Kaieteur News by GxMedia

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

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

ACCEPT THE WILL What kind of monstrous, OF THE PEOPLE ignorant behaviour is this?

DEAR EDITOR, The verification process of the counting and tabulation of SOPs is taking too long, leading to much unease among the population and the diaspora as well. But GECOM wants to get it right and not make a mistake in making a premature announcement as happened in earlier elections. Hence the long drawn-out process. Nevertheless, it is not rocket science to count a maximum of 400 ballots per polling station and it does not take forever. The counting finished quickly. The verification process takes a long time. The two major parties know the election numbers, because these would have been given to them by their polling agents. So they know which party won and which one lost. GECOM also knows which party won from the preliminary phoned-in reports

of the SOPs. But it has to go through the verification process before making an official declaration. It is doubtful such an announcement would come before this (Wednesday) afternoon because of the slow process of verification of SOPs. This is not good for the country. But nothing can be done about it. It is most unfortunate that we have both parties claiming victory (or in the lead as claimed by Ramotar and victory as claimed by Granger) with about the same number of votes in reverse order. How could that be possible? One of the two is not giving us the correct information or may have made a mistake in its aggregate summation of the SOPs. Or may have an ulterior motive? We do not know. Whichever party lost must be prepared to concede defeat and congratulate the

winner, once there is no fraud. That is how democracy works. The peoples’ verdict is final. As I penned earlier, the best government is one which is inclusive of representatives of all stakeholders in the society – parties, civics, business groups. It is the only way for national reconciliation that is needed now more than ever. In the meanwhile, the two major parties must heed the call of Dr. Surujbally to calm the emotions of their supporters and let GECOM finish its official work without hindrance or to act under duress. Only GECOM can certify and declare a winner! There should be no violence in the streets. Let peace prevail. Everyone, all parties, must accept the will of the people. May the best party win and may the best person chosen be sworn in as President! Vishnu Bisram

An open letter of concern DEAR EDITOR, It is with much concern and in the interest of fairness to all political parties contesting this elections that I wish to register my disappointment in two critical areas where GECOM may have failed or erred in their duties leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections, for a free, fair and creditable election in my village. 1 - Voter education on the electoral process on the day of election and penalties for polling day staff that violates code of conduct on polling day. 2 - The composition of polling day staff who are all close-knit family members in one (1) polling station, having assigned those who could have added some degree of mixture to the composition to other locations. PO – A man APO – His daughter-in-law

CLERK 1 – His nephew CLERK 2 – His niece POLLING/COUNTING AGENT – His nephew I strongly believe in “what is good for one must be good enough for the other” and this can only be truly displayed through a manner where one party does not find itself in a compromising position, but where the integrity and creditability of the entire process can be upheld in the interest of fairness to all parties. It is my sincere Prayer that good sense prevails in this beautiful country of ours, the land where we were born, and that we pledge support in Nation Building in our efforts as One People living in One Nation all working towards One common Destiny, i.e. the good of all Guyanese. Concerned Citizen

DEAR EDITOR, A few days ago, two donkeys in Enterprise village were beaten. One is bleeding from his tummy and struggling to walk. The other donkey is heavily pregnant and traumatised. What kind of monstrous, ignorant behaviour is this? I was told that the donkeys had been sprayed in the colours of one political party and that is why they were beaten in this village. This reaction is stupid and primitive. There is never any excuse for taking out one’s fear and anger on an animal. The donkeys have been rescued, treated by a vet, and are being nursed back to health. Thank you, Bollers and the others who called to report this horrible cruelty. Thank you to those who

helped - Bisnauth, Robert, Rakesh, Gautam, Syeada, Anasha and Shane Ally, as well as Ricky and the boys who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Thank you, Dr and Mrs Pierre for your swift kindness and professional expertise. We want to live in peace and harmony with one another. That is impossible unless we reject the emotional, mental and psychological straitjacket of violence and stop cruelty to animals. Our churches and religious leaders have to teach people to be kind to animals. So do our schools.

The press should take a much stronger line against cruelty to animals and hammer home the message that animal abuse is wrong. The police should stop behaving as if animals don’t matter and do their job of enforcing the laws against cruelty. Courtroom lawyers can contribute by doing free private prosecutions. The Government should provide land for a sanctuary. And finally, each and every person who witnesses cruelty should speak out on behalf of the victims who cannot speak for themselves. Melinda Janki

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

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 13, 2015

GECOM returns several poll statements for amendments By Abena Rockcliffe Up until its most recent press conference last evening, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was working assiduously to present an eager nation with the most accurate results possible. While both of the major political parties declared victory, GECOM reminded the nation that it is the only body legally authorized to do so. Guyana went to the polls on May 11 but, 24 hours after polls closed, the nation still awaited official word from GECOM on how the country voted. In defending the wait, GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally told the media that the Commission, being a responsible agency, has to “verify and justify” every piece of information that will influence the results of election. He said that is why GECOM’s pace in announcing a winner will be much slower than that of “others” as he hinted to the

declaration made by political parties. The Chairman begged that citizens absorb that fact and let it form part of their understanding of GECOM’s system of operation. “The law tells us which steps we must take before the CEO is given the green light to make any pronouncement,” he said. GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, in adding to what his Chairman would have said, gave a scenario of how GECOM’s system could be delayed on account of a mandate to be fully accurate. In this regard, Lowenfield told the media that if he receives a Statement Of Poll (SOP) that accounts for 379 voters, but his arithmetic gives him 380, “I cannot provide that to you (the media/ public) until the numeric one is corrected.” He added that there is a mechanism that provides him, by law, to return an inaccurate SOP to the respective location of origin, so that the slightest

correction can be made. “I will not be giving you until that statement is corrected, so our process may not be like others where there are no corrections to be made.” Lowenfield reckoned that GECOM will therefore be moving much slower that other bodies that merely “receive and deliver.” Further, in a bid to reemphasize GECOM’s lawguided policy to protect accuracy, Lowenfield said that he cannot, even in a preliminary way, provide information that may be in some form inaccurate. Lowenfield told the media that he has had cause to return some SOPs to respective districts. While he did not identify or give example of any of the inaccuracies that needed to be amended, the CEO said that SOPs had to be sent back to districts/ regions Six, Five, Three, Four and Ten. Lowenfield explained that returned statements will have to be corrected at the level of the Returning Office (RO), the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), who will have to make

- Chief Elections Officer

GECOM’s CEO, Keith Lowenfield (L) and Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally contact with the Presiding Officers (POs), and the respective party agents. That, he said, is a process that must be gone through whenever such situation arises. Up to last night’s press conference, Lowenfield had not received the corrected versions of the inaccurate SOPs which he would have sent out. Nonetheless, the CEO remained optimistic that he would get some substantive information for the media at today’s presser. The process for when a SOP needs to be corrected was flagged by GECOM’s Chairman as one that needs to be reviewed. He said that it can be very timeconsuming to go through that process of getting back

on to all those persons who would have already been disbursed. “That’s the sort of methodology that leads to confusion; we are going to have to review that.” Dr. Surujbally said that such checks and balances seemed to be needed before, in an age when “GECOM couldn’t be trusted but not any longer.” Further, the chairman called for more support from a nation populated by impatient citizens, some of whom have already formed an opinion about GECOM. Dr. Surujbally said that support should be given based on the fact the GECOM has never smeared its integrity. He cautioned that GECOM will not sacrifice

accuracy at the expense of expediency. “The political parties will wait and I hope the nation waits too...let us be a disciplined society,” Surujbally urged. GECOM has been holding several press conferences in an effort to keep the nation up to date with the progress made in moving closer to being able to declare a winner. Up to last evening, Lowenfield had already received SOPs from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10, but none from 1, 7, and 8. So far, GECOM commissioners who represent the respective political parties were satisfied with the SOPs that they saw and have affixed it with their signatures.

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

Fresh earthquake kills scores in Nepal and India

People walk along the debris of the collapsed houses after a fresh 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, in Sankhu, yesterday (REUTERS/NAVESH CHITRAKAR) A second powerful earthquake in less than three weeks spread panic in Nepal yesterday, bringing down buildings weakened by the first disaster and killing at least 66 people, including 17 in neighbouring India and one in Chinese Tibet. Most of the reported fatalities were in villages and towns east of Kathmandu, only just beginning to pick up the pieces from the April 25 quake that left more than 8,000 dead. The U.S. military’s Pacific Command said a Marine Corps helicopter involved in disaster relief had gone missing, with six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard. The new 7.3 magnitude quake was centred 76 km (47 miles) east of the capital in a hilly area close to the border with Tibet, according to coordinates provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, and unleashed landslides in Himalayan valleys near Mount Everest. Villagers who watched their homes collapse said they only survived because they were already living in tents. Aid workers reported serious damage to some villages in the worst-affected Charikot area and said some people were still trapped under rubble. Witnesses said rocks and mud came crashing down remote hillsides lined with roads and small hamlets. “We still don’t have a clear view of the scale of the problem,” said Dan Sermand, emergency coordinator at medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres, which surveyed the area by air and saw multiple landslides. The United Nations has only raised 13 percent of the $423 million it said was needed

to help Nepal recover from the April quake, which measured 7.8. Relief workers said they were already suffering a lack of material before the new quake. “Why are (internally displaced people) sleeping on our office floor? Where are our tents? Where are our tarpaulins? Where are our hygiene kits?” said Brian Kelly of the International Organization for Migration, at a large relief camp in the hill-top town of Chautara, hard-hit by both quakes. “They need to be paid for,” he said. A team of about a dozen volunteers searched the rubble for survivors in the town, the biggest in a district that suffered the worst casualties in April. Several people were believed to be trapped. “It’s better to search at night so it’s quiet,” said Rejoien Guru, a volunteer from Kathmandu. He and others pointed flashlights into the decimated buildings hit by the twin quakes, calling out for survivors. “If anyone is in there, make a sound!” he called in Nepali. In the town of Sangachowk, residents were outside receiving government food aid when the new quake struck. A family sat on the edge of the road where their house had just fallen down the hill, rubble spread over hundreds of feet below. “We watched it go down slowly, slowly,” said Ashok Parajuli, aged 30. In Charikot, where at least 20 bodies were recovered, hotel owner Top Thapa said the quake was at least as strong as last month. “We saw houses falling, collapsing along the ridge,” said Thapa, owner of Charikot

Panorama Resort. He said he saw five or six multi-storey buildings come down. Politicians dashed for the exit of Nepal’s parliament building in Kathmandu, and office towers swayed as far away as New Delhi. The tremors that began at around 12.30 could be felt in Bangladesh and were followed by a series of powerful aftershocks. Parents clutched children tightly, and hundreds of people frantically tried to call relatives on mobile phones. Shopkeepers closed their stores and the streets were jammed with people rushing to check on families. “I am very scared and I am with my two sons. The school building is cracked and bits of it, I can see they have collapsed,” said Rhita Doma Sherpa, a nurse with the Mountain Medicine Center in Namche Bazaar, a departure point for trekkers headed to Everest. “It was lunchtime. All the kids were outside. Thank god.” “WE SAW THE MOUNTAIN FALL” May is peak season for climbing and trekking in Nepal’s high altitude valleys and peaks, but the usually bustling lodges and teahouses were close to empty after thousands of tourists fled the April quake. Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators’ Association of Nepal, said there were no climbers or Nepali sherpa guides at Everest Base Camp. Mountaineers seeking to scale the world’s tallest peak called off this year’s Everest season after 18 people died when last month’s quake triggered avalanches on the mountain.

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U.S., Russia speak of cooperation but no breakthroughs Top U.S. and Russian officials said they hoped to work together on contentious issues such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria but offered no sign of concrete progress after more than eight hours of talks yesterday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met for more than four hours each with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss topics including the Iran nuclear talks as well as the civil strife in Yemen and Libya. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the two foreign ministers accentuated the positive despite the fact that U.S.Russian relations have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War largely because of the Ukraine crisis. “We have an understanding that we need to avoid steps which are able to inflict a long-term harm to bilateral relations between Russia and the United States,” Lavrov told reporters through an interpreter. “There is no substitute for talking directly to key decision makers, particularly during a period that is a complex and fast moving as this is,” Kerry added. Kerry met Lavrov and Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in what was the highest-level U.S. visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis began in the autumn of 2013.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in March 2014 and backed proRussian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow accuses Washington of orchestrating last year’s overthrow of a Ukrainian president who was supported by Russia. The United States has accused Russia of failing to withdraw heavy equipment such as air defence systems, tanks and artillery from eastern Ukraine in violation of a peace plan agreed in February and known as Minsk 2. Russia denies Western and Ukrainian accusations that it is arming the pro-Russian separatists battling the government and supporting them with its own military forces. More than 6,100 people have been killed since April 2014 in the Ukraine crisis. The United States and European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russia after it took over Crimea and have intensified them since. The U.S. official hinted they could be eased if Russia complied with the Minsk plan, which calls for withdrawing heavy weaponry and respecting Ukraine’s border. TOMATOES AND POTATOES Despite the strains, Putin smiled as he met Kerry. The U.S. secretary of state and the Russian foreign

minister placed wreaths at a memorial to World War Two victims. Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman said Lavrov gave Kerry baskets of fresh tomatoes and potatoes, a possible allusion to Russia’s decision last year to ban imports of European fruit and vegetables in response to Western sanctions. He also presented Kerry with a T-shirt with “Victory” and “1945-2015”, a reference to the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Western leaders boycotted Saturday’s Moscow parade to mark the occasion because of its role in the Ukraine crisis. Kerry gave Lavrov a leather portfolio, U.S. officials said. Washington and Moscow are also at odds over the civil war in Syria, where Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while the United States wants a political transition to end his family’s 45-year-old rule. While there have been no outward signs of a Russian reversal on Syria, U.S. officials hope recent defeats to Assad’s forces may change the Russian stance. Insurgents overran the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al Shughour last month and the provincial city of Idlib a month earlier, both in the rich agricultural province of Idlib.

North Korea executes defence chief for napping at military event North Korea has executed its defence chief on treason charges, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service was quoted as telling lawmakers, in the latest of a series of high-level purges since Kim Jong Un took power after his father’s death in 2011. Hyon Yong Chol, who heads the isolated country’s military, was purged and then executed by firing squad with an antiaircraft gun, watched by hundreds of people, South Korean media reported on Wednesday, citing the NIS’s comments to a parliamentary panel. Hyon, who spoke at a security conference in Moscow in April, was said to have shown disrespect to Kim by dozing off at a military event, media said, citing the agency briefing. The execution comes after South Korea’s spy agency said late last month that Kim ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year as punishment for challenging his authority.

Senior North Korean military officer Hyon Yong Chol “North Korean internal politics is very volatile these days,” said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership and contributor to the 38 North think tank. “Internally, there does not seem to be any respect for Kim Jong Un within the core and middle levels of the North Korean leadership,” he added.

“There is no clear or present danger to Kim Jong Un’s leadership or stability in North Korea, but if this continues to happen into next year, then we would seriously have to start looking at a contingency plan for the Korean peninsula”. In 2013, Kim purged and executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the second most powerful man in Pyongyang’s leadership circle, for corruption and committing crimes damaging to the economy, along with a group of officials close to him. Pyongyang’s military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim took power. Hyon, a little-known general, was promoted to the rank of vice marshal of the North Korean army in 2012. The South Korean spy agency told lawmakers that Ma Won Chun, known as North Korea’s chief architect of new infrastructure under Kim, was also purged, local media reported.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Putting the results beyond question Both of the two main political groupings, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) and the coalition APNU+AFC are claiming victory in what, if the numbers are to be believed, would be the closest election race in the history of Guyana, and possibly in the Region. It is hard for anyone to contemplate a closer race. But precisely because the race was believed to be so close, there is going to be disputation over the results. APNU+AFC will claim that it won the elections; the PPPC will contend that it also won. In fact, the celebrations have already begun in the streets, despite there being no official announcement as yet. The ultimate adjudicator is of course the Guyana Elections Commission

(GECOM), but the recklessness of both of the main parties declaring that they have won the elections is going to leave the supporters of whichever camp is judged by GECOM to have lost the elections feeling that it was cheated. This is the danger that presents itself when parties go ahead and announce that they have won, even before all the votes have been counted. It should never have happened, and one has to question why if APNU+AFC believed that it had an unassailable lead, it would not have waited for the official confirmation as the PPPC had done in 2006 and 2011. Of course, following the 2011 elections, APNU also claimed that it had won and resorted to street protests.

But this time around the AFC is part of a joint opposition coalition and one has to give some credibility to the fact that it is not likely to be party to a false declaration of results. That said, there will be thousands of Guyanese who will feel that APNU+AFC is trying to claim victory without having won. This will fuel suspicion over the results; something that Guyana can do without. This suspicion that will now develop over this premature declaration of the results of the elections means that the country will become far more divided and dangerous. This matter can however be settled amicably and to the satisfaction of all. This column today proposes a way in which to

Dem boys seh...

Stevie and Lowmein naming two presidents today “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for mankind”. A man named Horace Mann who dead since 1859 lef dem words fuh some of de politicians in Guyana. Dem words fit nuff of dem who deh crying now, hoping fuh another chance after 23 years, to fulfill wha that man seh. Dem ain’t do nutten fuh de people, only fuh demself, friends and family. Dem boys seh that dem suh bareface that dem claiming victory although dem know that dem dance done. (De people reject dem). Jagdeo is de man who have dem in this boat. He is an accountant by profession suh figures is he middle name just like how doctor is Babbie second name. He was de man who had a different figure every month fuh de same project. De hydro seed he was about to

give Guyana change price from US$400 million to US$500 million, to US$800 million and it woulda meet US$1 billion if dem boys didn’t expose de skullduggery. He think he could change de elections figure suh he play wid it and give Donald de Dumb and mek he go and announce how he party win de elections. He go farther fuh put figure to how much vote he dream de party get. Den he cry foul how dem had nuff hiccups wid de election process here, there and everywhere. He pick up heself and lead a delegation that include Donald to lodge a complaint to Dr Stevie and Keith Lowmein. As soon as he open he mouth Dr Stevie give he own words, ‘BRING DE EVIDENCE’. When he was president every time any

corruption raise its head anywhere, no matter wha shape it come in he had one slogan, ‘Bring de evidence’. Many evidence go to him—de clerk who buy $60 million house when she was wukking fuh $40,000 a month. If dem boys got to list all de evidence that went to him, it would full de Guinness Book of World Records. Well Dr Stevie and Keith Lowmein intend to set a new Guyana record. Dem boys hear dem plan to announce two president because dem got two results. Both sides seh in dem separate press conference dem party get 180,000 and both sides seh de other side get 150,000. But this ain’t got nutten to do wid de real elections results. Talk half and wait fuh de real results.

MURDER ACCUSED: Tamesh Chatergoon

The man accused of murdering 71-year-old, Richard Ivan Etwaroo of Paradise, made a Court appearance yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. Tamesh Chattergoon was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between May 6 and 7 at Paradise, Essequibo Coast, he murdered Etwaroo. Chattergoon was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court for May 19.

Etwaroo was found dead last Thursday on the Paradise seashore. He had left his home on May 6, last, unknown to his wife. When he failed to return home on the said day his family searched the community for him. After failing to find him, the search continued into the next day when Etwaroo’s body was discovered with a slit to his throat. A Post Mortem revealed that the man died as a result of an incised wound to his throat.

Man charged with murder of senior citizen

put beyond any doubt the results of these elections. GECOM should go ahead and meticulously tabulate the results of the various statements of poll. It should check and recheck this to ensure full accuracy, even if it takes a week. The political parties should encourage their supporters to be calm and allow GECOM to do its work. Following this and in compliance with the law, GECOM should make its announcement. Whichever party it deems to have won the elections will thus assume the presidency. However, in order to appease the supporters of the losing side that there were no mistakes with the tabulations of its results, and in order to

reinforce further confidence in the count, GECOM should submit copies of its statements of poll and invite the two main parties to prepare copies of their statements of poll. A group comprising members of each of the international observer teams should be put together and

asked to undertake a verification of GECOM’s results. This should set the supporters of the losing party at ease or alternatively present a case for a legal challenge to the results.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 13, 2015

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Fascists should not win national elections This column was penned at 18.45 hours Tuesday afternoon without the official results of the 2015 general elections. At that time, there were published statistics from the APNU-AFC coalition and the PPP that put each of them ahead of the other. In the PPP’s release, it is ahead by 30,000. The coalition announced it is ahead by 25, 000. By the time the day wears on, we should have the official results from GECOM. The arguments in this essay are

based on discussion with coalition leaders who have assured me that the coalition has won the elections. I have not lived in many countries and studied the politics of those states, but I think one has to look hard in global politics to find another ruling party that at the psychological level believed that the country was their personal possession. This was me where the PPP alienated the majority in the citizenry of Guyana. Whether it was a public school building, the Bank of

Guyana, the University of Guyana, the public parapet, the traffic lights, the roadways, etc, the manner in which the PPP leaders addressed the public domain was as if it was their personal property. We can cite just two egregious examples. One was when a Minister moved into a street in Queenstown and immediately made it a oneway. I spoke to the then traffic chief about the reason. He said it was not a decision by the police but the Ministry of Public Works.

Secondly, this country has four large public swimming pools and not one is open to the public in the general sense, meaning a member of the public on a walk-in basis can use one of them. I haven’t done the research but I doubt this obtains anywhere else in the world. One may understand restrictions at the country’s only pool. But it is unbelievably unjust for a country to have four of them, yet not even one is available to the Guyanese people on a

first come basis. Guyanese people, in general, resented the way this possessive mentality was demonstrated. People felt that their country was the private property of a cabal. What made it worse, was that after 2011, the PPP became a minority government but there was no dilution in the function of the possessive mentality. Perhaps the greatest fear people had of the PPP (just to remind readers, this column is based on assumptions on the outcome of the just concluded elections) is that, if it could have behaved in old ways as a minority government, then the PPP would be more insensitive and cruel if it got a majority in 2015. Assuming that the PPP lost the election, then the question of the nature of its governance comes in. I have written thousands of columns on Guyanese politics and in those pieces I have repeatedly compared the nature of power under Burnham’s PPP and Jagdeo’s PPP and concluded that Mr. Jagdeo was more dictatorial. I repeat here; I honestly believe the Burnham Government was authoritarian but I will put my academic studies on the line by saying that if you make a comparison between the two presidents, Mr. Burnham is ahead of him in all areas of governance. To analyze in a column where the PPP went wrong would be an injustice to readers. That topic will not fill even one volume of a book.

Frederick Kissoon But to be brief, I think you have to look hard in the world to find a ruling cabal that was so obsessed with winning even the inconsequential battles with the opposition, with confronting even the most harmless critic of its rule than the PPP. Something took over the entire PPP leadership that maybe has no explanation. If the official results from GECOM show the PPP has lost, I will expand on this analysis because I think everyone in the world that knows Guyanese and Guyana would want an attempted answer to that question. Finally, as written at the beginning of this column, I penned these thoughts near to 7 PM, one day after the polls closed. Yet we do not have the official results. In a country where about half of a million votes were counted in an age of mind-boggling technology. And this has been going on for years and years. When is Guyana going to join the modern world? GECOM keeps saying after each election that it will do it better the next time. But when the next time comes around, it was just like the last time. Someone has to help this country.

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

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OAS praises GECOM’s improved preparedness By Nicholas Peters Following Election Day, the Organisation of American States’ (OAS) Electoral Observer Mission (EOM) yesterday, released their preliminary findings of Monday’s electoral process; commending the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s improved preparedness, but expressing concern over reported incidents of violence in some areas. This was revealed by head of the OAS observer mission, Lisa Shoman, at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, during a press conference, where she also commended the Guyanese electorate for the high turnout. In expounding on their concerns, the OAS official said that any instance of violence during this postpolling period needs to be taken seriously. She added that the organisation is encouraged by the way instances of reported violence were “contained” and “under control” in reasonably quick time. Shoban noted that instances of violence did play a role in delaying GECOM’s reception of Statements of Poll, citing the incident in Sophia, as being one of the more pronounced cases. The chief observer further noted that while the EOM received reports of violence, the “vast majority” of those reports were rumours. When asked whether the OAS had concerns over the campaign techniques employed by parties created division within the Guyanese society, the head observer responded in the affirmative. “We have signalled that we were concerned about the rhetoric being used by political parties,” related Shoman, “the rhetoric seemed to be harsh, to put it bluntly, and we were concerned that a lot of the statements made were divisive.” She said that these campaign strategies continued despite calls from groups for political parties to focus on issues rather than personalities. In their preliminary findings, Shoman noted eight areas addressed during the conference. Among the findings was the issue of timeliness, in which the Commission disseminates preliminary results from polling day, with the Mission recommending the use of technology to diffuse tension and avoid violence. “The Mission encourages GECOM to consider implementing a system of issuing preliminary results for national elections. The use of

technology might serve to diffuse tension and avoid incidents of violence on election night,” said Shoman. Moreover, the former Foreign Minister of Belize noted the lack of accessibility to State Media on an equal basis for all political parties. “We recommend that consideration be given to regulation that promotes equitable access to all contenders of the electoral process,” said Shoman. She continued to recognise the work of GECOM’s Media Monitoring Unit in highlighting such disparity in the media. To that effect, the EOM lamented the tone of political debates leading up to election day, with Shoman saying, that political parties need “to build a constructive dialogue” that focuses on programmatic action rather than personal disqualifications. The EOM also highlighted concerns raised by stakeholders of a 20 percent increase in voter eligibility, despite the country benefiting from house-to-

house voter verification, which was not sufficiently addressed in time for Election Day. “The Mission observed the lack of a timely procedure for cleansing and updating the voter registry,” said Shoman. Additionally, with regard to political financing, the Mission recommended the modernisation of obsolete laws which currently allows for violations with few sanctions for noncompliance. “In order to promote equity in the electoral process, the Mission recommends the consideration of some form of state funding for political parties,” related the former diplomat. Shoman went on to commend the presence of women throughout the voting process as poll workers, party agents and candidates, along with GECOM’s adherence to allowing such. As Guyana is the only country in the Anglophone Caribbean to have its candidates’ list comprise of at

Chief of Mission, Lisa Shoman flanked by Deputy Chief, David Alvarez (left) and OAS Representative to Guyana, Jean Ricot Dormeus least 33% of women, the OAS called on all political parties to “respect” that percentage in the allocation of parliamentary seats. One issue that was reiterated during the press briefing was instances of long lines that most polling stations faced. The EOM recommended the introduction of a standardised process to increase the verification of multiple voters

while reducing voter waiting time. The Mission’s recommendation stated that the process should “allow verification of electors to enable the verification of at least one or two additional voters while one voter is casting his/her ballot”. Shoman also said that GECOM should consider special measures to facilitate the accessibility of disabled

persons and the elderly to polling stations. By the end of Election Day, the OAS team of 23 observers managed to visit a total of 379 polling stations in all 10 Administrative Regions. Further, the OAS official signalled that the organisation will remain in the country until election results are officially released under the authority of GECOM.

AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILS, KILLING 5 PEOPLE; CARS RIPPED APART PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and tipped over in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, mangling the front of it, tearing the cars apart and killing at least five people. Dozens of passengers were injured, and some climbed out of windows to get away. Mayor Michael Nutter, who confirmed the deaths, said the scene was horrific. “It is an absolute disastrous mess,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.” He said there were train cars that were “completely overturned, on their side, ripped apart.” “It is a devastating scene down there,” he said. “We walked the entire length of the train area, and the engine completely separated from the rest of the train, and one of the cars is perpendicular to the rest of the cars. It’s unbelievable.” Firefighters said dozens of people were hospitalized and six were critically injured. Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C. The front of the train was going into a turn when it started to shake before coming to a sudden stop. An Associated Press manager, Paul Cheung, was on the train and said he was watching Netflix when “the train started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the

Emergency responders search for passengers following an Amtrak train derailment.

brake.” “Then suddenly you could see everything starting to shake,” he said. “You could see people’s stuff flying over me.” Cheung said another passenger urged him to escape from the back of his car, which he did. He said he saw passengers trying to escape through the windows of cars tipped on their side. “The front of the train is really mangled,” he said. “It’s a complete wreck. The whole thing is like a pile of metal.” Another passenger, Daniel Wetrin, was among more than a dozen people taken to an elementary school afterward. “I think the fact that I

walked off (the train) kind of made it even more surreal because a lot of people didn’t walk off,” he said. “I walked off as if, like, I was in a movie. There were people standing around, people with bloody faces. There were people, chairs, tables mangled about in the compartment ... power cables all buckled down as you stepped off the train.” The cause of the derailment was unknown, but Amtrak said it was investigating. The area where the derailment occurred is known as Frankford Junction and has a big curve. It’s not far from where one of the nation’s deadliest train accidents

occurred: the 1943 derailment of The Congressional Limited, from Washington to New York, which killed 79 people. Police swarming around Tuesday’s derailment site, in Port Richmond, a workingclass area, told people to get back, away from the train. They pleaded with curious onlookers: “Do NOT go to scene of derailment. Please allow 1st responders room to work.” Roads all around the crash site were blocked off. Waves of firefighters continuing toward the train cars, taking people out. Several injured people, including one man

complaining of neck pain, were rolled away on stretchers. Others wobbled while walking away or were put on city buses. An elderly woman was given oxygen. Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy was on the train and said he helped people. He tweeted photos of firefighters helping other people in the wreckage. “Pray for those injured,” he said. Amtrak said the train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members. It said rail service on the busy Northeast Corridor between New York and Philadelphia had been stopped. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the derailment. It said it was launching an investigative team, which would arrive at the site Wednesday morning. Port Richmond is one of five neighborhoods in what’s known as Philadelphia’s River Wards, dense rowhouse neighborhoods located off the Delaware River. Area resident David Hernandez, whose home is close to the tracks, heard the derailment. “It sounded like a bunch of shopping carts crashing into each other,” he said. The crashing sound lasted a few seconds, he said, and then there was chaos and screaming.

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Wednesday May 13, 2015

E-day atmosphere of tension generated by politicians - Carter Center Even before they issue a full report on their observations, the Carter Center elections mission said that all Guyanese should be proud of what transpired on Election Day, noting that ballots were cast in an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. Addressing members of the mission yesterday, Dame Billie Miller, co-leader of the mission, said that the atmosphere which prevailed

on Monday was one unfortunately generated by key political leaders who played on fears during the electoral process. The co-leader added “All Guyanese should be proud of what transpired on Election Day. This is especially true because their efforts took place in an atmosphere of tension and anxiety that, unfortunately, was generated by key political leaders who played on fears during the

electoral process.” She said rumors and allegations of provocative confrontations between ruling and opposition supporters swirled throughout the day but “on closer inspection by International observers, most issues, with only a few exceptions, turned out to be largely unfounded or easily explained. In spite of such attempts to sow discord, Guyanese generally remained

…dubs Sophia incident unfortunate calm, cast ballots, and retired for the evening while their votes were counted and transmitted to GECOM throughout the night.” Dane Audrey Glover, also a co-leader, said that Guyana has an abundance of resources, including rivers, forests, and mines but its greatest resource is its people.

“Neither the Guyanese people nor the country as a whole have been able to develop to their full potential because of the political mobilization of ethnic and racial differences by the main political parties,” the elections observer noted. The Carter Center coleader expressed hope that now that the people have expressed their will peacefully and with dignity, political leaders will assume their responsibilities and respective roles as the next government and opposition. The leaders she hopes will make a great effort to unify the country and strengthen accountability “so that Guyana can grow and develop to take its rightful place in the world.” Meanwhile, the mission’s Field Office Director, Jason Calder reflected that although former US President Jimmy Carter had to leave Guyana before Election Day, he was able to meet with key political leaders and other members of the Guyanese society. Reading the words of the former US leader, Calder relayed “Guyana and its people hold a special place in my heart, and I would like to thank them for the well wishes they expressed for me. I had a bad cold and am feeling much better now.” According to Carter, “Democratic elections have winners and losers, and it is important for politicians to display leadership and magnanimity as Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Cheddi Jagan did at key moments in

the past. I believe that the people of Guyana — especially its youth — want a future based on an inclusive democratic society that benefits all Guyanese.” When questioned about incidents that occurred during Elections Day, Calder said that during the course of the day, observers received reports which were easily explained and quickly diffused and people returned to voting. He said the few disruptions should not negate the fact that overall, around the country it was a smooth process. Focusing particularly on the incident in Sophia, Calder said “clearly that type of behaviour is not warranted. It is unfortunate that that took place.” Hours after the closing of polls across the country, an angry mob in ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, torched several vehicles and attacked a pastor’s home in the belief that PPP/C supporters had set up an illegal polling station in the area. The building was actually a PPP/C Command Centre. Calder said on the political side of things there was a united opposition and an increasingly young electorate and “those two things can shake up the dynamics of an elections. It certainly did in 2011.” The Carter Center election observation mission has been in Guyana since April 8, 2015, following an invitation from the office of the President.

Chile’s Bachelet names new cabinet amid scandal Santiago (AFP) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet named a new cabinet Monday, seeking to turn the page on a corruption scandal involving her son that risks derailing her ambitious reform agenda. Five days after making a surprise announcement that she had asked her entire cabinet to resign, Bachelet unveiled her new line-up of ministers, sacking five, including finance minister Alberto Arenas and interior minister Rodrigo Peñailillo, a close ally who was also her chief of staff. “Today, it’s time to give new impetus to the quality of our government,” said Bachelet, Chile’s first woman president.

Michelle Bachelet Bachelet, 63, replaced Arenas with the head of the national bank, Rodrigo Valdes — the first time a Chilean leader has sacked a finance minister since the end of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in 1990.

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

Citizens urged to remain peaceful as results unfold From left: GECOM’s Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, Chairman Steve Surujbally and PRO Richard Francois

By Desilon Daniels As tensions continue to flare following the conclusion of Monday’s voting, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has called for peace to prevail as it prepares to reveal the results of general and regional elections. Since Monday, reports of unrest, primarily in Region Four, have surfaced. These reports have reached not only GECOM but also the main contesting parties, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC). During a press conference on Monday evening at GECOM’s Command Centre, GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally urged the citizenry to remain calm as GECOM executed its duties. He said too, that he had spoken with representatives from both the main parties and advised them to have their supporters endorse peace. “We need that peace and tranquility as of now,” Surujbally said before continuing, “Already there have been too many episodes of turbulence – not very great turbulence – but turbulence, nevertheless, and I am saying that the political party leaders, especially those of the major political parties, have to

address the citizenry of the country.” He further emphasised that a “beautifully run election” should not be besmirched by unrest. He added that GECOM had received kudos from both international and local observers along with citizens who had voted. “The technical aspect went very well; let us not have a situation in which that which we have achieved is undermined and destroyed,” Surujbally asserted. Other issues which arose had been translated to GECOM by political parties. When questioned on whether GECOM felt any political pressure to deal with alleged issues, Surujbally said that personally, he did not believe so. Instead, he said, “I feel vexation; I feel frustration.” He went on, “To see that all that we’ve prepared for over the years in the inter-electoral period, to see that all the work over the last six months and before is being threatened…that would make anybody’s blood boil. However, I am too old to become distraught to any great degree. However, my country is dear to me and to see what I’ve experienced in my youth again come to past, especially on my watch, is not very helpful to my whole

equanimity. So, no pressure in that sense but a feeling of despondency, because of activities that are beyond our control.” One of the allegations leveled during this year’s general and regional elections has been that of multiple voting. However, when questioned on the possibility of multiple voting, Surujbally said that he could not fathom how the feat could be accomplished in light of the mechanisms put in place by GECOM to prevent electoral offenses. “There is a certain methodology that we’ve implemented that precludes that possibility,” he said. He emphasised that a number of areas needed to be verified before someone could vote, including the presentation of a national identification card. He added that if a voter fails to present an ID card, provided details must match those in GECOM’s folio. He also noted the difficulty in removing voting ink from one’s finger. “So, it is pretty much for me an impossibility,” he added. Similarly, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield deemed it highly unlikely that persons could vote as someone else with all the safeguards put in place by GECOM, unless there is collaboration from all sides.

“We’ve gone to great lengths over time to ensure that all the methodologies applied will be impossible for persons to beat the system. For any multiple voting, for me it has to be collaboration between and among all present at the polling station,” Lowenfield said. “We go above and beyond to ensure that our system is foolproof…and to have that beat, my thinking at this point in time is that there very well may be quite a lot of collaboration.” Meanwhile, Lowenfield also revealed that the entire process following 12 hours of continuous voting had gone smoothly “with few hiccups”. Lowenfield said that reports coming in from all ten administrative regions of Guyana indicated that voting had been conducted efficiently. “In the main, voting went very smoothly with a few hiccups, as it were, here and there,” Lowenfield said. Elaborating on these “hiccups”, Lowenfield admitted that there were some instances throughout Elections Day that had been brought to GECOM’s attention. However, he said with confidence, “the police will no doubt be doing their own investigations as the days progress” to deal with these reported instances.

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U.S Embassy calls for calm and patience The U.S Embassy of Guyana through its Public Affairs Section issued a statement congratulating the people of Guyana on their peaceful demonstrations of voting exercised on May 11th 2015. “The Guyanese people clearly implemented their democratic process that we observed in the 2015 elections. The Guyana Elections Commission has once again done a credible job in ensuring that this critical elections day phase of the process was free and fair. It dealt effectively with the challenges posed by high voter turnout and community exuberance in a manner that ensured the integrity of the vote. “We would like to congratulate Chairman Mr Steve Surujbally, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, and the commissioners and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission, for their successful organization of the polls…it was heartening to witness the enthusiasm with which Guyanese voters participated in the electoral process which will ultimately

choose their next government.” The Elections Commission was faced with the task of tallying the votes of the May 11th elections, and this process was certain to take time and “we are confident that it was done in an accurate and timely manner and in accordance of the laws of Guyana. “As we all hear final announcement of the results, the U.S Embassy urges all Guyanese to remain patient and to avoid any actions that could provoke conflict or violence. It is our hope that all political leaders on all sides will remain proactively engaged with their respective supporters in order to promote calm and reconciliation. Supporters are encouraged to do the same and to resolve outstanding disputes through the established judicial process.”

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Kaieteur News

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Wednesday May 13, 2015

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Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Iran stresses end-June deadline as nuclear talks press on Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator said yesterday he hoped diplomacy resuming this week will yield results before a self-imposed deadline for a final deal to curtail Iran’s atomic program expires at the end of June. “We hope we can pull together an agreement before July 1,” Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by Iran’s Mehr news agency as he met European officials in Vienna. Diplomats are trying to fill gaps in an April 2 framework pact that would curb Iran’s nuclear program, allaying

Western fears it may be geared to developing an atomic bomb capability, in return for relief from international sanctions. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has said sanctions must be rescinded as soon as any final deal is signed. The United States wants a gradual lifting of restrictions - a big sticking point left unresolved so far. The framework deal did not spell out all details about the future of Iran’s atomic research and development

SOPs from most... (From page 14) the process was “speeded up” during the course of Monday evening. Currently, he added, GECOM’s staff is fully operational and processing the information received from the statements. “They [the statements] are being checked very carefully for accuracy; there are several layers of checks that are being done and the process is progressing smoothly,” Lowenfield said. Up to last evening, District 4 had remained the only area from which all Statements had been received. Lowenfield said that districts 5 and 6 were “almost complete”. In district 3, the coast and bank areas were completed, while results from the Essequibo islands and the rivering parts of the district

were yet to be received. “We are receiving these statements and we’re going through the processes to ensure the accuracy that is required,” Lowenfield added. Meanwhile, Dr. Surujbally said that a few hours of “active and functional work” allowed GECOM to receive at least 1,500 SOPs. This, he said, happened despite the circumstances and “negative environment”. Though most of the nation’s SOPs have arrived at GECOM, Surujbally said that not all had been processed. Surujbally was also unwilling to share information on how the race for government is going, implying that it was pointless since the results would continue to shift as more SOPs are received.

Police, Customs probing... (From page 19) crate as well as matching ammunition for the weaponry. There are reports that Guyana Police Force’s top brass have already notified their US counterparts, with a view to locating the shipper. Local Police are trying to locate Mark Crumwell called ‘Demon’ in connection with the discovery. A release said that Crumwell, 33, of Lot 40 Vigilance, E.C.D & Lot 10 Buxton, East Coast Demerara, is wanted in connection with possession of firearms and ammunition that is under investigation. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Mark Crumwell called ‘Demon’ is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 2292557, 225-8196, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence.

program, the exact scope of the U.N. atomic watchdog’s monitoring regime, and what kind of uranium stockpile Tehran will be allowed to keep. “We have to abide by the solutions and agreements that we reached in Lausanne, and we will only negotiate in that framework,” Araqchi said,

referring to the interim deal between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. This week’s diplomatic flurry sees European Union Political Director Helga Schmid meet Araqchi and Iranian diplomat Madjid Takht Ravanchi in Vienna on Tuesday.

Chief U.S. negotiator Wendy Sherman is due to travel to Vienna on Wednesday to join the talks, while the other big powers send officials on Friday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Tuesday and was expected to discuss

the Iran nuclear talks with him. The White House scrambled on Monday to counter perceptions that the Saudi king’s absence from a summit later this week could undermine U.S. efforts to assure Gulf states it remains committed to their security against Iran.

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Wednesday May 13, 2015

Vote Like A Boss campaign viewed as overwhelming success ...as more young and old voters turnout

The Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) vote education campaign “Vote Like a Boss” has been regarded as an “overwhelming success by its organisers, as hundreds of young voters showed off their participation in Monday’s Electoral process through social media. The phrase #VoteLikeABoss seemed to dominate social media throughout the duration of Election Day, as photos and status updates flooded newsfeeds with images of young voters showing off their freshly inked fingers. This phenomenon appeared to encourage young voters from Georgetown, Linden and the East Coast, while E-Day was praised by observes for high turnout rate. The term” VoteLike A Boss”, was locally coined by the GNYC, in collaboration with the Guyana Elections Commission, in the effort to increase voter education among young people and promote their participation in the electoral process in Guyana. In an interview this publication, GNYC Chair, Tiffany Daniels, revealed that the entire campaign turned out to be a huge success towards the agency’s objective, as it shattered expectations in the response it received on Election Day. “It was an overwhelming response to see all the comments, status updates and images that young people posted of themselves voting on Election Day,” said Daniels. Daniels said that she has even seen an increase in voter turnout among young and older voters who used the phrase Vote Like a Boss in various facets of

communication. “There was not only a turnout in youth voters, but there were adults who used the phrase saying that it was their first time voting in Guyana’s elections,” related the GNYC Chair. According to Daniels, and judging from what she and her team saw online, the Vote Like A Boss campaign has seen hundreds of supporters from social media. However, she contends that they cannot be precise in their estimations as the responses were more than expected. She credited the success of the campaign not only to GYNC, but to the other youth organisations that worked with the Council. Moreover, the voter education campaign, which officially launched in March, was reported by Daniels as

providing comprehensive information to participants through its other activities across the country. “Responses from our other voter education activities have been that person understood more about the electoral process than they previously did,” said Daniels. When asked about the next step for GNYC, Daniels responded “It’s not over. We plan on educating young people on the role the play in the country’s politics and policies.” She said that through such programmes the Council will be able to inform Guyanese youth on the rights they have, and the power they have in holding their political leaders accountable. As Guyanese await the final results from the polls, Daniels said that the immediate message is to advise persons to be patient as results are tabulated. “The message now, is that the voting process is not over. We are urging for peace... people do need to respect GECOM’s results,” said the youth agent, as she promised the GNYC’s commitment to educating Guyanese youth on their role in the political process.

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Kaieteur News

Fresh earthquake kills scores in Nepal and India

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 13, 2015

House of Representatives votes for Jamaica to leave the Privy Council for the CCJ The Gleaner - The House of Representatives has voted for Jamaica to leave the United Kingdom-based Privy Council and establish the Caribbean Court of Justice as Jamaica’s final Court of Appeal. Before the final vote in the House, the Parliament had resolved itself into a committee to decide on the substantive bill and three accompanying ones. On the occasion of each of the accompanying Bills, the Opposition called for a divide but was out-voted 41-21 every time. The crucial Bill to amend the Constitution to make the CCJ Jamaica’s final appellate court was next. It required a two-thirds

majority and so this time, the House Speaker Michael Peart added to the Government numbers to make the vote 4221, sending the matter to the House to be reported as having been passed without amendment. Government members stood and thumped their desks in celebration. But the route to the passing of the bill in the House would not be smooth, Opposition Member , Desmond McKenzie, halted to flow to find out why was there an apparent rush. Despite interruptions by Government members, McKenzie pressed on until he was eventually over-ruled by the House Speaker. On the third reading of the

Michael Peart Bill the Opposition again called for a divide but was out-voted 41-21.

Duty to clear government’s name, says Trinidad PM PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Monday emphasised that she has a duty to clear her government’s name with regard to fabricated emails that opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley presented to Parliament in May 2013. “I have a duty not just to myself, but to the members of our government and to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, to have the record cleared in the Parliament now that we have the evidence from independent sources. “Given that Parliament dissolves in June, if we had not done this now, Mr Rowley’s reckless and false charges would have stayed on the Hansard record for the rest of our lifetime. Now we can move forward with our responsibility to improve the lives of the people of our nation. “Mr Rowley was sus-

Dr Keith Rowley pended because he fabricated documents with serious false charges and introduced them in Parliament. If Mr Rowley cannot be trusted to work with integrity in the Parliament, how can we trust him to run our country?” PersadBissessar said.

The prime minister also released a letter from a California law firm Computerlaw Group LLP, which confirmed that Google Inc had provided information requested by the Integrity Commission in relation to all emails exchanged between her and former attorney general Anand Ramlogan during the month of September 2012 and confirmed that “there has been no match for any of the emails contained in the document produced by the leader of the opposition, Dr Keith Rowley which prompted the Integrity Commission’s investigation.” Computerlaw Group’s managing partner Jack Russo, who specializes in internet, computer law, and intellectual property litigation, also stated for the avoidance of doubt that none of the offending emails in that document were found to have been sent from or received by kamlapb1@gmail.com and anand@tstt.tt.net.

Cuba’s Castro concerned over ‘illegal’ activity at U.S. mission HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro said yesterday that dissidents are receiving “illegal” training at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, an issue he raised with U.S. President Barack Obama in talks on restoring diplomatic ties. Cuba and the United States are working to re-establish diplomatic relations that were severed in 1961, but a number of differences still need to be worked out, includ-

ing a U.S. request for freedom of movement for its diplomats in Cuba. The two countries have interests sections rather than embassies in each other’s capitals. They would be upgraded to embassies once diplomatic ties are restored. Castro, 83, did not say whether Cuba’s complaint would impede the move toward diplomatic relations. He suggested ambassadors could be named after Cuba

comes off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism on May 29, but that the procedures were being debated. “What I told them, concretely to the president, what most concerns me is that they continue doing illegal things ... for example, graduating independent journalists,” Castro told reporters at Havana’s international airport after seeing off visiting French President Francois Hollande.

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Kevin Pietersen anger at ‘deceitful’ England Kevin Pietersen says he is “angry and hurt” at being told he will not be considered for selection by England. The batsman was given hope of a recall by incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves, but has been told by new director of cricket Andrew Strauss he is not required. ”I just find it incredibly deceitful what has happened to me,” Pietersen wrote in the Telegraph. ”I am angry and hurt but right now there is nothing I can do about it.” In a wideranging column, Pietersen said: - He agreed to meet with Strauss and ECB chief executive because he was told they would “work together”. - He feels “misled” by the ECB.

- It is a “disgrace” if Strauss has been “given permission to lose this summer’s Ashes”. - That Strauss could not name players who do not trust him. - He will travel to play in the Indian Premier League on Friday and is yet to make a decision on his future. Pietersen was told his international career was over in February 2014, only for Graves to suggest the 34year-old could add to his 104 England caps if he joined a county and scored enough runs to merit a recall. As a result, the righthander pulled out of a deal with IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad and signed for Surrey. He made 355 not out against Leicestershire but

Strauss said he will not be selected this summer because “trust has eroded” between Pietersen and the ECB. ”I have done everything I can,” added Pietersen, who made his Test debut in 2005. “Was I lied to by the chairman? Only he can answer that. Tom Harrison and Andrew Strauss have said today that all three of them are united in this decision, so I don’t know what to think. ”What has happened since Colin told me if I scored county runs I would be available for selection?” Pietersen’s meeting with Strauss and Harrison was arranged before he made his highest first-class score and biggest individual score in the County Championship since 1994.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) What's driving you today, Aries? Why do you feel an obsessive need to get all your work done at once? If you're trying to impress someone, there's no need. Others already hold you in high regard.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Home might be a lonely place tonight, Libra. The other members of your household may be out or out of town. You might not feel up to any carousing, so you will probably choose to stay home and read or watch TV.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) If you're attending a class tonight, do something frivolous for the rest of the day. Read romance novels instead of great literature.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Usually you're quite social, Scorpio, but today you will feel like nothing more than working alone.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) The desire to stay home alone and rest tonight might conflict with a need to go out with your friends, Gemini. You may be too stressed to put up with gossip or too much intellectual stimulation. CANCER (June 21–July 22) There will be a lighthearted, almost silly energy in the air today, Cancer. The Universe is encouraging you to give up your iron grip on that list of responsibilities and have some fun. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Leo, plans to attend a lecture may have to be postponed because someone who's going with you feels under the weather. Overindulgence in food or drink may be the reason. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A desire to make a big purchase might tempt you to overextend your credit cards and clean out your savings, Virgo.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Too much good food, good wine, and good conversation, Sagittarius? Not that any of this is undesirable, but you may be suffering from overload right now. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You usually don't mind being alone, Capricorn. In fact, you enjoy your own company. Tonight you're going to crave companionship. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) This is the day to listen and observe, Aquarius. There is a lot to learn from what's going on around you. You might be surprised at the impact of it. Too much talk now could prove fruitless and even set you back in some way, especially if talk is used to hide your insecurities. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Are you going out tonight with friends who mean a lot to you, Pisces? You might be tempted to eat and drink too much and spend too much money.

Kevin Pietersen

”I expressed my fear to Tom last week when he asked for the meeting that I did not want to sit in a room and be told that I was not going to be picked for England again,” added Pietersen. ”Tom said: ‘No, no, no you have had one of England’s greatest careers and we need to work together.’ So, of course, I agreed to the meeting.” Explaining the decision not to consider Pietersen for selection, Strauss said: “Over months and years, trust has eroded between Kevin Pietersen and the ECB.” But Pietersen, who played 46 Test matches under Strauss’s leadership, claimed his former captain could name players who mistrust him. “I asked: “Who doesn’t trust me?” said Pietersen. “You have a new chairman, a new CEO, we have spent the last 10 minutes sorting out our differences like adults. Let’s go through the batting order. ”I rattled off names. He could not give me any names. He said it is a broader thing and not just the players.” (BBCsport)

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Wednesday May 13, 2015

Mayweather against Pacquiao Djokovic survives Almagro was highest grossing fight scare, Serena through in Rome of all time generating revenues of OVER $500million Novak Djokovic. Reuters/ Tony Gentile

It may have turned out to be the non-Fight of the Century, but Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao has broken all boxing pay-per-view records. Showtime and HBO, the rival US TV cable networks, who shared broadcast rights in America, have confirmed a combined total of more than 4.4million buys. This carries the pay TV revenue there well above $400million (£255m). This ensures that even though the fight itself in Las Vegas was

an anti-climax after all the hype, it has become the first half-billion dollar event in ring history. The live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena grossed more than $71m (£45m). Overseas TV rights totalled more than $55m (£35m), including an estimated minimum of $12m (£7.7m) from Sky Sports in this country. Sponsorship also reached an all-time high with one Mexican brewer, Tecate, pumping $5m dollars into the

overflowing pot. The previous records for pay TV in the US are stood at 2.4million buys for Mayweather’s clash with Oscar de la Hoya, and 2.48 million for Mayweather’s more recent victory over Canelo Alvarez. There are still some outlying broadcast outlets to file returns and my recent projection that Mayweather will pocket $240m (£153m), and Pacquiao $160m (£102m), now looks achievable. (Mailonline) Holder Novak Djokovic scraped over his first hurdle at the Rome Masters with a 61 6-7(5) 6-3 victory over Spanish claycourt specialist Nicolas Almagro yesterday. The world number one, given a bye into the second round, was in total control as he swept through the opening set at the Foro Italico, but the aggressive Almagro settled down to his task and made the Serb work hard for an 18th consecutive Tour victory. Djokovic looked poised for victory when he built a 52 lead in the tiebreak but Almagro fought back and when Djokovic netted a tame forehand at 5-5 Almagro seized his chance, clinching the second set with a powerful first serve. Almagro, who missed the

Mayweather beat Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

Rosberg sets the pace in first inseason F1 test in-season Nico Rosberg followed up his Spanish Grand Prix victory by stepping back into his Mercedes yesterday for another 146 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya in Formula One’s first in-season test of the year. The German was unsurprisingly the fastest of the nine drivers on track, with only tailenders Manor Marussia not taking part in the test, with a best time of one minute 24.374 seconds. His schedule included setup work for next week’s Monaco Grand Prix, a home race he has won for the past two years, the evaluation of new parts and some tyre work for Pirelli. ”Today was a great test day

for sure,” said Rosberg, who is 20 points adrift of team mate and world champion Lewis Hamilton after five of the season’s 19 races and his first victory of the campaign on Sunday. ”The track was a little bit quicker than over the race weekend and we did many laps, so I’m a bit tired. But it’s my only test during the season so it’s important. “The last sector here has a lot of tight corners — so it’s like Monaco in a way, which is useful. The car felt very good there so I’m feeling optimistic and ready for the next race.” Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson was second fastest, in

1:26.624 with only five regular race drivers in action. Ferrari had test driver Raffaele Marciello in their car, while McLaren, propping up the timesheets, tested with Oliver Turvey. The Briton was held up by some sensor issues in the morning but had a trouble-free afternoon working on a suspension program. Jenson Button, who complained about the car’s ‘scary’ handling in Sunday’s race, will be behind the wheel today. Britain’s Nick Yelloly moved from simulator to track to make his F1 test debut with Force India and completed 109 laps. (Reuters)

second half of last year after foot surgery and has slipped to 174th in the rankings, continued to worry Djokovic with his power at the start of the third set. Djokovic kept his nose in front on serve though and broke in the eighth game after winning a long baseline exchange. The three-times Rome champion completed the job on his second match point when Almagro fired a backhand long. Former Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka also reached the third round but was stretched before overcoming Argentina’s Juan Monaco 46 6-3 6-2. Ninth seed Marin Cilic was the highest-ranked casualty, losing in straight sets to Guillermo GarciaLopez, but there was no hiccup for seventh seeded Span-

iard David Ferrer who came through 6-4 7-5 against France’s Richard Gasquet. In the women’s event, top seed and defending champion Serena Williams crushed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-3 in her first match since Petra Kvitova ended the American’s 27-match unbeaten run in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open last week. Williams needed 62 minutes to dismiss the former world number 13 in straight sets, smashing 25 winners and converting five of seven break points in a one-sided encounter. Maria Sharapova also wasted little energy as she moved into the third round. The Russian, seeded three, was 6-2 3-1 ahead when Australian opponent Jarmila Gajdosova retired.

Edwards excited with Hampshire move Hampshire, England West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards says he is excited by the opportunity to play for Hampshire. Edwards bowled his first overs for the county on Monday in their T20 victory over Dorset. The 33-year-old sent down just three overs at a cost of 24 runs as Hampshire won on a faster scoring rate. “This is a new chapter and I’ve always wanted to come over and play, especially in the T20,” Edwards told BBC Radio Solent. ”Watching them on TV they look pretty exciting so hopefully I can get a couple of T20s under my belt and hopefully do good in the fourday games.” He arrived earlier than planned because of

Fidel Edwards

an injury to Australian Jackson Bird, and Edwards knows exactly the job he has been brought in to do. ”My job is very easy; bowl fast and get wickets,” he added. Edwards will return to

the West Indies towards the end of June to play for the St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League but will return to Hampshire after the tournament. (BBCSport)

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Curry spices up Warriors in Discrimination monitoring series-tying win over Grizzlies to be introduced at 2018

FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) goes to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15). The Sports Xchange Stephen Curry lived up to his Most Valuable Player status with 33 points as the Golden State Warriors brushed aside the Memphis Grizzlies 101-84 at FedExForum on Monday to even their Western Conference semi-final series at 2-2. Curry shot 11-for-22 from the floor, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, as well as adding eight rebounds and five assists. It was the point guard’s fourth 30-point game of the 2015 post-season. The Warriors led by as many as 26 points in the third quarter and were never threatened after the interval as the top seeds secured a vital road win in the best-of-seven series.

The Grizzlies were simply unable to keep pace with the Warriors, their last lead coming at the 7:52 mark in the first quarter when a three-pointer by point guard Mike Conley (10 points, seven assists and three steals) gave Memphis a 9-8 edge. Memphis had hoped to continue building on the strong defensive play that led to victories in the second and third games of the series when they restricted Golden State to 23 percent shooting from three-point range. On Monday, however, the Warriors rediscovered their outside shooting, hitting 14of-33 (42.4 percent) from long distance as four Golden State players made at least three

three-pointers. Warriors forward Draymond Green scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds, guard Klay Thompson finished with 15 points, and reserve swingman Andre Iguodala contributed 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. Overall, the Warriors made 38-of-80 shots from the field (47.5 percent). Memphis hit 33-of-88 shots (37.5 percent), including just 4-of-18 three-point attempts. Center Marc Gasol finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Forward Zach Randolph added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and forward Jeff Green also scored 12 points.

FIFA is reinforcing its fight against discrimination in football with the introduction of a new anti-discrimination monitoring system for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers. The system includes the deployment of Anti-Discrimination Match Observers to monitor and report issues of discrimination at the games. It will be coordinated by FIFA and implemented in collaboration with the Fare network, an organisation with long experience in the fight against discrimination in football and the deployment of match observers. The new measure is a key step in FIFA’s ongoing fight against discrimination and follows on from the recommendations of the FIFA Task Force against Racism and Discrimination. It will facilitate and complete the work of FIFA referees and disciplinary bodies. The main objective is to optimise legal procedures by providing much needed evidence leading to potential sanctions. As part of the new monitoring system, specially trained Anti-Discrimination Match Observers will be appointed to games that have been identified as high risk. After every monitored match, the Match Observer will provide a report within 24 hours to FIFA’s disciplinary body, which will analyse the information and decide on the potential opening of disciplinary

proceedings. ”I’m very happy to see this programme taking shape and being rolled out first for the 2018 qualifiers. The FIFA Congress passed a strong resolution against discrimination in 2013 and we created a dedicated Task Force. The new monitoring system is a very concrete measure in order to ensure that football sends a clear message for diversity and against any form of discrimination,” said FIFA President Blatter. ”The introduction of match observers was one of the key recommendations of our Task Force in order to tackle discriminatory incidents in football. With this new system we are providing our disciplinary bodies with the tools they urgently need to effectively combat racism and discrimination in our sport,” said the chairman of the FIFA Task Force and FIFA Vice-President Jeffrey Webb. ”This collaboration between FIFA and the Fare network marks a milestone in the fight against discrimination in football. We are bringing our experience and know-how in identifying matchday issues and will work with leading experts across the world to ensure that football’s flagship event shows that football does not have to be associated with issues of discrimination or exclusion,” said the Fare network’s Executive Director Piara Powar.

The new monitoring system was officially presented today in an event at Wembley Stadium in London in the presence of FIFA’s Head of Sustainability Federico Addiechi, Fare’s Executive Director and member of the FIFA Task Force Piara Powar, former FIFA referee and member of the Task Force Howard Webb, Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder and consultant to the Task Force Yaya Toure and chair of The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board and consultant to the Task Force Heather Rabbatts. ”I’m very satisfied to see that FIFA is taking this issue very seriously and putting in place concrete measures to stop behaviour which goes against the spirit of our sport,” said Toure. The Match Observers programme is just one of the measures that FIFA is currently developing to step up the fight against any form of discrimination in football. Besides the reinforcement of controls and sanctions, education is another key pillar of the strategy that has been put in place following the Resolution on the Fight against Racism and Discrimination by the 63rd FIFA Congress in 2013. In addition, FIFA will soon publish a Good Practice Guide on Diversity and AntiDiscrimination to support all its member associations in their efforts to tackle discrimination. (FIFA)

Italian Formolo takes surprise win in Giro Home favorite Davide Formolo claimed the first victory of his short professional career with a stunning ride into La Spezia on the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday. The fresh-faced 22year-old, tipped as a future grand tour champion, was roared into the port city at the end of a wildly unpredictable 150km stage in which Simon Clarke took over the maglia rosa from Orica GreenEdge team mate Michael Matthews. Overall race favorite Alberto Contador was left without any team mates in the Astana-led chasing pack but managed to avoid real damage, the Spaniard finishing 22 seconds behind in a

group that included Clarke and Team Sky’s Richie Porte. Australian Clarke appeared to think he had the stage victory when he won the bunch sprint. “You saw the emotion crossing the line, I was stoked to keep the jersey in the team, to be able to take the jersey and keep it for Orica for another d a y, ” Clarke told Eurosport. ”(Team mates) Michael Matthews and Simon Gerrans have had great days and today it worked for me.” Formolo attacked just before the final climb with about 13km remaining and once he reached the top with a 30-second advantage he held on for a masterful victory.

”I tried to go in a breakaway in the second last climb but the other riders caught me. I tried again on the last climb and luckily I could go to the finish line alone. Amazing,” the CannondaleGarmin rider said. Clarke was in danger of being dropped by the chasing group but managed to rejoin it on the final descent to guarantee the pink jersey would stay with his team for another day at least. He leads by 10 seconds from team mate Esteban Chaves with Contador and his TinkoffSaxo colleague Roman Kreuziger a further seven seconds back. The first proper mountain stage is on Wednesday to Abetone.

Launch of the FIFA Anti-Discrimination Monitoring System for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in London. Getty Images

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Barcelona secure record 18th final berth

Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi celebrate together as Barcelona booked their place in the Berlin Champions League final on June 6. Bayern Munich failed to summon the miracle they required to prevent Barcelona easing into the UEFA Champions League final at the Allianz Arena last night. Thomas Muller’s 74th-minute strike at least gave Pep Guardiola’s men the satisfaction of victory on the night but Bayern’s 3-2 win could not stop the visitors coasting to Berlin with a 5-3 aggregate success. Bayern dared to dream when Mehdi Benatia powered home a seventh minute header but a quick double from Brazilian Neymar effectively sunk their hopes of staging an astonishing comeback. Benatia’s opener which caught out Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was just what the home fans dreamed of and Bastian Schweinsteiger had them hoping for more when he fired over the bar. But Bayern paid for defensive errors in the 15th minute when Lionel Messi brilliantly

cut open the German rearguard to feed Luis Suarez, who unselfishly crossed for Neymar to prod home the equaliser on the night. Muller missed an excellent chance to put Bayern back in front when Ter Stegen flapped away his goal-bound effort, then the ‘keeper proved equal to a poor effort from Lewandowski as Bayern dominated. But Bayern’s inevitable desire to attack cost them dear again in the 28th minute when Suarez crossed from the right and found Neymar in plenty of space to knock home the visitors’ second. Ter Stegen was called on again in the 28th minute to paw a Lewandowski effort off the line at the second attempt as Barcelona looked increasingly happy to sit back and conjure fleeting counter-attacks. Philipp Lahm almost cued up a fine chance for

Schweinsteiger in the 49th minute and ten minutes later Lewandowski turned on the edge of the box and drilled a superb low shot past Ter Stegen to draw level on the night. Muller shot just wide as Bayern began to dominate, and they got the third goal their performance deserved in the 74th minute when Muller steered home after Schweinsteiger played a neat lay-off with his back to goal. Lewandowski saw an effort deflected wide as Bayern looked to go out in style, but with time ticking by and the home side’s slim hopes long extinguished, the last say was almost left for Barcelona. Neymar was sent into space in the left side of the box and instead of going for his hat-trick he unselfishly tried to find Messi, only for his attempted pass to evade the Argentinian and roll harmlessly across the face of an empty goal. (FIFA)

GCB Inter-County four-day to commence on Saturday The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior four-day InterCounty tourney is set to commence on Saturday with Berbice playing the Guyana Under-19 team at Enmore ground and Demerara

facing Essequibo at Wales ground. The second round will begin on May 21 with Demerara and Berbice battling at GCC Bourda and Essequibo clashing

with Guyana Under-19 at Enmore while in the third and final round which will start on May 26 will see Berbice taking on Essequibo at Wales and Demerara tackling the U19s at Everest.

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Bowlers, Iyer give Daredevils consolatory win An exceptionally disciplined show from the Delhi Daredevils bowlers restricted table-toppers Chennai Super Kings to 119 for 6, to set up a convincing and consolatory six-wicket win on a slightly uneven and sluggish pitch in Raipur. Ironically, Daredevils were without their top three wicket-takers of the season so far, Imran Tahir, Amit Mishra and Nathan CoulterNile, who was excluded for Gurinder Sandhu. Daredevils’ chase was later steered with 20 balls to spare by an unbeaten and uncluttered fifty from Shreyas Iyer. The loss means that Super Kings still haven’t technically made it to the playoffs. Even though they are on top with 16 points and a game to go, they could be out on net run rate. Nothing went Super Kings’ way apart from the toss, as Daredevils opened with left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Zaheer Khan. The two suffocated Super Kings’ destructive openers, who rely on boundaries early on. Nadeem started with a maiden with the help of a few seam-ups and gave no room to Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum; and Zaheer hardly gave them any pace to utilise, bowling a stump-to-stump line. The pressure resulted in McCullum’s wicket on the last ball of the frugal Powerplay, which yielded only 16 runs, including 27 dot balls. It was Super Kings’ second-worst

Powerplay across eight seasons, and the third-worst by any team. The pressure never allowed Super Kings to breathe on a hot evening. Smith took 12 balls to get off the mark, struggled the most to time the ball, and was trapped lbw for 18 off 24 on Albie Morkel’s first ball. For a brief period, it looked like Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis would rescue their team. Raina rotated the strike from ball one and du Plessis decided to find gaps instead of clearing the boundary on the big ground. But offspinner Jayant Yadav got rid of Raina seven balls after Smith’s wicket, which brought the already-struggling MS Dhoni out. He and du Plessis briefly consolidated the innings, scoring runs off Sandhu and Yuvraj Singh, with a stand of 37 in six overs. But du Plessis’ wicket in the 16th over threw Super Kings off track again. Thirteen runs from the next over, off Yuvraj, and 11 off Sandhu in the next helped Super Kings’ score past 100 but Zaheer and Sandhu conceded only nine from the last two to keep Daredevils’ required run rate to exactly six per over. Daredevils’ chase was uncharacteristically smooth after losing two wickets early on. Even though Iyer struck three fours in the first two overs, Ishwar Pandey, who came in for an ill Ashish Nehra, removed Quinton de

Kock and Duminy, for 3 and 6 respectively. An unfazed Iyer avoided any extravagant or risky shots to keep the chase on course. He cashed in on the room offered by Mohit Sharma early and used his feet and played the ball late against the spinners. Ishwar’s first three overs read 3-1-7-2, but his last over, the seventh of the innings, dashed Super Kings’ hopes and chances. Yuvraj struck fluent fours on the first and sixth balls, and Iyer unleashed an insideout drive for six and a beautifully-timed on-drive for four off consecutive deliveries to accumulate 20 from the over. Super Kings made things worse for themselves when Mohit dropped a high catch of Iyer, on 32 then, wide of deep midwicket off a rare slog. Yuvraj and Iyer scored at least a boundary for next five overs to bring the required run rate to a comfortable four per over. Iyer brought up his fourth fifty of the tournament and even though Yuvraj and Morkel fell to Pawan Negi’s successive overs towards end, Iyer took them home comfortably. Super Kings’ spinners tried to make use of the slow pitch, which offered some turn but they had very little to defend. Delhi Daredevils 120 for 4 (Iyer 70*, Ishwar 2-27) beat Chennai Super Kings 119 for 6 (Zaheer 2-9, Morkel 2-21) by six wickets. (ESPNcricinfo)