Monday October 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 7
High risk Ebola could reach France and UK by end-Oct, scientists calculate (Reuters) - Scientists have used Ebola disease spread patterns and airline traffic data to predict a 75 percent chance the virus could be imported to France by October 24, and a 50 percent chance it could hit Britain by that date. Those numbers are based on air traffic remaining at full capacity. Assuming an 80 percent reduction in travel to reflect that many airlines are halting flights to affected regions, France’s risk is still 25 percent, and Britain’s is 15 percent. “It’s really a lottery,” said Derek Gatherer of Britain’s Lancaster University, an expert in viruses who has been tracking the epidemic the worst Ebola outbreak in history. The deadly epidemic has killed more than 3,400 people since it began in West Africa in March and has now started to spread faster, infecting almost 7,200 people so far. Nigeria, Senegal and now the United States - where the first case was diagnosed on Tuesday in a man who flew in from Liberia - have all seen people carrying the Ebola haemorrhagic fever virus, apparently unwittingly, arrive on their shores. France is among countries most likely to be hit next because the worst affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia include French speakers and have busy travel routes back, while Britain’s Heathrow airport is one of the world’s biggest travel hubs. France and Britain have each treated one national who was brought home with the disease and then cured. The scientists’ study suggests that more may bring it to Europe not knowing they are infected. “If this thing continues to rage on in West Africa and indeed gets worse, as some people have predicted, then it’s only a matter of time before one of these cases
ends up on a plane to Europe,” said Gatherer. Belgium has a 40 percent chance of seeing the disease arrive on its territory, while Spain and Switzerland have lower risks of 14 percent each, according to the study first published in the journal PLoS Current Outbreaks and now being regularly updated at w w w. m o b s - l a b . o rg / ebola.html. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not placed any restrictions on travel and has encouraged airlines to keep flying to the worst-hit countries. British Airways and Emirates airlines have suspended some flights But the risks change every day the epidemic continues, said Alex Vespignani, a professor at the Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological and SocioTechnical Systems at Northeastern University in Boston who led the research. “This is not a deterministic list, it’s about probabilities - but those probabilities are growing for everyone,” Vespignani said in a telephone interview. “It’s just a matter of who gets lucky and who gets unlucky.” The latest calculations used data from October 1. “Air traffic is the driver,” Vespignani said. “But there
A worker in a hazardous material suit is sprayed down by a co-worker after coming out of an apartment unit where a man diagnosed with the Ebola virus was staying in Dallas, yesterday. Credit: REUTERS/Jim Young are also differences in connections with the affected countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), as well as different numbers of cases in these three countries - so depending on that, the probability numbers change.” Patients are at their most contagious when Ebola is in its terminal stages, inducing both internal and external
bleeding, and profuse vomiting and diarrhoea - all of which contain high concentrations of infectious virus. But the disease can also have a long incubation period of up to 21 days, meaning that people can be unaware for weeks that they are infected, and not feel or display any symptoms. This, it seems, is what
allowed the Liberian visitor Thomas Eric Duncanto to fly to the United States and spend several days there unaware that he was carrying the deadly virus, before being diagnosed and isolated. In the European Union, free movement of people means someone unknowingly infected with Ebola could easily drive through several neighbouring countries
before feeling ill and seeking help, and spend weeks in contact with friends or strangers before becoming sick enough to show up on airport scanners. Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at Britain’s Nottingham University said that even with exit screening at airports of affected countries, the long, silent incubation period meant “cases can slip through the net”. “Whilst the risk of imported Ebola virus remains small, it’s still a very real risk, and one that won’t go away until this outbreak is stopped,” he said. “Ebola virus isn’t just an African problem.” However, the chance of the disease spreading widely or developing into an epidemic in a wealthy, developed country is extremely low, healthcare specialists say. According to the latest Ebola risk assessment from the European Centres of Disease Prevention and Control, which monitors health and disease in the region, “the capacity to detect and confirm cases...is considered to be sufficient to interrupt any possible local transmission of the disease early.”
Page 8
Kaieteur News
Monday October 06, 2014
Monday October 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 9
THE FACE OF TYRANNY Guyana is not a dictatorship. We have a democratically elected government. However, what has emerged is a creeping tyranny within this democracy. This may seem paradoxical: the existence of an elected government with a tyranny. But it is not! There has always been a mistaken view that the existence of an elected government acts as a safeguard against tyranny. This is a false assumption and presumption. Historically, dating back to the Geek city States, there have been cases in which democracies and tyranny have co-existed. You can have a democratic government, which exercises tyrannical power. There is a lacuna within the democratic architecture, one that does not always prevent tyranny. In Guyana today there is a creeping tyranny. It is unique in many respects because it is a product of political factionalism within the government. There are factions within the government that are being allowed to pursue their own private agendas. There are also individuals who are
using their influence on State actors to pursue vendettas. In other words what we have are cliques or cells operating within the government apparatus that are pursuing their own private agendas. Unfortunately, there is the absence of political will to check the actions of these tyrannical cells. There are incontrovertible signs of this emerging tyranny. The first is when might becomes right. You know you are in a tyranny when the weak are defenseless. We see that in Guyana today in the way the proletarian class and their representatives are treated. The first example of how might is used to trample on right is the handling of the squatters at Plaisance/ Better Hope. The lands that these persons are occupying are believed to be in the process of being handed over to rich ndividuals. But instead of working out an arrangement with the poor folks, the lands were flooded by the State, an unconscionable act that imitates what the British colonialists use to do to stifle the development of the peasantry. The second example of
Dem boys seh...
DE CG GUN CRASH ALONE Dem criminal who like fast getaway does depend pun de CG and over de years nuff of dem criminals use to keep close to de CG. Everybody knows when people go to de bank is fuh draw or put in money and out of de blue de CG does come and rob de people dem. People does always wonder wheh de CG does come from. Some people believe that dem got people inside de bank looking out; some believe that de CG got inside information. Dem boys seh de police always on de hunt fuh dem bandits wid CG and couple a dem already get shoot. But de more police hunt, is de more de CG does come out. That is why when dem boys hear that de CG targeting de Waterfalls paper dem expect de police fuh come out but somebody seh that de police ain’t gun even look pon dis CG. Dis CG, dem boys seh, got nuff big one who does ride pon he bike back. Dem ride de CG hard de other day and de thing wobble till de wheel nearly come off. De CG had to get special treatment wid tablet and medicine and while all this happening de people who ride de CG hard sit back and keep quiet like if dem ain’t do nutten. People hear when de CG call fuh help and protection all de rough riders lef he pon he own. Dat”s how de CG had to go to Spain or as de CG tell immigration—to SPANE. People don’t like things when dem ain’t wukking good. That is why dem boys seh that it look like if de people who riding de CG gun done wid it. De other day de Cee fuh Satar think he was riding a CG because he drive he car like a madman. He swerve in front of a man and nearly cause a crash. Dem boys seh that de man get vex and drive up alongside to cuss but when he see Cee fuh Satar he suck he teeth and drive away. Cee fuh Satar tek down de man car number and call Cee fuh Chapwoman and get she fuh send some officers fuh arrest de man. When de officers tun up at de man house, de man son had to call a big one and de matter done right deh. Dat’s why dem boys seh you should not put power in any and everybody hand. Talk half and keep and keep yuh eyes pun all dem CG.
might prevailing over right is the use of State power to crush competition and to force certain persons out of business in the interest of friends of the political elites. The denial of parking to Celina Resort, years ago, forced that business into near bankruptcy. We also saw how parking restrictions helped crush one of the best night clubs in Guyana located at the Tower Hotel. The third example is the way the Guyana Public Service Union is being treated. Year after year this
weakened union has had wage increases imposed on public servants without any meaningful negotiations with the union. The union is weak and the government is strong. Might over right! The next sign of creeping tyranny is the targeting of political opponents. There are many examples of this but the most tragic of all is what was done to C. N. Sharma, the owner of a television station that ran a programme in which there were strident criticisms of the government. C. N. Sharma faced a series of
persecutions, including allegations of sexual harassment, none of which has resulted in a conviction. But the ultimate blow was the suspension of his broadcast license. This destroyed C.N Sharma. It broke him physically. He has suffered multiple strokes since then. Persons who are believed to be friends with the leaders of the Alliance for Change have also been targeted. The case of the owner of the Pegasus Hotel and another individual who competes for contracts in the
pharmaceutical sector are examples of the pressures that have been brought to bear on persons simply because they are believed to be supporters of the Alliance for Change. But perhaps the most ominous symptom of a creeping tyranny is trumpedup charges that are made against enemies of the Continued on page 16
Page 16
Kaieteur News
Police nab cocaine in 15-yr-old rum The ever vigilant Police Anti-Narcotics ranks stationed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri yesterday intercepted an outgoing passenger on his way to New York with almost six kilograms of cocaine. The drug was concealed in four bottles of 15 year old El Dorado rum. This newspaper understands that at about 03:30 hours, the ranks stopped the Guyanese man who was about to board BW 524 to JFK International
Airport in New York, USA. His suitcase was checked and ranks observed that the four bottles of rum seemed unusually heavy for the liquid that it was supposed to contain. A quick field test was done on the rum and it was found to contain a substance other than liquor. The man was escorted to Georgetown where the police analyst conducted further tests which confirmed that the rum was laced with cocaine.
The drug was subsequently extracted and found to weigh almost six kilograms. The man has been arrested and is assisting police with their investigations. Earlier this week, police anti-narcotics ranks Police anti narcotics agents put a huge dent in the operations of marijuana farmers in the Upper Demerara River district, raiding and destroying several acres of cultivated plants, with a street value that could reach as high as
US$20M. The agents had carried out the raid last Tuesday at a location called Hauraruni. So far for this year, police narcotics ranks were involved in several similar operations in the Berbice and Demerara River areas as well as the Soesdyke/Linden Highway. They have managed to destroy more than 180,000 marijuana plants and close to 400,000 tonnes in harvested cannabis.
The danger of living alone…
Body of mini bus driver found in house Living alone when you are battling a heart condition can be dangerous and sometimes deadly; at least this could be the case for a 58-year-old mini bus driver whose lifeless body was found in his home on Saturday. The decomposed body of Ronald Persaud, a father of
two, was found around 16:00 hrs on his bed at his Lot 304 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) home. P e r s a u d ’s d e a t h h a s been linked to a heart condition he had been suffering from for the past few years. He was also a hypertensive patient.
Indian company still... (From page 13) stated too that government will provide “sovereign guarantees” for successful funding of the project by international institutions. The company went further. It said that Government agreed that it will support the building of a road along the East Bank of the Berbice River to the concession, and will also facilitate development of internal infrastructure in the area. The group describes the project as a setup to an integrated agriculture business in Guyana. The group is claiming that they would make investments which would create directly over 15,000 new jobs in the Canje and the Berbice River areas, when fully realized. It is estimated that another 5,000 jobs will be created indirectly, supporting almost 15,000-20,000 families (approx 50,000 Guyanese). This particular announcement by the Indian company has raised questions over the manner Government has been going about courting investors. In most cases, Guyanese only learn of details after the deal is done and in some cases, by chance.
No foul play is suspected in his death, according to investigators. Persaud was living alone at the time of his death. His wife and children are residing in another country but came in after they were informed of his demise. According to information received, a bad scent was emanating from the bus driver’s yard since Friday last. On Saturday, a resident peeked into Persaud’s yard and saw that blood was dripping from the upper flat of his property into the patio below. The police were immediately summoned and the discovery was made. “When we went up, he was bleeding from his mouth. There were no marks of violence on his body,” a neighbour said. He continued, “He does drive bus, and one of his bus door wasn’t closed properly so I think he was experiencing some pain and he was hurrying to get upstairs to his bed and as soon as he reach, he collapsed.”
A PM examination on the body will be done on Wednesday. Doctors around the world have advised patients who may suffer a heart attack, when living alone, to cough repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Symptoms of a heart attack may be immediate and intense. More often, though, symptoms start slowly and persist for hours, days or weeks before the actual heart attack.
Monday October 06, 2014
Almost two years after hit and run death…
Driver jailed for two years Edson Ennis, 36, a cane harvester and part time taxi driver of Lot 88 Amsville Housing Scheme who was involved in the fatal hit and run accident on November 24th 2012, has been found guilty and jailed. He is accused of causing the death of Sastia Natasha Phillips, 27, a mother of five and formerly of Lot 5 Fifth Street, Islington, East Bank Berbice. Ennis appeared before Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court where he faced a charged of Causing Death by Dangerous Driving. He was sentenced to two years on that charge. He was also found guilty of failing to stop after an accident and was fined $20,000. In the third charge he was found guilty of failing to render assistance after an accident and was fined an additional $20,000. According to information, at around 20:15 hrs on the day in question the woman was in company with her fiancé and children, walking along Main Street, New Amsterdam (heading towards Stanleytown), when in the vicinity of Alexander Street she was hit by a car which was later identified as PDD 5925. The woman was picked up and rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where she succumbed. Ennis who was driving the car at the time of the accident fled the scene. Police subsequently found the car parked at a residence at Stanleytown, New Amsterdam. The driver subsequently
THE FACE OF...
From page 9 tyrants. This is the classic weapon of tyrants. When the tyrants- both little and big- cannot get you lawfully, they frame you. They resort to entrapment and false charges. This is what is being faced today by two individuals who have attracted the ire of the tyrants. The first is Raphael Trotman, the man at the center of a likely No-Confidence debate in the National Assembly. He has been accused of a most terrible crime. He is being framed. And then there is Glenn Lall of this newspaper who is facing trumped-up charges aimed at jailing him and destroying this newspaper. Glenn Lall needs all of Guyana to stand by his side to face the trumped-up charges and other plots that have been directed his way. He has stood by the Guyanese people all along. It is time for the Guyanese people to stand by him. So far, the main opposition parties have pledged their support. This is appreciated. More such support is needed from all sections of the Guyanese society. If the support of the Guyanese people is not forthcoming, then Kaieteur News should close down and allow the Guyanese people to enjoy the government they deserve, one that is tyrannical.
Edson Ennis turned himself into the police about 17:30 hrs on the following day. He had told investigators that he was driving South heading towards Stanleytown when in the vicinity of Alexander Street, two cyclists suddenly darted out from a cross street into his path. He swerved to avoid a collision with the cyclists and struck the woman. He said that after colliding with the woman, he panicked and fear overcame him and he drove away. He later parked the car and went and hid. His Attorney Joel Persid Edmond in his submission had told the court that no prima facie case was made out against his client. He stated that there were numerous inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case. However Prosecutor Sergeant Godfrey Playter in his submission had informed the court that a prima facie case was made out. He stated that the prosecution had more than adequately satisfied the court that the accused was guilty of the charges. Playter submitted that the woman’s death was a result of Ennis’ negligence and that he had not taken enough due care and attention. He stated that the evidence was overwhelming.
When we pause and experience silence, we discover answers that activity does not have time to reveal. During your day, take three-minute “vacations”. Relax and re-energise. Take time out to feel the peace of silence.
Page 18
Kaieteur News
Cubana Airline Bombing…
President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba, Halim Khan By Rabindra Rooplall Thirty-eight years after a terrorist bomb exploded on Cubana Airline Flight 455, causing it to crash into the sea off the coast of St. James, Barbados killing all 73 of the passengers and crew, President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba, Halim Khan is repeating calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, while denouncing the actions of successive US Presidents in allowing those responsible for the bombing to walk the streets of Miami freely. On October 06, 1976 when the aircraft exploded just after take-off from Barbados, there
(From page 19) VACANCY International Cruiseline Purser officer, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionist, storekeeper, cleaners, electrician, carpenter, plumber, musicians etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 Visiting officers @ NM Security Solutions Inc, Lot “O” Ruimveldt, must be a licensed Motorcyclist – Tel: 225-5773/76 Secretary: 20-30 years, literate in word (internet/ spreadsheet, leadership skills, ability to complete task efficiently) Office in Sheriff Street. Tel: 219-0468 LORRY DRIVER, Clean Driving Record, Residing on East Bank Demerara. Tel 266 4427 ACCOUNTS CLERK, very familiar with DACEASY POS and Accounting, Part Time, Flexible Hours, resident of E.B.D. Tel 623 9889 One experienced Hauler driver, Apply Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek.
Monday October 06, 2014
Disaster victims remembered as 38th anniversary observed
were 57 Cubans, 11 Guyanese and five North Koreans on board. The Cuban national youth fencing team were among the dead, as were a number of young Guyanese academic scholarship winners who were traveling to Cuba to pursue studies in medicine. The names of the 11 Guyanese are: Margaret Bradshaw; Sabrina Harripaul, Seshnarine Kumar, Ann Nelson, Harold Norton, Raymond Persaud, Gordon Sobha, Rawle Thomas, Rita Thomas, Violet Thomas and Jacqueline Williams. Investigations revealed that two types of bombs were used, variously described as dynamite or C-4. Evidence implicated several CIA-linked antiCastro Cuban exiles and members of the Venezuelan secret police, DISIP. Political complications quickly arose when Cuba accused the US government of being an accomplice to the attack. CIA documents released in 2005 indicate that the agency “had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner.” Former CIA operative Posada Carriles denied involvement but provides many details of the incident in his book “Caminos del Guerrero” (Way of the Warrior). The bombing was considered then the deadliest terrorist airline attack in the Western Hemisphere. Four men were arrested in connection with the bombing and a trial was held in Venezuela: Freddy Lugo and
Some of the Guyanese victims who were on Cubana Airline flight 455 when it was bombed. Hernán Ricardo Lozano were sentenced to 20-year prison terms; Orlando Bosch was acquitted because of technical defects in the prosecution’s evidence, and lived in Miami, Florida until he died on the 27th of April, 2011; and Luis Posada Carriles was held for eight years while awaiting a final sentence, but eventually fled. He later entered the United States, where he was held on charges of entering the country illegally but released on April 19, 2007.
President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba, Halim Khan explained that at its simplest, the mastermind of the tragedy walks freely in Miami, while those who sought to expose the terrorist actions of groups that targeted Cuba from the safe haven of the United States, were put behind bars. Those convicted are referred to as the Cuban Five. At the Tribunal, testimony was heard from legal counsel and expert witnesses on the historical
and political context, the arrests, trials and convictions of the Cuban Five, and events since the trial in Florida that resulted in the convictions. According to Khan, on Sept. 12, 1998, a heavilyarmed FBI SWAT team arrested the members of the Cuban intelligence network in Miami. The five agents were tried, convicted and sentenced to long prison terms, including one double life sentence, plus 15 years. Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González were convicted in Miami of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign
government, and other illegal activities in the United States. René González was released on October 7, 2011 following the completion of 13 years of his sentence with a further three years of probation in the US. He was allowed to return to Cuba for his father’s funeral on 22 April 2013, and a federal judge allowed him to stay there provided that he renounce his United States citizenship. Fernando González was released from Safford Federal Prison on February 27 this year, after serving his entire sentence. He was deported to Cuba. Over 350 committees have been established in the United States and around the world, demanding immediate freedom of the Cuban Five.
Monday October 06, 2014
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call:225-9032,647-2943 Used electrical motor, 60HZ, 440Volts, 30HP, 6 0 H P, 7 5 H P, 1 2 5 H P, 150HP,200HP (in excellent condition) contact: 601-3194 or 266-2207 Dressed and mill cut lumber: Kabukalli, silverballi, greenheart, crab wood etc – Call: 688-6579 One 2009 Tacoma, 2-3406 Caterpillar for mining/marine purposes - Call: 216-1184, 684-2708 1-LG Smart 3D TV with DVD player - $280,000, 1-PS VITA $60,000, 1-Xbox 360 - $30,000 Tel: 603-8643, 621-7497 One 14" Dredge/Draga in working condition – Contact: 694-4828, 663-0742 DELL/HP Computer complete with LCD’s - $59,000, laptops from $55,000, Blackberrys $15,000 @ FutureTech – Tel: 231-2206 Pure bred German Shepherd puppies – Contact:220-2277, 220-8904, 629-1471 One glass case – Tel: 647-1773 Games for PS2, PS3, XBOX360, WII, consoles also available – Call: 6722566, 265-3232 Epson projector with screen, brush cutter, pressure washer, car accessories, 6 seats dinning set, generator – Tel: 669-0366 Salad bar, bar stool, popcorn maker, sesame street baby walker, electric deep fryer – Tel: 669-0366 2-75 HP Out board Yamaha, excellent condition, one tractor driven, pump on trailer, new, cheap – Tel:6958381, 227-1830 Hanes, USA: Cosmetics, baby products, sweet oils, hair accessories, etc @ USA Wholesale Outlet, 35 Robb & King Street – Tel: 601-3679 One 6 Head Weinig Moulder, complete with additional blocks, ready to work – Tel: 668-8912 Rare old British Guiana Coins - Tel:639-3450 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American pool table – 2770578
Kaieteur News
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 6273206 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call :225-9032, 647-2943 FOR LOW COST: REPAIRS TO FRIDGE, FREEZER,A/C UNIT, MICROWAVES, TV & WASHINGMACHINE -CALL: 629-4946 OR 225-4822 Offering care giving service direct to patience home, USA Trained & certified, service fee negotiable, no agent – Call: 692-7599, 628-4027 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar:2310655,683-8734 TCB Construction: we specialize in building, renovating, trowel tex, tiling etc- Contact: Troy YoungTel:680-6504, 218-3274 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING AND ESTIMATES FOR ONLY $15,000- CALL:6949843/227-2766
VEHICLE FOR SALE Smart Choice Auto unregistered Spacio (old & model) Allex, Voxy, Bluebird, Premio - Call: 6523820, 665-4529 Toyota Noah /Voxy, unregistered - $1.9M - Call: 603-9700 Toyota Premio PNN Series, Clean condition, owner leaving country – Call Laverne: 223-0213 1- AA60 Carina, in good condition, going cheap – Tel:689-5254, 256-0504 2007 Mazda Axela, 2003 To y o t a Ve r o s s a , f u l l y loaded (unregistered) Tel:615-4114 2006 BMW 320i PRR series, 2008 Toyota Tacoma, GLL Series – Tel: 615-4114 One Toyota Raum with double sunroof automatic, mags, CD, AC, excellent condition - $975,000 – Tel:618-1047 One new model Raum, PRR series –Tel:277-0672 or 696-7341 One Mitsubishi Lancer (good condition), with new engine (EFI) spoiler & rims - $950,000 negotiable – Tel: 644-6999 One Nissan Pick -up GG Series and one (1) mini bus – JJ Series in excellent, road worthy condition – Call: 2335108, 233-5023 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall:680-3154 1 New unregistered Mazda Axela 2006 Sedan - $2.350M Negotiable (never used in Guyana), very low mileage – Tel: 649-0956 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 One 2008 Toyota Rush – Call: 642-6079
LAND FOR SALE Diamond/Grove New Scheme, First Bridge, Corner lot with foundation and post - $7M - Tel:603-9700 Mining blocks at Omai & Mabura –Tel: 651-9473, 6563228
ACCOMMODATION Harmony Inn: Furnished apartments and rooms $5,000-$8,000 - Tel:668-0306, 218-1400, 694-7817, your luxury hideaway.
DAF 65 CF220, Dump Truck - Call:602-8453 Honda Civic Car PJJ series – Call Jeanna: 655-9789
HEALTH Hazel’s Herbal Store, 244 D’ Andrade St Newtown, for herbal supplements, iridology Service available Monday October 13th, 2014 – Call: 226-9136 CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
Page 19
TO LET Alberttown (2 bedrooms air condition) $90,000, Short term rental from US40 per day – Contact Diana: 227-2256, 6269382 One furnished self contained, one bedroom apartment in secure parking & centrally located fourth building from American School –Call: 227-1363, 6882464 Apartment @ 4A Sheriff Street, suitable for residential/commercial , owner willing to redo to suit tenant – Call:227-1363 Lower Flat 3 bedrooms apartment, parking facility, prepaid meter at Section D Non Pariel E.C.D – Contact: 654-0533
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 GT TOOL RENTALS: 30% OFF COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) SAWS & DRILLS -$10,000 - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 Restaurant & Bar – Tel:6690366 Shop Merriman Mall – Tel: 642-6381 Brand new apartment, in healthy and safe environment – Call: 698-6496. One nails table to rent – Tel:628-9297, 602-5469 Business place for rent @ West Coast Demerara – 3000 SQ.FT – Call: 690-1740 Newly built two bedrooms (house upstairs) UG Student or small family – Call: 6549807 One upstairs 3 bedrooms house and one 2 bedrooms downstairs at 21 Street Diamond - Call:622-6830
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807/ 690-6494
SALON
WANTED
Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773
Urgently Wanted! Thirty Five (35) security officers, apply @ Security Alliance, Barrack Street, Kingston (upstairs FedEx). Cashiers, salesgirl, porters and a domestic maid, Apply to 1E Dennis & Middleton Streets Campbellville Two 20" Containers – Tel: 219-0468 1 Company Secretaryattractive salary offered; 1 filing clerk; 1 computer literate clerk. Send applications via Whatsapp / Messenger: 592696-5603 Large amount of any dry cow/horse mould 3000 bags to purchase – Call: 219-0468 between 08:00am – 16:00hrs Experienced cashier, counter, roti cook, cleaner @ Hacks Halaal Restaurant, Lot 5 Commerce Street. Salesgirls and boys to work in shop on E.C.D – Call: 615-8121 Live in waitress to work in a bar – Tel: 603-6301
Salon Stations @ 51 Robb & Albert Streets to rent, must have clients – Call:231-4010, 627-8277, 669-6110
EDUCATION FREE! FREE! FREE! Sessions of one week: Phonics, reading and spelling classes for all ages –Tel:675-4379 CXC Adults/Students Day & Evening Classes, all Business and Science Subjects, 3 Street Alberttown – Call:231-5678, 690-5008 New Courses Starting October: Computerized Accounting, 4 courses $35,000.QuickBooks, P.Tree, POS @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-En-Hoop -264-3057 Didn’t Do Well in Mathematics/English ? Join Us Now! Individual Training @ MicroGraphics -Vreed-EnHoop Tel: 264-3057 9 Courses Diploma In Computers $35,000 Special Deal For 2014, CSEC students MicroGraphics @ Vreed En Hoop- 264-3057
Shop assistant to work in the interior, salary -$80,000, age 25-35, Call: 664-5199, between 9:00-5:00 One day time security guard between 30-50 yrs old, 6 days a week in Georgetown – Call: 623-3231 or 225-3198 Contract cars & experienced dispatcher @ West Site Taxi Service – Tel:600-0680 or 613-0419 Diesel Mechanics to work in the interior (Perkins engine) – Contact: 226-9768
PROPERTY FOR SALE House & land @ Supply Public Road, Riverside, East Bank Demerara, suitable for business – Call: 698-8100 Diamond – three bedrooms, flat concrete house, Price $10.5M – Call: 623-3348, 266-0548 House and land for sale in D’Aguiar ’s Park, sale by owner for detailsCall: 686-1368 1 Sawmill @ Parika, Riverside on 4 Acre with house, 1 lumber yard G/Town, land at Friendship, Roadside – Call:613-6815/ 629-7611 Albouystown: Corner Spot Business and residence, 3 bedrooms upstairs, parking - $11M negotiable – Contact:227-0583 3 Storey business property @ Middle Street G/Town opposite GPHC, 2 business property @ Whim Public Road Corentyne – Call:2315171, 619-7134 Newtown Kitty, GR Georgetown, Lots 47 E½ $25M Negotiable & 47 W½ Da Silva Street (double lots) Call: 226-1353
One reliable kitchen assistants between the age of 18-25, Contact Lucky D Snackette, 193 Charlotte & Wellington Street G/Town Professional painters wanted – Contact: 622-4899 Experienced drivers with minibus and hire cars license, also contract vehicles – Call: 645-0025 Driver for fielder wagon taxi, work and keep – Call:646-8748 One whole day maid 3 days per week – Tel:614-4358
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 FOR SALE/FOR RENT Located @ Lot 5 Block ‘K’ Waller’s Delight W.C.D - 4 bedrooms all self contain. Price $25M / per month $100,000 Tel: 674-4929/ 662-0187 (Continue page 18)
Monday October 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Fast $$ for Chinese nationals…
Roulette machines, whe whe linked to laundering Trinidad Guardian Chinese nationals operating new businesses in T&T are latching on to a fast and easy money-making venture— gambling through unregulated and unlicenced gaming machines and bush whe whe that can make them targets for ambush and robberies. It is also an easy avenue for money laundering, president of the San Juan Business Association Abraham Ali said. “Some of these people come to the country and look like they don’t have no money at all, and suddenly you see money going into renovations and the purchase of new and existing properties. So then you know there is an aspect of laundering.” Ali said in the last three years, San Juan has become populated with gaming machines which are owned by Chinese people. The machines are strategically placed in bustling shops, where a rent and a small profit is paid to the owner. “The bulk of the winnings are collected by the Chinese,” he said. The most popular machine is the onearmed bandit which can leave the player penniless, Ali said. Ali said word on the ground is that 90 per cent of the money illegally collected from the machines is converted into US dollars and sent to China. “The US dollars are not purchased from banks but at black market prices. The Chinese (people involved) cannot approach the bank to buy US currency for a number of reasons. For one,
they have a language barrier. Secondly, they do not own legitimate businesses to acquire large sums of US currency, so they buy it in an underhand way.” The Chinese people involved pay as much as $6.50 (TT) for one US dollar, Ali said. “One of our main concerns is the expatriation of funds. There is always a big issue where we, as Trinidadians, fight to obtain US currency from the banks; but it is being sneaked out. This creates a negative effect on the economy.” Ali said Susan Francois, director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), hosted a seminar for the San Juan business owners last year to sensitise its 200 members about money laundering and its implications. At the gathering, Ali said he raised the issue of the free movement of US currency out of T&T by Chinese people. He said while Francois assured that measures have been taken to address this,
she could not divulge details since they were sensitive and confidential. Meanwhile, president of the Tunapuna Chamber of Commerce David Edwards is pleading with the authorities to take swift action against the illegal operators before it is too late. Edwards and concerned members will discuss the matter at the chamber’s next meeting. He said while the overnight proliferation of Chinese restaurants and supermarkets throughout the country was a matter that needs to be addressed— since many of them violated health laws, refused to hire local labour, and kept the operations of their businesses secretive—what was most bothersome was the unregulated and unregistered roulette machines and placing of illegal bush whe whe bets within the confines of several bars in Tunapuna. He said it was a new trend that the chamber has been monitoring, since the Government was losing
No funds for bursaries Barbados Nation - We have no money for bursaries That was the essence of the message sent back to the Ministry of Education by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs to a request for supplementary funds to cover the bursaries it promised University of the West Indies (UWI) students more than three months ago. Well-placed sources in the Ministry of Finance told the SUNDAY SUN on Thursday that last week an official of that ministry, on instructions from his superiors, dispatched a letter to the top brass at the education ministry’s headquarters at the Elsie
Chris Sinckler Payne Complex turning down the request for funds. According to the sources, officials at the education ministry were also advised that if they wished to proceed with the bursaries,
which apparently had not been previously discussed, they should look for some other programmes of spending within the ministry to cut so funds can be reallocated. The source also told the SUNDAY SUN that the dispatch from the ministry headed by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler to that led by his counterpart, Minister of Education Ronald Jones, also admonished education officials to desist from the practice of making any public commitment about spending before first finding out if the finance ministry had the wherewithal to cover it.
thousands of dollars in revenue with these unregulated machines. “The authorities need to look at this urgently because gambling is already a serious problem in Trinidad,” he said. During the 2014 budget presentation, Finance Minister Larry Howai described gambling as an emerging and substantial industry in T&T, with consistent growth in unlicenced and unregulated gaming. Howai said under the current legislative framework, all casino operations
conducted by self-styled private members’ clubs, and all gaming machine operations in recreation clubs, pubs, arcades and shopping malls are illegal activities. Howai pointed out that gambling has the potential to lead to criminal activity and devastating consequences for a minority of customers, including minors and compulsive gamblers. “There is a clear public need for regulation,” Howai said. Edwards said in the last year, Chinese nationals, some of whom own restaurants and supermarkets, have been renting spaces inside of bars in Tunapuna to operate roulette machines: “So far, there are four in operation in Tunapuna that I know of.” He said they also use the bars to take bets on bush whe whe games, similar to the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) Play Whe operations, and also use the NLCB draw to make their payouts. Bush whe whe is an illegal gambling game. Bets are quietly taken on the side, where the stake for every dollar is far more than the NLCB pays its winners. The stakes are further increased if a coloured ball is played.
Of the two options the players have, Edwards said the machines seem to be mostly favoured because of the high odds. “The machines attract mostly mature men. Once you win, a call would be made and the payment is dropped off.” Edwards said he wants to believe that the payouts are not sought from banks, but are stored at the homes of those who own the machines. This, he said, made Chinese people a target since they could be easily monitored and trailed. Having observed one bar on a regular basis, Edwards said the gaming operation “is not bad business” for both parties involved. “The bar owner collects a big rent at the end of the month, and those who operate the machines rake in a lot of money in one night. I watched it several times and saw people gamble away thousands of dollars in one go.” Edwards said he would love to know what the Chinese involved do with the money from the losing bets. “I think they help bring other Chinese here. But you have to ask what kinds of activities is it funding?”
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Kaieteur News
Change course, Portia… Majority of Jamaicans say PNP Govt. steering country in wrong direction Jamaica Gleaner - A little more than seven in every 10 Jamaicans believe that the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration is steering the country in the wrong direction. In a September 2014 Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll, 73 per cent of respondents said the country is heading in the wrong direction. This was statistically the same as in December 2013 when 74 per cent of the respondents expressed a similar view. Claims by Simpson Miller at the annual conference of the People’s National Party in September that the country is better off now than when her administration took the reins of power two years and 10 months ago have apparently failed to resonate with the majority of Jamaicans. The Government has, to date, passed five quarterly tests under the four-year Extended Fund Facility with the International Monetary Fund and has received the endorsement of the head of that body, Christine Lagarde, who used a visit to the island in June to praise the administration for its work. But that has not been enough to impress the majority of Jamaicans who listed a litany of woes to substantiate their claims that the administration needs to change course. Only nine per cent of Jamaicans believe that the country is going in the right direction, while 18 per cent say they are not sure if the course being charted by the Government is right or wrong. Particularly painful for the Simpson Miller administration is that the number of persons who believe the country is headed
Portia Simpson Miller in the right direction has declined by 18 percentage points since it took office. In the run-up to the 2011 general election, Johnson tested the pulse of country and found that 54 per cent felt Jamaican was heading in the wrong direction, 27 per cent believed it was moving in the right direction while 19 per cent said they did not know. Opinion has also shifted on the question of what is the most pressing problem facing the country at this time. The issues of the slow pace of job creation and unemployment have surged past crime as the number one problem in Jamaica. Forty-seven per cent of the country cited unemployment as the number one problem facing Jamaica at this time, with 34 per cent of respondents highlighting crime as the problem of greatest concern. Other concerns for Jamaicans included the cash crunch, with 11 per cent of Jamaicans saying the lack of money was their foremost problem, while eight per cent highlighted high cost of living, as well as poverty and suffering, as the most pressing problems facing them. In the meantime, six per
cent of Jamaicans are of the opinion that the economy and economic crisis are the most pressing problems, while five per cent pointed to poor governance. When Johnson drilled down to find out what bothers or concerns Jamaicans in a personal way the most, 45 per cent of the country listed the lack of jobs and unemployment. Responding to the same question, 21 per cent cited crime, 12 per cent said money and eight per cent mentioned high cost of living. Nearly three years in the seat of governance, the PNP has also struggled to make an impression on Jamaicans that it is capable of dealing with their problems at the community level. Johnson sought answers from the respondents about whether they believe things were going in the right or wrong direction these days, in the area in which they live. Sixty-four per cent of those interviewed said things are going in the wrong direction in the area they live in. This is five percentage points more than the 59 per cent who told Johnson the country was going in the wrong direction under the Jamaica Labour Party Government, just before voters went to the polls in 2011. However, 24 per cent think things are going in the right direction in their communities, 10 percentage points fewer than those who expressed a similar view when Johnson conducted a poll in December 2011. The latest Bill Johnson poll had a sample size of 1,208 residents and was conducted on September 6-7 and 13 to 14. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.
Monday October 06, 2014
IMF helps in sustainable growth of the Caribbean WASHINGTON - CMC – Seven years after the onset of the global financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has been helping Caribbean and other countries move from stabilization to sustainable growth. In her foreword to the Washington-based financial institution’s “Annual Report 2014 – From Stabilization to Sustainable Growth,” managing director Christine Lagarde says the world still has a way to go to secure a sustainable recovery marked by strong growth that supports rapid job creation and benefits all. “The recovery is ongoing, but it is still too slow and fragile, subject to the vagaries of financial sentiment,” she says. “Millions of people are still looking for work. The level of uncertainty might be diminishing, but it is certainly not disappearing.” But throughout the crisis and in the recovery period, Lagarde says the IMF has been, and continues to be, an “indispensable agent of economic cooperation” for its membership. The report covers the work of the IMF’s executive board and contains financial statements for the year May 1, 2013, to April 30, 2014.
It describes the IMF’s support for its 188 membercountries, with an emphasis on the core areas of IMF responsibility: assessing their economic and financial policies, providing financing where needed, and building capacity in key areas of economic policy. On the financial front, the IMF said it continued to support members’ reform efforts across the globe. This year, the Fund’s executive board approved US $21.5 billion in financing for member countries, plus US$220 million in concessional financing for low-income countries, such as those in the Caribbean. The IMF said the board reviewed facilities such as the Flexible Credit Line, the Precautionary and Liquidity Line, and the Rapid Financing instrument – “to make sure that they continue to help countries as effectively as possible.” The membership also agreed to transfer gold profits to help meet the financing needs of low-income members in the years ahead. Since the crisis broke, the IMF said it has provided training to all of its members and technical assistance to 90 percent of them, helping countries design, build, and
Christine Lagarde strengthen the institutions that make up the building blocks of economic success. The Managing Director’s Global Policy Agenda, laid out at both the Annual Meetings in 2013 and the Spring Meetings in 2014, emphasized the need to strengthen the coherence of policies and cooperation among policymakers. The priorities are clear, according to the IMF: “Advanced economies need to focus on measured and well-communicated policy choices to secure the recovery; emerging markets need to strengthen their fundamentals, reduce their vulnerabilities, and step up structural reforms; and everyone needs to embrace cooperation and engage in dialogue.”
CL assets sold for $5.5b Trinidad Express - In the past four years, collapsed conglomerate CL Financial has sold eight assets for $5.5 billion, even though they were valued only at $3.7 billion. This is $1.8 billion more than it had hoped to make on the sale. The Sunday Express obtained a list of the CL Financial assets that have been sold in the past few years. The sale of some assets such as Primera Energy and Lascelles De Mercado have been public while some sales have not been, such as Burn Stewart Distillers. In all cases, the sale price was more than the valuations placed on the assets. The sales of Valpark mall and Atlantic Plaza were made public in an exclusive Express story. Valpark was sold for $99 million although it was valued at $61.7 million and Atlantic Plaza was sold for $59.5 million even though it was valued at $33 million. While CLF made more money on the sales than the
valuation had determined, it was still a loss to the company given the initial capital that was spent to acquire the companies. For instance, former chairman Lawrence Duprey acquired the Jamaican company Lascelles de Mercado, a deal which is regarded by financial experts as the one that “broke the camel’s back with CLICO” at US$750 million. A few years later, it was valued at US$393 million and sold for US$534 million. But when it comes to CLF’s failed insurance company CLICO, it would appear that Government is not getting value from the valuations. In the last two weeks, both CLICO and CLF have offered its 56.53 per cent shareholding in Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd (MHTL) to Consolidated Energy Ltd for US$1.175 billion (TT$7.485 billion) following a ruling by the Europe-based International Court of Arbitration. While Finance Minister Larry Howai said the value
was significantly lower than what they expected for the shares (Government was hoping for US$2 billion), Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran last week said the value was “fair” and “reasonable”. Last week, the Sunday Express reported that CLICO had sold its W Fort Lauderdale Hotel. CLICO had spent US$430 million on the construction of the hotel. The CLICO board in a newspaper statement said the hotel was sold for US$234 million. And chances are, Government is unlikely to recover the $23 billion it would have spent in bailing out the cash-strapped CLICO after Duprey approached the former government in 2009. With civil matters proceeding, a criminal investigation being undertaken by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and a report still outstanding from Sir Anthony Colman following his nearly threeyear Commission of Enquiry, the costs of CLICO are yet to be finalised.
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Monday October 06, 2014
Hong Kong democracy protesters start to pull back, fear government crackdown (Reuters) Prodemocracy protesters remained in a tense stalemate with the Hong Kong government late yesterday after authorities warned they were determined to get the Asian financial hub back to work after more than a week of unrest. Some protesters left the Mong Kok area of the city, pulling back from the scene of recent clashes with those who back the pro-Beijing government. But many hundreds more remained, disputing reports on social media that their leaders had called for them to leave. “We’re afraid there may be a police crackdown, so we came here to support. The more people we have, the harder it is for the police to clear,” said Lester Leung, 25, who said he was ready to stay on the streets all night. Fearing a crackdown as city leaders have called for the streets to be cleared so businesses, schools and civil servants could resume today,
other protesters who have paralysed parts of the former British colony with mass sitins also pulled back from outside Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s office. By late yesterday evening, Reuters reporters estimated around 4,000 protesters had gathered in Admiralty, the main area they have occupied over the past week at the heart of the government district - far fewer than rallied there the previous day. Over the past week, tens of thousands of protesters have demanded that Leung step down and that China allow them the right to vote for a leader of their choice in 2017 elections. Facing separatist unrest in far-flung Tibet and Xinjiang, Beijing is fearful that calls for democracy in Hong Kong could spread to the mainland. The Communist Party leadership has dismissed the protests as illegal, but appears to have left it to Leung and
his government to find a solution. In Mong Kok, a gritty, working class neighbourhood where scuffles broke out between protesters and supporters of the government over the weekend, prompting police to use pepper spray and batons, some in the pro-democracy camp mixed defiance with pragmatism. While some packed up and left, several hundred supporters stood their ground, shouting “Mong Kok, Mong Kok, never retreat,” watched by as many police. Many residents have criticised ineffective police handling of the recent unrest in Mong Kok, a traditional stronghold of Hong Kong’s notorious organised crime gangs, or Triads. Police have had to defend their tactics and denied allegations of any collaboration between the security forces and gang members - some of whom were arrested after
Firefighters remove a tent under a pedestrian bridge, yesterday. REUTERS/Carlos Barria altercations with protesters. Under pressure from the government, and from businesses, shop owners and taxi drivers, the protest groups had said they would dismantle barricades to key government buildings to allow civil servants to get to work today.
The protests have disrupted local businesses and helped wipe close to US$50 billion off the value of shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Financial Secretary John Tsang wrote in a blog that Hong Kong was at a critical moment and its “financial foundations and
core values have inevitably been shaken.” Economists at ANZ predicted the political deadlock would eventually hit business sentiment and consumer confidence in the city, which is also a gateway for many international investors to mainland China.
Ukraine military says separatists violate month-old ceasefire (Reuters) - Ukraine’s military accused Russianbacked separatists of again violating a month-old ceasefire yesterday, saying their forces came under attack in several parts of the east including the airport at the big city of Donetsk. Two Ukrainian service staff were killed in the past 24 hours and six others were wounded, military s p o k e s m a n Vo l o d y m y r Polyovy told a news conference in the capital K i e v, adding: “The terrorists are violating the terms of the ceasefire.” In Donetsk, the rebels’ stronghold in east Ukraine, a senior military leader of the separatists said three of his fighters were killed and another 32 wounded in the past 24 hours, mainly in fighting around the city airport. Rebels have been trying for weeks to dislodge government troops from the airport, a strategic spot for both sides. “The airport is a springboard for the city,” Basulin told Reuters. “Our main task is to push them
(government forces) away from the city so that they can no longer shell residential districts.” Polyovy said there was also fighting around the towns of Debaltseve and Shchastye both further east towards the border with Russia. Basulin said three civilians had also been killed in Donetsk area in the past 24 hours and blamed Ukrainian forces for shelling the city’s outskirts from positions adjacent to the airport. The Ukrainian military denies firing on civilian targets and says it only replies to fire when it is attacked by separatists. In Donetsk yesterday at least residential blocks and a former kindergarten were damaged by shelling in the area of Gladkovka and battles continued around the airport sitting not far away. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the ceasefire on Sept. 5 after government troops suffered heavy losses which Kiev attributed to
Russian troops reinforcing the separatists who want to break away from proWestern Kiev’s rule. Moscow denies its troops have been directly involved in the fighting despite what Kiev and Western government say is incontrovertible proof. Poroshenko is hoping the ceasefire, cornerstone of a peace plan to end the conflict in which more than 3,500 people have been killed according to U.N. figures, will generally hold together for parliamentary elections on Oct. 26. But the truce has come under great pressure this past week. Last Monday, seven Ukrainian troops were killed in a single missile strike from a separatist tank and at least 10 people were killed on Wednesday when mortar bombs hit a school playground and a public transit van nearby. On Thursday night, a Swiss Red Cross worker was killed when a shell exploded near the international organisation’s office in Donetsk.
Monday October 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Kurds battle Islamist militants closing in on Syrian town (Reuters) - Islamist militants attacking a Syrian border town fought some of their heaviest battles so far with Kurdish forces yesterday, a local official said, and five people were wounded inside Turkey by a projectile fired across the frontier. Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot, is trying to seize the predominantly Kurdish border town of Kobani and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by U.S.-led coalition air strikes aimed at halting its progress. Yesterday its forces battled Kurdish fighters for control of Mistanour, a strategic hill overlooking the town, and intense shelling and heavy machine gun fire were audible around Kobani, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic. “The situation in Kobani has been bad in the past three
Rebel fighters take positions as one of them fires his weapon at the frontline during what they said were clashes with Islamic State militants in the town Marea in Aleppo’s countryside. Credit: Reuters/Rami Zayat days and today is the worst,” Idris Nassan said by telephone. “The clashes are very heavy, there is bomb shelling, they are trying hard to get inside the city of Kobani. The
YPG is responding strongly,” he said, referring to Kurdish forces. He said the Islamic State fighters were only one kilometre (half a mile) away to the south east of the town.
Poll predicts further losses for UK PM Cameron at hands of UKIP (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives are likely to suffer a second embarrassing defeat by the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) at a special election triggered by a defecting lawmaker, a poll showed yesterday. Former Conservative lawmaker Mark Reckless stole the headlines on the f i r s t d a y o f C a m e r o n ’s annual conference last week by defecting to UKIP, which campaigns for a withdrawal from the European Union and tighter immigration controls. The first set of local polling in Reckless’s constituency since his defection puts UKIP on 40 percent, a nine percentage point lead over Cameron’s party, which is forecast to take 31 percent of the vote by pollster Survation. A date for the by-election has not yet been set. Reckless was the second member of parliament to defect to UKIP in recent weeks, showing the potential for a shift in right-leaning voters that could damage Cameron’s chances of winning the 2015 election outright. The two defections have triggered by-elections that could give UKIP its first directly elected seats in parliament. The party already holds three seats in the
David Cameron unelected upper house. Douglas Carswell, the first to defect, is expected to beat the Conservatives when his Clacton-On-Sea constituency votes on Oct 9. [ID:nL6N0RU29T] Both defectors have cited doubts about whether Cameron will deliver on a pledge to give Britons a referendum on EU membership by 2017 if he is re-elected. Cameron wants to reform Britain’s relationship with Europe and stay inside the 28country trading bloc. O n e o f C a m e r o n ’s senior ministers, pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, said on Sunday that individual EU member states should be granted tighter immigration controls, including the ability to cap the number of migrants allowed in the country.
Despite the schism over Europe, Cameron’s party have taken the lead in national opinion polls, moving 2 percentage points ahead of the main opposition Labour party. Both parties have in recent weeks held their annual conferences, billed as the last major chance to showcase their policies before the 2015 ballot. The YouGov poll showed the Conservatives on 36 percent and Labour on 34 percent, the second poll to show Cameron in front since he promised voters a 7 billion pound ($11 billion) tax cut last week. UKIP were forecast to win 14 percent, according to the poll published in the Sunday Times. Labour had led opinion polls over the last two years, but they have fallen behind as the Conservatives benefit from an economic turnaround and doubts about Labour leader Ed Miliband. Labour party heavyweight John Prescott, deputy prime minister in the previous Labour-run government, accused Miliband in a column of wasting the party conference by not announcing enough vote-winning policies. “Labour’s approach is far too timid,” he wrote in the Sunday Mirror. “Come on Ed. Ditch the pollsters, the focus groups and U.S.-style politics. Be bold, be brave and let’s go all out for the win.”
Just across the border from Kobani, at least five people were wounded in a Turkish village close to the Mursitpinar crossing when a projectile from the fighting slammed into a house, witnesses said. Turkish territory has repeatedly been hit by stray fire since the Kobani fighting erupted more than two weeks ago and Turkey has vowed to defend its borders. But up until now it has been reluctant to intervene against Islamic State. Witnesses said the five victims, all from the same family, did not appear to be critically wounded. On Saturday a Turkish special forces officer was also lightly wounded by shrapnel, the media and local sources reported. A translator with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) inside Kobani said Islamic State forces were hitting Mistanor hill with tank and mortar fire as they tried to seize high ground from which they could dominate the streets below. Kurdish forces had so far
checked the advance, Parwer Mohammed Ali told Reuters, adding that there had been fresh airstrikes on Islamic State positions overnight. “They struck three or four times in the vicinity of Mistanour hill,” he said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said at least 11 Kurdish fighters and 16 Islamic State insurgents were killed in the overnight clashes. The United States and its Western and Arab allies have carried out air strikes against Islamic State positions in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the Sunni Islamist group swept through huge areas of Sunni Muslim northern provinces in June. Iraqi security officials and witnesses said yesterday that Islamic State fighters seized back half of Dhuluiya, 70 km (45 miles) north of Baghdad, just a day after Iraqi military forces recaptured the town on the banks of the river Tigris. Despite the U.S.-led military intervention, a military stalemate exists in
Iraq, with territory regularly switching hands between the Iraqi government and Islamic State. In Syria, Islamic State launched its new offensive to capture Kobani two weeks ago. It has seized hundreds of villages around the town, forcing 180,000 people to flee into Turkey. Kurds have called for help from Turkey and more U.S-led raids but cooperation is complicated by Syrian Kurds’ ties to the PKK — deemed a terrorist group by many Western states. Turkish military patrols were visible west of Kobani yesterday but there was no sign of significant troop movements. Tanks which earlier in the week had been deployed along the frontier had returned to their base. On Saturday Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan vowed to act if Turkish soldiers were targeted by Islamic State in Syria but dampened speculation of intervening at Kobani, likening Kurds defending the town to the radical Islamist insurgents.
Monday October 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
SOMETHING SINISTER
Lloyd questions timing of Narine’s suspension MUMBAI, India (CMC) — Chief West Indies cricket selector Clive Lloyd has suggested the possibility of a sinister motive behind the decision to suspend spinner Sunil Narine from the Champions League T20 final. Narine was suspended from bowling in Saturday’s final for Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai Super Kings because of a suspect bowling action. However, Lloyd has disclosed that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies team management had been told that Narine would be under the scanner in India by a source whose identity he did not disclose. “Before we came here we were told that they were going to call Narine, so it’s quite obvious that something must have been said somewhere,” Lloyd said. “I really can’t tell you that [who it was] but I can tell you it’s a highly reliable source, because we have to make contingency plans for things like that just in case it happens.” The former West Indies captain has questioned the timing of Narine’s suspension, saying the decision could be “destroying” to him as well as affecting the team’s chances in the forthcoming tour of India and in the World
Sunil Narine
Clive Lloyd
Cup. From October 8, West Indies will play five ODIs and a T20 against India, before three Tests. Narine’s bowling ban is restricted only to the Champions League and other BCCI-run tournaments like the IPL. Narine has been advised to remain in Hyderabad, while the Kolkata Knight Riders team moved to Bangalore for the Champions League T20 final. He is said to be awaiting further instructions from the WICB, on whether to join his West Indies teammates in Mumbai or Kochi or to return home. “We will have to take that decision in a day or so. I am very disappointed because he is an exciting cricketer,” Lloyd said on Friday, at Brabourne Stadium in
Mumbai, where West Indies played a warm-up game. “The point is, just like [Muttiah] Muralitharan, because your action is different, doesn’t mean that you are throwing.” Reports suggest that a decision will be arrived at before Monday when the West Indies squad leaves Mumbai for Kochi, which will host the first ODI. “We have to take a look at things and assess the situation. We don’t want to make any rash decision as such. We will discuss it,” said Lloyd. “The board [WICB] will probably take it from there. We will have to inform the board. We can’t take decisions just like that. They have to be informed.”
New faces needed in Guyana’s... From page 27 one to blame, but because he has the unenviable task of being in the chair of the Body that has governance over the sport here, a function that is recognized by FIFA/ CONCACAF/CFU, he is the one expected to rise above the pettiness and either get solutions to the many problems that beset the sport currently or stridently remonstrate to the three governing bodies to punish officials who’re bent on hindering the development of the sport, be it he or any other. The current President cannot continue to deceive himself; he needs the support of a full management team to run the affairs of Guyana’s football and because this is not the case presently we are seeing the manifestation of failure. The Associations that walked out of the two Congresses should also feel the brunt of FIFA/ CONCACAF decisions, they too behaved reckless in the presence of visiting officials
from the two Bodies and it is clear that their posture during Matthias’ tenure is not consistent with development so they too must not escape punishment. There are examples of officials being debarred from holding office in football in quite a few countries and these disgruntled officials must be made to pay for their actions similarly. Guyana’s football
landscape needs new faces and a new breed of administrators, persons who will put the development of the sport and its participants ahead of selfish ambitions and financial gains. It is time FIFA/ CONCACAF speak and do so definitively, sparing no one found guilty of impeding the sport’s advancement or even illegally profiting from the sport.
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Lewis Hamilton win in Japan overshadowed by Jules Bianchi crash BBC Sport - A serious accident involving Marussia’s Jules Bianchi overshadowed Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday. Bianchi suffered a “severe” head injury in a crash that caused the race to be stopped early and is due to be put into intensive care after surgery. Hamilton took his eighth win of the season after passing team-mate and title rival Nico Roberg for the lead around the outside of the fast Turn One. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was third ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren’s Jenson Button. The race result seemed insignificant in the context of Bianchi’s injuries, but Hamilton’s eighth victory this season will surely be remembered as one of the greatest drives of his career. It extends his championship lead to 10 points with four races to go and 125 available. The race was held in treacherous wet conditions as storms that preceded the approaching typhoon Phanfone hit Suzuka. After a stuttering attempt to get the race under way, including a safety car start, a red flag after two laps, and a further eight laps under the safety car, it evolved into a duel between Hamilton and Rosberg. Hamilton started the race in second, with Rosberg on pole, and once the race finally got under way, the Mercedes drivers were soon into the pits for intermediate tyres. Rosberg stopped after three laps, Hamilton four, and then the battle between them began for real. Hamilton was 2.2 seconds behind after their first stops, but began inching closer to Rosberg, piling on the pressure, and was within a second by lap 24, when conditions had improved enough for the DRS overtaking aid to be enabled. Hamilton pressured Rosberg hard for five laps before making the decisive move at the start of lap 29. He was close behind his teammate as they exited the chicane, closed in with the help of the DRS and as Rosberg defended to the inside, Hamilton dived around the
outside of Turn One to take the lead. “That was bravery in the extreme,” said BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard. “That is an overtake other drivers will remember.” Hamilton then pulled away quickly, sometimes extending his lead by more than two seconds a lap, until he was 16 seconds ahead when the race was red flagged again, and then declared over, after 44 laps. The stoppage came as a result of Bianchi’s crash, that happened as conditions worsened, with rain intensifying and light fading. Bianchi’s car hit water on the track at the fast uphill Dunlop corner and aquaplaned off at the same spot where recovery vehicles were attending the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, who crashed at the same spot the lap before. Governing body the FIA said Bianchi was unconscious as he was taken to hospital. Behind the Mercedes, Vettel took third on countback. The German gained the position by passing McLaren’s Button and the other Red Bull Ricciardo with an earlier stop for second set of intermediate tyres. He lost it by stopping again for another set on lap 45 but was promoted back ahead of Ricciardo as a result of a rule that dictates the result is taken from the end of lap before the race was stopped. Button was in the fight with the Red Bulls for a podium finish thanks to an inspired call to make an early stop for intermediate tyres just after the safety car pulled in on lap 10. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were sixth and seventh, ahead of the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg, Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso and Hulkenberg’s teammate Sergio Perez. Alonso, who had qualified fifth and is always strong in the wet, did not even get a chance to race on the weekend it emerged that he will leave Ferrari at the end of the year, two years before the end of his contract. The double world champion’s car ground to a halt with what appeared to be an electrical failure while the race was still under the safety car on lap five.
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India ‘A’ beat Windies by 16 runs despite Ramdin’s 102 A century from Unmukt Chand, followed by a three-wicket haul by Dhawal Kulkarni helped India A to a 16-run victory against West Indians in Mumbai yesterday. The visitors, though, had plenty of positives despite the defeat, as Denesh Ramdin (102), Darren Sammy (50) and Jason Holder (54) all produced fighting knocks down the order, after their pacers had done well to restrict India A. Before the game, West Indians had struggled to field 11 fit players; Sunil Narine had flown back to West Indies, Lendl Simmons had hurt his back during the previous warm-up game, and Darren Bravo was down with an upset stomach. Coach Stuart Williams was included in the team and the former West Indies opener displayed his impressive fitness levels by fielding for more than half of India A’s innings. He also faced two balls but failed to connect with either. Unmukt and Karun Nair were threatening to take the game away from a four-pronged West Indians pace attack. While Nair was timing virtually every aggressive shot he went for, Unmukt recovered from a sluggish start to punish anything that was pitched short. Once Nair was dismissed to end a 149-run stand, West Indians began to claw their way back. With Nair gone, Unmukt was shaky in his nineties. The captain Manoj Tiwary perished early, and with Sanju Samson also struggling to find his touch, Unmukt suddenly lost his timing. Dropped on 94, Unmukt eventually raised a scratchy, yet deserving, hundred, but Jerome Taylor cleaned him up soon after with a perfect yorker. That wicket triggered a collapse, as India A fell from 184 for 2 to 282 all out. West Indians’ chase began just as poorly as it had in the previous game. With Kulkarni and Jasprit Bumrah both striking early, West Indians soon slumped to 65 for 4 including the loss of Leon Johnson (7) and Marlon Samuels (24) and were facing another massive defeat. However, Ramdin, who had claimed five catches earlier, counter-attacked and along with Sammy, added 101 before Sammy mistimed a pull off Kulkarni soon after scoring a halfcentury and was caught behind. Ramdin pushed on. With 93 required off the last 10 overs Ramdin went after Karn Shamra, plundering him for 17 off one over. Ramdin eventually collected his third List-A hundred - a run-a-ball 102 - but his dismissal off Nair pegged the team back. Holder was in good touch, driving Parvez Rasool and Nair for assured boundaries, but with 42 needed off 24, he was left with too much to do in the end. With 23 needed off six balls, Holder began the final over with a six, but two wickets in the next three balls meant that West Indians fell 17 short. West Indies should be in a much healthier position by the time the ODIs begin in Kochi. Sulieman Benn is expected to join the squad by Wednesday, as are Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Andre Russell, who all played in the Champions League Twenty20 final in Bangalore. Scores: India ‘A’ 282 (Unmukt 101, Nair 64, Taylor 351) beat West Indians 266 for 9 (Ramdin 102, Holder 54, Kulkarni 3-39) by 16 runs.
Kaieteur News
Monday October 06, 2014
9th Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships
Ambrose rides brilliantly to cop bronze By Franklin Wilson in Suriname with the compliments of Fitness Express Brilliant and courageous riding by debutant Alanzo Ambrose ensured that Guyana did not come away from the 9th Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships without a medal. Coming against the odds with the Caribbean’s most feared cyclist at this level, Michael Anthony already being hounded down by the opposition, Ambrose overcame some uncertainty at the finish line to take the bronze medal in the junior category which was won by Trinidad and Tobago’s Akil Campbell who also won the Time Trials the day before. Jonathan Croes of Bermuda took the silver. Campbell’s winning time in the 92 km contest was Two Hours 20 minutes 43.933 Seconds; Croes was timed at 2:20:58.040 and Ambrose 2:21:24.391. Anthony ended 7th in 2:27:07.399, while Stephano Husbands placed 9th in 2:28:59.213 as Guyana took three places in the top 10, a creditable performance. In the Juvenile category, the lack of unfamiliarity of the event course cost Guyana a possible silver and bronze, Raphael Leung and fellow debutant Andrew Hicks were on course to do well but
- Anthony 7th, Husbands 9th, Juveniles Leung and Hicks place 4th and 6th missed the official route twice which saw them ending 4th and 6th despite having only two riders in the race as compared to six in the case of host nation Suriname, many of the other nations fielding four riders each. Apart from missing the route coming down to the end of the race, both Leung and Hicks suffered falls during the event, Hicks suffering the most with abrasions to his left hand, wrist and side. But despite the pains, the determination shown by the duo augurs well for Guyana in the future. The juvenile 62 km race was won by T&T’s Tyler Cole who had to settle for the Time Trial bronze on Saturday, he went all the way yesterday (1:49:26.912), turning the tables on Time Trial silver medalist Tyler Smith of Bermuda who took another silver (1:49:30.492) with the bronze going to Tremaine Forde Catwell of Barbados in 1:51:51.230. Leung, who gave up a bit too early on the sprint home with Catwell, was timed at 1:51:51.628 with Hicks clocking 1:51:54.551. In the juvenile race, Ambrose was at the back of the group on the upward journey on the Wijdenbosch
Bridge that links Paramaribo with Commewyne, the race pedaled off at Independence Square in the capital, Paramaribo.There was a break 20 minutes into the duel with Ambrose and six others. The lead interchanged at varying intervals as the worked was shared. As the race progressed it became more challenging given the very steamy conditions with heavy winds at times. Ambrose disclosed that the attitude of the other riders on the break from Barbados, T&T, Aruba and Antigua and Barbuda changed as the battle got tougher but that just brought out the best in the young Guyanese. “I then assessed the boys to see who was stronger and weaker and I took it from there. If I had another colleague with me it would have been better but I am happy with getting a medal for my country and in my first and last year as a junior.” Husbands, like Anthony (2013 bronze medalist) were marked up early for special treatment by the opposing riders. Unfortunately, Akeem Arthur suffered a blow out just over one hour into the race which put paid to his
chances of bettering his silver last year. A total of 35 juveniles contested the race with two not finishing, while 29 juniors faced starters orders but 4 four did not complete the distance. Manager/Coach Mark Sonoram, who was looking forward to more medals, said that he was satisfied with the final results, despite. “I think the guys did well despite us not getting more medals. The two juveniles did us proud and we can look forward to them doing this nation proud in the future. Our junior guys also tried, Ambrose was very good in medaling; Anthony, Husbands and Arthur, who unfortunately suffered a blowout, all tried and they must all be complimented for representing their country with pride and resilience.” The Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago capped a fine day when they added the gold and silver in the female race which was the third and final event of the day. Teniel Campbell completed the 5-lap course in 1:55:41.604, countrywoman Keiana Lester clocked a close 1:55:41.718 for silver with the consistent Cherley Linden taking the bronze in 1:55:42.479. Twelve females started the race with nine completing.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Clearing those misconceptions in East Coast cricket DEAR EDITOR, I am writing this letter to clear up some misconceptions that is currently being peddled by Mr. Bissoondyal Singh. Firstly, he claims that the majority of players that represented Demerara and Guyana come from the Georgetown and East Coast Boards. However, I beg to differ. For quite some time now the East Coast U-15, U-17 and U-19 players were selected based on their practice sessions that were held by me, Mr. Latchman Yadram and Mr. Orin Bailey at the Enmore Cricket Club. It must be noted that, the Bissoondyal Singh led, East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) had no input; instead they went to clubs and threatened players and club officials with lawsuits etc. Nevertheless, I persevered and sent three teams to the age group competitions. It is also noteworthy to say that the U-15s and U-19s finished second in their respective competitions. I believe that with a little more resources, we could have done a lot better. Also, the following players were selected to represent Demerara and President XI at the Inter-County 2014.
players from other clubs. This experience is truly a necessary and vital one for players. Another very disturbing incident that is currently being played out is the constant harassment and threats of suing the sponsor of the East Coast Cricket Committee 50-Over Competition. May I remind Mr. Bissoondyal Singh that sponsorship is the lifeblood of sports, and threats to sponsors generally kill sports. But then again, he should know all about killing sports considering the ECCB lethargic performance on the East Coast for numerous years. The clubs together form the ECCB and its legality may be needed to be answered in the court, since many clubs claimed they have no knowledge of the election that was supposedly held on 10th August, 2014. No one remembers hearing or seeing any notice about this election in the media, by official notice or any other means. I also take this opportunity to remind Mr. Bissoondyal Singh that freedom of association is a constitutional right of Guyanese and no amount of threats or the contacts he knows can deny us this right.
From the above mentioned, three players represented Guyana at the Regional U-19 (Damion Waldron, Gavin Moriah and Brian Sattuar); Bhaskar Yadram did the U-15 and Ramnarine Chaturia for the U-17. Also, Gavin Moriah played for Demerara in the senior inter-county 4-Day competition. If the clubs had fallen for the threats made by Mr. Bissoondyal Singh, the players would not have gotten the opportunity to play cricket at a higher level and mixing with
Our aim is to ensure cricket is played on the East Coast, players are represented, and they are provided with an opportunity to further their careers. The integrity of the gentleman that forms the core of this group cannot be questioned. In cricket parlance, you have been given out and used up your review, so only your ego is delaying the game. We have no place for egotistic megalomaniacs. Anil Persaud