2016

Brazilian lawyers push for Rousseff impeachment

Dilma Rousseff

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) The Brazilian bar association piled more pressure on President Dilma Rousseff, saying it will file a new request today to Congress for her impeachment, in a political crisis that threatens to topple her government. Lawmakers have launched a congressional committee charged with deciding whether to bring a motion to impeach Rousseff over corruption allegations. “Impeachment is enshrined in our constitution as a legal remedy for our democracy,” bar association (OAB) president Claudio

Lamachia told the O Globo newspaper yesterday, saying today’s action was endorsed almost unanimously by the bar as a defender of democracy. It was not a political decision, Lamachia added. Rousseff last week condemned the “fascist methods” of opponents seeking her ouster and said the roiling crisis would leave a “scar” if not resolved democratically. The leftist leader ruled out stepping down, despite mass protests and the impeachment proceedings in Congress.

FOREIGN MINISTRY DEALS WITH T&T DISPUTE …As more Jamaicans complain of shabby treatment in messy rooms Jamaica Observer The foreign affairs ministry has intervened in the reported abuse of a group of Jamaicans who were denied entry to Trinidad a n d To b a g o l a s t w e e k , even though no formal report has been made to the ministry. At the same time, it is also understood that the t w i n - i s l a n d r e p u b l i c ’s national security ministry will be meeting with Caribbean Airlines as part of a probe into the incident. The Jamaicans were refused entry and allegedly held in deplorable conditions. The travellers said they were made to sleep on the airport floor, not allowed to use the bathroom, and were mocked and insulted by the Trinidadian police. O n F r i d a y, F o r e i g n Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said that immediately following a newscast about the incident, the ministry

alerted the Jamaica High Commission in Trinidad, which then communicated with high-level staff at the c o u n t r y ’s i m m i g r a t i o n department. “An internal investigation at the airport in T&T has also begun, and the Jamaican High Commission will be provided with a report upon completion,” a release from the ministry said Friday. At the same time, Johnson Smith has urged Jamaicans who encounter this type of abuse while travelling abroad to make formal reports to the ministry. “I was very upset by the accounts given in the video circulated on social media, but incidents like these must be reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade so that we can better represent your interests. We need you to give us information so we can support investigations; we can also

More delays at Airport Daily Nation - Passengers at the Grantley Adams International Airport were left waiting for three hours yesterday morning to board flights as a system malfunction forced check-ins to be done manually. People flying on American Airlines (AA), Jet Blue and Caribbean Airlines were the ones affected, with the Miami leg of the American Airlines routes the hardest hit. Agents were busy making sure more than 200 patiently waiting passengers were accommodated. This meant filling out a form by hand, checking their names against a list and then going into the back to print the boarding passes. Passengers were told the system went down late Saturday night.

Kamina Johnson Smith work on preventing the recurrence of these incidents insofar as possible. The more information we have, the better,” she said. The ministry is also reminding the public that there is a Caricom Community (Caricom) complaints procedure which can be used to ensure that nationals who have been denied entry, detained or mistreated at the ports of entry of other Caricom states file a formal complaint with the ministry on return to Jamaica. Despite the move towards strengthening integration and removing the barriers to entry among Caricom nations through the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and E c o n o m y, Jamaican nationals and others still continue to experience some degree of difficulty when travelling to some other nations in the region, especially Trinidad and Barbados.

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Windies lose to Afghanistan but still top World T20 group

- Usman Ghani was cleaned up for 4, Afghanistan v West Indies, World T20 2016, Group 1, Nagpur, March 27, 2016. (AFP) (Reuters) West Indies will face India or Australia in the World Twenty20 last four after losing to Afghanistan by six runs in their final Super 10 stage match on Sunday, while England will play New Zealand in the other semi-final. Afghanistan, who lost the toss and were sent in to bat,

rode an unbeaten 48 off 40 balls by Najibullah Zadran to post 123-7 in Nagpur and held their nerve to register their first win in Group One and ruin their opponents’ 100 percent record. West Indies had already qualified for the semi-finals before the game and still

finished top of the group ahead of England with a superior net run rate despite the defeat. “Obviously we are disappointed, but there’s no doubt we are not going to let this dampen our spirits,” Windies’ Darren Sammy told reporters.

Leg-spinner Samuel Badree decimated Afghanistan’s top order, taking three wickets for 14 runs to leave them struggling on 52 for four in the 10th over, but man-of-the-match Zadran got four fours and a six at No. 6 to guide them to a competitive total. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were the pick of Afghanistan’s bowlers, taking two wickets apiece after left-arm spinner Amir Hamza got the early breakthrough. Leg-spinner Khan caught Evin Lewis — in for the rested Chris Gayle — off a Hamza delivery for a duck in the third over to leave the Windies at 17-1, while off-spinner Nabi got top-scorer Dwayne Bravo lbw on 28. Andre Fletcher retired hurt with a hamstring problem, but was forced to return at the death as Afghanistan’s spinners kept picking off the Windies’ batsmen. Khan bowled Marlon Samuels on five and got Denesh Ramdin stumped on 18 to keep the pressure on and combined with wicketkeeper

Serena Williams takes another step to ninth Miami title

(Reuters) Serena Williams won her 750th career match to stay on track for her ninth Miami Open title when she beat Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-5 6-3 in the third round in Florida on Saturday. The world number one improved her career record to 750-125, seventh on the all-time list and just three match wins behind Lindsay Davenport’s 753.

Martina Navratilova sits atop the all-time list with 1,442 wins. The 34year-old Williams will meet Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round. The 15th seed defeated France’s Caroline Garcia 4-6 6-2 7-6(6). Unlike the last time they met, when Williams required 54 minutes and Diyas won just two games, the 22-year-old Kazak gave the American some trouble in the heat and

humidity of Miami. Williams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, only to see Diyas rally and win three straight games. But the 21-times grand slam champion steadied to close out the match. “I think she called her coach and they used a different strategy,” Williams said in a courtside interview. “I was able to figure it out after a little bit. She played well, especially to be ranked

97th. She has a bright future because she’s so young. But I really wanted to close it out.” Williams and Kuznetsova were joined in the fourth round by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, Romanian Simona Halep, Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, Russian Ekaterina Makarova and wildcard Heather Watson of Great Britain. Makarova, the 30th seed, upset eighth seed Czech Petra Kvitova 6-4 6-4.

Mohammad Shahzad to runout Andre Russell at the nonstriker’s end on seven after a mix-up with Sammy. Nabi then struck again to see off the big-hitting Carlos Brathwaite, who smashed two sixes in the penultimate

over to leave his team needing 10 runs off the last six balls. Zadran played a major part in Brathwaite’s demise, taking a brilliant running catch to send the danger man back to the pavilion for 13 as the Windies ran out of steam.

SCOREBOARD World T20 - 30th match, Super 10 Group 1 Afghanistan v West Indies Played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur (neutral venue) Afghanistan innings (20 overs maximum) Mohammad Shahzad†c Benn b Badree Usman Ghani b Badree Asghar Stanikzai* c Bravo b Badree Gulbadin Naib c Bravo b Sammy Samiullah Shenwari c Sammy b Benn Najibullah Zadran not out Mohammad Nabi c Samuels b Russell Shafiqullah c Fletcher b Russell Rashid Khan not out Extras (lb 2, w 1) Total (7 wickets; 20 overs)

24 4 16 8 1 48 9 4 6 3 123

Did not bat - Amir Hamza, Hamid Hassan Fall of wickets - 1-8 (Usman Ghani, 1.5 ov), 2-33 (Mohammad Shahzad, 5.6 ov), 3-50 (Asghar Stanikzai, 9.3 ov), 4-52 (Samiullah Shenwari, 10.2 ov), 5-56 (Gulbadin Naib, 11.5 ov), 6-90 (Mohammad Nabi, 16.3 ov), 7-103 (Shafiqullah, 18.1 ov) Bowling AD Russell S Badree CR Brathwaite SJ Benn DJ Bravo DJG Sammy

O 4 4 2 4 4 2

M 0 0 0 0 0 0

R 23 14 21 18 28 17

W 2 3 0 1 0 1

Econ 5.75 (1w) 3.50 10.50 4.50 7.00 8.50

West Indies innings (target: 124 runs from 20 overs) J Charles b Hamid Hassan 22 E Lewis c Rashid Khan b Amir Hamza 0 ADS Fletcher not out 11 MN Samuels b Rashid Khan 5 D Ramdin†st †Mohammad Shahzad b Rashid Khan 18 DJ Bravo lbw b Mohammad Nabi 28 AD Russell run out (Rashid Khan/†Mohammad Shahzad) 7 DJG Sammy* c Samiullah Shenwari b Gulbadin Naib 6 CR Brathwaite c Najibullah Zadran b Mohammad Nabi 13 S Badreenot out 2 Extras (lb 1, w 2, nb 2) 5 Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 117 Did not bat - SJ Benn Fall of wickets - 1-17 (Lewis, 2.3 ov), 2-33 (Charles, 5.3 ov), 2-34* (Fletcher, retired not out, 5.6 ov), 3-38 (Samuels, 6.2 ov), 4-79 (Bravo, 13.6 ov), 5-89 (Ramdin, 15.6 ov), 6-98 (Russell, 17.3 ov), 7-107 (Sammy, 18.4 ov), 8-114 (Brathwaite, 19.3 ov) Bowling O Amir Hamza 4 Mohammad Nabi 4 Hamid Hassan 2.4 Rashid Khan 4 Samiullah Shenwari 4 Gulbadin Naib 1.2

Serena Williams reaches for a backhand against Zarina Diyas (not pictured) during day five of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

M 0 0 0 0 0 0

R 9 26 19 26 22 14

W Econ 1 2.25 2 6.50 1 7.12 2nb) 2 6.50 0 5.50 (1w) 1 10.50

MATCH DETAILS Toss - West Indies, who chose to field Result - Afghanistan won by 6 runs Points - Afghanistan 2, West Indies 0 T20I debut - E Lewis (West Indies) Player of the match - Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan) Umpires - Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and BNJ Oxenford (Australia) TV umpire - RA Kettleborough (England) Match referee - BC Broad (England) Reserve umpire - IJ Gould (England)

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Monday March 28, 2016

Warriors chalk up 52nd straight home win Reuters (The Sports Xchange) - The Golden State Warriors took advantage of a short-handed Dallas Mavericks squad to record a 52nd consecutive home-court victory, riding another recordsetting 3-point-shooting performance to a hard-earned 128-120 win. On a night when the Warriors presented Mavericks power forward David Lee his championship ring, Golden State set an NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season by connecting on 21 in 45 attempts. The 17th of the 21 came with 9:51 to go in the game and was Golden State’s 934th of the season, allowing them to surpass the previous record set by the Houston Rockets last season. Klay Thompson bombed in nine 3-pointers on a 40point night and backcourt sidekick Stephen Curry nailed five 3’s to account for almost half his 33 points, helping Golden State (65-7) remain four games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs (61-11) for top seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks forward David Lee (42) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and forward James Michael McAdoo (20) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) The Warriors already have clinched the home-court advantage in the NBA Finals should they get that far for a second consecutive year. Lee, who helped the Warriors win their first

championship since 1975 last season before getting dealt to the Boston Celtics over the summer, had 12 points, nine rebounds and a team-high six assists in his first return as an opponent this season.

Lee played 24 minutes in large part because Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle chose to rest veteran stars Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams with a winnable back-to-back upcoming Sunday and

Monday in Sacramento and Denver. The loss dropped the Mavericks (35-37) behind the Houston Rockets (36-37), who won Friday night, and into a tie with the Utah Jazz (35-37) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The Mavericks trailed by as many as 18 points before rallying within 102-94 by scoring the first five points of the fourth quarter. Thompson’s recordsetting 3-pointer made it a double-figure margin again, but Mavericks reserve Charlie Villanueva countered with three 3’s, the third of which narrowed the Dallas deficit to 116-113 with still 3:18 to play. But Harrison Barnes hit a turnaround jumper, Curry dropped in a layup and the Warriors held on from there to beat Dallas for the 10th time in their last 11 meetings and clinch a fourth straight season-season win. The nine 3’s by Thompson pushed his season total to 246, which bested his previous careerhigh of 239 set last season.

The Warriors won for the 34th consecutive time when Thompson has scored 25 or more points, which also is an NBA record. Guard Gail Goodrich of the Los Angeles Lakers had established the previous record of 30 during the 1971-72 season. Thompson averaged 41.3 points in two games vs. Mavericks this season, hitting 41-for-67 from the field, 26-for-45 on 3's, and 16-for17 from the free throw line. Draymond Green complemented the Warriors’ guard-heavy output with 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Harrison Barnes made it four Warriors in double figures with 11 points. Wesley Matthews paced a balance Dallas attack with 26 points, which included six 3-pointers. The Mavericks were even more accurate on their 3’s than the Warriors, making 18 of 35 (51.4 percent). J.J. Barea had 21 points, Raymond Felton 17 and Villanueva 16 Dallas, which lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games, a stretch that includes a 130-112 home loss to Warriors last Friday.

Monday March 28, 2016

Kaieteur News

MASTERFUL KOHLI CARRIES INDIA TO WORLD T20 SEMIS

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Suriname Junior International Easter tournament in Suriname

Guyana team capture 6-gold, 2-bronze medals The Guyana National Badminton Junior Team captured a total eight medals at the Suriname International Junior Easter Tournament which was played at the Kwatta Sports Complex March 25-27. Sunburst Champion Narayan Ramdhani was a triple champion, winning Gold in Under-19 Singles, Doubles & Mix Doubles, while his younger sister, Priyanna, captured Gold in Under-15 Singles & Under-19 Mix Doubles and Bronze in Under-15 Mix-Doubles categories. Jonathan Mangra won Gold in Under-19 Boys Doubles, while Tyreese Richards won Bronze in Under-15 Mix Doubles to complete the tally.

Ghana held to a draw, Kenya fans riot after home defeat Virat Kohli acknowledges the applause after India’s win. (AFP) MOHALI, INDIA (Reuters) Virat Kohli reduced Australia’s bowlers to mere bystanders on Sunday with a masterful 82 that led hosts India to a six-wicket win and a World Twenty20 semi-final against West Indies in Mumbai. The 27-year-old righthanded batsman resurrected India with his unbeaten 51ball knock from a seemingly tricky position as the hosts sprinted home in their chase of 161 with five balls to spare. Steve Smith and his men, who had hoped to end Australia’s ignominy of never winning the T20 Wo r l d C u p , c o u l d o n l y stand and admire as boundaries flowed from Kohli’s bat in front of a packed stadium in Mohali. “That performance certainly has to be in my top three but probably it is top right now because I’m a bit emotional,” Kohli said after being adjudged player of the match. “A lot was riding on us playing at home and with the crowd you want to give them as much entertainment as possible.” The Group Two game was a knockout match for both sides and Australia looked well and truly in the driving seat until the end of the 17th over of India’s chase. Shane Watson did his part with the ball, picking up 2-23 in his four overs, and also taking a superb catch while running back to dismiss Yuvraj Singh. Sunday was the last international match for the

The India dugout erupts with joy after reaching the semi-final, Australia v India, World T20 2016, Group 2, Mohali, March 27, 2016. (Getty Images)

retiring Australia all-rounder. In Kohli, who now boasts an average of almost 123 in successful run chases in T20 internationals, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India had their two most potent weapons in chasing down any target.

watching on television. “That was a pretty serious innings there, under pressure. He hit it right out of the middle and he’s done it for a long time,” Smith said after the match. “It took a pretty incredible innings for India to get home.”

FINAL THREE OVERS India, the inaugural World T20 champions in 2007, needed 39 from the last three overs when Kohli decided to show his class which has earned him accolades as one of the world’s best batsmen currently. He smashed James Faulkner, who took Australia’s best T20 figures during a five-wicket haul in the last match, for two fours and a six as the left-arm paceman leaked 19 runs. Kohli then hit Nathan Coulter-Nile for four boundaries in the next over to bring down India’s target to just four runs off the final six balls with Dhoni finishing it off with another four off Faulkner. Undeterred by a struggling Yuvraj Singh, who limped through a knock of 21 after hurting his ankle, Kohli seemed to know exactly when to take the attack to the opposition. He made it look easy through his unbroken 67-run stand with Dhoni in just over five overs. As the ball crossed the ropes after leaving Dhoni’s bat, an emotional Kohli sat down on his knees with a bowed head as if to soak in the adulation of his team mates, the opposition, the crowd and the millions

BLISTERING START Earlier, Australia’s Aaron Finch (43) and Usman Khawaja (26) smashed the bowlers to all corners of the ground after Smith decided to bat on a pitch that was used for the women’s game between India and West Indies earlier on Sunday. Left-handed Khawaja’s first six scoring shots were all boundaries, four of them coming against paceman Jasprit Bumrah in one over, with Australia racing past 50 before the completion of the fourth over. Finch, Australia’s captain in the format before he was

replaced by Smith shortly before the tournament, then launched into India’s bowling mainstay Ravichandran Ashwin, hitting the offspinner for two consecutive sixes over long-on. But some smart bowling from left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and part-timers Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya, who picked up two wickets, in the middle overs halted Australia’s progress as they struggled to hit the boundaries. Glenn Maxwell (31) took his time at the crease but got out just as he started opening his arms. Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill then smashed Pandya for a four and a six off the last two balls as Australia took 15 runs in their final over to reach 160-6. Scores: India 161 for 4 (Kohli 82*, Watson 2-23) beat Australia 160 for 6 (Finch 43, Pandya 2-36) by 6 wickets.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) Ghana lost their 100 percent record in African Nations Cup qualifying with a goalless draw in Mozambique on Sunday while fans rioted in Kenya during a shock loss to lowlyranked Guinea Bissau. Ghana’s match in Maputo at the start of the fourth round of preliminaries kept them on course for the 2017 finals in Gabon but proved a tepid affair in comparison to other qualifiers. Guinea Bissau, 147th in the world rankings, took a first competitive away international win as they stunned Kenya 1-0 in Nairobi to emerge surprise leaders in Group E. Portuguese-born striker Cicero scored the winner nine minutes from time, prompting rioting from the home fans with the match stopped for more than 30 minutes. The assistant referee flagged for a goal, adjudging that Cicero’s header from a corner had crossed the line despite Kenya goalkeeper Arnold Origi apparently saving the effort. The awarding of the goal

prompted a furious reaction from the Kenyan players and the crowd who threw objects, forcing police to fire teargas to quell the rioting. Guinea Bissau are now on seven points in their group, one ahead of Congo and 2012 champions Zambia in Group E. Congo and Zambia drew 1-1 in Brazzaville. Jordan Massengo, who plays in the lower leagues in France, opened the score after 48 minutes but Zambia’s Winston Kalengo equalised 20 minutes before the end. Captain Stephane Sessegnon scored twice for Benin as they beat South Sudan 4-1 to keep up an unbeaten run and take top place in Group C. Joel Mogorosi scored the winner in Francistown as Botswana beat the Comoros Islands 2-1 to join the leaders in Group D. Chad announced their withdrawal from the qualifiers, pulling out of a scheduled match in Tanzania today because of a cash shortage. They had lost all three of their qualifiers before Sunday’s decision.

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Monday March 28, 2016

BCB names strong team for West Indies Women defend 114 U-17 inter county tournament and knock India Women out Kevin Sinclair is Captain

Deandra Dottin struck 45 off 40 balls, India v West Indies, Women’s World T20 2016, Group B, Mohali, March 27, 2016. (IDI/Getty Images)

Alex Algoo The junior selection panel of the Berbice Cricket Board led by Leslie Solomon has named a strong team to participate in the upcoming GCB Inter County Under-17 tournament. The team was selected after two trial matches recently held at the Albion Sports Complex. Outstanding performances were recorded by Javed Karim, Alex Algoo and Kevin Sinclair. Consideration was also given to performances in the Memorex Under-17 Inter Club and the A. Ally and Sons Secondary School Cricket Competitions. In the first trial match, Steve Deonarain side won the toss, batted first and made 190 for 9 off their allotted 50 overs. Former Berbice Under15 opener Alex Algoo top scored with 42. He got support from Berbice youth players Junior Sinclair and Garfield Benjamin with 36

Kevin Sinclair

Javed Karim

each. Bowling for Kevin Sinclair side, Afseer Hussain took 3 for 18 and Brandon Stewart 2 for 26. In reply, Sinclair 11 raced to 192 for 7 to win by three wickets with former Berbice Under-15 opener Javed Karim scoring a classy unbeaten 100 with 10 fours. Kevlon Anderson supported with 44 not out. Former national Under-15 player Kelvin Umroa took 3 for 20. In the second game, Deonarain 11 got the better of Kevin Sinclair 11 by 5 wickets with 6 overs to spare. Sinclair 11 won the toss, batted first and made 167 all out in 49.3 overs. The skipper top scored with 50 no and Syaad Peerbaksh 34. Afseer Hussain took 2 for 22. Deonarain 11 replied with 168 for 5 off 44 overs with Algoo scoring 74

no and Chanderdat Veerasammy 34. Skipper Sinclair took 2 for 21. The players selected are listed below: Alex Algu Kevin Sinclair (C) Junior Sinclair Javid Karim Steve Deonarine (VC) Kevlon Anderson Garfield Benjamin Chandradat Veerasammy Keith Simpson Kelvin Omroa Karran Rajpaul Brandon Stewart Steven Kalamadeen Syaad Peerbaksh Standby: Junior Williams Malcolm Mickle Kris Ramnarine Emanuel Seecharran Manager - Rabindranauth Saywack and Coach - Andre Percival

ESPNcricinfo - Not even the support of a festive home crowd and conditions they thrive could inspire India Women as they slumped to a three-run loss to West Indies Women in Mohali. The defeat brought the curtains down on India’s disappointing World Twenty20 campaign. Jhulan Goswami, who bowled all of two overs on a slow surface, kept India alive with a few lusty blows that brought the equation down to 20 off the last two overs. Tension engulfed the PCA Stadium, but a crowd that was on tenterhooks roared in delight as the third ball of the penultimate over sailed over long-on to bring it down to 12 off nine balls. But her run-out off the next delivery, once again, meant the pendulum swung West Indies’ way. Deandra Dottin, who ensured West Indies were in with a chance by making 45 off 40 balls in the team’s total of 114 for 8, then showed immaculate death-bowling skills to leave India short-changed. Shikha Pandey, who carved a boundary over point to bring it down to five off three balls was run-out off the next delivery to effectively dash India’s hopes. India landed the early punches and weakened West Indies to 26 for 3 as the contest was reduced to a battle of spin attacks. The hosts then switched off for a bit, only to see Stafanie Taylor and Dottin regain lost ground, and then lift West Indies with a fourth-wicket partnership of 77 that gave the bowlers a handy total to defend. India were dealt an early blow in their chase as Mithali Raj fell for a golden duck, leaving the young middle to lead the recovery. But West Indies, who learnt a thing or two from India, stifled the hosts’ challenge with spin. Equally impressive was their ground fielding that helped them save at least 10 runs. In the end, it proved to be the clincher for West Indies, as they put one foot in the door to the semi-

finals. West Indies now await the result of the England-Pakistan clash in Chennai. Raj’s glee at winning the toss wasn’t lost on anyone. And the team justified the decision by choking West Indies with spin, as the top order tangled themselves by playing for turn when there wasn’t much. Taylor and Dottin, known for their firebrand approach, tempered down to milk India’s spinners, taking as many as 38 singles in their partnership to set up a platform for the final flourish. West Indies kept waiting for India’s spinners to finish their quota of overs, but they kept arriving like a factory line, leaving Taylor and Dottin to force the pace. That they did in their own unique style. While Taylor turned to pick singles, Dottin used the crease well to smother the spin and bring out fierce sweeps and delicate dabs that kept India honest. Not even an outstanding catch by Anuja Patil at long-on could lift them out of a hole they got into; 30 minutes of indiscretion on the field allowing West Indies to get 20 more than what India would have liked to keep them to. In their chase, there was early panic that was exemplified by Veda Krishnamurthy’s illtimed pull to midwicket to leave India in strife at 22 for 2. Harmanpreet Kaur scratched around to not just elevate the asking rate, but also put pressure on Smriti Mandhana. Kaur’s dismissal for a 20-ball 7 left the middle order with unenviable task of hitting out right from the outset. When Mandhana chopped on for 22, there was proper panic. Hard as the lower order tried, they couldn’t bridge the gap, with the lapses on the field eventually proving the difference between the two sides. Scores: West Indies Women 114 for 8 (Taylor 47, Dottin 45, Kaur 4-23, Patil 3-16) beat India Women 111 for 9 (Patil 26, Goswami 25, Dottin 3-16) by three runs.

Stafanie Taylor targets the off side, India v West Indies, Women’s World T20 2016, Group B, Mohali, March 27, 2016. (IDI/Getty Images)