26th Sept 2013

Guyana-China P11 relations at important period for fast development – Chinese ambassador Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 1903 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, September 26, 2013

New airlines a significant boost to air travel – Ali See story on page 3

Elderly woman perishes in NA fire

PRICE

$60 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Courts hails customer support P2 at 20th anniversary celebrations

Govt not P3 responsible for CJIA project defects

See story on page 17

P8 Murder accused is top student P9 Wanted bulletin issued for Cuyuni murder accused

The blazing house at Islington, New Amsterdam, Berbice, which took the life of an elderly woman after her sister was rescued by a neighbour

Jagan’s Dental Centre to revolutionise dental care in Guyana See story on page 7

Decomposed body found in Liliendaal canal

See story on page 9

Do away with contract P10 employment in the public service – Yarde

GINA must petition P12 president for pay – Granger

2 news

thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Courts hails customer support at Man reportedly confesses to 20th anniversary celebrations killing TSU rank C

ourts Guyana Inc on Wednesday celebrated its 20th anniversary here, crediting much of its success to the many loyal customers over the years.

Managing Director Clyde De Haas said the furniture giant has always been grateful for the welcome that it has received from the Guyanese population and will continue to make sure that its customers are always its top priority.

The celebrations included grand giveaways of cash and other prizes to customers who have shopped and will be shopping on the day of the birth anniversary as well as throughout the weekend.

Also speaking with this newspaper was Operations Director Laverne Bakker, who emphasised that during this period, the company will be giving away more offers to persons who will be shopping at the centre and have been loyal customers.

The celebration was held at the company’s Main Street head office in Georgetown.

“As one of the prominent furniture and household appliances retailers in Guyana, we want to give back to Guyanese and we have offers running, that if

T

Members of the Courts team at the 20th anniversary celebrations held at the Main Street branch, Georgetown

you shop $200,000 and over, you will have the chance to use your smartphone and play the flash game only at the Main Street branch,” said Bakker.

Opened on Sunday

She noted that the store will also be open on Sunday to facilitate the 20th anniversary celebrations.

Guyana Times understands that six loyal customers: Roypen Mootain, Sajjid Islam, Verian Forte, Enid Payne, Rajdai Churaman and Carmen Rambaran were awarded with over one million dollars in cash and prizes.

Meanwhile, acting

General Manger Dorwin Ellis noted that the furniture retailer has and will always put customers first.

“We offer hire purchase to the Guyanese population and for cash customers; there are numerous deals available to them.

More so, especially during this week’s anniversary celebrations, Courts is offering major discounts on selected items and various departments,” said Ellis.

Some customers at the anniversary celebrations said Courts has become a household name. “I purchase almost all my furniture and appliances from here, especially with the

hire purchase, it makes it easier and affordable,” one customer, who gave her name only as Singh said.

Another customer, Doreen Ali, emphasised that the company has been good to the Guyanese population.

“I am glad that they are investing in Guyana and continue to aid in our country’s development, with all the offers and deals, it makes life a lot easier for the working class people to afford the comforts of life.”

The Courts chain remains the largest furniture retailer in Guyana and falls under the Unicomer brand, which is one of the largest retailers in the Caribbean.

he 27-year-old prime suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge for the murder of Police Constable Michael Cumberbatch, has reportedly confessed to committing the act, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said on Wednesday.

Persaud, in a telephone interview with Guyana Times, said the man was picked out during an identification parade at police headquarters, Eve Leary, and has since given a caution statement that he had committed the heinous crime.

Persaud further divulged that the suspect is likely to make his court appearance today, and will be charged with the capital offence of murder.

An autopsy performed on the body of the slain policeman proved that he died at a result of gunshot injuries.

Guyana Times understands that Cumberbatch was shot at least two times with a .9mm pistol.

Cumberbatch, of Lot 111 North Sophia Squatting Area, Greater Georgetown, was gunned down in his

Dead TSU rank, Michael Cumberbatch

home by a man who was armed with a handgun.

According to a police statement, the incident occurred around 20:40h.

Police said Cumberbatch was at home when he was confronted by someone who was reportedly inquiring about one, “Quacy”. An argument ensued, during which the TSU officer was shot in the chest. The suspect then escaped, the police release stated. The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

News

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, September 26 from 09:30h to 11:00h The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, September 26 from 08:50h to 10:20h.

WEATHER TODAY Countrywide: Partly cloudy conditions are expected during the day, with clear skies in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 21 and 32 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly at zero to seven metres per second.

High Tide: 08:52h reaching a maximum height of 2.24 metres.

Low Tide: 14:28h reaching minimum height of 1.25 metres.

Wednesday, september 25, 2013

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thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

New airlines a significant boost to air travel – acting tourism minister

BY SAMUEL SUKHNANDAN

A

cting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali said the introduction of two new air carriers this year is a significant boost to the local air transportation sector.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Ali said the government has been working hard to build and maintain capacity in the air transport sector.

The acting tourism minister noted that with the introduction of Fly Jamaica and the return of TravelSpan later in the year, there will be a further boost to the existing capacity.

“This is indeed a very important development for the tourism sector and it will have tremendous benefit for us. We have also been focusing heavily on Suriname, as a result of the lack of capacity,” Minister Ali stated.

Additionally, the acting tourism minister revealed

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali

plans to work with and Barbados, to combined tourism to promote travel these countries.

St Lucia create a package, between

Increase

“During the peak season, we will still have our numbers up,” he said. Further, Minister Ali stated that the ministry, through its tour-

ism drive, has been able to fill many small hotels.

According to him, more than 500 persons have visited Guyana this month from Suriname.

He contended that these and other plans will ensure that the local air transportation sector remains competitive, allowing for cheaper flights and quality services for the travelling public.

The minister also disclosed that the ministry is in discussion with at least three other international airlines to enhance operations here.

Challenges

Guyana, since the beginning of the year, has been facing some challenges in the air transportation sector, notably unfair competition and high ticket prices.

Government in the past had said that the price implemented by Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) was “outrageous”, even though

the airline was granted flag carrier status.

The administration had accused the airline of trying to rake in profits from the high demand in the Guyana market. The Trinidad and Tobago-based CAL, which is carrying a significant debt burden, has taken up the slack and has added flights to its Guyana route since the exit of EZjet and Delta Airlines.

Delta Airlines pulled out earlier this year, saying it was not financially sustainable to operate here, a claim that has been debunked by government. CAL has been serving Guyana for decades.

Several airlines have established offices here, but left for various reasons.

These include the EZjet, REDjet, among several others. Government wants additional airlines to boost the New York route. For CAL, the Georgetown route is one of its busiest.

Govt not responsible for CJIA project defects – Public Service Ministry

T

he Public Service Ministry on Wednesday said the government is not responsible for any defects to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Expansion Project, as it sought to clarify misconstrued information on the contract inked between the ministry and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).

The ministry in a release said, the misunderstanding relates to naming a government engineer for the project; the construction of Section 1.13 of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) document in reference to its terms and conditions, and performance security being 10 per cent of contract sum.

Firstly, the ministry said, while an engineer is not named in the contract, those arrangements have been taken care of administratively; and an engineer has been

identified and appointed.

In addition, the ministry said Section 1.13 [compliance with laws] sub-clause (b) states: “The contractor shall give all notices, pay all taxes, duties and fees, and obtain all permits, licences and approval, as required by the laws in relation to the design, execution and completion of the works and the remedying of any defects; and the contractor shall indemnify and hold the employer harmless against and from the consequences of any failure to do so,” the ministry said.

It added that since the government of Guyana will pay all taxes, duties and fees, and obtain all permits, licences and approval regarding one, the design, two, the execution and completion and, three, remedying any defects during the defects liability period, hence the reason for interchanging names (contractor and employer) in

the above clause as stated in the signed contract.

This section provides, in the view of the Public Works Ministry, is the correct interpretation, which clearly illustrates that government is not responsible for curing any defects.

“Additionally, Section 11 of the FIDIC document explicitly deals with defects liability, whereby it is very clear that CHEC and not the government, is responsible for remedying defects during

the defects and liability period,” the ministry noted.

The ministry added that it is a norm in large contracts for the performance bond to be 10 per cent of the contract sum.

“The ministry is deeply concerned that misinterpretation of the facts misleads the public, and strongly encourages the public to become their own investigative journalists, to determine for themselves, what is fact from fiction.”

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

Views Editor: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Talking agriculture G

uyana is getting ready to host the much anticipated Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) from October 5 to 12 under the theme, “Linking the Caribbean for Regional Food and Nutrition Security and Rural development.”

Already the event is being dubbed as a special CWA, considering the fact that Guyana is looked at as a model in terms of its agricultural practices and its agricultural potential in general.

CWA is a collaborative event with the main partners being the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the Caribbean Agricultural Research Development Institute (CARDI) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Technical Centre for Cooperation on Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA).

Agriculture and agriculture-related issues continue to dominate the international trade agenda as feeding the world is one of the most important challenges confronting us today, which governments, policymakers, international development partners and citizens as a whole must work to address.

Here in Caricom, it is very crucial at this time that the issue of ensuring food security is kept on the front burner, considering the fact that the region’s food import bill is rapidly increasing. This is indeed an opportune time to not only showcase what we here in Guyana are doing, but for the Caribbean to show how it is securing its food and how it is engaging in using agriculture to address other needs.

As preparatory activities for the CWA shift into high gear, organisers are confident of a successful event that will push agriculture to the forefront, raise the community’s awareness of the importance of the sector to national and regional development, and create opportunities for greater collaboration and interaction among Caricom member states and with their extra-regional partners.

Among the many topics to be explored, CWA workshops will focus on information and communication technologies (ICTs), monitoring and managing pest populations under a changing climate, the development of the coconut industry in the Caribbean, livestock, the implementation and mainstreaming of regional fisheries policies, and agricultural health and food safety.

Further, the CWA is being marketed as a great opportunity for promoting agriculture as a business. For the first time, attention will be placed on the cost of production exercise in the agriculture sector. This is an area that is often overlooked.

As it currently stands, most farmers do not keep proper documentation and they are not au fait as to what is really happening in terms of their investments and their level of returns. There is need to provide the necessary assistance to farmers as it relates to proper record keeping so that they will know whether they are making a profit or a loss, so that in cases of a loss, corrective steps could be taken.

That aside, we hope that stakeholders, both local and regional will take full advantage of the many opportunities the CWA will provide. It will certainly help a great deal in building capacity in the agriculture sector.

It is also hoped that a proper follow-up mechanism will be put in place to ensure that the outcomes of the event itself are not lost. In our view, the CWA must not be seen as a one-off event where the technical people meet to discuss issues relating to agriculture, there is need for continuous monitoring and evaluation of what is actually being done on the ground in the farms and fields so that the necessary interventions could be made at the policymaking and other levels.

Further, we urge regional governments to go beyond the usual rhetoric and take the appropriate action that will see high levels of investments in the agriculture sector, aimed at modernising, transforming and making it more competitive.

Guyana has shown that agriculture is serious business, it is time for others to follow suit.

Wide-eyed with wonder, these students, along with Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony and Guyana National Trust Chief Executive Officer Nirvana Persaud, were among persons viewing the annual Heritage Exhibition at the National Library (GINA photo)

Inter-county cricket should be pushed more

Dear Editor, Cricket fever is still with us and we have a lot to look forward to. I think that we should build on the momentum created by the Limacol Caribbean Premiere League (LCPL) that just came to an end.

Guyana did well even though they came out the losing finalist. Already, the selection committee of the Berbice Cricket Board has called up 30 cricketers for

three trial matches for the upcoming senior Inter-County 50-over competition, which started on September 11.

Years ago, the inter-county cricket was a really big thing. Radio coverage was the norm, and I am hoping that this can be arranged once again. If the cost factor is too much and there is not enough sponsorship, then we need a couple of reports per day, and maybe with the end-of-theday summary. This will really

generate a lot of interest.

If we go radio coverage, commentators will be able to get some training and pick up good practice and experience.

Joseph ‘Reds’ Pereira is still around and he can help with this.

Where the Berbice players are concerned, the selectors have divided the contingent into two equally balanced teams, but I think that after doing a few games like this, they should allow their best

bowlers to bowl to their best batsmen and simply simulate a real cricketing situation.

We need to remind ourselves that it is from these games, the inter-county matches, that we get our best national team. I hope that the bigger names will see this as another occasion to sharpen their skills and to stay fit.

Yours truly, Shameer Hussein

Pay keen attention, Guyana Dear Editor, I have come to the conclusion that much of what is being said about the Amaila Falls project by those who are not involved in its configuration is quite disingenuous and in fact craftily articulated to deceive. I say this because I have seen numerous articles asserting one stance or the other against the project, but when refuted, the initiator often does not acknowledge the correction, but rather some other issue is brought to bear.

Unless one is diligently following the issues, it may appear as though that which is being disseminated by opponents has reason for apprehension. I will explore three of those areas at this point.

First, there was the false accusation that there was no international tendering for the construction of the hydropower facility. When this was refuted and the names and timelines of the process provided, which by the way was done in 2008, and a total of five bids received – China Gezhouba Group Corporation (the main contractor of the Three Gorges Project), China National Technical Import and Export

Corporation, China Railway Engineering Corporation, CNC India Group and Salini Construction – nothing further was said on the issue.

Second, irrelevant and inappropriate comparisons were made with Amaila and other hydro power facilities. When the obvious differences between Amaila and other facilities were juxtaposed, it was revealed that the overly simplistic comparisons were highly inappropriate.

These included comparisons with run of the river hydros (facilities with no reservoir) – Amaila is an impoundment facility with a reservoir of 5757 acres or 23.3 km2; comparisons with hydros of shorter working life – Amaila is expected to last 75-100 years once properly maintained; comparisons with dissimilar technology which excluded transmission lines – Amaila has a 270 km of transmission lines.

Notably too, these comparisons were made with hydros in countries with long established hydro power programmes and facilities which would allow them to benefit from already established interrelated infrastructure, in

country expertise, better relationship with developers, and greater access to implements, among other things. This effectively highlights the wellestablished concept that no two hydro facilities are the same and, hence, comparisons like those will be skewed.

Amaila will cost US$2.2 million per megawatt for construction of the hydro power plant, and US$3.4 million, when financing and other soft cost are appropriated to this component, and these are well within the acceptable range for a hydro of this type.

Third, there were statements that the parliamentary opposition was uninformed about the project. This is clearly mischievous as I have not seen to this date any refutation that, at least on 10 separate occasions, members of the opposition met with government, Sithe Global or the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to be updated on the project. I have not seen any refutation that project documents were shared with members of the opposition and a visit to the road organised.

It is therefore pellucidly clear that any statement that

suggests that the parliamentary opposition were not afforded adequate opportunity to question and scrutinise the project would be an unequivocal distortion.

Further, I ask, if one is so concerned about the welfare of the common man, why not utilise every opportunity to grill and grill further every aspect of the project. I believe every Guyanese was owed this much at those presentations and meeting and beyond.

Next, I also ask myself, if one is waiting on the IDB due diligence report as claimed, why not take the necessary steps to ensure that that report is completed and made available before taking any measures that would see it halted?

My fellow Guyanese, I submit to you, the bombardment in the daily newspapers about Amaila is really not about Amaila at all, which by any measure is a step in the right direction for the future of Guyana. The ridicule of this project is really about personalities using Amaila as the pawn to further their political and personal agendas.

Yours sincerely, Tamika Henry-Williams

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Electricity theft is a Investigating countrywide scourge child abuse Dear Editor, This is very unacceptable – 3921 illegal connections is what the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said it had to remove during the period January to June, 2013. Now for how long has this been going on? And how many more are still left to be intercepted?

Electricity theft is a really problem in Guyana. I have seen on at least two occasions, GPL workers being chased away when they went to investigate illegal connections or cut off the power supply from delinquent customers.

This campaign by the power company actually began since 2007, but of recent, it has been intensified.

The result is that a total of more than 100 raids were made in communities along the East Bank, West Bank and East Coast of Demerara, Berbice and the outskirts of Georgetown.

So we have to admit that this crime is a widespread phenomenon that knows no place and race. Maybe a particular economic class then?

I do think that GPL should look at the many parameters of electricity theft. The reason for it must be established.

Since at least 260 persons were arrested, the court action should be swift, and immediate reparations should be arranged for, if that is a possibility. If not, whatever form justice should take, then let the wheels start turning.

It is unfair for thieves to be let off lightly.

The more electricity theft is indulged in, the harder it is for the entire country.

The word is that the rate at which cases are completed is a huge hurdle to overcome.

To this I say it is time we arrange some special night sessions for these matters.

If we are serious about this

crime, then we will go to extremes measures to root it out. They have night court in so many countries.

I think of this very problem in Beirut. Over there in a bid to crack down on electricity theft, the Energy Ministry has started testing advanced meters that can be monitored remotely. This is a pilot project and if this project succeeds then we will install 1.2 million smart meters across the country.

Guyana should take a lesson from this.

With regards, Marlon Griffith

The reality about youth non-employment Dear Editor, “Many of our youths are functionally illiterate. Basic numeracy skills are sadly lacking. Guyanese cannot find jobs, well-paying or otherwise. Crime is spiralling out of control. Frustration and despair are the features of the lives of the majority of Guyanese, who simply cannot make ends meet.”

That’s the view of one letter writer who is asking that the leader of the main opposition follow up on his call for an integrated programme for job creation and a national youth policy. This is against the backdrop that the leader of the main opposition did try blaming the government for the woes of some selected people.

The government did ex-

plain that with the vicious quashing of the Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) precluded itself from any, blaming of the ruling party. This is so basic to grasp. The Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project would have added in other ways to a better life in Guyana too – not just employment.

I note that the writer’s comment can help to categorise a group of people – those who live spendthrift lives.

They come from all over Guyana and they are not willing to work when work is available. How can anyone blame government, when people are making bad choices and living wanton lives?

In this call by the head of APNU and this writer, I note

the false accusation of government’s “failed approaches”.

This can easily be debunked by pointing out that if the Amerindians can come and capitalise on the Hinterland Scholarship Programme, why is it that many of us just cannot grab what is right at our fingertips?

Show me a man who is without education in Guyana in this day and age and I will show you a man who squandered his youthful opportunities.

On this note, for those who have not been educated even at the high school level, work is very much available and in so many sectors.

I cannot find many who have been turned down from being a construction worker or a security officer.

I hope that those without the requisite education and skills are not clamouring to be lecturers, teachers and engineers. Job landing has to do with appropriate skills, education and experience.

I repeat my call that we all be fair. Let us examine the group of non-working people and classify them according to even lifestyle and education alone, and I think we will see reality.

Hopefully we will accept it and deal with it too.

Sincerely yours, Juanita De Freitas

Dear Editor, The recent arrest of a couple from Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice has me puzzled. They were taken in for physically abusing their nine and twoyear-old Canadian sons who are now in the custody of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA). Our lawmen are functionaries of the state and as such they have the right to use some kind of force to invade premises. They must act with professionalism and thoroughness.

The children were beaten and medical evidence must now be well documented.

Also, the beating or abuse of the two children was a known thing, yet the relevant authorities were not apprised of anything.

Neighbours are saying that they were threatened by the man. If a lot of the neighbours knew what was happening, who can know who did the informing. People must be proactive when it comes to anything evil in the society.

The police should have picked up this too. That is why I advocate for patrols.

Police need to hang around the streets and pick up on what is happening. They have to be street savvy.

We have to get very serious with child abusers.

Parents sometimes inflict on their children all kinds of punishments for reasons that are most bewildering: their own failures, over pushing them and seeing them as burdens. When these things are happening, the parents need help. It is not easy to do, but a start has to be made.

Then children have to be removed from their presence. Keeping abusive parents or elders with children is really asking for trouble.

It is not too much to ask people to be guardians of the nation’s children. All that is required is to report any matter of suspicious wrong doing. The law will step in and do the rest.

Yours truly, Anita Cox

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thursday, september 26, 2013

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

How to make your family a priority

F

amily is a unique entity in this world and its members are fashioned to bond with each other. The motto of parents in a family is to nurture and protect their children or put simply, give priority to their family. All members in a family can appreciate love in all its scope and form. As in any successful relationship, even in a family there is a need for solid foundation of support and safety. In a family, time is a very valuable gift that parents give to their children and themselves too.

Research has shown that children coming from a secure family environment are very resilient. They are able to face any social or personal oppression and achieve a positive outcome.

Some salient features of a stable family setting (which is the outcome of making a family as a priority) are: • reliable behavioural expectations and less behavioural problems among members • constructive expectations for the future • low rate of learning disorders, anxiety, agitation and parental criticism • Better scope for development of a teen or a child’s personal health • Outlook offered by caregivers is positive • Family members have freedom to express both failure and success • parental approval, praise and support are high

Children who grow in a stable family background display a sense of personal competence in solving any problem. They feel capable of influencing an environment so as to fit their needs. Such children typically do not experience anxiety disorders, depression, learning disorders, anger management issues, anxiety symptoms, sleep disorders, or drug addiction.

Parents can do this by sharing many kinds of activities. It can be activities like doing craft jointly, going on picnics, exercising, hiking or attending fun events together. The moments spent by a family during such ‘time together’ lays the foundation for many positive outcomes like – children become less fearing, less anxious, less irritable and away from mental problems.

Parents can make their family a priority through several ways like: • Switch off television, cellphones or computers to have some time together • Make an ordinary thing as special (like driving the child to school) • Keep family outings and meals without any interruptions • Keep contact from office with their children who are alone at home • Avoid evening meetings

•

and start concentrating on creating healthy boundaries Schedule after school activities to have children to focus more on family time

you make your family a priority.

If you want to make your family a priority, you can do this by slicing out some family time and fostering a positive relationship with your partner.

Some ways to do this

It has been noted that parents who create an environment for uninterrupted mealtime conversation are successful in nurturing children that are able to achieve high. Parents who make family a priority, start experiencing amazing things.

If you remember your childhood days, you will agree that many of that joy filled and positive life experiences that you gained as a child came from sharing some time with your family. It will be the same joy and cheer you will be gifting your children when

Sitting together for meals: Make it a point to eat together at the dinner table. A famous saying goes that a family which eats together stays together in every thick and thin.

Also it is a great way to catch up with the day’s events. Ignore the television, phone calls etc and simply concentrate on your family mealtime together.

Family night out: One of your New Year resolutions can be to have many family night outings. This way you will be able to spend some quality time together and also derive some fun. Your family outings can be weekly or monthly and it doesn’t matter as long as you plan and spend some time together.

Plan day trips together: Another one of your New Year Resolution has to be travel frequently with your family if not wide and yonder but even on short trips. You can take up short drives together and explore new destina-

tions, have fun and adventure all of which ends in nurturing strong family bonds and not to forget how well it de-stresses you all.

Plan family rituals: Participating in rituals brings in us a sense of stability and security and even helps us to stay grounded and calm in any anxious moments. You can try and observe fun customs during family rituals like birthdays, holidays or any other occasions.

Spend one-to-one moments with your children: Simple things done together can bring as much fun, and bring your children closer to you. Parenting experts feel that even a small outing together like going on errands regularly helps you to understand your child better and build a bond between you.

Schedule a dating night with your partner: Making your family a priority does not mean that you have to put your relationship with your partner at stake. A happy family lies on the foundation of a happy marriage and to ensure this harmony you and your partner have to stay connected by spending some moments together without your children.

Develop some new skill together: Groping through a new skill together with your family is much fun and a way to pick up talent. You will not just be learning and expanding a new technique but your children will also gain from the new knowledge that will stay with them forever. (Singlestat. us)

Building the fatherdaughter relationship

BY RON AFABLE

W

hile we, fathers, could never take the place of Mom, we play an entirely different role in our little girls’ lives. Studies have shown that girls whose fathers play an active role in their upbringing have a certain confidence that is lacking in those who do not have an involved father. It is believed that girls who don’t have this type of father in the family are more likely to be constantly looking for male approval. These interesting studies suggest that girls who did not enjoy love and support from their fathers tend to seek out other males to replace this experience they didn’t have with their fathers.

We don’t have to try to learn what to teach our daughters, we just have to be there for them. And that makes all the difference in the world.

But girls are fragile like porcelain...

While it’s easy to presume that our daughters are fragile like a porcelain vase, trust me, she is not.

I believe this misconception is what deters most fathers from being close to their daughters. Playtime, is one of the best (if not the best) way of nurturing a close relationship with our children. We could just play enough Chinese checkers or Monopoly with our girls.

The more we take them as fragile (could be translated to “weak”), the more they tend to miss out on a lot of things.

Teaching our little girls to be physically active, playfully chasing them around, playing catch even basketball or football – could inculcate in them the spirit of athleticism. Instead of making them focus on how their bodies look, cultivating love for physical activity would make them focus on what their bodies could do.

This love for active physicality is one of the most important gifts we fathers can give our daughters. We all know that boys and girls who are into sports are less prone to destructive vices like alcohol, smoking, and drugs. Girls who are more physically active start young, with their dads playing with them.

Daughters are God’s gift to dads

Daughters are not the only ones who benefit from a positive father-daughter relationship. Notice how you tend to calm and mellow down when you are around your baby girl? As for me, nothing is lovelier than my daughter’s smile. Nothing is more wonderful than hearing my little girl say to me, “I love you, dad.” (Ezine Articles)

news

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thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Jagan’s Dental Centre Berbice businessman loses millions to burglars to revolutionise B dental care in Guyana urglars stuck again in the ancient county of Berbice on Tuesday night as they escape with over $2 million in cash and jewellery from a businessman at Line Path, Corentyne, Berbice.

The break and enter and larceny was committed on Winston Roberts, 60, of Lot 38 Line Path between 20:30h and 22:00h.

According to reports, the burglars escaped with $710,000, US$5,800, a quantity of gold and diamond jew-

ellery valued $1 million, one Samsung Galaxy S3 mobile phone valued $80,000 and one Apple iPhone valued $160,000.

Police investigations revealed that during the date and time mentioned, the victim went out, and on his return; he noticed one of the doors of the lower flat of his two-storey house wrenched open with bloodstains on the floor.

He made further checks and discovered another door to the inner stairway and another on the upper flat

also wrenched opened. In addition, the bedrooms on the upper flat of house were ransacked.

The drawers of the cabinet in the living room were also ransacked and the articles mentioned missing.

Roberts contacted the police, who visited the scene, and launched an investigation.

Several persons in the community were contacted and questioned, but no one was arrested. The police dusted for latent prints, but none was found.

Girl, 12, struck down on East Coast Highway

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Drs Kyle, Shane, Clive and Ian Jagan

By Whitney Persaud

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uyana now boasts a new multimilliondollar state-of-theart dental facility – Jagan’s Dental Centre (JDC), which offers world-class services to the Guyanese public.

Dr Clive Jagan and his sons, Drs Kyle, Shane, and Ian, are bringing a new dental culture and a number of new services.

During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Dr Jagan and his three sons, who all specialise in the different areas of dentistry, reassured patients of their commitment to them even with the opening of the new centre.

“I have been serving the Guyanese public for more than 35 years, it was sad moving away from my Medical Arts office, but I have three sons who are specialising in various areas of dentistry and I want to start up something that would render new services to people and also accommodate their work,” he explained.

whitening and the beauty about it is that it is performing a bloodless surgery and it is also painless,” he said.

Lasers have been used for many years in oral surgery and implant dentistry, becoming standard for some surgeries.

Dr Shane, the eldest of the brothers, said his area of specialty is cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is any dental work that improves the appearance of a person’s teeth and gums.

“Cosmetics dentistry is giving someone a smile they are looking for or maybe a slight rotation, it is all about fixing and achieving the desired results that patients want,” he said.

a dentist one day. “ It feels very good being a young dentist, I believe I took the record from my dad; since I was young, I wanted to do dentistry and for those youngsters out there who want to pursue this field I would urged them to work hard and stay committed,” the young Jagan said.

The Jagans

The family acknowledged that the Jagans is a household name in dentistry but wanted to clarify that they are in no way part of the Cheddi Jagan Dental School (CJDS) or attached to the office of Dr Joey Jagan, who is another family member.

New services

Dr Jagan said a wide range of new services will be offered right here in Guyana, and the new facility will be a hub for medical tourism. “We will be offering a wide range of services basically in all the fields possible: we will be doing general extraction, cleaning, filling, implants and laser dentistry, cosmetics dentistry, root canals, whitening of teeth, crowns and bridges,” he added.

Dr Kyle, who specialises in laser and implant surgery, noted that this is one of the least painful forms of dentistry. “Laser is a special kind of dentistry used in this field, and you can do mostly oral surgery with it, it is good for root canals and

The state-of-the-art Jagan’s Dental Centre on Lamaha and Light streets

Dr Ian, who is one of the youngest dentists in Guyana, said he has always had a love for oral surgery.

He said before providing this kind of service to the populace, he will be pursuing another year of study in this field.

The young professional said that there was no better feeling than having achieved so much at a young age. He noted that it was always his desire to be

“We at the JDC would like the public to know that there’s a difference between CJDS and also my cousin’s Joey Jagan practices, this new centre is an institution in evolution and we have the third generation of dentists in the Jagan family here,” Dr Clive asserted.

He noted that the best way to practise dentistry is to always be compassionate and loving to patients. (whitneyp@guyanatimesgy.com)

12-year-old child was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday morning suffering lacerations about her body following an accident on the Success, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Public Road.

Gaitree Persaud of Success Village, ECD, was struck by a speeding car bearing registration number PMM 9275 in the vicinity of the Success Gas Station.

The accident occurred about 07:45h.

Guyana Times understands that the driver of the car, which struck the child, did not stop despite drivers in the opposite direction had on their caution indica-

tions. The child was struck, pitched into the air and fell onto the road way.

Hospital officials disclosed that Persaud suffered abrasion to her body and was treated. She was kept for sometime at the medical facility as her condition was closely monitored.

An eyewitness told this newspaper that the driver was heading to Georgetown when in the vicinity of the Success Gas Station; he recognised a woman and a child standing at the corner of the road.

“I stopped to allow them to cross the road, but the mother loose the child’s hand and she started to walk across the road to board a

minibus when all of a sudden a Toyota Spacio came from the opposite direction and did not stop,” the eyewitness said.

The child, he said was tossed into the air and landed on the roadway. Publicspirited citizens rushed to the scene, collected the child and rushed her to the hospital.

“She was bleeding through her mouth and nostrils and blood was also dripping from her head,” the eyewitness added.

A medical official told this newspaper that the child is out of danger. The female driver was taken to the Beterverwagting Police Station, where she was detained.

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thursday, september 26, 2013| guyanatimesGY.com

Murder accused is top student – seeks permission to attend graduation

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fficials at the New Amsterdam Prisons are seeking permission from the Home Affairs Ministry to allow a remanded murder accused to attend a graduation exercise after topping the Berbice Islamic Private School, at the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Zaffar Seetaram of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, was remanded on May 13, the very day he should have been sitting the CSEC agricultural science examination.

The 18-year-old missed that examination, but was allowed to sit the remaining seven while being incarcerated. He secured five grade twos and is still awaiting results for religious education.

Seetaram was remanded along with five others for the vigilante-style killing of Alfred Munroe, also called “Guana Man”, on April 9, at Bound Yard, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice.

He is expected to receive an award for being the best graduating student.

Seetaram is also the best English, social studies and office administration student.

However, prison officials said permission for Seetaram to attend the graduation has to be granted by the Home Affairs Ministry. In a last minute

Zaffar Seetaram effort to get all clearance for his attendance, the New Amsterdam Prison has applied to the ministry, hoping to get approval for today’s event.

Meanwhile, the six accused returned to court on Wednesday as the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of the Corentyne resident continued at the Whim Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rabindranath Singh.

Police Corporal Sherlock King, who is prosecuting at the trial, called the state’s last witness, government’s pathologist Dr Vivekananda Bridgemohan.

The pathologist said the death of Munroe, 45, of Manchester Village was as a result of shock and hemorrhage due to multiple inju-

ries. After a lengthy crossexamination by attorneys Murseline Bacchus, Sanjeev Datadin and Charles Ramson Jr, who are representing the accused, the prosecution closed its case.

The prosecution had earlier called eight witnesses, including detective corporals Primus Sam and Andrew Ward and detective constables Eustace Leitch and Emanuel Ragnauth, who gave evidence on their involvement in the investigation of the murder.

Monroe’s son, Lawrence Gray, also gave evidence of identifying the body and witnessing the post-mortem examination. Three civilian witnesses; Milton Ramphal, Nizam Khan and Shazeena Khan, who allegedly witnessed the killing, also gave evidence.

On Wednesday when the prosecution closed its case, Bacchus, who is representing Seetaram made a no-case submission of his behalf. Magistrate Singh is expected to make a ruling on Monday when the PI continues. On trial for the May 9 killing of Munroe are Randolph Samuel, 22, called “Rudy”; Aris Cecil, 21; Richard Griffith, 19, called “Buck Head”; Michael Lewis, 31, called “Mickey”; Zaffar Seetaram, 18; and Khruhnaraj Jagdeo, 47, all of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne.

Eyew tness Circular thinking...

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... on constitution

ometimes you wonder what’s going on in some people’s heads. Take former Chief Parliamentary Counsel Bryn Pollard, SC. From his previous utterances, you’d think he’s quite a level headed fellow. Then suddenly, out of the blue, he utters some things that make you wonder. It could be old age...but you never know.

First, he suddenly resurrects the matter of “ministerial responsibility” in reference to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee. What’s this? Was Pollard asleep like some Guyanese Rip Van Winkle when this was all thrashed out? What tragedy exactly did Minister Rohee commit that he should resign?

The Linden shootings? Well the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) didn’t even prove the police fired the shots that killed the three men. And we should have the minister fall on his sword? What nonsense!

In all instances, in the English parliamentary system we imitate, ministers have resigned when they felt they had to. Period. Rohee in no way, shape or form has any responsibility for the Linden fiasco – and the CoI backs his up. It would be more than masochistic for him to resign. The opposition can pass all the motions they want – if Rohee doesn’t want to resign or the president doesn’t fire him, there’s absolutely nothing Pollard or anyone else can do about it.

Fast on the heels of that faux pas, Pollard weighed in on the “power” of the president. Or more accurately, his alleged “lack of power” of the president. He claims that “the president has no power to decide bills unconstitutional”! This is the classic case of the “straw man” fallacy. Put something into someone’s mouth or change its context and then claim it’s false!

What’s actually the case is the opposition passed some bills of their own concoction (remember their petty vendetta over President Bharrat Jagdeo’s pension?) and then sent them – as is required by the constitution – to the president for his signature.

Now according to the constitution, at that point the

president can choose to assent to the bill or not. If he doesn’t, then he has to give his reasons. All the president did was to give his reason as to why he didn’t assent: he thinks the bills are unconstitutional.

As the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Clement Rohee pointed out, if the opposition thinks the president is mistaken, why don’t they go to the courts? Especially now that they have Pollard, SC, on their side.

...on local government

The opposition – especially the Alliance For Change (AFC) – has made quite a bit of noise about the local government bills that have also been sent to the president. The AFC thinks they might do better at the local polls than they did at the national elections, so they’re chomping at the bit to have a go. There’s a lot of people living in fools’ paradise. But they’re now joined by the aforementioned senior counsel who’s raising the other “straw man” argument about the attorney general “intercepting” the bills before they get to the president.

Now here again, we have some serious circular thinking going on. Seems that Pollard and the opposition think that when the constitution says “bills must be sent to the president” – they must be delivered directly into the hands of the president.

They must be confused with the service of writs and summons – with which, in any case the president can’t be served. He can throw them over his shoulder.

But as a gaggle of lawyers, they would know that the attorney general is the president’s lawyer – and he had to first peruse the documents. How else would he be in a position to advise his client?

...on SPVs

Anand Goolsaran’s another one who’s on a lotta stupidness. He doesn’t know that Atlantic Hotel Inc, as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is an off balance sheet financing device? To report their funds on the government’s balance sheet (Consolidated Funds) would defeat the whole point, wouldn’t it?

news

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thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Decomposed body found in Liliendaal canal

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he decomposed body of a North Sophia man was on Wednesday morning fished out of the Pump Station Canal at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Roy George, 43, of Lot 72 North Sophia, Georgetown, was reportedly missing without a trace since two Mondays ago, until Wednesday morning when his body was spotted by persons traversing the area. His body was partially on land and in water.

From reports received, he may have suffered broken arms and limbs. At the back of his head bore a gash suspected to have been inflicted by a knife. There were also other marks of violence. The police have since launched an investigation into the discovery and have not ruled out foul

play.

While there are speculations that he might have been a victim of a hit-andrun accident and drowning; relatives are convinced that George might have been murdered. Bibi Mohamed, the eldest sister of the dead man stated that she last saw him at his home two Sundays ago when he promised to visit her the next day to complete some work on her fence.

She added that after a few days passed and he did not make contact with her, she sent a relative to check on him.

The relative returned and informed her that he was not seen in the area for a while. On the fourth day of his disappearance, she noted that checks were made at several police outposts and stations to in-

Man nabbed with cannabis in milk tins at Ogle airport

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passenger at the Ogle international Airport was on Wednesday nabbed with a quantity of cannabis in Fern Leaf milk tins.

Ranks from the Police Anti Narcotics Branch about 13:05h stopped and searched the man, who was an outgoing passenger at the port of entry, where the 388 grams of cannabis were unearthed.

He was at the time boarding a flight to Imbaimadai, Mazaruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni). He was arrested and is in police custody pending charges.

In April last, police arrested a man at the Ogle International Airport after

they found a quantity of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in his possession, while he was a passenger bound for an interior flight.

Police narcotics ranks at the Ogle airport had conducted a search on the man bound for Matthew’s Ridge, Region One (Barima/Waini) and found 490 grams of cannabis sativa in his possession.

Police for the month have conducted a number of drug eradication exercises in which several fields of marijuana plants, seeds, nurseries and camps were destroyed. Several persons were also charged for the offence.

Youth accused of fondling teen girlfriend arrested

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Berbice teenager was on Monday taken into police custody after he was accused of fondling his teen girlfriend at his house.

The female, a student of a secondary school in Berbice accused the young man of committing the act about 09:15h, on the day in question.

According to investigations, the victim and the suspect live in the same village and are reportedly in a relationship. On Monday about 09:00h, the young woman left home

dressed in her school uniform and was on her way to school when the suspect collected her from Rose Hall Town.

He took her to his home where he committed the act.

The matter was reported to the police and the suspect was arrested and placed in custody.

The victim was escorted to Port Mourant Public Hospital where she was seen and examined by a doctor, who issued a medical certificate of his findings.

Police are investigating the incident.

quire whether he was arrested, but he was nowhere to be found.

This prompted them to visit another brother who lives on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway in search of him, but he too did not see him. The family became worried and thought that something was amiss.

Mohamed said after returning to the city on Tuesday evening, she went to the Sparendaam Police Station where she lodged a missing person’s report.

On Wednesday morning, the woman stated that she went to the market and on her way home; she heard a body was discovered at the pump station at Liliendaal.

Out of curiosity and concerns, she instructed her son to make a check and after a few minutes, she

received the devastating news.

A niece, Shoundelle Charles, explained that after she heard about the body, she sent her husband to the scene and within minutes, he telephoned her and confirmed it was her uncle.

Charles disclosed that George’s hands and feet were broken and there was a “big hole” at the back of his neck. His back had several black and blue marks, and Charles is convinced that her uncle was beaten to death and thrown at that particular location.

His face, she added was completely decomposed but she recognised him from the clothes he was wearing on the night she last saw him. Charles said George would normally catch fish and cut grass for a living.

Wanted bulletin issued for Cuyuni murder accused

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he Guyana Police Force on Wednesday issued a wanted bulletin for 21-year-old Colin O’Neil Blair, called “Bow Foot”, for questioning in relation to the murder of Royston Sylvester Greenidge called “Roy”, which occurred at Far Back Backdam, Cuyuni River.

Blair is said to be of medium build and is brown in complexion. Greenidge, 38, of Kuru Kuru was killed in June 18 during an argument with another man. It was reported that the two men were imbibing when an argument broke out resulting in the suspect picking up a piece of wood and lashing the victim on the head and other parts of the body.

The man was rushed to the Bartica Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Murdered: Royston Sylvester Greenidge

Blair subsequently fled the scene. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Colin O’Neil Blair called “Bow Foot” is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 226-6978, 226-1333, 2252722, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with confidentiality.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

News

Do away with contract employment in the public service – Yarde

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he Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said it is opposed to contracts being awarded to persons against positions that exist on the permanent pensionable establishment of the public service, as it renews call for scrapping this form of employment.

The GPSU said too that it is opposed to the discrimination in pay, which results from the personalised manner contract employment is implemented.

“Persons carrying out the same duties and similarly qualified are paid significantly different. We are demanding that in accordance with the principles adumbrated in Article 22 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana quote: ‘Every citizen has the right to be rewarded according to the nature, quality and quantity of his or her work, to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, and to just conditions of work’,” GPSU President Patrick Yarde told the opening of

GPSU President Patrick Yarde

the union’s 20th Biennial Delegates’ Conference on Wednesday.

Yarde said on January 3, the GPSU wrote Public Service Ministry, Permanent Secretary Hydar Ally, requesting to be provided with the names, ages, designations, salary and allowances of all contracted employees paid from head 611, table nine of the 2013 estimates of expenditure.

Yarde said that in the last five years (2008-2013), the allocations to contract employment rose from

$2.166 billion to $7.812 billion – three-and-a-halftimes the amount it was in 2008.

Further, Yarde said the GPSU has been advocating for the amendment of the Pensions Act, to qualify persons who resigned from employment in the public service, to receive gratuity and/or pension for services rendered.

The veteran trade unionist also charged that public servants and other workers are being bullied into a life of poverty and face skyrocketing costs of living that are unmatched by the reasonable increases in their remuneration.

"The obstruction of the industrial relations process in the public service and the autocratic culture in decision-making are features of this intent. This has therefore become the subject of discussions and negotiations between the government, the union and its members," Yarde told the congress.

He said generally, the

union is demanding that the rights of workers be respected by employers, managers and administrators; that their right to natural justice and due process be respected at all times in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Guyana. He said too that the International Labour Organisation’s core conventions (1998) declaration of the fundamental rights at work and the ILO decent work agenda, guidelines and principles, must also be enforced.

He asserted that the answer to an improved industrial relations climate must lie within an enhanced framework for social dialogue, encompassing good communication and based on mutual respect for each other, including the respect for the Constitution and laws of Guyana, ILO conventions, contractual agreements and the sanctity of the collective bargaining process.

Yarde said the GPSU is firm in its demand and reaffirms its commitment to the struggle for payment of a living wage for all workers in Guyana. Held under the theme “Relentlessly pursuing good governance, decent work, social and economic justice”, the congress was attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Opposition Leader David Granger, Member of Parliament Basil Williams and Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green.

Couple in court for threatening each other

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husband and wife were on Wednesday granted $35,000 bail each by Magistrate Clive Nurse for making use of threatening behaviour against each other. Amadi Nelson, 39, a driver and Sharon Nelson, 40, a hairdresser of 68 Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden appeared at the Christianburg Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charges to which they pleaded not guilty.

The two separate charges stated that on September 23, while at Self Help, Amelia’s Ward, they made use of threatening behaviour against each other, whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned.

They were granted bail and were placed on bonds to keep the peace throughout the duration of the trial by the presiding magistrate, since the prosecution had no objections. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on October 29.

De mud paper man got a good soup drinker

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ome old people does warn other old people that dem must nevah tek dem **it and daub it pun another man bottom. That simply mean that it is not a good ting to do some ting wrang and put de blame pun some body else. That is exactly what some people specialise in.

Tek fuh example de mud paper man.

De whole country know how he was beggin fuh favours from de guvament. And then he try to bribe certain people in de guvament wid backtrack money. When de people in guvament tell he dem don’t want he money, he tun round and claim every body in de guvament tekkin bribe. That is what old people call doin dutty wuk and puttin de **it pun another man bottom.

Now de mud paper man got another man doin de same ting. A old man who does deh bout by de La Penitence market seh is a really big man who does be wukkin fuh de mud paper man. De old man was friken fuh talk, but he seh he believe that de wukkin involve more than just wukkin fuh de mud paper. He seh a lotta wukkin does go on between de two of dem.

Well, if de old man right, that is de same man who does drink a lotta soup, and now he blamin other people fuh drinkin soup. This mud paper wuk man does drink out all de soup and he don’t leave any soup fuh any body else.

Whenever soup sharin he does line up twice and then clean up de leff-leff.

One of de mud paper reporter who leff de mud paper one time, but he like de mud so much that he gone back to the mud, tell people how much soup de same wuk man does drink. He seh de mud paper man does provide all de soup, which is a wuk by itself.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie!

But after all, de mud paper man got a good wuk man, so he don’t mind buyin plenty soup fuh he!

Rehab works at Regent Street sewer pump completed – GWI

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he Guyana Water Inc (GWI) said the junction at Regent and Camp streets has been reopened to traffic following the completion of repairs to the sewer pump station which serves the area.

According to GWI Senior Project Engineer Arshad Yacoub, road repair works are still ongoing, but commuters can safely utilise the road.

“Our contractors are still working to reinstate the road and this will be completed within two weeks,” GWI quoted the senior engineer as saying in a release.

However, he said “we have put measures in place to ensure that vehicles and pedestrians can resume using the roadway in a safe manner”.

The rehabilitation works involved the complete rehabilitation of the Regent Street sewer pump station which included the installation of new pumps, 30KVA

transformers, electrical and control panels. The most difficult aspect of the rehabilitation works was the installation of the new pump which operates at 35 litres per second and required the breaking and excavation of the roadway and the top slab.

All aspects of the rehabilitation works were successfully executed; the works form part of the government of Guyana (GoG) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded US$10 million Georgetown Sanitation Improvement Programme (GSIP). The programme aims to rehabilitate all 24 sewer pump stations in Georgetown.

Following the completion of this aspect of the programme, works commenced on Monday, September 23 for laying HDPE sewer pipes along Sussex Street, going west to the Sussex and Charles streets junction.

11 News

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

Guyana-China relations at important period for fast development – Chinese ambassador

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who is performing the duties of president, and Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Zhang Limin toast to relations between Guyana and China at the 64th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Also in photo are Mrs Hinds and Mrs Zhang

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rime Minister Samuels Hinds, who is performing the duties of president and acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Culture Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony, were among other government officials at a reception at the Chinese embassy, Mandela Avenue on Wednesday evening to mark the 64th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Since the origin of the People’s Republic of China, notably the embracing of reorganisation and the opening-up of policy 35 years ago, China has been forging ahead and has made significant achievements in their

modernisation, which has attracted the attention of the world.

During brief remarks, Prime Minister Hinds acknowledged China’s achievements and its continued investments in Guyana and its people since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established 41 years ago.

The prime minister highlighted that the bilateral relations between the two countries have grown from strength to strength. Both countries, he said, have made great strides for the past several years, and despite the recent financial and economic crises in many parts of the world, their

economies continue to grow.

China is considered the second largest growing economy in the world. Prime Minister Hinds pointed out that like China; Guyana continues to strive for economic advancement to enable its people to live lives that are fulfilling.

Significant strides

He said that Guyana has made significant strides in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and recalled the country’s recent Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) award for reducing hunger and improving nutrition.

China has made momentous contributions to

Guyana and special emphasis has been placed on health care. Chinese medical missions have been visiting Guyana over the last two decades to assist in enhancing the local health care system.

The devices for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme were also supplied by the Chinese-owned Haier Electrical Appliance Limited and approximately 34 Guyanese products are exported to China on a yearly basis.

Guyana received two new roll-on/roll-off ferry vessels and benefited from military air corps pilot and engineer training from that country. Training and scholarships in several fields of specialisation were also granted, a co-generation facility at the Skeldon Sugar Estate was established, and the 20.7MW Kingston Power Plant was built by Chinese.

Prime Minister Hinds said that Guyana values these exchanges and stated that he is optimistic that the countries will continue to work closely to further develop the economy.

Another milestone

Meanwhile, Ambassador Zhang expressed happiness that China has met another milestone even as it continues to support the develop-

Acting President Samuel Hinds interacting with Opposition Leader David Granger and other guests at the 64th anniversary observance of the founding of the People’s Republic of China

ment of Guyana and other parts of the world.

China’s GDP in 2012 reached US$8.3 trillion, contributing over 20 per cent to the growth of the world economy. During the first half of this year, the GDP increased by 7.6 per cent over the same period last year.

Ambassador Zhang said the Chinese people stand ready to work hand-in-hand with Guyana through further exchange and mutually beneficial cooperation and unremitting efforts towards shared dreams of common development.

“China and Guyana are time-honoured friends with a very long history of amicable interaction dating back to the 19th century… since

the establishment of diplomatic relations, the relations between our two countries are getting closer and are in an important period of opportunities of fast development,” Ambassador Zhang highlighted.

In June this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Ramotar held their first summit in Trinidad, which has set the direction for the future enhancement of China-Guyana relations in the new situation.

Ambassador Zhang reiterated that through the countries’ concerted efforts, the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Guyana will enjoy a brighter future.

Environmental stress

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here is no doubt that we experience a variety of small environmental stresses every day.

These range from the frustrations of commuting to badly organised workspaces, poor ergonomics and many, many others. While these are small things, they can all add up to make life more stressful. Hence,

identifying stressors and adequately addressing them can make our daily lives less stressful and more rewarding.

What is environmental stress?

• A response to things around you that cause stress.

• Minor irritations and frustration of everyday life we

experience.

Identifying these environmental stresses and learning to avoid them or deal with them will help lower stress level.

Some environmental stressors • Air quality • Noise • Lighting • Personal space • Overcrowding • Furniture and ergonomics • Decoration and tidiness • Distraction • Commuting Minimising environmental stressors can reduce environmental stress • Air quality – ban smoking, open windows, and introduce plants.

• Noise – install partitions, use meeting rooms, use quiet rooms and ear plugs.

• Lighting – improve lighting; it is important to get much natural light: work next to a window, take breaks outside.

• Personal space – have a room or office of your own: establish ownership by bringing objects such as plants or photographs.

• Overcrowding – eliminate items you don’t really need.

• Furniture and ergonomics – ensure your furniture is well positioned and comfortable, for example, for working with com-

puters, furniture should be well positioned.

• Decoration and tidiness – maintain a reasonably decorated, tidy environment, be cognisant of colours.

• Distractions – use ear plugs, a quiet room.

• Commuting – try to beat the rush, play calming music, distract yourself and

think positive.

Remember you can often significantly reduce stress by improving the quality of your environment!

You can share your ideas and questions by sending your letters to: “The Earth Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division. Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com.

12 News

thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

GINA must petition president CANARI: New global sustainable development goals must consider for pay – Granger ...urges the agency to be fair in its reportage

legislative branches, and hindering the work of the National Assembly.

Granger, three months ago, had advised GINA employees who had written to him, to write to President Ramotar instead. The staff, he said, had claimed that they had not been paid since April because of the cut to the 2013 budgetary allocation to the agency.

Frustrated employees

Opposition Leader David Granger

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mid the financial crisis plaguing the Government Information Agency (GINA), Opposition Leader Brigadier David Granger said the coalition is disinclined to restore the agency’s budgetary allocation unless it gave a commitment to be fair in its reporting.

According to Granger, President Donald Ramotar must take the blame for the financial crisis affecting the agency as he has executive and ministerial responsibility for the state-controlled media entity. However, it was the combined opposition led by Granger that cut budgetary allocation to GINA, plunging the agency into its current state.

And in an about face, the opposition leader expressed sympathy with staff members who said they had not been paid.

He said 16 months ago, he had made a formal complaint to the Speaker of the National Assembly about GINA’s

GINA Director Neaz Subhan

“warped coverage of official events and matters taking place in the Assembly”. In the letter to the Speaker, Granger contended that GINA’s reportage is bias, but many view the observation as a nobrainer, as the entity is the public relations arm of the government, and under the People’s National Congress (PNC) which Granger now heads, the style of reporting was no different.

According to the opposition leader, the Speaker acknowledged to the House that he received the letter and forwarded it to the head of GINA for a response. Again, Granger said nine months ago, he had compiled a 133-page dossier comprising dozens of articles published by GINA, entitled “The Executive War on the Legislative Branch”. The dossier, he said cited reports between January 11, 2012 and November 30, 2012 – containing what he claimed is incendiary language and opinions, impairing collaboration between the executive and

On Monday, frustrated employees of GINA staged a sit-in, in protest of their current situation.

GINA Director Neaz Subhan told reporters that a meeting was held with the staff to address their concerns. Subhan said the agency is struggling financially and has lost a significant number of staff since the budget cuts. He said he is distressed at the current state the entity is forced to operate.

“We have not been paid for quite a while, it’s very frustrating and we are losing staff and this is clearly a result of the cuts,” he said.

Since the joint opposition cut government’s subvention to GINA, the entity has been struggling to survive. “What is even more distressing is that we do not know when the case will go to the courts again, a date hasn’t been decided as far as I am aware so the staff has become uncertain and are looking for new jobs,” Subhan said. He said the Office of the President has been doing its best to give the agency and its employees financial and moral support.

Caribbean islands

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aribbean countries at the 68th United Nations General Assembly being held in New York need to put forward a strong Caribbean position on the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are due to expire in 2015, to a new global framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) Executive Director Nicole Leotaud emphasised that “Caribbean islands have their own priorities. Their unique challenges as well as strengths must be considered in shaping global goals as this will determine the nature of international development assistance to the Caribbean.”

Research institutes CANARI is working with other leading sustainable development research institutes from across the globe in the Independent Research Forum on a post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda (IRF2015), which is putting forward ideas that resonate strongly with the issues being faced in the Caribbean.

Ikuho Miyazawa and Simon Hoiberg Olsen of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) highlight that the MDGs were simple and clear global targets that had a high level of political commitment and helped to focus global development efforts.

However, the ‘one-size-fits all’ targets meant that differ-

CANARI Executive Director Nicole Leotaud

ent countries did not find details necessary for informing national policy.

Additionally, these global goals were poorly linked to different national contexts and implementation and they note that “Identifying country-relevant targets would require a country-level reality check and target identification process to follow from the inter-governmental agreement on SDGs. Comprehensive SDGs could be the basis for specific targets which address countries’ particular context and ambitions”.

Certainly, some of the MDG targets and indicators are not appropriate for the Caribbean, for example those for goal seven on environmental sustainability.

Small islands with limited land space have few options to increase forested areas or designate new protected areas and rather more appropriate indicators could focus on effective management of forested and protected areas to protect biodiversity and

benefit livelihoods.

Peter Hazlewood from the World Resources Institute (WRI) notes that the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon report on new global goals “articulates the need to put sustainable development at the core of efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and improve wellbeing-efforts that must integrate in a balanced manner economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability” and further that “crucially, the report responds to increasingly significant gaps in the MDG framework, in particular the need for a much sharper focus on tackling rising inequality that threatens progress on many fronts”.

Central concern The issue of inequality is of central concern to Caribbean islands. While some Caribbean countries are showing positive signs of economic growth, the numbers do not reveal the high levels of inequity which are prevalent in most Caribbean SIDS. Instead, they are viewed as developed because national averages are masking key development needs.

Another issue of grave concern to Caribbean islands is the impacts of climate change. In the outcome document issued by governments of small island states following the inter-regional preparatory meeting held in Barbados in August 2013, climate change is recommended as one of the new goals in the new global SDG framework.

Power supply restored to Berbice, Bartica

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lectricity supply to residents in Berbice was expected to return to normal Wednesday

evening, as technical teams continue to work assiduously to complete repairs to the two damaged

raw water pumps at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) pump house at Canefield Power Station.

Repairs to one of the damaged pumps have been completed, thus enabling one of the two Mirrlees diesel generators to become fully functional since Tuesday night. However, work is progressing on schedule and the second generator is expected to be operational by Wednesday evening, GPL said in a statement.

The quality of electricity supplied to residents in Berbice was affected by GPL’s inability to supply the full nine megawatts demanded by the region after extensive structural damage caused by an oceangoing vessel that ran into the company’s pump house at Canefield Power Station.

The incident resulted in damage to the raw water pumps that provide cooling water for the two Mirrlees diesel generators.

The company apologises for the inconvenience caused, and thanks all customers for their tolerance.

GPL is urging persons utilising the waterways

along the Canje River to be vigilant, so as to avoid future accidents.

Upgrades It also announced that electricity generation in Bartica has been restored to full capacity as a result of the installation of two generators, enabling the company to satisfy the community’s energy demand continuously.

“In its endeavour to further improve the quality of supply, GPL is poised to upgrade its distribution system, the first phase of which will commence on Friday, September 27, 2013.”

According to GPL, during this phase, the north distribution line will be upgraded from 4.160 kilovolts (KV) to 13.8KV. Concomitant with this exercise, GPL will install and commission a 13.8KV sub-station transformer.

Distribution at the higher voltage will lead to improvement in the voltage levels and quality of sup-

ply.

In order to facilitate the upgrades, residents in the area between First and Fifth streets and First and Seventh Avenues and Caribese Hill will be without power for short periods between 06:00 and 16:00h.

GPL wishes to thank its customers for their patient understanding and apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

Further near-term improvements will involve the relocation of the existing generation site, and the installation of a new generating set of two megawatt capacity (current peak demand is approximately 1.5 megawatt). This new unit will have the capacity to satisfy projected demand, with second-hand sets as backup.

Once again, GPL apologises for any inconvenience that will be caused by this disruption as it continues to strive to provide a consistent supply of electricity to its customers countrywide.

news

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thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt calls for end to school protest CYP, UNICEF helping Guyana craft youth policy G

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he Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Caribbean Centre and UNICEF Guyana are providing support to the government, through the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry, to develop a comprehensive National Youth Policy, strategy, and action plan.

According to a release by the CYP, the youth policy and action plan is being crafted in response to the existing and emerging youth development situation and related challenges in the 10 regions of Guyana. It will represent a mainstreamed and integrated policy response to youth transition phases, and will reflect a network and coordinated commitment on matters related to adolescent and youth in Guyana.

The structure of the policy, in particular, would include a regional focus, urban and rural considerations, and male and female differences as comparative indicators. In this regard, a regional consultant has been hired, and the national youth and stakeholders committees have been constituted, the release stated. It added that the ministry will provide opportunities for key stakeholders and youths to participate in the process leading to the formulation of the policy.

Strategic direction

In June, subject minister Dr Frank Anthony told this newspaper that the National Youth Policy is currently being updated with the expectations of having a consultant later that month. Noting that there is an existing pol-

Youth Policy here and for the formation of a National Youth Council. The calls were made during the CYP Caribbean Centre National Consultation.

Regional youth council

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony

icy, Anthony said then that the challenge had been to get people to form the youth council. “We had an interim council years ago, and was never able to bring it to fruition, because there was a fight for power, so it never got to the stage of being an actual Youth Council… Caricom had, from time to time, formulated a strategic direction for youths… they have formulated the Caricom Youth Ambassadors,” Dr Anthony said.

The minister had said the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) has also assisted the government in understanding issues of youth.

“We probably had about 10 or 15 reports dealing with youth policy and based on these reports… we even had face-toface consultations… we will be updating the current policy,” Dr Anthony stated.

There have also been numerous calls for the policy to be put in place.

Commonwealth youths back in June renewed calls for the implementation of a National

The consultation focused on the establishment of a regional youth council. The forum sought to establish the background between the first and second Commonwealth Youth Summits, while engaging in constitutional discussion on an update on the agreement to launch a Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC).

During the meeting, youths associated along with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) spoke about promises that were made to young people to integrate youths into policy- and decision-making at the highest levels of governance. Others noted that this was promised through the National Youth Policy, which was supposed to be completed years ago.

Thus far, Belize is the only country that has successfully launched and commissioned a National Youth Council in the region. Guyana is still waiting for the National Youth Policy to take effect before being constitutionally able to launch its National Youth Council, and become part of the Commonwealth Youth Council and Regional Youth Council. The Commonwealth Youth Council is envisioned as an independent youthled body that will strengthen youth participation in the Commonwealth.

Man jailed for malicious damage to property

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n Upper Demerara man was on Wednesday sentenced to three years in prison by Magistrate Clive Nurse, after he appeared in the Christianburg Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the offence of malicious damage to property.

Elroy Giles was found guilty of destroying several belongings of his reputed wife Rackel Daniels.

The court heard that on Friday, while at the home of Daniels, which is located at Malali, Upper Demerara River, the defendant unlawfully and maliciously damaged a refrigerator valued $125,000; a television set valued $35,000; a generator set valued $292,114; a chair set valued $40,000; a stove valued $100,000; and $20,000 in cash.

The court further heard that on the day in question, the two had a misunderstanding after Daniels indicated to the defendant that she wished to attend an Amerindian celebration in Great Falls, Upper Demerara River. The defendant became annoyed, after which he went to the home of Daniels, placed the articles in the yard and set them afire.

Sabrattie of several electronic items and a quantity of jewellery; a total of $137,000.

According to Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, on the day in question, Sabrattie was asleep in her bed when she was awakened by Vancouter who was at the time pointing an ice pick to her neck demanding that she hand over the jewellery she was wearing. Vancouter’s accomplice then entered the room with a gun and stole the electronics. The two then made their escape.

Prosecutor Mangru ob-

jected to bail stating that Vancouter and Sabrattie are known to each other and if granted his pre-trial liberty, there is a likelihood he will tamper with her thus perverting the course of justice.

He added that this offence was committed while the defendant was on bail for another matter of a similar nature which is being heard at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.

Magistrate Fabayo Azore refused bail and the matter was transferred to Court One for October 8.

overnment said it was disappointed with the recent move by students and parents of the St Agnes Primary School and St Roses High, who staged another protest outside the school compound on Tuesday. Government’s Chief Spokesman Dr Roger Luncheon said government was dissatisfied, especially since the protest occurred without proper consultation among the revelent parties.

He added that the protest was triggered by persons who have political agendas and this should not have happened, especially in the manner it did. “Protest has occurred and will occur.

I think the condemnation of which I spoke and associated with Cabinet and its position is the disruption in the classes,” Dr Luncheon said.

The government spokesman believes that the protest was in no way spontaneous. He expressed dismay at the way situations like these are handled, especially if they could be addressed within a short time. He said, “They are protest and they will be protests and I cannot understand that first formers, second formers and third formers and they’re conscious and the involvement of opposition-led elements protesting during school hours.”

Tuesday’s protest saw parents once again armed with placards, venting their frustration. These parents said their children are made to study in very unsanitary conditions and complained about overcrowding, among other issues. They are calling on government to rebuild the schools, but at a new location if these problems are not fixed.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand met with the Parent-Teachers Association of both schools on Wednesday in an effort to iron out these issues, but the ministry has not made any official statement on the matter.

GRA regional offices now offering a wide range of services

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n the interest of providing convenience for the public in the processing of motor vehicle-related transactions, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) said it has improved and increased the current range of services available at all of its regional integrated tax offices countrywide, to serve the growing number of taxpayers and motor vehicle owners.

According to a GRA release, effective immediately, all GRA regional integrated

tax offices located in Linden, Corriverton, Parika, Lethem, New Amsterdam, Bartica and Anna Regina are expected to offer additional services, including examination of vehicles for the purposes of registration, transfers, change of use, change of colour, change of registration and duplicate registration.

Other services that would be offered include issuance of motor vehicle licences for yellow cabs and enclosed goods vehicles. Motor vehicles own-

ers within Georgetown and its environs will continue to access these services at the GRA headquarters, Camp Street.

According to the GRA, there has been notable improvement in the time taken for persons to renew their motor vehicle licences and to conduct other business with the agency following the consolidation of all of GRA’s Georgetown operations; and the agency is anticipating a similar customer service experience in the regions.

Stevedore remanded for robbery under arms

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man was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore to answer to a robbery under arms charge.

Twenty-four-yearold Kenrick Duncan also known as “Abdul Duncan” and “Gilly”, of Lot 256 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on September 10 at Wellington and Charlotte streets, being in the company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Huyanan, the owner of Lisa’s General Store, of a quantity of U.S., Surinamese, Guyanese and Brazilian currency, along with a quantity of costume, gold, diamond and sliver jewellery, watches,

cellphones, portable DVD players and a Taurus pistol. The total value of the stolen articles amounted to $41,236,600.

According to the facts, the victim is a Chinese national and owns the building at the corner of Charlotte and Wellington streets. On the day in question, around 04:20h, he was in his room when the door was kicked open and he was confronted by five men, two of whom were armed with guns. The victim, along with his family and workers, were assaulted about their bodies with the gun as the men demanded jewellery and cash. They further went downstairs, took the other articles mentioned in the charge and made good

their escape.

On September 20, acting on information received, Duncan was arrested and admitted to committing the offence under caution. A search was carried out in his house and two bags, three watches and a portable DVD player were found. They were later identified by the victim as his.

Duncan was unrepresented and told the court that he is a stevedore with four children. Prosecutor Bharat Mangru objected to bail on the grounds of the seriousness and prevalence of the offence along with the fact that the accused is likely to face more charges.

Magistrate Azore refused bail and transferred the matter to Court One for October 8.

Miner remanded for Mason remanded for armed robbery possession of narcotics

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ighteen-year-old Jevfon Vancouter was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge of armed robbery.

Vancouter, a mason of Lot 99 Bel Air Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on April 21, 2012 at Hunter Street, Albouystown, being in the company of another and armed with a gun and an ice pick, he robbed Fiona

A

41-year-old miner appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore to answer to a possession of narcotics charge.

It was alleged that on September 23, at Ekereku Landing, Cuyuni, Albert Richards had in his possession 35 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. He pleaded not guilty to the charge as it was read to him.

According to Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, at 02:00h, police were on patrol when

they went to the defendant’s room and conducted a search. The ranks found a blue denim pants which Richards claimed to be his. A further search was conducted on the pair of jeans and the substance was found in one of the pockets.

Attorney Patrice Henry, who represented Richards, told the court that his client is in a common-law relationship, has two children and operates a lodge. He stated that the raid was conducted at 02:00h and the ranks

announced that they found the substance and claimed it belonged to his client. He added that up to the time of the raid, someone else was occupying the lodge and is surprised that his client is charged with the offence.

Prosecutor Mangru objected to bail stating that no special reasons were given for it to be granted.

Magistrate Azore refused bail and the defendant was remanded to prison. The matter was transferred to Court One for October 4.

14

thursday, september 26, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Jamaica on target for IMF, Six inmates strangled in despite missed deadline Salvadoran prison

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he government has overcome a threat to the completion of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) processing of its first quarter performance under the new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by Monday, after admitting its inability to produce new tax incentive reform legislation this week.

The September 30 deadline for tabling a new Omnibus Tax Incentive legislation in the Parliament was included in the staff level understanding between the government and an IMF mission to Jamaica in August, which assessed the country’s first quarter performance under the four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreement.

It was expected that the bill would have been tabled when the House of Representatives met on Tuesday, in order to meet the deadline – a prior action for IMF executive board approval of the first quarterly performance which, if positive, will mean the first drawdown of US$30 million (approximately US$3 billion) under the new agreement.

But in a statement to the House on Tuesday, Finance and Planning Minister,

S

Finance and Planning Minister Dr Peter Phillips

Dr Peter Phillips disclosed that finalisation of the tax incentive proposal would require additional time.

“It was recognised that the finalisation of tax incentive proposals, along the lines mutually agreed, would require additional analytical work,” Dr Phillips told the House.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Young TT scholar advocates against extra lessons

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xtra lessons are not necessary to win scholarships, says Open National Scholarship winner Maryam Archie.

“I never took a day of extra lessons,” Archie, 18, told Newsday at her school, St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando.

She recommended to students in lower forms the key to becoming a national scholarship winner is to, “pay full attention to your teacher in class and do past papers”. Archie was among 14 scholarship winners from the Convent in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CAPE) results. She captured an Open scholarship in mathematics and plans to pursue the relatively new field of mechatronics, which is the study of the working of engineering components.

Archie will pursue such a career in the U.S. which

could see her becoming the first national to qualify in mechatronics with special interest in robotics. Archie obtained straight distinctions in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Scholarship winners attended Monday’s morning assembly for special recognition by acting school principal Jennifer Manwaring and acting vice principal and dean of the sixth form, Debra East.

Each of the scholarship winners paid glowing tribute to their teachers. Archie, however, had special advice to girls of the lower sixth form and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students.

“My mother is a firm advocate of no lessons. I never, since primary school, went to lessons,” Archie said.

(Excerpt from Trinadad and Tobago Today)

ix inmates, two of them minors, have been strangled to death in a prison in El Salvador, officials say.

Police said they belonged to the Mara Salvatrucha gang, an international criminal group which engages in extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking.

Prison officials believe the murders were a carefully planned settling of scores between gang members.

Extra police have been drafted in to patrol the jail in Tonacatepeque.

According to prison director Irma Mejia, the killings happened after the inmates had been celebrating Prisoners’ Day but before they returned to their cells.

Inmates called the guards telling them the six had been

Riot police were deployed to the jail after the murders came to light

taken ill, but when the guards arrived, the victims were already dead, Mejia said.

The victims were serving sentences for crimes including extortion and murder.

Prison officials said they suspected their deaths had been ordered by gang leaders serving time in another prison. They said it had

been planned to coincide with Prisoners’ Day festivities as the victims would have been drunk and therefore easier targets.

The mother of one of the victims, who was among the relatives attending the event, said it was not unusual for prisoners to drink. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

UK women admit to Peru drug smuggling

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The pair were arrested in August after cocaine was seized at Lima airport

wo women from the UK have pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 11kg (24lb) of cocaine out of Peru.

Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon, County Tyrone, and Melissa Reid,

of Lenzie, near Glasgow, appeared before a judge at a closed hearing in Lima.

The women, both 20, were caught with the drugs – said to be worth £1.5 million – at Lima airport in August, and had said they

were forced into carrying them.

They will be jailed for at least six years and eight months, the court said.

On Tuesday, the pair were transported by van under armed guard from

the prison where they are being held to Callao prison where the hearing took place.

They were then returned to the women’s prison where they are being held to await their sentencing hearing on October 1.

A spokesman for the Peruvian court confirmed they had admitted the offences.

It is understood the pleas were made in exchange for a shorter sentence.

A court spokesman said: “They will automatically have a sixth off the minimum jail sentence of eight years and will be sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.”

Lawyers for the pair said they would make no comment until after the young women were sentenced. (Excerpt from BBC News)

U.S. action against St Lucia may Cuban government approves new be connected to visa revocation measures to boost economy

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ccording to informed sources, the recent action taken against St Lucia by the U.S. under the so-called Leahy Law could be connected to the circumstances surrounding the revocation in 2011 of the diplomatic and non-immigrant visas of former Housing Minister Richard Frederick.

It is now believed that Frederick’s visa was revoked as a result of false information supplied by members of the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP), then in opposition, in combination with a local propaganda campaign designed to tarnish Frederick’s reputation locally.

While these efforts were successful in having Frederick’s visa revoked, his personal political popularity apparently remained undiminished, although the news of the revocation of his visa may

have played a part in his United Workers Party (UWP) being defeated in the 2011 general elections.

In particular, Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, then leader of the opposition, campaigned in the last general election on a promise, if elected, to make public the reasons behind the revocation of Frederick’s U.S. visa. He has not yet done so since being re-elected to office in November 2011.

Frederick himself was returned as the parliamentary representative for Castries Central.

Now, it seems that the recent cutting off of security-related assistance to St Lucia by the U.S. may be an undisclosed and unforeseen consequence of the U.S. effectively being duped or deceived in connection with the visa revocation matter. (Excerpt from Caribbean

News Now)

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he Cuban Council of Ministers, headed by President Raul Castro, has adopted several new measures and policies to implement the approved economic and social guidelines.

The first measure aims at updating the national medication supply programme for the population, with major productive capacity and more stable supply at drugstores and health-care centres. This measure establishes the inclusion, in the general list of medications, of those known as natural and traditional medicines. In this regard, the Council of Ministers indicated the update of a programme aimed at fur-

The Cuban Council of Ministers, presided over by President Raul Castro (left)

ther developing natural medicine.

Castro said that private producers and cooperatives can make an important contribution to the production of medicinal herbs, which are important for the prevention and cure of many diseases.

The meeting also

agreed to repair and build a larger number of centres for the elderly and nursing homes between 2013 and 2015 given the growing aging of the Cuban population.

The Council of Ministers also approved a third group of non-agriculture cooperatives made up of 73 entities dedicated

to gastronomic services, recreation, construction, transportation and manufacture.

The final results of the 2012 Population and Housing Census were released during the meeting. Such results will be published soon, according to Cuban television. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

15 Around the world

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

Foreign experts join Kenya clue hunt

Alyaz Merali, wounded in the attack, took part in a funeral procession for his mother, who was killed

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enya’s investigation into a bloody siege

by Islamist militants in Nairobi has been joined by experts from the U.S., UK, Germany, Canada and Interpol.

Forensic experts are combing the Westgate shopping complex for DNA and ballistic clues, Interior

Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said.

He confirmed that five militants were dead and said the bodies of more were expected to be found.

Funerals are continuing to be held for the 67 civilian and military victims.

“We have moved to the next phase,” Lenku told a

news briefing in Nairobi, saying that he expected the forensic audit to take at least seven days.

He said he did not expect the death toll to rise significantly.

Several bodies are thought to be trapped under rubble after three floors of the building collapsed.

Lenku said he only expected bodies of militants to be found.

Work is continuing to establish their identities, including whether one was a woman, he added. “We want to again request you to allow the forensic experts to determine whether that is true.”

Lenku said he was unable to confirm whether there were any Britons or Americans involved, but said that 10 people were being held in connection with the attack. (Excerpt from BBC News)

FBI: Navy Yard shooter “delusional”

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Video shows the Navy Yard shooter

aron Alexis, the man who went on the deadly shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, was under the “delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by electro-magnetic waves,” the FBI’s Valerie Parlave said Wednesday.

Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office,

said Alexis acted alone and there was no evidence he was targeting particular people.

Alexis, who was 34, went on the rampage September 16, killing 12 people and wounded several others.

Chilling video released Wednesday shows Alexis running through hallways with a sawed-off shotgun.

He also gained access to and

used a Beretta pistol during the shooting.

The investigation indicates that Alexis “was prepared to die during the attack and that he accepted death as the inevitable consequence of his actions,” Parlave said, citing electronic media recovered from the shooter’s belongings.

Phrases were also scrawled onto Alexis’ shotgun, Parlave said. They read: “End to the torment,” “Not what y’all say,” and “Better off this way”.

He also wrote “My ELF weapon”, which is believed to be a reference to “extremely low frequency or ELF electro-magnetic waves”.

Also, the FBI said, a document retrieved from the shooter’s electronic media said: “Ultra low frequency attack is what I’ve been subject to for the last three months, and to be perfectly honest that is what has driven me to this.” (Excerpt from CNN)

Egypt shuts down Brotherhood Ex-IMF chief Strauss-Kahn newspaper takes job as bank boss

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gyptian authorities have shut down the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice newspaper in Cairo.

It is the latest move aimed at crushing the Islamist movement, the Brotherhood said on Wednesday.

The move follows Monday’s decision by an Egyptian court to suspend the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and any associations.

“We the journalists of the Freedom and Justice newspaper condemn the security forces for closing down the headquarters of the newspaper,” the Brotherhood said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Police stormed the building overnight and removed the contents. A source at the

Police stormed the newspaper’s Cairo building overnight and removed the contents

Cairo Security Department said the raid followed Monday’s court ruling which banned the Brotherhood and ordered its funds seized.

“A court ruling was issued to do it on charges of inciting violence and terrorism in the recent past,” a security source said, referring to the operation.

Abdullah El Haddad, a

London-based spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood, told Al Jazeera that the military was moving not just to undermine his party, but against democracy.

“The Muslim Brotherhood will always be present on the street,” he said. “Our fight is with the military junta, our fight is with the deep state.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn

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isgraced former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been named head of a multinational investment firm, in what is the latest development in an apparent, if not surprising, comeback.

Strauss-Kahn’s career was left in ruins in May 2011 after Nafissatou Diallo, a maid at a New York hotel, accused him of sexual assault. In the months leading up to the

scandal, Strauss-Kahn had looked to be on an upward trajectory. Renowned as a brilliant economist, he had also emerged as a favourite to take on then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy in the country’s 2012 election.

But then everything came crashing down.

Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign from his position at the IMF, his presidential hopes dashed. Although criminal charges against him were later dropped, he settled a civil lawsuit lodged by Diallo for an undisclosed amount.

Yet Strauss-Kahn’s troubles were far from over. He was subsequently accused of sexually assaulting a French journalist during a 2002 interview and then implicated in a prostitution ring. He now awaits trial in France where he faces pimping charges in what has become known as the Carlton Affair. StraussKahn has denied any wrongdoing.

But Strauss-Kahn has refused to let the scandals bury him, instead using his experience to rebuild a career in finance. Earlier this month, Serbia announced that he had been hired as a government adviser. (Excerpt from

France24)

Poachers poison 87 Hundreds dead in Pakistan earthquake elephants in Zimbabwe A

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ore than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe have been poisoned with cyanide – the latest victims of poachers keen to feed soaring global demand for illegally trafficked ivory.

Since May, the carcasses of 87 elephants have been discovered in Hwange National Park, said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, public relations manager for Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The poachers poisoned natural salt licks to bring down the mighty beasts, she said Wednesday.

The parks authority has so far recovered 51 tusks, she said – leaving 123 in the hands of the poachers.

Zimbabwe’s newly appointed Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere told CNN that he

would push for stiffer jail penalties to root out poaching in the wildlife-rich African nation.

“That will be one of my missions in the new parliament, given the recent case of elephants which were poisoned by poachers,” said Kasukuwere, who visited the park 10 days ago to see the impact of the poisoning.

Last month authorities arrested five suspected poachers after 41 elephants were found dead in the park, which is about 800 kilometres (500 miles) southwest of Harare, not far from Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia.

The other carcasses have been discovered since then, WashayaMoyo said.

Three of those arrested have been convicted and are due to be sentenced this week, she said.

Two investigations are ongoing.

(Excerpt from CNN)

powerful earthquake has killed at least 328 people and wounded hundreds more in Pakistan’s remote southwest province of Balochistan.

The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on Tuesday afternoon at a depth of 20km (13 miles) northeast of Awaran, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Many houses were flattened and thousands of people have spent the night in the open.

After the quake, an island appeared off the coast near the port of Gwadar.

People gathered on the beach to see the new island, which is reported to be about 200 metres (656ft) long, 100 metres wide and 20 metres high, and scientists have been sent to survey it.

Officials say such land masses have appeared before in the area, and usually disappear again over time.

Tuesday’s quake was so pow-

A survivor next to a dog following the earthquake

erful it was felt as far away as India’s capital, Delhi, and Dubai.

Workers in Karachi had to evacuate their offices because of the strong tremors.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populated province.

The military has a heavy presence in the area because it is fighting a long-running separat-

ist Baloch insurgency, and so its troops were among the first to respond to the crisis.

More than 300,000 people have been affected over a total of six districts – Awaran, Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Chaghi and Khuzdar – Balochistan government spokesman Jan Muhammad Buledi said. (Excerpt from CNN)

16

thursday, September 26, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Africa

Caribbean

Jamaican firms supported in bid to South African miners win landmark enter The Dominican Republic market payout against Anglo American

D

uring the period September 11-13, Caribbean Export Development Agency, assisted 20 Caribbean firms, the majority of whom were from Jamaica (14 firms), in their effort to explore trade opportunities with The Dominican Republic (DR). Other participating firms included those from St Lucia, Grenada, Guadeloupe and Haiti. The initiative was executed within the framework of the

EU funded 10th European Development Fund Regional Private Sector Development Programme and was geared towards the promotion of stronger trade and investment relations between Caricom and The Dominican Republic.

The trade mission was a collaborative effort, executed with the support of Jamaica Promotions Ltd (JAMPRO), (represented on the mission by Berletta

Forrester, export promotions manager), the Centre for Export and Investment in the DR (CEI-RD) and the Chamber of Commerce in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The launch of the mission was officiated by Cesar R Dargam Espillat, vice-minister of foreign affairs with responsibility for economic and commercial negotiations in the DR Foreign Affairs Ministry.

(Caribbean News Now)

North America

S

outh African miners who developed tuberculosis working in gold mines have won a landmark payout from Londonlisted mining company Anglo American.

It is the first successful case brought by gold miners suffering tuberculosis or silicosis and is expected to lead to a string of other settlements. Tens of thousands of other affected miners are suing Anglo and other mining companies for hundreds of

millions of pounds.

The size of the payout to the 23 former miners has not been disclosed. Since submitting claims in 2004 seven of the miners have died of the condition, which is similar to asbestosis contracted by asbestos workers. Richard Meeran, a partner at Leigh Day who represents the miners, said the success of the first case “shows the writing is on the wall for mining companies”.

“Why would [they] fight any

cases now?” he said. “We urge the gold mining companies to establish an industry-wide settlement scheme without delay.”

Meeran is representing a further 1200 former miners in another case against Anglo American. They claim Anglo American South Africa (AASA), a subsidiary of the UK-listed parent, failed to provide protection from dangerous levels of dust created by deep-level gold mining between the 1960s and 1990s.

(The Guardian)

Asia

Wall Street dips for fifth day on budget China lifts Facebook ban ... a debate, Wal-Mart bit – report

U

.S. stocks edged lower on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a fifth straight day of losses, as the lack of progress in Washington threatened a government shutdown in just six days and shares of WalMart fell.

Shares of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, lost nearly three per cent, adding to early afternoon losses on the Dow and S&P 500 after a report by Bloomberg News that

the it was cutting orders to its suppliers for this quarter and next. The stock retraced some of those losses, trading down 1.6 per cent at US$74.49, after the company told CNBC television the report was misleading.

For much of the session the indexes were little changed as investors weighed the potential for a U.S. government shutdown against the possibility of a last-minute deal in Congress.

Investors also faced uncertainty about Federal Reserve poli-

cy after the central bank’s decision last week to keep its stimulus measures intact.

“We’re back to where we were before, which was a slowly grinding higher economy, nothing gangbusters, with plenty of restrictions on growth: fiscal policy, monetary policy, foreign issues and geopolitical issues,” said Jordan Waxman, managing director and partner at HighTower’s HSW Advisors in New York. (Reuters)

Europe

UK Treasury in legal challenge to EU bonus cap

T

he UK Treasury has launched a legal challenge against European Union (EU) plans to cap bankers’ bonuses. It would limit the bonus to no more than a banker’s salary, although if shareholders agree it could be higher.

The bonus culture has been blamed for encouraging excessive risk-taking among bankers. The EU commissioner for internal markets Michel Barnier said he was not surprised by the move as the UK

was the only member to vote against the plan.

Its objections were outvoted by fellow EU members earlier this year.

The cap is designed to come into effect on bonuses awarded from 2014.

It will apply in all the 28 countries within the EU but also to EU banks operating overseas. The UK has the biggest financial sector in the European Union and would therefore be the most affected

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana

Cur GBP CAN USD

by the cap.

The government worries that a cap will simply push up the level of fixed pay to compensate for lower bonuses. It has a list of six reasons why it believes the cap will not work: * It is unfit for purpose, and was introduced without any impact assessment * It unlawfully delegates to the European Banking Authority (EBA) because it concerns policy and is not simply a technical matter (BBC News)

Fixed as at July 24, 2013 Calculated at 94% purity

Buying

Selling

U.S.

$328.90 $198.85 $204.99

$333.02 $201.14 $207.43

Cambio

$1335.00 $202.67

Gross

$254,331

Net

$236,527

Selling

$262,426

Indicators as on September 25, 2013 Live Spot Gold $1333.10

$1324.10

Low/High

$1315.90

$1339.20

+10.10

Change

+0.76

USD GBP EUR

Sept 24 USD GBP EUR

Price Silver Platinum

London Gold Fix

Sept 25

Crude Oil

AM

PM

1320.25 825.36 977.67

1322.75 822.71 979.53

AM

PM

1316.50 823.43 876.05

1314.25 821.87 974.60

US$ per barrel

$108.64 USD per Ounce

21.80 $1424.00

Change %

-0.44 Change %

-0.07 0.00

Twitter, The New York Times and more. The Free Trade Zone launches on Sunday and is intended to serve as a testing ground for financial and service sector reforms, including increased access to the tightly-controlled yuan.

Should Beijing deem the experiment a success over the long run, some of the policies could be implemented in other parts of China.

Currently, Facebook and Twitter are among websites that remain blocked by the government’s censorship sys-

tem, casually referred to as the Great Firewall of China.

Attempts to access Facebook result in an error message: “Network Timeout.”

This latest development lets Facebook and Twitter get their feet in the door of the most populous and fastestgrowing Internet community in the world. Both companies have acknowledged a desire to tap into the world’s largest social media market, with 513 million Internet users – more than double the size in the United States. (CNN Money)

Middle East

UAE’s Hakkasan reveals plan for luxury Palm resort

G

lobal restaurant and nightlife group Hakkasan on Wednesday announced plans to open its first luxury resort on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah Island.

The property, which is being conceptualised and developed by HKK Hospitality, is scheduled to begin construction in 2014, the company said in a statement.

The project will establish a state of the art beach-front hotel on the crescent of The Palm Jumeriah, it added.

The property will feature “world-class cuisine, elite entertainment and outstanding yet unobtrusive service set in its signature contemporary ‘Chinois Chic’ environment”, the statement said.

Aabar Properties has been appointed to oversee construction for Hakkasan’s resort project and has requested tenders from designers and architects.

Khadem Al Qubaisi, chairman of Hakkasan, said: “We are thrilled to continue the strategic development of

Hakkasan into a multifaceted global lifestyle brand.

“In addition to our hotel project, the growth of Hakkasan will include new restaurants and elite nightlife venues, day clubs, spas, boutique hotels and other hospitality and lifestyle offerings at key locations around the world.”

Neil Moffitt, CEO of Hakkasan and HKK Hospitality, added: “This is a significant time for the Hakkasan brand as we embark on our first venture into the hotel industry.” (Arabianbusiness)

Investors' guide

What’s the best small business to start?

CONCLUSION

Market demand

Indicators

USD Per Once

Bid/Ask

A

fter years of being locked out of China, Facebook and several media companies have been given the green light in the country – sort of.

According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese government has decided to lift a ban on foreign websites deemed politically sensitive, albeit only within the newly developed Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

That means those within the 17-square-mile area will be able to access Facebook,

* Has there been a proven demand for your product or service in the area? * Have companies offering the same products attempted and failed before you? * Do market research – both qualitative and quantitative – to get an accurate gauge of demand for your proposed product or service.

Growth potential

* Will you business last more than five years? * How long will it take to achieve profitability?

* Once profitability is achieved, how do you plan to grow? Through R&D, physical expansion, outsourcing or acquisitions?

Barriers to entry

* How hard will it be for prospective competitors to chip away at your business? * Can your product or service be easily mimicked, or is it a niche product possibly protected by patents or trade secrets? * How can you build a protective moat around your company with side business-

es, to insure that your primary business is protected?

If you’re unable to push your vision through all of these criteria, then you should seriously rethink your original idea. Your idea must be sustainable in the long run – after all, you don’t want to spend your life savings on a flash in a pan to goes under within a year. Shrewd planning, careful market timing and long-distance foresight are the keys to establishing a successful small business.

(Business Dictionary)

Business concept – Cognitive

Last: 15273.26

Changes: -61.33

% Change: -0.40

Open: 15339.02

High: 15372.48

Low: 15253.16

% YTD: +16.55

52Wk Hi: 15658.43

52 Wk Lo: 12035.09

Psychological processes involved in acquisition and understanding of knowledge, formation of beliefs and attitudes, and decision making and problem solving. They are distinct from emotional and volitional processes involved in wanting and intending. Cognitive capacity is measured generally with intelligence quotient (IQ) tests.

news

17

thursday, september 26, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Elderly woman perishes OAS team’s visit is nothing unusual – Luncheon in New Amsterdam fire A her away from the building.”

Some neighbours tried to enter the burning building, but were prevented from doing so by the intense heat.

Eyewitnesses said shortly after 19:00h, they saw fire coming from the Londons’ house. According to Mark Clark, he was looking at the house from his steps when he saw a bright light.

Lamp lit

Olive London was rescued from the fire

and saw the fire.” She told Guyana Times that at that time she went for a bucket of water. “When I throw the water, the fire blaze up and so I went into the kitchen to get another bucket of water but I fell down. Then I decided to go downstairs to get another bucket. As soon as I opened the door and come outside, all I feel is somebody grab me and carry me and carried me away. I wanted to go back for Margaret, but they wouldn’t allow me.”

By Andrew Carmichael

A

n elderly woman died Wednesday evening when fire destroyed her home at Islington, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Dead is Margaret London of Seventh Cross Street, Islington, Greater New Amsterdam. London died a day before her 86th birthday.

At the time of the fire, London and her 93-year-old elder sister, Olive, were both at home.

According to the elder London, she was preparing something for her sister to eat when she saw a bright light coming from somewhere between the two bedrooms. According to her, she then went to check on Margaret, who is bedridden.

“As I was passing I felt a heat and so I looked around

“Fire fire!”

Pastor Ryan Manpowan of the Overwinning Bible Church said he was doing his usual exercise when he heard shouts of ‘fire fire!’ “I saw the building on fire and Sister London was underneath the house, so I lifted

According to Olive, at the time of the fire all of the electrical lights in the house were off, and she had a lamp lit in her sister’s room and a candle lit in hers. She said the bucket of water was nearby, so it did not take her long to attempt to extinguish the fire.

The Guyana Fire Service arrived on the scene and was able to contain the fire.

Moments later, the badly burnt body of Margaret was removed. The body is currently at the Arokium Funeral Parlour awaiting an autopsy.

The sisters have been living alone in the house for more than 75 years.

Margaret leaves to mourn her eldest sibling – a brother who lives in Georgetown; Olive; and another sister who has been in a coma in the United States since last year.

visit to this country by a team from the Organisation of American States (OAS) is nothing unusual and will identify areas of corruption in Guyana, according to Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon.

He told the media on Wednesday that this is the fourth such visit by an international team, which is looking to identify and address issues relating to corruption.

The Cabinet secretary was at the time responding to questions whether the visit could mean that Guyana is facing problems with high levels of corruption. He added that these visits started back in 2009 and only sought to examine the country’s compliance with the treaty obligations of the OAS, in terms of fighting corruption. Guyana in 2001 signed onto and ratified the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC).

“As a frequent spokesperson of the administration, the presence of corruption, the challenges of fighting corruption have been addressed and remain a focus of the administration,” Dr Luncheon asserted.

He noted that government’s work in the area of corruption covers the administrative, legal, and executive levels. These all fall under the OAS treaty and even outside of the treaty, and attest to the efforts by the ad-

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon

ministration to maintain a principled stand against corruption.

Treaty compliance

The government spokesman added that the visit will seek to engage the state and civil society bodies, to determine the level of treaty compliance locally, based on the first report. Dr Luncheon said, “The three days’ event is intended to provide the OAS body with a much broader perspective than a site visit ideally provides – an analysis on anti-corruption of different dimensions in Guyana.” He added that government welcomed this move.

The team will arrive on October 6 and 7 but the actual review process will be carried out October 8-10.

At the end of the visit, a report will be completed and Guyana will learn of areas to be addressed.

The morning of October 8

will be exclusively reserved for civil society organisations; 12 of which have been invited to participate. Four of these organisations have agreed and submitted the names of their representatives, and another eight will be included.

Some of the topics that will be up for discussion include conflict of interest, systems for registering, registering income assets and liabilities, public information, and mechanisms to encourage participation of civil society to prevent corruption.

The Audit Office of Guyana, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the National Procurement and Tender Administration, the director of public prosecutions (DPP), the Judicial Services Commission, the Integrity Commission, and the commissioner of information will all be part of the meetings.

Several contracts approved

by Cabinet Govt will not adjust main features

H

briefing at the Office of the President on Wednesday, announced that Cabinet at its September 24 meeting gave its no-objection to sev-

ead of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet media

Sector Agriculture (Drainage and Irrigation) Public Works (Maritime Administration Department) Health

Education Housing and Water Culture

en contracts covering the agricultural, public works, health, education, housing and water, and culture sectors.

Tender Award Supply of fuel and lubricants to the Na$199.9 million tional Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) for the period September 2013 to January 2014.

Acquisition and supply of spares for mo- $183.02 million tor vessels.

Provision of dental supply

US$162,000

(Dental programme)

Supply and delivery of 3.5 million male condoms Copies of textbook Comprehensive English Course, CXC A, New Revised Edition Rehabilitation of Samaroo Dam, Klein Pouderoyen Installation of floodlights for the Albion Community Centre, Region Six

$27.3 million

(foundation works)

US$127,950 $35.7 million $31.2 million

of Minimum Wage Order – Dr Luncheon

T

he administration is willing to “tweak” to allow for different perspectives of those employers affected by the implementation of the Minimum Wage Order, however, it is not prepared to alter the core features of the legislation to appease any employer, head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said.

The core features of the new Minimum Wage Order stimulates that all workers are to work five days a week, eight hours a day and earn $35,000 a month, at the minimum.

There have been a few companies that have been sluggish in the implementation of this new order. Dr Luncheon pointed out that though “there is hardly anywhere in the world where in a legislative intervention, where one day later, you would miraculously end up with a 100 per cent compli-

ance”.

The decision by government to implement a national minimum wage with effect from July 1 was expected to result in a higher standard of living, in addition to increased wages for approximately 31,000 workers. A minimum wage was implemented in 2012 for shopkeepers, fuel station attendants, restaurant workers and bar employees, but this move failed to cater adequately for other vulnerable groups, hence the new minimum wage.

He said though government is “willing to open the door to discourse to those (companies) who are aggrieved by the implication of five days a week, eight hours a day average and $35,000 a month, but not in a way to do injury to the main thrust of the Minimum Wages Order.”

Under the new wage

measure, no worker should be paid less than $202 per hour, $1616 daily, $8080 per week, or $35,000 per month.

With 40 hours per week catering for a five- day work week, should workers be required to work beyond the stipulated work week, they have to be paid overtime in accordance with the various labour laws of the country.

In January, government established a ministerial team to work to fine-tune the necessary procedures that would facilitate the establishment of a national minimum wage.

Meanwhile, the head of the presidential secretariat said government is assiduously pursuing respect for the order and is depending on the Labour Ministry and employees everywhere to be vigilant and inform government about those employers who callously disregard the provisions of the order.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, september 26, 2013

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) Judge quietly what is going on around you.

Step in and make whatever slight changes are necessary to prevent an error. Avoid a conflict that has the potential to stifle your productivity.

dilbert

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) When it comes to a business or partnership situation, negotiate a deal you can live with. Nothing is perfect, but at least you’ll get a fair deal if you act diligently.

Calvin and Hobbes

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Your home is your castle, and the more you put into your place and your family, the more you will get back. Make changes that please everyone.

CANCER (June 21July 22) Look at the big picture and diversify as much as possible to get the most out of your assets. Networking will pay off personally as well as professionally.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) Ask first when it comes to a big decision at work.

If you don’t, you will run into opposition that may leave you stranded just when you want to leap into action. Clear all obstacles to proceed.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) Helping others will be gratifying and valuable down the line. You should go out of your way to help others, because you’ll need to call in some favours eventually. Good fortune looms.

Peanuts

SUDOKU

ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

You’ll have to be innovative in the way you respond to others if you want to get things accomplished. Diplomacy and willingness to compromise will help you reach your objective.

If you take on additional responsibilities, you will come through with flying colours. Accept the inevitable. Let go of the past; it’s time for new beginnings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Take note of what others do, and you’ll discover how to avoid a mistake that could lead to injury or insult. Focus on love, not anger and sorrow.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) Share your thoughts with the people who count.

Get involved in something that will bring you a greater awareness of your community and your beliefs. The aspects indicate romance.

Wednesday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20)

SAGITTARIUS

Take on extra work if it can help you show your expertise and superiority.

Display your knowledge and push for a change that will make your world a better place.

Seek out the kind of entertainment that gives you a thrill or gets you thinking about a new adventure to pursue. If you make alterations to the way you live, you’ll see an improvement in your work life as well.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

news 19

YELLOW PAGES thursday, September 26, 2013

ACCOMMODATION

Tourist villa apartments 1, 2 & 3 bedroom, long & short term, and car rental service. Phone: 227-2199, 227-2186

dentistry Dentures provided in 72 hours from as low as $4500. Contact Dr B Stuart, 209B Charlotte St, Lacytown. Tel: 225-5034

U.S. Green Card Lottery 2013. We are now accepting entries for the Annual Green Card Lottery sponsored by the U.S. Government. Enter now for a chance to become a permanent resident of the USA. Closing date November 2, 2013.

Contact Balwant Persaud Immigration and Visa Services 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings and Light Sts.) Tel: 225-1540, 655-3105, 622-8308

KEY CUTTing EDUCATION Electronics course - hands-on training, starting October 2, Abdul Electronics.

Phone: 226-6551, 225-0391.

Learn to play the guitar, keyboard, drums, and train your voice at Foundation 7.

Phone: 225-1151 or 617-4200.

flowers Available: Fresh long-stemmed roses, fresh dried and silk floral arrangements, gift items, bridal boutiques and wreaths.

Nesha’s Flowerland. 78 Church Street (opposite St George’s Cathedral). Tel: 227-3553/225-3315

FOR SALE Mixed breed pups. Phone: 253-3114, 692-0126 One 320CL Excavator located at Mahdia; excellent working condition. Owner migrating, call 682-0365 or 614-1669 Gold Land, excellent investment. Priced to sell, call 682-0365, 614-1669 Wine vessel (jue) Shang dynasty, old Chinese painting, old Ming prints, Ming dynasty Chinese painting on bamboo, Qi Baishi orginal painting, rare bowls and pots, all Chinese antiques. Phone: 592623-7029 Pure bred American Akita puppies for sale $200,000. Phone: 639-8924, 2274674

Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown. Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 621-3249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks.

Get your extra key today.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment for all chronic genetic/none genetic diseases, including HIV, Cancer, diabetic, pregnancy, sexual (weakness), etc. Phone: 685- 3220.

Are you pouring on pounds? Then call Raul /Carol Wilson: 660-6818, 641-5923, 216-3016, 216-3601 for your healthy eating package.

Stay healthy and flexible with yoga.

Phone: 693-2233

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Get your visa approved. High success rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates.

Certified Immigration Consultants, 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105. Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

M

y Multi-Ethnic Friends & Other Stories is Cyril Dabydeen’s latest volume, which spans a range of narratives set in Canada and other parts of the world reflecting lived experiences. The Guyana-born Canadian writer, who lives in Ottawa, has been publishing for many years; his work has appeared internationally in numerous literary magazines and anthologies.

Here in this new volume, shifting spaces and changing lives form the core of Dabydeen’s stories. Tropical places with verdant greenery are subverted; his sometimes stark images supplant the traditionally exotic. In Canada’s northern hemisphere, Dabydeen’s immigrant and non-immigrant characters delve into memories – whether Greek, Italian, Russian or West Indian, for

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PENPAL Retired Engineer aged 66 would like to know a single female over the age of 50. Phone: 604-7022

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2-storey concrete house 32’x 55’, 4 bedrooms, block 8 Mon Repos, ECD, $35 million. Phone: 642-2116

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health

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Clean garden earth & builders waste.

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3 bedroom bottom flat for rental situated on the ECD. Phone: 669-9384, available for viewing after September 27 after 4:00pm. No animals.

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Cyril Dabydeen takes us into shifting spaces in his new work pictured above

VEHICLES FOR SALE One Honda Cappa (Yellow) ideal for taxi or private use. Leather seats and roof, alarm, reverse camera, DVD/TV/CD player, mag rims.

Also Motorola Base Radio with Antennae. HC series; immaculate condition; give away price $1M. Call 647-2491.

One black scooter for sale, excellent condition. Phone: 602-7277, for information.

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Cyril Dabydeen

them new situations resonate in north-western Ontario, Toronto, or Detroit. They are even active in a mayoralty race heating up in Ottawa. It’s also a Muslim’s faith tested in Vancouver. Stories such as the title one and others like “Bearing Gifts”, “Believers”, “Look Who’s Coming”, and “In Transit” reflect ironic twists and styles.

Critics have described Dabydeen’s work as: “narratives that often contain the lyrical consolidations of images that are the mark of a poet” (Books in Canada); and, “His stories are seamless between past and present, fantasy and reality…. a significant post-colonial writer” (World Literature Today).

A former poet laureate of Ottawa (1984-

87), Dabydeen has published more than 15 books, including eight collections of poetry. Some of his previous titles include My Brahmin Days, Play a Song Somebody: Selected Stories, Black Jesus and Other Stories, and North of the Equator.

Dabydeen’s last novel, Drums of My Flesh, had been nominated for the prestigious IMPAC/Dublin Prize and won the top Guyana Prize for fiction in 2007. He was also shortlisted for the City of Ottawa Book’s Prize. His poetry titles include Imaginary Origins: Selected Poems and Unanimous Night. Cyril recently edited Beyond Sangre Grande: Caribbean Writing Today. He has done more than 300 readings from his books.

Dabydeen teaches creative writing at the University of Ottawa. He has twice juried for Canada’s Governor General’s Award.

His varied career also includes extensive travel as a race relations/diversity specialist aligned to the federal and municipal governments. He holds post-graduate degrees from Queen’s University.

Fire, prison service weeks to feature series of awareness activities

F

ire Service Week 2013, is to be observed from October 6 while Prison Service Week, from September 29.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday said the activities would be concentrated on bringing greater awareness to services and the activities encompassed in renaming of both services.

Cabinet approved the name change of the Guyana Fire Service to the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service, but when taken to Parliament, the opposition blocked it.

Dr Luncheon said that the awareness activities are planned for schools, places of employment and at fire stations across the country.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Prison Service, to be renamed the Guyana Prison

and Correctional Service, will concentrate on sensitisation of the penal and the correction elements that are offered by the Prison and Correctional Service, and on bringing awareness of the functions embraced within the new name of the prison service, Dr Luncheon said.

Focus will be on bringing awareness to the correctional services that are provided to prisoners.

Miner remanded for stealing gold chain

O

n Monday a 22-yearold miner was remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge against him.

Akeem Hamer of Lot 20 Durban Street, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that on September 14 at Stabroek,

he stole from the person of Cynthia Latchman one gold chain with a diamond pendant valued $140,000.

According to the facts, Latchman was walking along Water Street, in the vicinity of Stabroek Market when Hamer came up behind her and snatched the chain she was wearing. On

September 20, he was identified by the complainant and was arrested.

Prosecutor Bharat Mangru objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence and seriousness of the offence. He also stated that Hamer has other pending matters of a similar nature in another court.

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thursday, September 26, 2013

All-round Royals G thump Lions

Martin wins World Championships time trial

B

Brad Hodge transformed an average start into a match-winning total (BCCI)

rad Hodge’s late assault on Lions’ bowlers and an unexpected four-wicket burst from legspinner Pravin Tambe propelled Rajasthan Royals to the top of Group A on Wednesday with eight points and also extended their unbeaten run in Jaipur to 10.

Before the start of the match, 160 was thought to be a par score, even though 422 runs had come in the previous match between Otago Volts and Perth Scorchers.

But Hodge smashed an unbeaten 46 off 23 deliveries, 20 of them in the last over bowled by Sohail Tanvir, Lions’ best bowler in the innings till then, to transform an average start into a match-winning total.

Royals, who were asked to bat, had made slow progress to 69 in their first 10 overs, with their first three batsmen already dismissed.

But the innings was revived, first by a brief cameo from Shane Watson, then another equally important innings by Stuart Binny, before the late

counterpunch by Hodge.

Over number 13 for Royals was the one that shifted the pendulum their way.

Watson and Binny were in the rebuilding mode and the score stood at 83 for 3. Aaron Phangiso, who had bowled his two overs for 15 before that, wasn’t prepared for the attack. Watson smashed two sixes and a four, while Binny found the boundary as well to raise the run rate from below seven to above eight.

When Phangiso came to bowl the 16th, Watson had been dismissed, but this time Binny went after him, hitting the bowler for a six over wide long-on and following it up with a four through extra cover to spoil Phangiso’s figures to 52 runs in four overs.

From there on, the baton was passed to Hodge, who first picked up a couple of boundaries in the 17th over bowled by Dwaine Pretorius, and then destroyed Tanvir’s tally in the last.

Tanvir had only given 15 in his three overs. But he erred by bowling length

SCOREBOARD Rajasthan Royals innings R Dravid* c Petersen b Pretorius 31 A Rahane c Viljoen b Sohail Tanvir 6 S Samson† c Tsolekile b Tsotsobe 12 S Watson c Symes b Tsotsobe 33 S Binny b Pretorius 38 B Hodge not out 46 A Menaria not out 6 Extras: (lb1, w7, nb 3) 11 Total: (5 wkts, 20 overs) 183 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-36, 3-67, 4-110, 5-145 Bowling: L Tsotsobe 4-0-262, Sohail Tanvir 4-0-36-1, G Viljoen 4-0-41-0, D Pretorius 4-0-27-2, A Phangiso 4-0-52-0 Lions innings H van der Dussen c Dravid

b Malik 14 Q de Kock c Menaria b Watson 18 T Bavuma c †Samson b Malik 0 G Viljoen b Tambe 24 A Petersen* b Tambe 40 J Symes c Binny b Tambe 3 Sohail Tanvir lbw b Tambe 0 T Tsolekile† b Faulkner 21 D Pretorius c Hodge b Faulkner 19 A Phangiso not out 4 L Tsotsobe not out 0 Extras: (b 5, lb 2, w 3) 10 Total: (9 wkts, 20 overs) 153 Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-36, 3-36, 4-89, 5-101, 6-101, 7-120, 8-137, 9-152 Bowling: V Malik 3-0-26-2, J Faulkner 4-0-22-2, S Watson 4-027-1, S Binny 2-0-17-0, K Cooper 4-0-39-0, P Tambe 3-0-15-4

in the second ball of the last over and Hodge dispatched it to the wide long-on boundary for four. The next ball was short of length and coming into the batsman, but Hodge managed to slap it over cover. He pulled the next over deep square leg for a six before punishing the last one a fuller length delivery - over long-off.

Lions, in their chase, never got into a position to threaten the total - they lost early wickets, two of them in consecutive deliveries off Vikramjeet Malik - and all hopes of a late fight were doused once Tambe was introduced. Rahul Dravid had brought the 41-year-old legspinner in the team as a response to the pitch that was used for this game and the bowler didn’t disappoint.

He struck on his third delivery, dismissing Hardus Viljoen, who had added 53 for the fourth wicket with Alviro Petersen. In his second over, he outfoxed Jean Symes with a wide floater that was driven straight to cover and then had Sohail Tanvir plumb in front with a fuller delivery.

With six wickets down, the onus was on Petersen to lead the fight, but he missed a quicker leg break in Tambe’s third over to virtually end Lions’ challenge.

The difference between the two innings could be measured in the four overs Royals took advantage of during their batting. Overs number 8, 13, 16 and 20 were taken for 16, 22, 15 and 21 runs respectively, which meant Royals scored 109 runs in the remaining 16, a run rate of less than sevenan-over. Lions maintained a run rate between seven and eight throughout their innings but failed to find those big overs, the third over with 14 runs being the best for them. (Cricinfo)

reat Britain’s Sir Bradley Wiggins missed out on a first road world title as Germany’s Tony Martin took a third consecutive time trial gold with a commanding ride in Florence.

Wiggins, 33, overhauled Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara in the final third of the 57.9km course to win silver - as he did in the 2011 Championships.

But Martin had built a lead from the start and came in 46.09 seconds ahead.

“I knew it would be close but Tony was on a different level,” said Wiggins.

“I just aimed to be the quickest from A to B as possible. I had no idea until I finished and collapsed in the tent as to where I was.

“Performance manager Rod Ellingworth was telling me the checkpoints but, with all the noise in the last 20 minutes, I was oblivious to everything, and was just trying to get home.

“It is an honour to be on the podium with those two guys. It will be something to show the grandkids.”

After his Giro d’Italia campaign faltered amid crashes and illness and fellow Briton Chris Froome supplanted him as Tour de France champion, Wiggins had hoped to crown a strong finish to the year before his return to track cycling next season.

The 33-year-old completed a commanding vic-

Tony Martin

tory in the Tour of Britain on Sunday, but ultimately Martin’s power and his experience of the Florence course, gained during Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s team victory earlier in the event, proved too great to overhaul.

Wiggins had beaten Martin en route to time trial gold at London 2012, but, having recovered from the fractured scaphoid that disrupted his Olympic preparation, the German was always in command of the race.

Martin had a lead of 13 seconds on Cancellara through the first checkpoint at 24.1km and extended that advantage to 28 seconds by 42.3 km.

While Wiggins eventually overhauled Cancellara, Martin remained well out of reach and his jubilant team started celebrating as he entered the home straight.

Martin said: “To win a world championship is always special. To win it a third time in a row is even more special. (BBC Sport)

Broom’s 117 sets up big Otago win E

xactly at which point Neil Broom had begun to take off is hard to tell. It could be when he struck Burt Cockley for three consecutive fours in the 14th over, or just the sight of Ryan ten Doeschate at the other end, upon which he hit the first of his eight sixes on Wednesday.

One can be quite certain that Simon Katich had no idea, because by the time Broom had walked off at the end of the Otago innings having scored an unbeaten 117, the Perth Scorchers captain was looking at a total - 242 for four in 20 overs - far beyond the reaches of his young team.

And it remained so, as they made 180 for 6, and Otago finishing with an emphatic 62-run win. With the win, the New Zealand side not only kick-started their Champions League campaign, they set a few records on the way.

They have now completed a streak of 14 consecutive Twenty20 wins, second only to Sialkot Stallion’s 25-match winning streak. They had made the highest team score in the Champions League, as well as their best as a team, and Broom became only the fourth batsman to score a hundred in the competition, and the first in two years.

Broom was the main man

for Otago, hammering, swatting and cracking sixes and fours on his way to a 56-ball unbeaten 117. He smashed nine fours and eight sixes. He played out 14 dot balls, most of them at the start of his innings when he saw two wickets fall in consecutive balls in the third over. There were some nervy moments during his 67-run third wicket stand with Derek de Boorder but that was, as it was later understood by Otago’s continuous onslaught, a way to unnerve the Scorchers’ bowlers.

There were some close calls, including a dropped catch at slip by Adam Voges when de Boorder’s slash only found the edge in the fourth over.

After de Boorder fell to Voges after making 45 off 28 balls with five fours and two sixes, ten Doeschate weighed in. The Dutch allrounder straightaway went after the bowling, and increasingly, Broom too became aggressive.

Broom saw ten Doeschate survive a catch at long-on, the ball trickling over the rope, and still go after the bowling. Both were now on the charge, hounding the younger bowlers with boundaries off the first ball of their overs. They brought up their 100-run stand in just 39 balls, and Otago reached the 200-run mark in the 18th over. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Otago innings N Broom not out 117 H Rutherford lbw b Paris 2 B McCullum* lbw b Paris 0 D de Boorder† b Voges 45 R ten Doeschate c Davis b Behrendorff 66 J Neesham not out 8 Extras: (w 4) 4 Total: (4 wkts, 20 overs) 242 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-76, 4-204 Bowling: M Beer 4-0-32-0, J Behrendorff 4-0-43-1, J Paris 4-1-50-2, B Cockley 3-0-45-0, A Agar 2-0-22-0, H Cartwright 1-0-14-0, A Voges 2-0-36-1 Perth Scorchers innings

L Davis c Rutherford b Butler 0 A Agar c †de Boorder b Butler 10 S Katich* run out (Butler) 0 A Voges c Butler b NL McCullum 36 H Cartwright not out 68 A Turner c Broom b Butler 27 T Triffitt† c Broom b McMillan 25 Extras: (lb 6, w 6, nb 2) 14 Total: (6 wkts, 20 overs) 180 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-11, 3-11, 4-76, 5-127, 6-180 Bowling: I Butler 4-0-473, J McMillan 3-1-19-1, N Beard 4-0-35-0, N Wagner 3-0-24-0, J Neesham 3-0-200, N McCullum 3-0-29-1

thursday, September 26, 2013

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Suarez returns in loss at Man Utd D

Remember me as an entertainer, says Gayle

Javier Hernandez netted the winner in Wednesday’s match

L

uis Suarez could not rescue Liverpool on his return from a 10-match ban as Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez netted an early second-half winner in their League Cup third-round tie on Wednesday.

Hernandez’s volley from Wayne Rooney’s corner - 39 seconds after the restart - avenged the defeat Liverpool inflicted on United when the teams met at Anfield this month, and will help new boss David Moyes put Sunday’s thrashing by Manchester City behind him.

But the visitors were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet at Old Trafford, where they were on top for long periods.

Suarez, who was suspended for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in April, helped create a host of opportunities alongside Daniel Sturridge and hit the bar with a second-half free-kick.

But there was also evidence of his ring-rustiness in a match that only came to life in the second period.

Before Suarez’s set-piece, a Victor Moses header drew a superb save from David De Gea while Shinji Kagawa struck the woodwork at the other end.

Moyes had asked for a

Luis Suarez

reaction from his side after their derby mauling - although he made eight changes to the side humbled at the Etihad - and the Scot certainly saw an improvement on that showing.

Victory for Moyes makes it the best start for a new Manchester United manager since Matt Busby in 1945 and extended his side’s run to six successive home wins over Liverpool.

After a promising start to the season for Brendan Rodgers’ side, they are now without a win in three games but the Reds boss will hope Suarez’s return will see an upturn in their form.

The 26-year-old was thrown straight into the starting XI and, though

booed by the home supporters whenever he touched the ball early on, looked immediately at home in an adjusted 3-5-2 formation in which the Uruguayan and strike partner Sturridge were supported by Moses.

It was a system the hosts struggled to cope with in the first half as the Liverpool front trio found plenty of space in deep and wide areas.

Tellingly though, given his extended absence, Suarez was twice let down by a poor touch when well placed, while Sturridge was denied by solid United defending as he bore down on goal and almost connected with a Jose Enrique centre.

(BBC Sport)

Arsenal host Chelsea in fourth round A rsenal will host Chelsea in the standout tie of the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. The Gunners needed a penalty shoot-out to overcome West Brom and set up a meeting with Jose Mourinho’s men.

Manchester United’s reward for beating eighttime winners Liverpool 1-0 is a home game against Norwich, while Newcastle take on Manchester City.

Birmingham City, who knocked out holders

Swansea, earned another home tie against Premier League Stoke.

Tottenham take on Hull and managerless Sunderland meet Southampton in two more all-Premier League ties, while Championship highfliers Burnley host West Ham and Martin Jol’s Fulham travel to Leicester.

Arsenal, who have not won the League Cup since 1993, were runners-up to Chelsea in the 2007 final.

The Blues also won the trophy in 2005, the open-

ing silverware of Mourinho’s first spell in charge.

United reached the fourth round courtesy of a Javier Hernandez strike early in the second half at Old Trafford and boss David Moyes said he was delighted to be drawn at home again - but was wary of the threat posed by the Canaries.

“Norwich are a good side, they have got a good manager and we will give them every respect,” he said.

The matches will be played on October 29 or 30.

(BBC Sport)

ubai, UAE – The giant figure is as aweinspiring as one finds him on the crease, but Chris Gayle speaks ever so softly during an interview.

“Thank you for getting me to Dubai, it’s been a while since I have been here,” the most destructive batsman in contemporary cricket said in response to my customary welcome line.

Clad in a casual T-shirt, bermudas and with his shades on, the Jamaican seemed to embodying the Caribbean spirit onto the lounge of Park Hyatt Hotel — where he is staying on a personal visit lined up with a number of commercial commitments.

The deadpan demeanour easily breaks into an obliging smile while meeting fans or photographers even as he was settling down for an exclusive interview with Gulf News.

The last year and-a-half had been an eventful one for Gayle, during which he ‘came back’ to mainstream cricket again after a selfimposed exile due to his differences with the establishment and is enjoying every bit of it.

At 34 years, Gayle is very much a professional cricketer who has been there and done that (he was the national team’s captain between 2007 and 2010 and has already spent 13 years in international cricket), but still sounds motivated enough to deliver in all formats of the game.

In a wide-ranging interview during, Gayle fielded questions on a range of issues, from his ‘comeback’ to international cricket to activities of his foundation.

The team will certainly be depending heavily on you during the short tour of India next month. How are you looking forward to it?

CHRIS GAYLE: Yes, I am really looking forward to the two Test matches.

We have had a good break but it will be worktime again when we regroup together and do the rebuilding stuff.

Personally speaking, I have never played a Test match in India and hope it can give me a good start to the season.

The two-Test series will also see Sachin Tendulkar playing his 200th Test match.

Having played enough cricket against him, What’s your comment on the master batsman reaching the landmark?

It’s a great achievement to play 200 Test matches. I have played 97 and I can tell you the toll it takes on the body. The man has scored so many runs over such a long period of time and still has a tremendous work ethic ... he’s an absolute masterclass.

Hopefully, we will try to get him out as early as possible but his fans will not

Chris Gayle

be happy. Overall, I hope it should be a good series.

It’s been nearly one and-a-half years since you have made a comeback in the West Indies team after the issues with the cricket board. How does it feel to be contributing to the national cause again?

I must say the comeback has been good so far.

We have won six consecutive Test matches and hopefully, can make it seven in a row by winning the first one against India. I feel I still have a lot to offer to West Indies cricket in all formats of the game.

I have been through the world and been around with the team for 12-13 years now, but I am still feeling good and hopefully can continue for some more time. I still want to score the double and triple hundreds ...

I was fortunate enough to be present at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo last year when your team won the T20 World Cup and you seemed to be completely over the moon. Was it only celebration or out of a sense of restoring some pride for the country?

It’s been a big moment for us really as we had not won something in a while.

It was a fantastic experience and hopefully, we can defend the title next year.

There is, however, a long way to go and lot of cricket to be played before that.

In a recent interview, Brian Lara said as an elder statesman of the West Indies team, you should now a mentoring role in the dressing room ...

We have quite a few youngsters at the moment but at the same time but I feel it’s better if they learn quickly rather than having somebody mentor them.

Yes, I am always avail-

able for discussion and any advice if needed. We all communicate well, there is always a buzz in the dressing room and the team is doing well.

As I said, winning six Test matches on the way is a big improvement for us and we are now looking forward to seal the seventh one in India.

You have been really a talismanic figure in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the memories of that brutal 175 last season still fresh in our memory.

How has been the IPL journey for you?

It’s not only been good for me but for all international cricketers. There have been quite a few West Indian cricketers who have played a big role in the IPL and have been fine entertainers like (Kieron) Pollard, (Dwayne) Bravo and Sunil Narine.

Kevon Cooper came in recently and also grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I am happy for the guys and it’s been financially rewarding for them as well.

Everybody is looking forward to the next season and hopefully, it will continue in the same vein.

The inaugural Caribbean Premier League T20 has also been a big success. Do you think it can emulate the IPL some day?

Definitely. I think this had been the best organised league after the IPL. It’s a wonderful experience, lot of people did not know what to expect but everything fell into place. The turnout was fantastic and the quality of cricket was good.

While the young fans are overwhelmed at your dominance of the T20 game, one gets a feeling that you often haven’t got your due as a Test batsman of the highest order? (First published on Gulf News)

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thursday, September 26, 2013

Late strikes help India A pull even against WI A

Gayle labels Usain Bolt Jamaica’s biggest ambassador

W

est Indies A’s Kirk Edwards and Kraigg Brathwaite kept India A’s bowlers at bay for almost two sessions with a 172-run second-wicket stand, but quick strikes in the last session meant the teams were even at the end of the opening day of the first unofficial Test in Mysore on Wednesday.

Edwards and Brathwaite came together in the third over of the morning at the

SCOREBOARD West Indies A 1st innings K Brathwaite c †Motwani b Parvez Rasool 92 K Powell lbw b Mohammed Shami 0 K Edwards* b Pandey 91 N Deonarine c & b Parvez Rasool 28 A Fudadin not out 4 L Johnson lbw b Paliwal 10 C Walton† not out 26 Extras: (b3, lb6, nb4) 13 Total: (5 wkts, 90 overs) 264 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-175, 3-211, 4-223, 5-237 Bowling: Mohammed Shami 16-2-54-1, I Pandey 19-5-53-1, AB Dinda 162-43-0, Parvez Rasool 2710-60-2, R Paliwal 8-2-281, H Khadiwale 4-0-17-0

Usain Bolt and Chris Gayle Both Kraigg Brathwaite (left) and Kirk Edwards missed their centuries (BCCI) pix saved as centuries

early loss of opener Kieran Powell, who was dismissed

by Mohammad Shami, after West Indies were asked to bat and put the visiting team in a position of strength with a strong stand.

Edwards, who had scored a match-winning century last week in Bangalore, was the dominant partner in the stand, hitting 11 fours and a six in his innings. But his dismissal for 91, to Ishwar Pandey, in the 58th over al-

lowed India a way back.

Brathwaite, who had played more than 200 deliveries in his innings, was dismissed for 91 by Parvez Rasool 11 overs later.

Rasool soon added another wicket, that of Narsingh Deonarine, to slow West Indies’ charge.

From 175 for 1, West Indies were soon reduced to 237 for 5, but Assad Fudadin and Chadwick Walton prevented any further damage, ending the day at 264. (Cricinfo)

Edwards rues missing ton

M

YSORE, India – Opener Kraigg Brathwaite (92) and captain Kirk Edwards (91) led the West Indies A Team batting on the opening day of the first unofficial four-day “Test” match against India A. The pair came together early in the day and batted brilliant to add 172 for the second wicket as Windies closed on 264-5 at the Gangotri Glades. Wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton will resume the second day on 26 and with his left-hander Assad Fudadin on four not out.

Speaking after the day’s play Edwards said his know required great patience.

“The pitch was a bit spongy in the beginning so it required a bit more patience.

We had to get ourselves in and see that phase out. On the day I thought myself that if the guys were going to attack me then I am going to make use of their energy and let them bowl the short stuff at me. I just teased them a bit and took what was on offer later on,” he said.

After a slow start Edwards blossomed to hit 11 fours and a six off 162 balls.

Brathwaite was watchful. He

Kirk Edwards

batted for close to five hours and hit 12 boundaries off 215 balls.

The 28-year-old expressed disappointment that he did not reach triple figures.

“Obviously I’m disappointed. It would’ve been nice for me and Kraigg to get a century because we did all the hard work. But it wasn’t to be. You have to just accept it and move on.” (WICB)

D

UBAI, United Arab Emirates - Chris Gayle, arguably the world’s leading T20 batsman, has described countryman Usain Bolt as Jamaica’s biggest ambassador on the global stage.

“Words cannot explain what he (Bolt) has done for Jamaica and the world,” said Gayle during an interview with Gulfnews.com on

Wednesday.

“He has rewritten history”.

The fastest man on the planet has established himself as legend by becoming the first male sprinter to retain the Olympic 100 and 200-metre gold, achieved in London last year.

Bolt also boasts the highest tally of sprint medals at the World Championships surpass-

ing American Carl Lewis in quality.

“I am really happy for him. I have heard him speaking about how he trains etc, and hope youngsters can take a leaf out of him,” said Gayle.

“I hope he can go on to do bigger things. Everywhere you go, you hear people say Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt now. He has done wonders for Jamaica”.

Hafeez admits to poor showing in Tests

M

ohammad Hafeez is quite likely to be axed from Pakistan’s Test squad given his poor showing in the format this year but, Hafeez said, he could not complain if that happened and it would be part and parcel of the game.

A lack of first-class game time, he said, has contributed to his woes, but he still believes he is “one big innings” away from establishing himself in Test cricket.

“It’s not a bad patch, it’s not form too,” Hafeez said in Lahore. “It happens in cricket, you try your best but sometimes you can’t perform in a particular format. It’s not a matter of technique even, the ball is coming on to my bat but I am not able to play a big innings. It happens with any big cricketer.”

Hafeez has aggregated 102 runs in 10 Test innings this year, and his biggest struggle was the threematch Test series against South Africa in February.

That signaled the start of his current slump, as he was doing reasonably well since being recalled in 2010 after a three-year gap. In South Africa, he was exposed against moving ball and became Dale Steyn’s bunny. On the recent trip to Zimbabwe, he remained offcolor in the Tests, scoring 59 in four innings despite being

Mohammad Hafeez

the Man of the Series in the ODIs. He cited Pakistan’s lack of Test matches as a major hurdle for him to turn his form around: “If you look at Test series we played against South Africa six months ago, we didn’t play first-class cricket [until the Zimbabwe series this month], so it’s a lengthy gap and it’s not easy to adapt yourself in the format after such lengthy gap.

But yes it’s not an excuse, I admit that in the previous

five Test matches my performance has not been good and I am concerned about it.”

Given his current form, Hafeez says he will accept his fate - whatever it be - when the squad is announced. “I am playing well in the other formats and it’s not like that I am not doing the handwork, but maybe I need to be doing more handwork. I am just one big inning away from being settled in the format. (Cricinfo)

thursday, September 25, 2013

Bush Lot United Turf Club race meet officially off

T

he Bush Lot United Turf Club horse race meet that was scheduled for Sunday has been called off, according to coordinator of the event Lakeram Sukhdeo.

Sukhdeo told Guyana Times Sport on Wednesday that the club has decided to postpone the event because of the Guyana Police Force’s inability to provide adequate security.

“I made contact with an officer from the Fort Willington Police Station this afternoon (yesterday) and the situation is the same, the police cannot provide adequate policing for the event, so we decided to call it off,” Sukhdeo said.

The Guyana Police Force withdrew its presence from the event, citing its commitment to the Police Gymkhana, also set for the same day in Hope Town, West Coast Berbice.

Lakeram Sukhdeo

Cecil Kennard

Sukhdeo, however, indicated that another racing date is currently being looked at, but given the packed schedule left for the year, a revised date will be difficult to secure.

Meanwhile, president of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority, Cecil Kennard when contacted on Wednesday, said the BLUTF could be facilitated

with a new date sometime in October. On the other hand, the postponement of the race meet is viewed as a disappointment for horse owners and others who were anticipating the meet.

Eighty horses were registered for the impressive seven-race programme. Over $7 million have been invested for the event. (Rajiv Bisnauth)

Edwards replaces injured Cotterell on Windies A tour of India

M

YSORE, India Fast bowler Fidel Edwards will replace injured left-arm seamer Sheldon Cotterell in the West Indies A team for their current series against India A. Cotterell was forced to pull out of the tour after suffering from pain in his left knee.

“It was a devastating blow when we found out that Sheldon was injured and could not play. He is one of the most promising quick bowlers we have in the West Indies,” team manager Lockhart Sebastien said.

“We were looking forward to seeing him perform well on this tour for the West Indies A team, but unfortunately he has been ruled out due to injury”.

Cotterrell was named in both the limited-overs and four-day squads but did not play any of the three onedayers or the one-off T20.

He was not in the XI for the first unofficial Test set to enter its second day in Mysore today.

“He was impressive in recent months, especially in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and this was a great chance for him to show his skills again,” said Sebastien.

“We are still confident we have the bowlers to do the job and we expect the team

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Pepsi Inter-County One-Day Tournament…

Berbice and Essequibo clash in must-win match for final spot …coaches confident sides can bounce back

By Rajiv Bisnauth

H

aving suffered defeats at the hands of defending champions Demerara in respective preliminary games, Berbice and Essequibo will need to regroup for their must-win clash in today’s final preliminary match of this year’s Pepsi Inter-County 50-over competition.

Both teams need a win to book a place in Sunday’s final against Demerara at the Albion Community Centre ground. Considering the grim situation, today’s contest comes as a huge challenge and test for both teams.

Although the Berbicians start as clear favourites, the lads from the Cinderella County will aim to spring another surprise like when they beat Berbice for the first time in 1994 at Blairmont.

Bounce back Both coaches remain positive that their side can bounce back from their first round defeats.

Berbice coach Hubern Evans called for a show of maturity, particularly from his senior players.

“The senior players in the side need to step up; they need to apply themselves better. It’s important that they put their hands up and put in a match-winning performances come tomorrow (today),” Evans said.

Essequibo coach Vibert Johnson noted that Essequibo’s chances of reaching the final depend heavily on the senior players.

“The senior players need to put some more weight on their shoulders if we should come out on top tomorrow (today) and reach the final.

We had some setbacks in the first game, but I am confident that we will bounce back,” Johnson opined.

Essequibo will depend on left-handed skipper Royan Fredericks, Vishwanauth Lall and Ricardo Adams, who

Royan Fredericks

Vibert Johnson

scored the only century in the recently held Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) 50-over competition, to carry their batting.

Wicketkeeper Kevin Boodie, Herry Green, Vijai Surujpaul, Kemo Paul, Dellon Heyliger and teenager Ricardo Peters are expected to lend support with the bat.

Despite being hammered

by Demerara, Essequibo bowling could be their strength. New ball bowlers Mark Tyrell, who captured a four-wicket haul against Berbice in last year’s fourday competition and Gilford Moore, who has played at the regional level for CCC, form a potent combination. Anthony Adams and off-spinner Jason Heyliger will spearhead the spin attack.

Meanwhile, Shimron Hetmyer and Gudakesh Motie have been replaced

by Krishnadat Ramoo and Kevin Ramdeen in Berbice’s 14-man squad. Both Hetmyer and Motie have joined the West Indies under-19 squad to face Bangladesh in sevenmatch series scheduled for Guyana from October 5.

Even without Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin and Veerasammy Permaul who are unavailable due to West Indies A team duties, the Berbice batting is strong with skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon, Anthony

Bramble, Jonathan Foo, Anthony D’Anrade, Devon Clements, Eon Hooper and Rajiv Ivan. Devendra Bishoo, who made a blistering unbeaten 72 on Tuesday against Demerara and Joemal La Fleur can also lend useful support with the bat.

Keon Joseph is genuinely quick while Bishoo, Clements, Ivan and Ramoo are the main spinners in the Berbice line-up.

Today’s game is scheduled to start at 09:00h and admission to the Georgetown Cricket Club ground is free.

Berbice: Sewnarine Chattergoon (Captain), Kevin Ramdeen, Devendra Bishoo (Vice Captain), Kandasammy Surujnarine, Jonathan Foo, Rajiv Ivan, Anthony Bramble (Wicket keeper), Anthony D’Andrade, Devon Clements, Joemal La Fleur, Romario Shepherd, Keon Joseph, Eon Hooper, Krishnadat Ramoo (Manager) Albert Smith (Coach) Hubern Evan.

Essequibo: Royan Fredericks (Capt), Anthony Adams (vice Capt.), Kevon Boddie, Ricardo Peters, Ricardo Adams, Herry Greene, Mark Tyrell, Vishwanauth Lall, Sheldon Alexander, Vijai Surujpaul, Kemo Paul, Jason Heyliger, Dellon Heyliger, Gilford Moore, (Coach) Vibert Johnson, (Manager) Aotto Christiani.

K&S Organisation prepared...

from back page

Fidel Edwards

to continue doing well on this tour.”

Edwards last played for West Indies during the tour of Bangladesh late last year.

He didn’t feature in West Indies’ home international season this year but played the CPL, in which he took nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul. (WICB)

Asked on the other hand whether the organisation is willing to go through the correct procedure of the present GFF administration and why they never thought it fit to do same under the Colin Klass administration, Mohammed explained, “After the GFF started seeing our success after year fives, the GFF asked us to collaborate with us… so for five years the tournament was known as the GFF/ the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament.

“They (GFF) never wanted additional financial fees

but after the sub associations that represented their teams would want like appearance fee because of GFF involvement, the GFF explained to us pulled out and told us that we would just have to write directly to the GFF,” Mohammed noted.

In addition, Mohammed mentioned that the GFF is reluctant to grant permission for the tournament although the organisers applied through the Guyana Women’s Football Association.

“As we speak there is no reply from the GFF to the

women’s association so that we can get together and make plans so that is the position,” Mohammed stated.

Further, Mohammed mentioned that if the tournament is run off, the organisation plans to add a group stage and increase its prize monies, furthering the development of youth football.

“If nothing happens where we will not get the tournament played in December with the required teams and everything we will seriously go into school football,” Mohammed told media representatives.

wednesday, september 26, 2013

TOP SCORES

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

West Indies A 264-5 (Brathwaite 92, Edwards 91, Rasool 2-60) v India A; Rajasthan Royals 183-5 beat Lions 153-9 by 30 runs; Otago 242-4 (Broom 117*, ten Doeschate 66, de Boorder 45) beat Perth Scorchers 180-6 sby 62 runs

K&S Organisation prepared to call it quits on end-of-year tournament

our tournament.

“If we’re not giving this period and we are giving some other time we’re hearing around we’re not accepting any other times,” Mohammed stressed.

Muhammad also highlighted the reason why the tournament should not be held parallel to any other: “We think it’s disrespectful for football in Guyana, we think it’s disrespectful to the business community, we think it’s disrespectful to the fans, we think it’s disrespectful to the Kashif and Shanghai organization.

“The business community is asking us, gentlemen what protection do we have that this tournament won’t have to split in terms of attendance because there is a parallel tournament running, so it is against this back drop we told them (GFF) that we would like to have our tournament alone,” Mohammed revealed. turn to page 23

By Treiston Joseph

T

he Kashif and Shanghai organisation on Wednesday indicated that it will not be hosting its football tournament with any other tournament at the end of the year.

The tournament, which would have been entering its 24th season, should stand on its own and will not be competing with any other tournament at the end of the year or on any revised dates, according to co-director of the K&S Organisation Kashif Muhammad at a press conference at the Water Chris Hotel on Wednesday.

“We are not confident that we will be given the permission, if we are given permission, if the GFA (Georgetown Football Association) is running there tournament parallel, if they are also given permission we will not be doing Aubrey “Shanghai” Major (left) and Kashif Mohammed during the press conference at the Water Chris Hotel (Treiston Joseph photo)

Pepsi Inter-County One-Day Tournament…

INSIDE TODAY’S SPORT

Bush Lot United P23 Turf Club race meet officially off

Berbice and Essequibo clash in must-win match for final spot

…coaches confident sides can bounce back

H

aving suffered defeats at the hands of defending champions Demerara in respective preliminary games, Berbice and Essequibo will need to regroup for their must-win clash in today’s final preliminary match of this year’s Pepsi Inter-County 50-over competition.

Both teams need a win to book a place in Sunday’s final against Demerara at the Albion Community Centre ground. Considering the grim situation, today’s contest comes as a huge challenge and test for both teams.

See full story on page 23

Hubern Evans

Kevin Ramdeen

Krishnadat Ramoo

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